Club Championships 2022
Many thanks to Andy Meredith and the competitions committee for their hard work staging the competition, and to all the volunteers, starters, ball spotters, and the guys on the reception desk. Long days starting at 06:00.
Day one was the usual diverse set of scores. Pick of the bunch was Nick Hills with a superb 73, closely followed by Fungai Fundira, Paul Greening and James Percy with 74,75, and 76 respectively in the gross competition. The mens nett competition leader was Andrew Chandler with a 69, followed closely by Ross Hunter, John Bishop and Miguel Frade all on 71. The leading lady on day one was Toni Prince who got it round in 85 strokes. Just 3 shots back was Gill Lane on 88, with Helen Lake and Shey Walder one more shot back on 89. The ladies nett competition finished tight on day one with Helen Lake leading the way with a fantastic Nett 70, but with only 6 shots separating the top 7 ladies it could go down to the 18th.
The stage was set for day two - would the leaders crumble? Would someone shoot the lights out and storm through the field to snatch the prize.
Day two dawned. Whose golf would be as hot as the the sun.
The leaders set off with some mixed fortunes; Nick Hills through 9 in 42, Fungai Fundira 41, and James Percy 38 to be leading going into the back nine. Paul Greening faired the worst having to retire injured with a back problem after just 3 holes.
The leading ladies were also having a mixed day. Toni Prince turned in 40, Gill lane in 48, Helen Lake 44, with Shay Walder not having a great day reaching the turn in 50.
In the mens nett, overnight leader Andrew Chandler was struggling, turning in nett 43, Ross Hunter nett 46, John Bishop nett 39, and Miguel Frade the pick of the bunch with 35. Will an outsider come home strong from the pack to put the pressure on down the stretch?
The ladies nett competition was hotting up with Helen Lake turning 1 shot better than handicap, Christine Leeson just 2 over handicap at the turn, and Kim Richardson just 1 over her handicap, but the front 9 star was Christine Palmer with a nett 33, 3 shots better then handicap. Will Helen hold on, or can Christine keep the pressure on and steal the crown.
With the members gathering at the bar around the 18th green with Tom and Lorraine playing Den and Angie and BBQ with James and Eddie The Gentleman Smoker serving some fine burgers to the hungry hoards just adding to the pressure as the leaders were coming in.
The Ladies Nett competition was the first to be decided Helen Lake kept the good golf going around the back nine carding a nett 72 for a total 142, beating the Christines Leeson and Palmer by 8 and 9 shots respectively. Kim Richardson had the best Sunday round shooting a fantastic nett 71 ten shots better than her day one score to finish on 152. Toni Prince knew after a par on the 17th another par on the last would see her win the title, and a par it was to seal the win by 3 shots from the determined Kim Richardson who after a birdie two on the 15th had the chance to force a play off, but it was not to be, with three bogeys coming home the race was run.
For four hours a Cinderella story was unfolding at the 18th. The Captain Sandy Byfield (the dark horse) was having trouble sitting still. An early draw must suit him, in true Cinderella style he shot a nett 71 to join his 75 on the first day to lead the competition. It must have felt more like 10 hours until, first Miguel Frade shot nett 71+ 74 to beat him by 1, and then finally John Bishop denied him his runner up place with a pair of nett 71’s to win the mens nett title by 3 shots, from Miguel.
The final result to be confirmed the mens gross title. The battle for the crown was intense with some great golf being played around the back nine; Fungai Fundira 40, Paul Bailes, Nick Monger and James Percy all shooting 38 on the back to heighten the pressure on the overnight leader Nick Hills. Nick was up to the task with birdies at 10 and 13, and just the one blemish on a fantastic back 9 coming at the difficult 17th, he carded a back nine 35 to win by two shots from James Percy.
Congratulations to our 2022 Champions Nick Hills, Toni Prince, John Bishop, and Helen Lake. A massive thank you and well done to everyone who took part, and gave their time to help over the weekend, it is always more than appreciated. Finally a massive thank you to Dave and the Greenkeepers. Your course beat most of us again, and it will rain soon I promise.
Thank you all once more
Andy
Club Championships 2021 - July 10th/11th Results
Please find Below the results from this weekends Club Championships.
Congratulations to our Club Champions for 2021
Ladies Gross: Fay Unsworth
Ladies Nett : Maria Tillett
Mens Gross : Nick Hills
Mens Nett: Joe Hicks
Hopefully all who played had a great weekend, in tough conditions on an excellently laid out course.
