Houghton-le-spring Golf Club, Texas Scramble - Saturday 3/3/12
Wearside Wanderers annual season opening Texas Scramble competition was held at Houghton-le-spring golf club on Saturday March 3rd, cold wet & windy at times, sunny & warm at others. Nine players braved the elements (plus myself tagging along for some practice). Prior to the game we had a pleasant surprise in the Clubhouse, Tim turned up to see us off, looking fit and well after some serious health problems.
IG.
As always the competition was close with the teams and results below -
1) Eddie Harrison (Captain), Paul Marshall & Davey Fletcher - Gross 69 (nett 62.8)
2) Rico Liverani (Captain), Steve Grant & Dave Watt - Gross 70 (nett 63.8)
3 Kevin Sirey (Captain), Derek Griffiths & Bernie Fitzsimmon - Gross 71 (nett 64.2)
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WW12/1 Ponteland Golf Club - Sunday 8/4/12
This was our first visit to Ponteland Golf Club and the general post match consensus was it won't be our last. On the whole the course was in good condition for the time of year, the only down side was the greens as they had recently been tined and were a bit ropey and uneven in places. This obviously did not affect the winner on the day Jason who as a newcomer had not felt the wrath of "Gunnys Red Pen", now he knows!
IG.
1) Jason Olds - 39 points. Gross 90 / nett 69
2) Jim Rooks - 38 points. Gross 83 / nett 70
3) Paul Marshall - 34 points. Gross 104 / nett 74 (on countback)
Longest Drive winner - Jim Rooks
Nearest the Pin winner - Tim Aberdeen (5.0m)
Two's competition - No two's were carded
Team Competition winners - Paul Baker, Jason Olds, Mark Gibbons - combined score 136points
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WW12/2 Sharpley Springs Golf Club - Sunday 22/4/12
The weather played a major part in us playing Sharpley Springs as we were booked to play at Burgham Park which was closed due to the heavy rain over the past week. Following a few quick phone calls by Paul Marshall, John Ford and myself we managed to negotiate a deal and arrange a match at Sharpley Golf Club. As it turned out this may have been a good thing as Sharpley produced some spectacular scores and memorable shots. We also welcomed a founder member of the society back as a guest, Joe Marshall was one of the original "gang of four" from the very first society outing to the borders way back in 2002.
Back to the golf, firstly the scores, it says something about the standard of the golf that the lowest society members score was 33 points (a total which has been known to win a round). The winner was John with 43 points and a gross 81 which he informs me was his best ever round, though his playing partner Jason claims John managed to skip out of or over all hazards put in his way. Tim won the Longest Drive category and Jim won the Nearest the Pin with 5.9m
We also now have a start on the Two's Pot, one in a regular fashion and one slightly more spectacularly. Jim popped in a long putt for a two on the par 3 16th and I scored an Eagle two on the par 4, stroke index 2, 15th hole, by chipping in over water from 105 yards. Not only a two but also the societies first ever 6 point hole (I have checked the archives and can't find another). Could this be an early contender for Shot of the Year?
IG.
1) John Ford - 43 points. Gross 81 / nett 64
2) Derek Griffiths - 42 points. Gross 97 / nett 65
3) Eddie Harrison - 40 points. Gross 83 / nett 67 (on countback)
Longest Drive winner - Tim Aberdeen
Nearest the Pin winner - Jim Rooks (5.9m)
Two's competition - 2 two's were carded, Ian Gunn & Jim Rooks
Team Competition winners - Derek Griffiths, Tim Aberdeen & Paul Marshall - combined score 156points
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WW12/3 City of Newcastle Golf Club - Saturday 5/5/12
This was our first visit to City of Newcastle golf club and the general consensus in the bar after the game was it won't be our last as it was relatively local, very friendly and good value for money. The course, though wet in places, was in very good condition (excluding one bunker I managed to "find" that had a dusting of sand covering rock hard clay) and the layout was good considering the limited space available to the club. I was expecting Newcastle to be a high scoring round but as it turned out a combination of factors limited the scoring.
