Presidents Day 2009

A big thanks once again goes out to Mark Allen and Pat Mortimer who helped to set up the tent, and also Kev Wood who helped to take it down. The ladies in the tent once again did a fantastic job refreshing people after the first 9 holes, and the presidents also did a fantastic job in setting the day up and making it a good day for eveybody involved. Club Secretary Richard Primrose also does a fantastic job for these block bookings, making the draw and then getting down the club early to take payment for 2s and give people their cards. Richard always goes out last and then puts all the cards through the computer, checking them all as he goes doing a fantastic job, so a big thank you also goes out to Richard.

Mens Gross

As with Captains Day, there were some prizes that changed from the actual winners due to people not being able to win two prizes. In Captains Day it was Ed Eley who took the Gross meaning Ben Hall won division 1 when he would have finished second behind Ed. Ed Eley once again won the Gross prize on Presidents Day with a level par Gross 72, a round which included 2 birdies and 2 bogeys of solid golf. With Captains Day the best prize is the gross, but on Presidents Day it is the best Nett of the day, whichever division that comes from. The 1 under par Gross 71 shot by Ben Hall would have been the best Gross of day had Ben not won the best Nett overall. With Ben winning the Nett it meant the prize went to Ed. Ed finished one shot clear of Adam Jacques (Gross 73,) 2 shots clear of Lee Tebbutt (Gross 74,) and three shots clear of Tidge Gharial (Gross 75.) Dave Goodman also shot a 78, a score which included a 9 on the 4th hole. It was fantastic to see all these good Gross scores from the 6 lowest handicappers who entered the competition, scores that back up the Scratch teams good run this year in the league, which sees them pushing hard for promotion. Lee 'Lucky' Tebbutt might not have finished with that 74 had he not got very lucky on 12. Lee was just to the side of the bunker on 13th, and he then hit an awful shot by a golfer of Lee's standards. The ball never got more than 10 yards of the ground, before bouncing 5-10 yards over the brook and then rolling up to 20 feet. Lee missed the putt which was a shame but he was lucky to escape with a par after the second shot.
Mens Division 1
The scoring in Division 1 was very good, with 6 players scoring under their handicaps, and Dave Goodman shooting level with a 9, a score that has got him cut back down to 5 under clause 19 of stableford adjusted handicaps. All of the players who were under their handicaps were off handicaps less than 5, with the expection of Jan Reading who is a lot better than his 11 handicap. Ben Hall won Division 1 with his Gross 71 Nett 66 off his 5 handicap. Bens round included 2 birdies and 1 bogey, and he only had one 5 on his card all day, at the 4th. He birdied both the par 5s. It was very solid golf from Ben who only missed 4 greens in regulation all day, making two fantatsic up and downs on two of those 4 missed greens. With the title of winner of Division 1 Ben also won the Presidents Putter, which sits in the clubhouse at all times. Lee Tebbutt won the putter last year after his fantastic 68, but he could not repeat that same form this year to retain the putter. As well as the Gross prize changing hands due to Ben not being able to win two prizes, as did second place in division 1. Had he not got the best Gross of the day, Ed Eley would have won the second best Nett for division 1 with his Nett 68, getting him cut back down to 3 from 4. Instead the prize went to Jan Reading, who shot a Nett 69 to beat Adam Jacques on count-back. Jan has now been cut back down to 10, but still remains a big bandit and a big threat. There is going to be one round soon where everything comes together for Jan, and he will come in with a 74, 75ish to storm a competition. Adam Jacques finished 4th in division 1, but once again due to Ed winning the best Gross, Adam won the third best Nett for division 1, his Gross 73 also getting him cut to 3. Tidge Gharial (70) and Lee Tebbut (71) were 5th and 6th in division 1, while Dave Goodman was 7th. Another single figure handicapper, Darren Peden, came 8th with his Gross 82 Nett 73 off his 9 handicap. Bens win was made even more sweet by the fact he also won the 9 Hole Presidents Social Evening on the previous Friday Night. Just like with Capatins Day it has known to be a curse, but Ben has now broken the curse by winning both the 9 Hole Social Evening and the Presidents Putter, a good achievement. Ben beat John Giles on the Friday Night by 1 point, the same man he beat on his way to winning the Captains 9 Hole Social Night before Captains Day. Sorry John, nothing personal!
