Thirteen weeks away - and Mannings Heath golfers are glad to be back

Club vice-captain Martin Lumbard, playing off 21, was the only man to buck the trend as he opened his round with a birdie and finished with 40 points despite a couple of blobs. Geoff Brown pipped Gerard Weide on countback for the division two runner-up spot after both carded 31.

In the top division no-one could better seven-handicap Saul Dolby’s 34 although three players got within a shot as Joe Hicks beat Matthew Little and Graham Lafferty on countback.

More benign conditions prevailed in Sunday’s competition and scores were correspondingly better but Duncan Glide’s superb 46 points would have won in any weather.

Playing off 17 he had three birdies and nothing worse than a bogey to beat his nearest second division challenger Tony Moss by 11 points with Robin Brown third on 33.

Lewis Westlake took the honours in division one with nine pars and nine bogeys off a nine handicap for 37. James McCarthy was runner-up a point behind and Graeme Brown matched his dad’s second tier third place with 35.

The ladies returned to competitive action and their Easter Flag competition saw them trying to progress as far round the Waterfall course as possible before using all their handicap shots.

Julie Law, playing off 19, got within nine inches of the 18th hole before planting her flag to win the silver division while bronze winner, 30-handicap Sybille Shababi, was only a foot away before planting hers. Runners-up Meriel Jolley and Trish Robson reached the final green.

The winners received Easter baskets of gifts donated by each player in lieu of an entry fee.

HORSHAM GOLF

With the course looking beautiful at Horsham Golf after several months of lockdown, happy golfers were welcomed back at the end of March with the club still observing Covid-19 rules.

The seniors’ section started off with the handing over of the captaincy to the new captain Nigel Croy, who thanked outgoing captain Nairon Khan.

Nigel delivered his drive-in from a frosty first hole and by the time Nairon was putting out on the 16th the sun was shining and temperatures were balmy in comparison. It was a perfect start to what members hope will be a long and busy year.

All golfers are now using the World Handicap System introduced last November. Each course now has its own handicap, and handicaps can differ according to the course being played.

Starting the 2021 season, the seniors’ section played a two day four-ball Alliance competition where all scores are counted and added together on the par three holes, three scores are counted on the par fours and two are counted on the par fives. This proved an excellent format for getting back into the swing of things.

Tuesday’s competition was won by Martin Jesty, Chris Stapley, Keith Rayner and Bob Andrews with a combined score of 119 points. Howard Mannion, Richard Burke, Jill Jordan and Christine Dickenson came in second with 110.

On Wednesday Tommy Ward, Antony Puttock, Malcolm Field and Derek Jones won with 118 points. Second were Charlie Malsbury, Peter Bayles, Rob Neal-Smith and Jim White on 115 points.

COTTESMORE GC

The season finally got going for Cottesmore veterans when 38 players turned out for the Four Clubs and a Putter Trophy played in windy but sunny conditions on the Griffin course. A further 21 members played in a parallel nine-hole competition on the Phoenix course.

Winner on the Griffin was Ron Vance with 37 Stableford points followed by Geoff Chalfont on 35.

Winner on the Phoenix was Robert Booth with 17 points; runner-up Dave Tomes on 15.