The winner on the day was Dennis Williams with 35 points much to the relief of Tim Aberdeen who also scored 35 points but Dennis had a better back nine. Jim Rooks finished in third place with 34 points. Jason Olds took both the Nearest the Pin and Longest Drive categories and John Ford scored a two on the 174 yard 6th hole. Congratulations to all the above.
IG.
1) Dennis Williams - 35 points. Gross 100 / nett 73 (on countback)
2) Tim Aberdeen - 35 points. Gross 82 / nett 73
3) Jim Rooks - 34 points. Gross 86 / nett 74
Longest Drive winner - Jason Olds
Nearest the Pin winner - Jason Olds (6.1m)
Two's competition - 1 two was carded by John Ford
Team Competition winners - Dennis Williams, Rico Liverani & Jim Rooks - combined score 131points
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WW12/4 Bishop Auckland Golf Club - Sunday 20/5/12
Bishop Auckland is a very nice, scenic course but our visit raised one major question, was it a third better than City of Newcastle (or Sharpley Springs for that matter). At £35 this will be our most expensive course this season (excluding Castle Eden which is an all day ticket) and the general consensus was it was overpriced by at least £5. I have checked the records and we payed £32 last year (subsidised down to £30 by the Society funds). Anyway, that's the grumping out of the road, now the plus points, given the weather over the past few weeks we could not have had better, sunny, pleasantly warm and calm, almost perfect. Bishop is not an easy course with 5 par fives (3 in the first four holes) and no par 3's less than 150 yards in length.
Given the difficulty of the course the scoring was above average and certainly better than last year. The winner on the day was Derek Griffiths with an excellent 39 points. in second place was Paul Marshall with 36 points and third place went to Ian Gunn with 33 points following a back nine hole countback. The longest drive went to Dave Sanders who outdrove Paul Baker by at least 200 yards (actually by 2 yards but the winning margin "grew" as the day went on!). Nearest the Pin went to Paul Marshall with 2.79m, the closest yet and one "two" was carded by Dave Fletcher. Congratulations to all the above.
The day was marred by the news that one of our most dedicated members Tim Aberdeen had been rushed into hospital the night before. We all wish Tim a speedy recovery and send our best wishes to his family.
IG.
1) Derek Griffiths - 39 points. Gross 99 / nett 69
2) Paul Marshall - 36 points. Gross 102 / nett 72
3) Ian Gunn - 33 points. Gross 107 / nett 75 (on countback)
Longest Drive winner - Dave Sanders
Nearest the Pin winner - Paul Marshall, 2.79m
Two's competition - 1 two was carded by Davey Fletcher
Team Competition winners - Paul Baker, Dave Watt, John Ford & Paul Marshall - 131 points
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WW12/5 Castle Eden Golf Club - Friday 1/6/12
Castle Eden is a regular fixture on the Wearside Wanderers calendar providing us with not only round 5 of our Championship but also our annual Team Challenge event. This year 16 players took to the fairways including three guest players one being a previous member Andrew Teasdale along with two "Pro's", Derek Goldsmith (3 H/C) and Kevin Sirey (5 H/C). It has to be said we have seen Castle Eden in better (and more forgiving) condition, the greens were fast but ropey in places and the semi rough was brutal. The weather could have been better too, the forecast was for overcast conditions on the morning with sunny intervals on the afternoon. The sunny intervals did not arrive and the temperature appeared to drop in the afternoon, June? it was warmer in January! but at least it didn't rain.
As previously said the conditions were difficult and this was reflected in the scoring, in the past we have had winners with 40+ points but not today. After a bit of scorecard scrutiny by the Competition Secretary (me) the winner on the day was Eddie Harrison with 37 points, closely followed by Paul Marshall also on 37 points (on countback). Third place went to Paul Baker (also on countback) with 36 points from Dave Watts.