Thanks go to all who helped out in the organisation and the running of the event. A special thank you to all the volunteers over the weekend, without whom it would not have been such a special occasion.
Pictures to follow
Results for 2019
Club Championships 2020
The weekend September 12th and 13th
saw the playing of the rearranged 27th Club Championships at Donnington Grove Golf Club. The superbly presented Championship course was showing her teeth with fast and true greens, lush rough and some tempting but dangerous pin positions, just waiting to drop a triple bogey on to your scorecard.
Despite this well over a hundred competitors were ready to take it on for the two arduous days.
Just before 7am the starter announced the first group on the 1st tee and set them on their way, with a bit of light banter and some nervous laughter. No doubt the marshals, ball spotters, and rules gurus were going to busy for the next few hours. Four- and three-quarter hours later the first scores were checked and signed for at the scorer’s desk. Many scores accompanied buy tales of woah, and questions regarding the sanity of the head greenkeeper. “Did he cut the greens this morning or just waxed them”
In the bar post round, social distancing was not needed, you really did not want to get to close some of the golfing wrecks. The bar staff even had two or three on
suicide watch! Whispered conversations around the room: - “John went out in 40 but started back 10, 7, 8” “Geoff 5 putted the 4th green” and many more.
Despite the stories some great scores were being recorded. Colin MacDougall shot a level par 72 to lead the gross competition on day one by three shots from second
placed Jason Axford. Ross Hunter was leading the Gentlemen’s Nett competition with a nett 66 one ahead of Colin. Fay Unsworth was leading the Ladies gross
competition by 1 with a score of 91, however the top six ladies were within 4 shots of the lead. Lorraine Storey was leading the way in the Ladies nett competition with a level par nett 72.
With just a few players deciding not to play the second day the draw was made, and the second day was all ready to go. A 4:30am start for the green keepers on day two enabled the first group to be sent on their way just before 7am by the starter once again.
Once again, many stories of missed putts and shots that looked great in the air, but they were ugly once they landed were everywhere. But as always there was some fantastic
golf being played by many.
Due to the present restrictions the usual bar, BBQ and scores tent were not around the 18thgreen, and many competitors made their way home after their round was complete.
The atmosphere around the 18th green is usually awesome, and adds to the drama as the last groups are playing the last holes, and nothing can make a swing go to mush, like seeing upwards of a 100 people around the final green,
when all you need is a four to win. Let us hope we will be back next year.
With a small group of friends, wives and supporters watching on, the drama unfolded on the last hole. Bernadette Martin a new member to Donnington Grove this year, recorded two nett birdie twos’ in the last four holes to race up the leader board and take the Ladies Nett Championship. Toni Prince, Sarah Jolly and Fay Unsworth
all recorded the same score on day two, which was just enough for Fay to hold them back and take the Ladies Gross Championship for the fifth time in the last
six years.
The drama continued as Tom Fulker and Craig Coleman finish tied on a score of nett 146.
Round one nett leader Ross Hunter pushed his tee shot on 18th to the right, and then caught a tree with his second and the ball went to a watery grave in the greenside pound. He took a drop and made a nett 5, was it enough to come out on top? It was, Ross had played well enough to win the nett Championship by 5 shots and be the only golfer to be nett under par for the two days. Great golf Ross. The cut is
coming!
As the last group came down the last, nobody was sure who was in top spot, Jason Axford had drop just 1 shot to par on the back nine, Nick Hills birdied the last, Coli MacDougall made two great up and downs in the last three holes, and James Percy had shot the low round of the day. Who would come out on top? Colin had crashed to an 8 on the par4 4th and thought he had blown it. But he managed to hold his lead to the end and win by 4 shots from Nick Hills in second place.
Well played to all the members who took part in the Championship this year, a huge thankyou to all the volunteers, starters, ball spotters, marshals, scorers, the weekend would not happen without you. Thank you again. Dave Knight and his team of green staff, thank you all, I am sure the members will have forgiven you by next weekend.
Huge thanks to Sandy Byfield and Tom Fleming for your organisation, and attention to detail.
Finally,
Congratulations to: -
Fay Unsworth Ladies
Champion Golfer 2020 (Gross) Again
Bernadette Martin
Ladies Champion Golfer 2020 (Nett)
Colin MacDougall
Gentlemen’s Champion Golfer 2020 (Gross)
Ross Hunter
Gentlemen’s Champion Golfer 2020 (Nett)