No complaints about the weather this Sunday; a chilly, but dry morning, with a strong cross-wind likely to make things a little difficult for the Divots on week nine of the league. First away was the two-ball of Ron Johns and Jerry Whitehouse. While the pair would have taken the prize for the quickest round of golf on the day and probably of the year, there were no prizes for the score they returned. With a blob and a couple of single pointers on the front nine, the pair left too much to do on the back. Seventeen points on each nine and a total of 34 points not helping their cause. Second to tee-off were Rob 'Corbett' Hall and Chris Davies playing with Rick Lewis, who was playing with a blind partner (Jerry Whitehouse) due to the odd numbers. Rob and Chris must have thought they had it in the bag with a great total of 40 points. The score could have been even better if they hadn't slipped up on four of the holes with single points. Rick also did well with a total of 37 points, having to find out how difficult it is to return a good score with a blind partner. Next out were the hot favourites of captain, Clive Law and bandito, Steve Davies, playing with Richard Chapman and the always happy Nigel Ayers. Nigel was looking to maintain his top place in the league, with the Walrus snapping at his heels. The favourites were not to disappoint, returning 43 points - even with scoring single pointers on three holes. Steve had to do most of the work early on while Clive warmed up. The pair then dovetailed well to bring home the best score of the day and take the spoils. Richard and Nigel could do nothing but sit back and admire their playing partners' performance. Well, we guess they must have sat back, as there could be no other excuse for their score total of 29 points. No, I'm afraid that's not a typing error, 29 points after 18 holes was a little disappointing for the pair and probably enough for big Nigel to be dislodged from the top. There is, however, a valuable lesson here for all. Despite the poor score, despite being knocked from the top, despite his beloved Chelsea being defeated again, this time by Liverpool, the guy just keeps smiling! Last week we had the largest gathering of players for the Divots League for a couple of years, despite the absence of Gareth Rees - some suggested that this was more than a coincident! Gareth returned this week and so did the normal numbers. Make of that what you wish! On his return, Gareth was drawn with the Walrus, Gavin Field-Thomas, and they were to play alongside Viv James and Loz Phillips, with Gavin and Loz both keen to continue their love-hate relationship. Loz loves the gamesmanship, but hates to see Gavin's name on the scorecard, while Gavin just hates Loz. All as a bit of fun of course! This game became more like matchplay, with both pairings determined to score better than the other. Gareth and Gavin took a three-point advantage into the back nine, but this was soon clawed back by Loz and Viv. A blob on the 15th from Gareth and Gavin seemed to hand it on a plate, but Loz and Viv didn't capitalise by scoring only one point on both the 15th and 16th holes. A birdie two on the 17th by Gareth and a net par on the last was just enough, 38 points, one ahead of Loz and Viv, who finished on 37. Gareth and Gavin were also lucky enough to be treated to a lesson in the rules of golf by Loz. The man must sleep with the rule book; he has a constant supply of up-to-date information, in fact, so up-to-date that most of the others in the clubhouse were not aware of the new rules. Apparently it is now okay for you to declare the ball of your playing partners as lost and for play to continue while they look for their ball on their own. Also, holding a grounded flag while you putt out is now okay, well for some anyway! With the cash going to Clive and Steve, it's possible that Steve will have to declare his winnings on his tax return this year if he continues to rake in the loot. Results: C. Law and S. Davies 43 pts; C. Davies and R. Hall 40; G. Field-Thomas and G. Rees 38; L. Phillips and V. James 37; R. Lewis 37; R. Johns and J. Whitehouse 34; N. Ayers and R. Chapman 29.