The Longest Drive was won by Jim Rooks, he now takes the outright lead in this category with 2 round wins. Nearest the Pin was won by Paul Marshall who also takes the outright lead in that category once again with 2 round wins. There were no two's carded by Championship registered players but our guest Derek Goldsmith did get one on the 11th hole.
Once again the Team competition was very tight, please see the separate report below.
IG.
1) Eddie Harrison - 37 points. Gross 83 / nett 69 (on countback)
2) Paul Marshall - 37 points. Gross 99 / nett 69
3) Paul Baker - 36 points. Gross 83 / nett 70 (on countback)
Longest Drive winner - Jim Rooks
Nearest the Pin winner - Paul Marshall, 8.57m
Two's competition - No two's were carded
Team Competition winners - Kevin Sirey (guest player) & Eddie Harrison - 142 points (the other players in that group did not complete their rounds).
WW12 Team Challenge day Castle Eden Golf Club - Friday 1/6/12
Once again Castle Eden played host to our annual Team Challenge Ryder Cup style competition.
The Chairman's team was led by Paul Marshall, his team consisted of Derek Goldsmith, Eddie Harrison, Rico Liverani, Jason Olds, Derek Griffiths (Vice-Chairman) Davey Fletcher and Ian Gunn.
The Captains team was led by Paul Baker, with Kevin Sirey, Jim Rooks (Vice-Captain) John Ford, Andrew Teasdale, Dave Watts, Bernie Fitzsimmon and Phil Cobb.
As in previous seasons the competition was very tight, after the morning pairs matches the Chairman's team led by 2 1/2 to 1 1/2. Following a light lunch (the soup if it could be called that left a bit to be desired mind), we headed out for the afternoon singles matches and the Chairman's team carried on where they left off winning the afternoon session by 4 1/2 to 3 1/2 meaning the match was won by the Chairman's team by 7 points to 5. Please click on the link below for the afternoon scorecards and final score table.
Link ToTeam Challenge Day Details
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WW12/6 City of Durham Golf Club - Thursday 14/6/12
As we gathered in the club house all the pre match talk was about Tim, we had the great news that he has been released from the high dependency unit at the RVI and may be allowed home some time next week. He was even joking he wanted to come to the Weekend Away trip to try and defend his Border Championship! Sorry you won't be there old mate but at least the upside is someone else will have to look after "Thing" until you can win it back next year.
This was our first visit to this scenic but challenging course since 2006 (we were due to play here in 2007 but the course was closed due to being waterlogged). Sadly due to a combination of factors only seven players turned up on the day but those of us who did managed to find the only gap in the recent dismal weather with a rain free round ending in some pleasant if slightly chilly sunshine.
The competition wasn't as close as it has been recently, in third place was Jim Rooks with 34 points. Like a true gentleman I came second (ooh-err missus) with 36 points, my highest round score since 2009. But the runaway winner, much to John's delight was Paul Marshall with an excellent 40 points, Gunny's red pen awaits!!
The Nearest the Pin category produced a well deserved first ever category win for Phil Cobb, I was playing with him and a lot of thought went in to his choice of club and this paid off. I though it was on it's way in but it just finished a couple of yards short. Only later did Phil own up to already having had a Hole in One before. Kept that one quiet didn't we Phil? Tony Arkley did finish nearer the flag but he was playing as a guest and is not Championship registered.
The Longest Drive category was won by ---- well to be honest I can't remember, it was either Rico or Jim, I will let you know when I find out.
IG.
1) Paul Marshall - 40 points. Gross 96 / nett 67
2) Ian Gunn - 36 points. Gross 103 / nett 71
3) Jim Rooks - 34 points. Gross 85 / nett 73
Longest Drive winner - Rico Liverani
Nearest the Pin winner - Phil Cobb, 3.28m
Two's competition - No two's were carded by registered players but guest player Tony Arkley carded a two on the seventh hole.
