Latest News/Competition Write-Ups From The Club
Defending Champions Through To Winter League Final
Defending Winter League Champions Ben Hall & Ed Eley are through to the final of their second consectutive winter league final after coming through a very tough match 2 & 1 against Jan Reading & Adam Jacques. It was a fantastic match which saw Ed Eley make 1 eagle, 3 birdies and 14 pars in what was a fantastic round. Adam Jacques did have an eagle of his own on the 3rd hole, and with a birdie on the 5th meant Jacques & Reading were 2 UP. Hall won the 7th with a 4 Nett 3 and then 8,9 and 10 were halved. The changing moment in the match came on the 11th where Jacques had stuck his second to 5 feet. Hall was 7 feet away. Eley had drove the right hand bunker and then proceeded to play a magical shot, holing out for a magnificant 2. Hall then made his second 4 Nett 3 of the match and both pairs then birdied 13 to leave the score at 1 UP. Hall, Eley and Jacques all missed chances on 14 and then Hall played a magical second shot on 15 from 240 yards to about 10 foot. The hole had already been conceded by the time he missed a chance for his eagle. The next 2 holes were halved to give Hall & Eley a 2 & 1 victory. The other final saw 2007-2008 champions Tidge Gharial & Richard Bonser beat Tim Rushin & Neil Whittenbury 4 & 3. The scoreline shows this could have been an easy match for Gharial & Bonser, but there were certain moments in the match which had they gone in the favour of Rushin & Whittenbury the result could easily have gone the other way. The date of the final is to be confirmed when the pairs have arranged a date with the Club Captain who will be refereeing the match.
Steve Buckley Wins Captains Charity Stableford
The second Captains Charity Stableford of the year was played over the weekend of Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th February. There were not many people under par due to the cold, frosty conditions, bu Steve Buckley came out as the winner with a very solid 41 points. This competition was a non-qualifier for handicapping purposes so nobody will get cut, but Steve will still be happy to walk away with the £36 voucher. Steve won the competition by 1 shot, beating last years Order Of Merit Runner-Up Steve Ablett, whose 40 points will earn him a £22 voucher. It was once again a very solid performance from Steve who is starting to become known as 'Solid Steve.' Despite being cut a number of shots over the past year he continues to beat his handicap, and if he keeps up the solid form from last year he could become a favourite to win the Order Of Merit this year. Glenn Mackenzie was third with 39 points to earn him a £14 voucher. The only other man under his handicap was Werner Brach who finihsed with 37 points, whil there were 2 35's and then 4 scores of 34 points. This Charity Stablefords have been good practise for all those who have entered as it means people will have played a few competitions when it comes to playing the Pat Murphy Qualifier.
Mail On Sunday Team Win In First Round
The 5 man Mail On Sunday Team won their first round match on Sunday 7th February when they beat Stoke Albany away. The match was played in decent weather with liitle wind and rain, and the 5 man team of Tidge Gharial, Dave Goodman, Ed Eley, Adam Jacques and Ben Hall ended up winning 4 - 1. Despite the scoreline tha match was very close and a full match report can be found in the Teams-Other OGC Teams-Mail On Sunday Team Section. A big thank you goes out to Captain John Goodman, Su Goodman and Brian Fletcher-Warrington who came over to Stoke Albany to support the team.
Roger Loach Wins First Competition Of The Year
The first competition of the year was played over the weekend of Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th February, and it was Roger Loach who won the Captains Charity Stabelford with 41 points. It was Roger's birthday on the Friday so it would have been very nice for him to get the win on his birthday weekend. Unfortunately the competition was a non-qualifer and non Order Of Merit so Roger will only win a voucher and not any Order Of Merit points. His handicap will remain at 8.5. Neil Whittenbury was second with 39 points and he beat Dave Sewart on count-back into second place. M Page was fourth on 37 points and there were then 3 scores of 36 points, with Martyn Morton, Rob May and Tim Bingham finishing 5th, 6th and 7th respectively. It was a good turnout considering the short notice the competition was arranged on, and the next competition will be on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st February. There will not be one on the 13th and 14th.
Captain John Goodman & Brian Fletcher-Warrington Win Seniors Winter League
Club Captain John Goodman & 2nd Team Captain Brian Fletcher-Warrington won the Seniors Winter League on Tuesday 2nd February when they beat Alan Ball & Mick Tebbutt 5&4. The match was very close for the first 6 holes with the score All Square after 6. John and Brian won the 7th before a John Goodman birdie (almost hole in one) on the 10th took them further ahead. They lost 11 before Brian Fletcher-Warrington hit a fantastic tee shot into the 13th which found the green. Brian stepped up to hole the put for a fantastic Eagle 2 before the pair closed out the match on the 14th. They have been a very strong pairing all the way through the Winter League and it was a fitting end for the pair. Well done John & Brian!
NEW CAPTAINS CHARITY COMPETITIONS ADDED TO CALENDER!!