Sunny South African Stableford
There was a lot to take on board for the senior members last Tuesday. Firstly, they had to adjust to the bright sunshine and the clear sparkling air with only a slight breeze following them as they walked away from the clubhouse. Then they had to adjust to the scoring system for the South African Stableford and, if that wasn't enough, they then had to refer to their card for the adjustments made to the stroke index on a number of holes. The final straw was the dread of playing the new eighth and ninth holes for the first time. This final point, as might be expected, provided much discussion as they trudged their weary way back to the clubhouse and it would appear that adjustments to club selection and accuracy will determine how well they all adapt to the new holes. Twelve of 26 players in the pairs' competition failed to score a point on the eighth hole, with the average points score being 0.8. Twenty of the 26 failed to score a point on the ninth hole, achieving an average of 0.4 points for the hole. While it is assumed that, given a few rounds, everyone will improve and increase this average, in this week's competition those who did manage to score had a distinct advantage. In South African Stableford competition any score depends on both players playing out and getting points, since the points earned are multiplied to give a total. Those players then who scored three or more were in with a chance of a high score. Roy and Tony Morgan both had three points on the second hole which, when multiplied, gave them nine points. Stan and Dave Miller scored six points on three holes in their round of 42, while Jack and Geoff could only manage one six on the 17th, to finish with the same total. Peter Woodhouse and Philip Marsden scored as many on the 15th as they did on the first nine holes, a total of nine points, in their round of 43. Roy Gundry and Tony Morris's total of 45 included one 12-pointer on the 15th and a six on the 13th. While Bart and uncle Jim (Taylor) managed one six and one nine-pointer, Newman and Bob Wiseman waded in with four six-pointers. Richard Morgan and Jim Martin were out of the prize money, even though their round of 50 included two nines and a six-pointer. The pair without any high scoring holes and the ones to fall in behind the rest of the field was that of Clifton John, still recovering from last week's success, and Hywel Probert. Nothing above four points and eight holes blanked did not help the cause. The first group out this week included Bob Howse, partnered by Doug Havard, and Des Stone aided and abetted by Little Mo (Lewis that is) and both pairs had their own private duel around the course. This helped provide some high scores, though Des and Maurice failed to score on the eighth or the ninth. Bob and Doug's nine-pointer on the 10th, plus four six-pointers gave them a round of 54 and third place. Des and Maurice improved on that with one nine- pointer, two eight-pointers and two six-pointers to achieve second place with 59 points. Top of the heap this week, with 12 points on the sixth hole and two nine-pointers in their round of 65 were Ron Murphy and Alan Yates, two steady senior golfers who only failed to score on the ninth hole. Well done chaps! This week's competition provided some fun and light relief to test the new holes. Next week sees a return to the eclectic competition.
Gap opens at top of Rabbits League
With just three games remaining in the Rabbits Winter League, a bit of a gap is opening up at the top of the table. In fact, it is developing into something of a two- horse race, with both pace-setting pairs enjoying big wins on Sunday. Section captain Bill Beynon and Macky Harts sent George Pegg and Tony Hopkins packing to the tune of 8 and 6, while joint leaders Mark Edwards and Dorian Thomas didn't need to go over the line either. Their 5 and 4 victory has consigned their opponents, Fred Adlam and John Murphy, to the bottom of table after Steve Watkins and Steve Harries moved up following perhaps a surprise win over Dave Morgan and Chris Smith. Mike Hale and Joe Hewitt saw their hopes dented as they slipped up for a second week, this time Roy Morgan coming in as sub for Dave Moran to help Glyn Price to victory. While another pair slipping down the tabble are Dafydd Evans and Mike Munro, who suffered a last hole defeat for the second week running. Ron Murphy and Anthony Allen were the victors on the 18th this time and they have now leapt up to third place. Results: Mike Hale and Joe Hewitt lost to Roy Morgan (substitute for Dave Moran) and Glyn Price 3 and 2; Dafydd Evans and Mike Munro lost to Ron Murphy and Anthony Allen 1 down; Dave Morgan and Chris Smith lost to Steve Watkins and Stephen Harries 3 and 2; Bill Beynon and Macky Harts beat George Pegg and Tony Hopkins 8 and 6; Mark Edwards and Dorian Thomas beat Fred Adlam and John Murphy 5 and 4.