Team Competition winners - Paul Marshall & John Ford - 142 points
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WW12/6&7 The Woll & Peebles Golf Club - Sat & Sun 23-24/7/12 (Borders Championship)
Peebles 2006 & 2012
Borders Championship round 1 The Woll
An awful lot of work went into this years Border Championship as due to the weather conditions we were unsure the event would go ahead even as late as Saturday morning. Following many phone calls over the previous few days at 8.30 on Saturday morning John confirmed the courses were open and we were go. I would like to take this opportunity to thank John for arranging the whole trip as it was meant to be my job. The only downside was that our usual Borders Champion Tim would be unable to defend his crown this year but at least we had the good news that Tim was out of hospital and back at home, get well soon my old mate.
Following a nice gentle drive in the country (the Carter Bar to Hawick road was interesting, the first time I have experienced brake fade for a very long time!) we gathered at The Woll golf club situated between Hawick and Galashields in the Scottish Borders. It was quite apt that we play here this year as The Woll was one of the original courses we played way back in our first season in 2002. Back then it was a very basic 9 hole course with a portacabin for a club house, now we were greeted with a new, well equipped building with nice views out over the course and up the Woll valley. The weather could have been better but considering the forecast we got off lightly compared to other parts of the country. The wind had picked up and the sky looked quite ominous and threatening as we prepared to tee off on the first hole. We did get the odd heavy shower during the round but we also had some sunny periods so it wasn't all bad.
The course could have been in better condition, the greens were particularly ropey in places, but taking into account the dreadful weather over the previous days it played quite well with only a couple of places that were waterlogged or had standing water. The conditions did not hamper the scoring with most players returning with decent scores. In third place was Jim Rooks with 37 points, second place went to Paul Baker with 39 points. Rico Liverani came out on top with an excellent 40 points considering the course conditions and his handicap.
1) Rico Liverani - 40 points. Gross 81 / nett 65
2) Paul Baker - 39 points. Gross 81 / nett 68
3) Jim Rooks - 37 points. Gross 82 / nett 70
Longest Drive winner - Paul Baker
Nearest the Pin winner - Derek Griffiths, 2.67m
Two's competition - No two's were carded.
Team Competition winners - Derek Griffiths, Paul Baker & Rico Liverani - 145 points
Borders Championship round 2 Peebles.
Sunday morning dawned overcast and in quite a few cases over-hung following an eventful night in Galashields. The highlights included mixed grill's for most of us, Eddie performing his clowns act (you're having a laugh), Jason being his normal Saturday evening self, the best looking black & white striped top I have ever seen and a quite spectacular pair of white lace shorts! Following a hearty full Scottish breakfast we took a leisurely drive along the Tweed valley to the town of Peebles. Once again the weather could have been better but at least the wind had died down and clouds did not look quite as threatening as we waited on the first tee.
The greens at Peebles had not been affected as badly by the rain as The Woll, though there were more waterlogged fairways and areas of standing water than yesterday. As for the competition, well lets just say some players were affected by the conditions more than others. Third place on the day went to yesterday's winner Rico Liverani with 33 points. In second place was John Ford with 35 points. The winner on the day was myself with 48 points, modesty prevents me from saying too much about the winning margin but needless to say I played the round of my life. The downside came after the game, firstly a highly embarrassing standing ovation from my fellow players, thanks for that. Then, after previously hacking down many fellow players handicaps when they won I had to perform the same to my own by a massive SEVEN strokes, yet another society record.
The Borders Championship was a bit one sided this year thanks to my spectacular round at Peebles, in third place was Paul Baker with a total of 69 points, second went to Rico Liverani with 73 points. The winner and new recipient of "Thing" or "The Claw" is myself with a total of 82 points. Sorry Tim you will have to find something else to scare the children away from the fireplace mate.
Well that's our Weekend Away trip over for another year, I hope all who took part enjoyed themselves and had a memorable weekend. Thanks to all those who took part and once again thanks to John for organising the trip, hope to see you at Linden Hall in a couple of weeks.