The club have decided to run some extra competitions before the season starts in March and the competitions that are to be run are to be Captains Charity competitions. The first of these competitions is to be played on the weekend of Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th February. The competition will be £3 to enter and you can enter on the day with the competition being put on at short notice. Those playing in the winter league on Saturday must continue to play their winter league matches but they will be allowed to play in the competition on the Sunday. Remember for this year Rule 7-1 (b) has gone which means you can play the course the day before you play the competition, but NOT on the day you play in the competition before you start your round. The second Captains Charity Stableford is to be played on the weekend of Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st February, although there may be one on the weekend of the 13th and 14th. You might have to enter in the book in the clubhouse for these competitions so make sure you keep checking the red folder and entering competitions. Throughout the season you will need to enter competitions on or before the Thursday before the weekend of the competition and in the case of block bookings 10 days before. Any competitions that are run before the Pat Murphy qualifer will be NON-QUALIFYING for handicap purposes and they WILL NOT count towards to Order of Merit as some players will be unable to compete due to Winter League.
NEW SCRATCH KNOCKOUT TROPHY TO BE PLAYED FOR FIRST TIME IN 2010!!
Over the past few years the Scratch KO has not been played the way it should be. To qualify for the Scratch KO you have had to finish in the top 8 of the Club Championship, and a lot of the time the matches are not played. This year is to be different and a new trophy is to be provided for the new tournament. The KO is open to ANY MEMBER OF THE CLUB WISHING TO PLAY OF SCRATCH and anybody who wishes to play should enter their name on the entry sheet in the clubhouse. The closing date will be mid to late March with a view to start in April. Everybody who enters will be thrown into a hat and drawn out completely at random, and depending on entry numbers there will more than likely be a number of people who get byes. The committee will then set closing dates for each round when matches must have been played by and players will then arrange their own matches against the player they have been drawn against. This is a fantastic chance for all the low-mid handicappers as the players who currently play in the Scratch team can improve their matchplay skills while the players whose handicaps range from 10-13 can try and make themselves known to the Scratch Team Captain. Some of the 12 handicappers could be fantastic matchplayers but they might not know it. The Scratch KO will be a good chance for anybody who has a handicap up to 15 or even higher to show the lower handicappers of the club what they can do. A higher handicapper might even take a few big scalps out on the way. Hopefully the competition will get a large number of entries and will be played in fantastic spirit by everyone. It will be a fantastic tournament to play in and win so please enter before the closing date. Do not think you're handicap is too high. Playing against better players can quite often increase golfers games so who knows, you might surprise yourself, play really well and beat on the Scratch Team. Juniors are also more than welcome to enter this competition as I am sure they will love the chance to take out some Scratch Team players and prove themselves to the Captain.
9 Hole Pairs Summer League Dates Announced For 2010
The dates for the 2010 Pairs Summer League have now been confirmed. The closing date to enter the league is Sunday 21st March. Players then compete against each over 9 holes playing all the way till the end, trying to pick up bonus points for either winning or losing. At the end of the league the top 4 pairs go into a draw for the semi-finals, with the final then being played after the semi-finals are complete. For 2010 the closing date to play your league matches is Sunday 11th July and the semi-finals must have been played by Sunday 1st August. The final must then have been played by Sunday 22nd August which is the Sunday after the Club Championship. Everybody who played in the league last year enjoyed the competition and had a good time. It would be very nice to get some new pairs playing this year, and with any combination that can be father & son, husband & wife or any other combination. All members are very welcome to play and hopefully some new pairs will give it a try this year. For £5 entry per pair it is not a great deal of money and the trophy at the end is fantastic. If you want some more information about the league or how to play the matches please go the to 'Pairs Summer League' page which can be found in the 'Results' section of the website. There are step by step instructions on how to play matches and the format is also explained in greater detail. If you wish to enter the competition please enter your names either on the entry sheet in the red folder in the clubhouse or on the entry sheet on the mens board in the corridor. Please put your payment in a brown envelope and post the envelope in the box in the clubhouse.
Rule 7-1 (b) No Longer In Play For New Season
As you might know from the end of last season rule 7-1 (b) is now not in play. The committee have found out they can overturn the rule and it was removed for the final few competitions last season. This means that on the weekend of a 2 day competition players who are playing in the competition on the Sunday are allowed to play the course on the Saturday. In the past players have not been allowed to play the course on the Saturday if entering the competition on the Sunday but that is no longer the case. You can now practise on the Saturday and play the competition on the Sunday. Players are reminded that although they can play the day before you CANNOT practise on the course of the day of the competition. This has always been the case and always will be the case, but just to remind players that the new 7-1 (b) rule change does not mean you can practise on the course on the day of your competition. The first shot you hit on the course on the day of your competition must be your first tee shot. Players CAN practise on the course when playing matchplay.
Oadby Golf Club, Leicester Road, Oadby, Leicester, LE2 4AJ