Mens Division 2
Unlike Division 1, the players from Division 2 seemed to struggle with the condititons, with nobody playing level to their handicap. The top 3 players in the division all shot Nett 73's, and they all needed separating by count-back. In the end it was Rich Smith who won the division, with his Gross 91 ahead of Paul Hillsdon who shot a Gross 89. Ron Allen also shot a Gross 91 for his Nett 73 and he finished third in the division. Paul Littlewood was 4th after his Gross 88 Nett 74 left him just short of the top 3. Paul did shoot the best Gross for the day out of the division. Dave Sawbridge also shot Nett 74, while there were 11 players who shot between Nett 75 and 79. Order of Merit leader Steve Ablett had a bad day at the office, shooting a Nett 75, a sign that his handicap still needs more reducing, the fact he had an awful game and was only 3 over his handicap. Vice-President Dave Leet shot a Gross 90 Nett 77 after making an 11 down the 4th, so had he bogeyed that hole, he would have won the division with a Nett 71.
Mens Division 3
Just like Division 2, Division 3 saw more players struggling to play to their handicaps, with Joe Larkey the only man managing it. Joe shot a Gross 93 Nett 72 off his 21 handicap to win division 3 by 1 shot ahead of John Giles. It was the second time over the weeknd that John Giles was second after the Presidents Social Evening the previous Friday Night. John shot a Gross 98 Nett 73, and he was 3 shots clear of third place. Geoff Kiff finished third on count-back ahead of Ray Clark. Both players were Gross 97 for their Nett 76's. There were two more 78s to complete the players who broke Nett 80. Joe Larkey also had the best gross for the division.
Mens 2s, Nearest The Pin, Longest Drive
There were only 4 2s on the day of the competition, although Ray Clark did not pay the £1 to enter, so he did not get a share of the pot. Ed Eley paid £2 so got two shares of the pot. Tidge Gharial also made a 2, and Mohammed Asra was the other man to make a 2. All 4 of the 2s came at the 10th hole, with Ed's 2 very nearly going in the hole. It pitched just short of the hole with the second bound just past the hole, spinning back just past the hole to 3 feet. The mens longest drive was won by Adam Jacques, and it was played on the 8th hole, while Vice-President Dave Leet won the nearest the pin on the 16th.
Juniors
There were quite a few juniors entered in the competition, a good sign of the work that Dave Leet and Muriel Whittaker have been doing recruiting and organising the juniors. They really have done a fantastic job. In the end it was Andy Keogh who won the junior prize, with his Gross 86 Nett 67 off 19 good enough to win the comp and get cut to 17. Andy won the comp by 2 shots from Adam Fletcher-Warrington, whose Nett 69 off his 20 handicap got him cut to 19. Adam's brother Oli was third with a Gross 84 Nett 74. In form junior Jake Hurst struggled to get going, and he ended up shooting a Gross 88 Nett 77 off his 11 handicap. Jake did hit a monster drive down the 8th hole which won him the longest drive, while Oli Fletcher-Warrington won the juniors nearest the pin.
Ladies
The ladies was won by Kerry Coulter, who won both the best gross and the best Nett. Kerry shot a Gross 85 Nett 73 to win the competition. Karen Liddle came second, while Ladies Captain Shirley Bright came third. Kerry Coulter also won the ladies longest drive. Karen Liddle won the ladies nearest the pin.
Past Presidents Cup
The past Presidents Cup is played for by the male past Presidents. There was a bit of a battle going on between Brian Chapman and John Giles, with Brian making a birdie on 14 to level with John. Unfortunately for Brian he made 8 down the 15th which gave the edge back to John Giles. John was second to Ben Hall in the Presidents 9 Hole Social Evening the previous Friday Night, so John was very hungry to not finish second again. John ended up winning the cup with his Nett 73, taking home the trophy and the title of 'Past Presidents Winner 2009.'