IG.
1) Ian Gunn - 48 points. Gross 90 / nett 58
2) John Ford - 35 points. Gross 85 / nett 71
3) Rico Liverani - 33 points. Gross 85 / nett 73
Longest Drive winner - Jim Rooks
Nearest the Pin winner - Rico Liverani, 3.25m
Two's competition - No two's were carded.
Team Competition winners - Ian Gunn & Paul Marshall - 156 points
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WW12/9 Linden Hall Golf Club - Sun 8/9/12
The best thing I can say about Linden Hall last weekend was that the bacon sandwich was nice, but as good as it was £25 for a sandwich was a bit much! The course should not have been open. I know we have had the worst summer in living memory but that is no excuse for not letting us know what the conditions were like beforehand and allowing us to make a choice. I am pretty sure we would still have played but that would have been our decision. To lose a ball in the rough is bad enough but to loose one in a "bunker" is ridiculous, between the 11 of us we must have lost 30 to 40 balls in the bunkers or the overgrown streams.
With the conditions in mind we were never going to have any society records broken at Linden though the scoring was surprisingly good. In third place with 34 points was Davey Fletcher, in second with 35 points was Paul Baker and the winner with 36 points was Dave Sanders which was an excellent score considering he had to put up with me grumping my way round the course.
Roll on the summer, or September as it's also known as!
1) Dave Sanders - 36 points. Gross 81 / nett 65
2) Paul Baker - 35 points. Gross 81 / nett 68
3) Davey Fletcher - 34 points. Gross 82 / nett 70
Longest Drive winner - John Ford
Nearest the Pin winner - Eddie Harrison, 3.22m
Two's competition - Three two's were carded, one each for Paul Baker, Eddie Harrison & Dave Sanders.
Team Competition winners - Paul Baker & Eddie Harrison - 134 points
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WW12/10 Whickham Golf Club - Sunday 22/7/12
For the first time for ages this game was not at the mercy of the weather, it was sunny and warm but quite breezy, verging on windy at times. The course was still showing signs of the recent atrocious weather, it was very wet in places, the greens could have been a lot better and most bunkers were unplayable. At least the committee at Whickham had the common sense to post a local rule allowing you to drop outside all bunkers (and had the decency to let us know the course conditions beforehand unlike Linden Hall). Sadly only seven members turned out for this match so they missed out on the best weather conditions we have had all year so far.
At this point I must apologise for the confusion caused by the cards I issued at the start of the round. As I have done for many years I collected the scorecards when I paid the booking deposit in March, unknown to me the course layout was changed in between then and yesterday causing some confusion. This is the first time anything like this has happened in the past seven years I have been Secretary.
Due to the card confusion the post match gathering was a bit of a confusing affair, eventually we could confirm in third place was Davey Fletcher with 35 points, in second was Ian Gunn with 36 points and the winner was Dave Watts with an excellent 41 points.
1) Dave Watts - 41 points. Gross 86 / nett 63
2) Ian Gunn - 36 points. Gross 99 / nett 70
3) Davey Fletcher - 35 points. Gross 89 / nett 69
Longest Drive winner - Paul Baker
Nearest the Pin winner - No winner
Two's competition - Two two's were carded, one each for Paul Marshall & Ian Gunn.
Team Competition winners - Davey Fletcher & Ian Gunn - 142 points
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WW12/11 Matfen Hall Golf Club - Sunday 12/8/12
For the second weekend running our little band of happy hackers made our way along the A69 and converged on one of our favourite haunts Matfen Hall. Matfen, along with Wearside are the only courses we have played every year since the Society was formed. After last weekend's deluge and lightning it was nice to be able to take to the course without the need for waterproofs (and lightning conductors for that matter). There were two reasons to celebrate, not only was the weather good but it was also fantastic to be able to welcome Tim back following his health problems.
