History was once again made at the start of the 2006 season with the first ever entry of a Trefloyne team in the Welsh Golfing Union Victory Shield foursomes. Representing Trefloyne in the first match was the formidable pairing of Chris Thomson and Gary Lewis, two of the biggest hitters in the game playing against the very best of Glynneath. Ashburnham was the chosen venue on a very blustery Saturday afternoon, with the course standing up to its life-long reputation as being a great test of golf. The game to'd and fro'd all the way out into the gale and with never more than one hole in it, the Trefloyne duo were one up at the turn and further increased their lead to two after a catalogue of mistakes down wind at the long par- five 10th. The next six holes were halved and so Trefloyne stood on the 17th tee one up with two to play. Glynneath struggled all the way to the green in five and with Gary with a 10-footer for a four, the game looked in the bag. However, in his enthusiasm to finish in style, he duly knocked it five-foot past and left Chris with a tricky one down wind to clinch the match. Nerves of steel saw the ball drop firmly in the middle of the hole for a great historic victory. Round two was against Brecon on Easter Monday - same Trefloyne duo, Ashburnham and guess what, more wind! Gary and Chris played very solid golf against a very experienced Brecon pairing, dropping just one shot over the first seven holes into the teeth of the wind off the championship tees to lead three up. A wayward drive at eight reduced the margin to two, but with a great 'toe' off the tee and a 'thick wedge' (to use Chris's words) at nine resulted in a solid par and a return to three up! Ten was lost after a great up and down from Brecon, followed with a further win at 11 after Gary overshot the green with his approach, with 12 being won by Trefloyne to increase their lead to two. Chris's tee shot at the short 13th was pushed right, with Brecon drilling the flag with a punched five- iron. However, Gary played great recovery shot off the pathway to four feet to force a half. Two up with five to play, 14 was taken by Brecon with a great birdie four and then Tommo let one rip down 15 some 80 yards over the road to the complaint of Gary - "You've put me too near the green." A threequarter wedge by Gary resulted in a rock solid par. Two up three to play. The 16th was a huge task off the championship tee, and with Gary drilling a three-iron right at the flag all looked good. Unfortunately, it was struck just two well and disappeared over the bank and settled up against a tree - only one of two on Ashburnham. With a very difficult recovery shot after a penalty drop, they lost the hole to a four. The bank down the right-hand side of the 17th is like a magnet, especially in a left to right wind, but Chris over-compensated and hooked the ball out of bounds on the left, so it was down to the wire. Both sides hit nervous irons off the last and Trefloyne missed the green on the right, with Brecon hitting a superb second to the back edge. Although the guys put up a fight to the end, the rough and the wind took its toll and they lost on the last. It was a great battle which will no doubt be discussed at length on the 'Terrace' with beer in hand over the weeks to come. Well done Chris and Gary - it was all so close!
Beynon and Duffy reform partnership - after 34 years!
Yes, it's true, Ian Duffy, Trefloyne's latest member after many years of rumoured comeback, has dusted off his clubs and teamed up with Kim Beynon to organise, encourage and promote Junior Development at Trefloyne, under the watchful eye of Christine Burton. Chris was heard to comment in the pro-shop last week when Ian asked for his wedge to be re-gripped: "You must be joking - the grip's worth more than the wedge, and they are only £2.50 - your not serious are you! But then she hasn't witnessed the Duffy magic yet - "it's still the same old magic with the same old wand", just a smaller loop in the back swing these days. Junior golf is very close to the hearts of both Ian and Kim, having grown up on the Tenby links and playing junior events throughout the UK. Ian says "It's a great game for kids of all ages and I will be supporting the team at Trefloyne to encourage any youngster who wants to play this great game. With the welcome and support you receive at Trefloyne and Christine's dedication and expertise, it's going to be a great place for juniors to play golf." More History made at Trefloyne
Yes its official, Trefloyne has smoked its last cigarette, cigar and pipe in the clubhouse and has become a non-smoking golf club. Remember, anyone can come and enjoy Trefloyne's Bar and Restaurant; it's just now if you smoke you have to leave your 'butt' outside!
Dyfed League
Trefloyne Golf Club were hosts to St. Davids on Saturday, so with home advantage, captain Meurig Evans was looking for a good result to kickstart the season and with some players not available for selection, had to call on his reserves for help. Trefloyne, on paper, looked a strong team, but this only counts on the course, so the captain was hoping his pairings would work. First away were Gary Lewis and Barry Harrison. This proved a very strong pairing, with Gary's long hitting and Barry, who is a keen competitor, putting pressure on the St. Davids pair immediately, who themselves proved to be a strong pair. By the turn, Trefloyne were four up, and with the next holes halved, Trefloyne won the 14th to win five and four. Scott Davies and John James were next on the tee for Trefloyne, who came up against a strong St. Davids pair and it took some good solid play from Scott to hold onto this match. By the turn, Trefloyne were two down, and although again they did well, that's how it stayed. Next to play were Richard Davies and Mel Neale, who know each other's game well and are a good matchplay pair, (they also complement each other in the bar), but on the course they played a good solid game and were two up on the turn. It would take something special from St. Davids to pull this one back and this proved too much, as Trefloyne won this match five and three. Graham Willcocks and Brian Anderson, who was playing his first Dyfed League game, were the fourth pair. Trefloyne were very strong on the front nine and were two up at the turn, but with Graham giving so many shots away on the back nine and Brian, on his debut, losing some of his form, they went down three and two. Bernard Bradley and one of the youngsters, James Maxwell, who has been playing some tremendous golf lately, were the fifth pair. With James driving well off the tee, the St. Davids pair found themselves caught more in a slugging match than golf. By the ninth, Trefloyne were three up and looked good, but St. Davids dug in and, with James losing shots on the back nine, pulled the match back. Trefloyne were one up going up the last and determined to make a half, but again James, who was giving a shot away on this hole, got a win and Trefloyne won two up. Regular pairing of Dylan Phillips and youngster Sam Anderson were the sixth pair. With Sam again playing a great all round game, they took this match by the scruff of the neck and by the turn were four up. The Trefloyne pair were now looking to close out this match and took it six and five. Next away were Meurig Evans and Simon Arthur, who again went off very strongly, winning the first two holes, and had the St. Davids pair struggling. By the turn, Trefloyne were seven up, but found it difficult to finish off the game, but with some solid play by Simon at the quarry - after seeing his partner play his second straight into the big hole - they won the 13th for a six and five victory. Trefloyne won this match overall by five games to two.