High-flying Chickens
There were some high-flying Chickens about on Tenby golf course on Friday morning. Taking advantage of the improved conditions - yes, it was dry and mild for a change - 16 of our feathered friends winged their way in for their weekly competition. And they did not disappoint. With the thermals obviously to their liking and the fairways and greens in excellent nick, the points totals simply soared to massive proportions. Poor Richard Morgan (alias King of the Twos) must have thought he was safe when he returned to the coop with a tidy 23 points to his name, only to be brought down to earth with a bump when he found himself landed with the booby prize! Phew! When was the booby last awarded for 23 points? Such is the high quality of this brood, that no one seems safe these days. Even your correspondent came close - and he thought he had had a good day. Anyway enough of the basement battle and back to the high-flyers. And there were two of those, with Owen Monaghan and Derek Bath tying at the top with an impressive 31 points. Rick Lewis must have thought he was in with a chance of sitting on the highest perch after carding 23 points on the front nine, but had his wings clipped a little when a lost ball on the 11th stopped his charge and he eventually flew in with 30 points for third spot. Three members of the flock recorded twos, David Leeke and Vince Shaw bagging theirs on the 12th, with Jim Taylor again pecking up some corn with another on the sixth. Results: 1. Owen Monaghan and Derek Bath 31 pts (£1.20 each); 3. Rick Lewis 30 (60p). Twos: David Leeke, Vince Shaw, Jim Taylor (30p each). Booby: Richard Morgan 23 pts (entry fee returned).
Junior section
Last Sunday saw 23 junior golfers venture out on a cold, but sunny morning. With the playing of the first medal of the year, the CONGU handicap golfers were keen to get the things off to a flying start. Best performance of the day came from Daniel Wood with an excellent nett 70, followed by this year's Junior captain, Georgia Thomas, with a nett 74, and Matthew Adams with a nett 78. A mention must also go to David Webb, who inadvertently signed for a wrong score and who unfortunately had to be disqualified. What would have been a nett 71, taken of his quest to keep the year ending Thomas Trophy. Make sure all you juniors double check your cards before handing them in please! The younger golfers were out in force, with newcomers Jack James and Kristen Clarke joining the regulars, namely Megan, Matthew, Olivia, Naomi, Sophie and Amber, doing between nine and six holes each. Following on behind were some of the younger golfers out on the course for the very first time, namely Owen, Dylan, Zak, Jade and Esme, who thoroughly enjoyed themselves. It was also nice to welcome back Morgan and Harry Duckett for the first outing of the year. Many thanks to Mary, Bryn and Mark for showing tremendous patience. This Sunday sees the second stableford competition of the year being played, with the usual tee-off time of 10.26 am.
Club report
As well as the various society events, two competitions have been held at Tenby Golf Club since the turn of the year. The first was a fourball better ball on January 6, which saw some good scores returned. But none was better than the excellent nett 61 of Paul Haley and Steve Amos, who were helped on their way by a hole-in-one, and pocketed a tidy prize of £65 for their efforts. Not far behind them in second place were W. R. Davies and M. Schooling with 62 (£40), while S. Davies and V. James were third with 63 (£20) and R. Brown and C. Hughes were fourth with 65 (£15). Five pairs bagged twos, which were worth £9 each, and they were: R. Brown and C. Hughes, M. Anthony and C. Murphy, D. Roberts and R. W. Johns, V. John and J. Gillespie and P. Haley and S. Amos (x3, including their hole-in-one). Lucky bag draw winners of £16 per pair were: P. Nixon and T. Ranoe, J. Rees and J. Ball, G. Willars and R. E. Johns and G. McNeilly and D. Cope. Last Saturday, meanwhile, heralded the monthly medal, this time off the blue boxes. Thankfully, for once, there was no rain to contend with, but conditions were still difficult due to a stiff wind blowing across the course. A total of 90 players turned out to do battle in the two divisions and prize-winning results were as follows: Division One: 1. Christopher Davies 76-9-67 (medal and £30); 2. Adam Joseph 75-5-70 (£22.50); 3. Brian Cramb 72-1-71 (£15); 4. Dave Roberts 78-6-72 (£7.50). Division Two: 1. Peter Williams 85-14-71 (medal and £30); 2. Mike Brew 88-16-72, better back nine (£22.50); 3. Russell Clarke 88-16-72 (£15); 4. Neil Dickinson 93-19-74 (£7.50). Six players pocketed £15 each for twos, namely Brian Cramb, Christopher Davies, David Llewellyn, Richard Ormond, Peter Rossi and Simon Toy, while bag draw winners (£17.20 each) were B. Diment, P. Heywood, R. Clarke, P. Williams and R. Ormond.