Matfen was in excellent condition considering the rain we have had over the past few weeks and especially considering most of the course was waterlogged when we were here last weekend. The greens were very fast but true and it took some time to get used to the speed. The scoring on the day was very good, the lowest being a respectable 25 points. In third place was Paul Baker with 35 points, an excellent score considering he was still jet lagged having returned from Mexico the day before. In second was Rico with 38 points, he also won the Longest Drive category. The winner was myself with 39 points, before this year it's been three seasons since I had won a round now I have won two so far this year. I have to say it's all down to Doug Brolls at Cocken Lodge, he has worked wonders with me. Finally it was great to see Tim back with us, he even won the Nearest the Pin category and got a two as well.
1) Ian Gunn - 39 points. Gross 98 / nett 69
2) Rico Liverani - 38 points. Gross 83 / nett 70
3) Paul Baker - 35 points. Gross 87 / nett 73
Longest Drive winner - Rico Liverani
Nearest the Pin winner - Tim Aberdeen 2.03m
Two's competition - Three two's were carded, one each for Tim Aberdeen, John Ford & Rico Liverani.
Team Competition winners - John Ford, Jason Olds & Ian Gunn - 139 points.
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WW12/12 Burgham Park Golf Club - Sunday 19/8/12
Thanks to the poor weather earlier in the season this round had to be rescheduled from April and following this game I am sure many players are thankful for that. The scoring was nothing short of spectacular with no less than four out of eleven players scoring more than 40 points. The day started bright and warm but just as predicted by the weather forecasters, around lunchtime the clouds began to gather and just after we teed off the rain came. It was just light for the first hour or so but soon it became persistent and continued until we walked off at the 18th hole.
As I hinted the weather did not put a dampener on the scores. In third place was Jim Rooks with 41 points, Rico Liverani also had 41 points but Jim took the podium position via a back 9 countback. In second and breathing a massive sigh of relief came Paul Marshall with 44 points. The winner on the day (much to the relief of Paul's handicap) was Davey "Fletch" Fletcher with an excellent 45 points, his first round win of the season. Davey also took the Longest Drive category and Jim took the lead in the Nearest the Pin championship with his second round win and the closest distance.
After playing two rounds in two weeks we now have a weekend off, the next match is at Richmond Golf Club on Saturday 1st September. Please remember this is a rearranged fixture and Richmond can be hard to find so take a look at the club website before setting off.
Ian G.
1) Davey Fletcher - 45 points. Gross 83 / nett 63
2) Paul Marshall - 44 points. Gross 93 / nett 64
3) Jim Rooks - 41 points. Gross 81 / nett 67 (on countback)
Longest Drive winner - Davey Fletcher
Nearest the Pin winner - Jim Rooks 1.55m
Two's competition - One two was carded by Jim Rooks.
Team Competition winners - Paul Marshall, Dave Watts & Jim Rooks - 156 points.
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WW12/13 Richmond Golf Club - Saturday 1/9/12
When I visited the club back in March to pay a deposit and collect some scorecards it was snowing! At least there was no snow falling when we turned up on the first day of September, just as well considering the strength of the wind, it would have been a blizzard. There was a warm welcome and some very nice bacon sandwiches waiting for us in the pleasant clubhouse as we gathered looking out over the 18th green and wondering where the tee was, we would find out about 4 hours later.
Richmond has produced a new Wearside Wanderers record, this round was officially the lowest scoring round in our history. In third place after a back nine hole countback beating John Ford was Derek Griffiths with 26 points. In second place was Paul Baker with 27 points. The winner on the day who made the most of the conditions was Tim Aberdeen with 28 points. Tim was beaten by our guest player Michael Poulton, he also scored 28 points but is not Championship regestered this season. Tim also took the Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin categories, Tim also took the lead in the Nearest the Pin championship with his third round win.
Ian G.
1) Tim Aberdeen - 28 points. Gross 90 / nett 79
2) Paul Baker - 27 points. Gross 94 / nett 80
3) Derek Griffiths - 26 points. Gross 109 / nett 81 (on countback)
Longest Drive winner - Tim Aberdeen
Nearest the Pin winner - Tim Aberdeen 13.1m
Two's competition - Two two's were carded, one each for Jim Rooks and John Ford.
Team Competition winners - Tim Aberdeen & Jim Rooks - 104 points.
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WW12/14 Tyneside Golf Club - Sunday 9/9/12
Tyneside produced the most favourable weather conditions we have seen this rather turbulent season and the course was in excellent condition. The greens were lightning fast but true.
We had yet another record broken at Tyneside, for the first time ever we had a three way tie at the top with the fourth and fifth just one point behind. In the end it took a back nine hole count back to decide the top three. In third position with 34 points (and 14 points on the last 9 holes) was Dave Fletcher. Second position went to Paul Baker (16 points on the back 9 holes) and the winner, taking his second round win of the season was Dave Watts (19 points on the back 9 holes). The Nearest the Pin category was won by Rico Liverani and the Longest Drive went to Tim Aberdeen who now leads both categories ---- and he got a Two ---- and he won the Team Competition at Tyneside (with Paul Baker) ---- not bad for someone who has missed half the season!
There are only three rounds left starting with Stocksfield in a couple of weeks, hope to see you all there.
Ian G.
1) Dave Watts - 34 points. Gross 91 / nett 72
2) Paul Baker - 34 points. Gross 87 / nett 72 (on countback)
3) Davey Fletcher - 34 points. Gross 89 / nett 72 (on countback)
Longest Drive winner - Tim Aberdeen
Nearest the Pin winner - Rico Liverani, 2.0m
Two's competition - One two was carded for Tim Aberdeen.
Team Competition winners - Tim Aberdeen & Paul Baker - 134 points.
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WW12/15 Stocksfield Golf Club - Sunday 23/9/12
If the previous round at Tyneside produced the warmest weather conditions this year Stocksfield is a candidate for the coldest. By the time we reached the 18th green the temperature felt like it had dropped by 10 degrees. Fifteen players turned out at Stocksfield, the second best attendance all season, including an old friend Ian Hindley making his first appearance of the season and a guest player, Steve Sowerby.
Historically Stocksfield has suffered with waterlogging on the fairways, this year was no exception and add to that the greens had been recently hollow tined. This combination kept the scoring quite low for a relatively short course (only 5611 yards off the yellow tees). As at Tyneside two weeks before in third position with 34 points was Dave Fletcher. Second position went to Rico Liverani with 35 points. In first position, taking his second round win of the season was John Ford with 39 points. The Nearest the Pin category was won by Rico Liverani who now leads the category with 3 round wins and the closest distance. The Longest Drive went to Davey Fletcher, his second win of the season. The category is jointly led by Tim & Jim with 3 round wins each (with two rounds to play, I feel a "drive off" coming up at Wearside!). Rico beat Ian Gunn in a Titanic Presidents Cup semi-final it was nip & tuck all the way round with Rico winning the tie on the 18th hole with a two. Rico will go on to meet today's round winner John in what should be an epic final as both players are playing off 12.
There are only two rounds left Arcot Hall in two weeks and DESCO Wearside Finals day the following week. If you intend to play either please let me know ASAP, hope to see you all there.
Ian G.
1) John Ford - 39 points. Gross 82 / nett 66
2) Rico Liverani - 35 points. Gross 82 / nett 70
3) Davey Fletcher - 34 points. Gross 88 / nett 71
Longest Drive winner - Davey Fletcher
Nearest the Pin winner - Rico Liverani, 6.49m
Two's competition - Two 2's were carded, one each for Tim Aberdeen & Rico Liverani.
Team Competition winners - John Ford, Dave Watts & Ian Hindley - 140 points.
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WW12/16 Arcot Hall Golf Club - Sunday 7/10/12
Arcot Hall was our last new course of the 2012 season and it provided us all with a stiff but fair challenge. As we have become accustomed to this season the course was very wet in places. At least the weather played ball giving us a gorgeous late autumn afternoon.
For the second time this season we had a three way tie with the top three all scoring 39 points, the positions decided by a back nine countback. Third position went to Paul Baker, in second position came Steve Grant and the winner was Tim Aberdeen, taking his second round win of the season. The Nearest the Pin category was won by Davey Fletcher with 4.16 and the Longest Drive category went to Tim Aberdeen.
Well our tenth season is almost over, there is only one round left, our annual season ending bash, the DESCO sponsored Wearside Finals day next Sunday, hope to see you all there.
Ian G.
1) Tim Aberdeen - 39 points. Gross 77 / nett 67 (21pts on back 9 holes)
2) Steve Grant - 39 points. Gross 97 / nett 68 (20pts on back 9 holes)
3) Paul Baker - 39 points. Gross 82 / nett 67 (19pts on back 9 holes)
Longest Drive winner - Tim Aberdeen.
Nearest the Pin winner - Davey Fletcher, 4.16m
Two's competition - 2 Two's were carded, one each for Paul Baker & Jim Rooks.
Team Competition winners - Steve Grant & Dave Watts - 142 points.
WW12/17 DESCO Wearside finals day - Sunday 14/10/12
Well that's all folks for another season, it's hard to believe that it's 10 years since we first took the short trip up to the Scottish Borders to play some golf and socialise. Of the original four players who made that trip, three are still active members of our society, John Ford, Paul Marshall and myself. As we have become accustomed to this season the weather played a part in our final game of the season. Firstly due to the heavy rain on Thursday night and Friday morning the club had made the decision to make all bunkers "GUR", a sensable move some other courses should have considered this year. Secondly nature decided to intervene on the day by giving us a couple of brief but heavy showers during the game, luckily without causing too many problems.
On the day the Nearest the Pin category went to Dave Sanders with 11m, his first category win of the year. The Longest Drive was won by Jim Rooks causing us a slight problem, more of which below. Third position overall went to Jim Rooks with 33 points, in second position with 34 points was John Ford and the winner was Paul Baker with 37 points. This was Paul's first round win of the season.
1) Paul Baker - 37 points. Gross 83 / nett 70
2) John Ford - 34 points. Gross 88 / nett 73
3) Jim Rooks - 33 points. Gross 89 / nett 74
Longest Drive winner - Jim Rooks
Nearest the Pin winner - Dave Sanders, 11m
Two's competition - No Two's were carded at Wearside.
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2012 Season Results
The Nearest the Pin category was a hard fought affair, two players (Tim & Rico) took three round wins each and it all came down to who had the nearest measurement, in the end Rico took the category with 2m, Tim had 2.03m so Rico won by 3mm.
As I mentioned earlier the Longest Drive category caused us a few problems. Tim was in the lead going in to the final round with four wins, Jim was close behind with three wins. We had anticipated this may cause a problem if Jim won (as he did) and arranged it so we had the chance for a drive off later in the round. But the best laid plans often turn round and bite your bum as NEITHER player managed to hit the fairway on the play off hole. In the end both Tim and Jim decided to share the prize and the honour.
As has become the norm the Championship was a very close run affair, the top four players were separated by THREE points. In fourth place came Jim Rooks with 356 points, third position went to Paul Marshall (also on 356 but with one round win). Taking the runner up spot was last seasons Champion Paul Baker with 358 points. The winner and new Society Champion, at the tenth attempt, is Ian Gunn with a total of 359 points.
At this point I would like to thank our Society sponsors, DESCO, BES, DCS Payroll and CLS Electrical, who's financial assistance has meant we can produce an excellent season of golf. I would also like to thank my fellow Committee members for their input and assistance during the year. Last but certainly not least a big thank you to all our members who have turned out in some atrocious conditions to play this year, I hope to see you all when we start all over again next year.
Ian G.