Lymm Golf Club - Friday 6th June 2025

 The June Trophy was played at Lymm GC.  The tree lined course required much use of the tree-woods for some of us!  However as long as you hit the ball straight you'd be ok, as was proved by the scores.  The tricky closing holes proved troublesome for many, including the blogger, and probably dented some ambitions.  Gareth Ball nearly defended the trophy he won in 2024, well done Gareth.  However an enjoyable afternoon with a pleasant meal in the comfortable club house.

Results:

Winner of the June Trophy            Alan Dean     41 pts cpo

                       Runner up               Mary Bale     41 pts

                       Third                      Gareth Ball    40pts

Longest Drive (a monster)            Chris Edwards

Ladies LD                                      Sue O'Donnell

(with a tricky ditch proving crucial)  

NTP                                                Alison Hyde ( and getting the 2!)

NTP in 2 Captains Prize                Gareth Ball (small consolation)

2's                                                  Alison Hyde, Alan Dean, Paul Yates

£66 raised for the Captain's Charity from blobs and biscuits.... thank you everyone.

      Ahhhhhh!  Geese and their goslings on the 12th tee.... Protective parents hissed aggressively at us!

                                    Captain Bryan presenting the June Trophy to Alan Dean.....

The Hesketh - Monday May 12th 2025

 In this summer which is evoking memories of 1976 (apologies to anyone not over 50) we had a glorious day at the Hesketh in Southport.  Glorious in the weather, glorious with the course fighting the heat, but slowly getting scorched, and glorious with the scoring, 12 of the 28 players under par!  This was partly because if you hit the ball straight it would run and run and run.....sometimes, particularly in my case, into bunkers, which were fair but a challenge nevertheless.  

Yes it was slow, with our 4 ball finishing at around 7.45pm but it was such a lovely evening, it was no hardship to sit and enjoy the weather and the view.

So to the results....

First        Paul Yates with      44 pts and winner of the May Cup

2nd         Denise McInerney 42 points, well played Denise....

3rd          Evan Bale              40 points

Longest Drive        James Fazackerly

Ladies LD              Denise McInerney

NTP                       Terry Broderick

NTP in 2                Susan Fazackerly - Captains Prize

2s - Mark Field, Bernard Quigley.

A great vote of thanks must go to Peter Watson for his organisation of the day, with an excellent meal  beautifully served by the attentive Hesketh Staff.  Thanks to the Hesketh members who helped to facilitate the day, which will long live in the memory.

2025 Captain Bryan Robinson presenting Paul Yates with the May Trophy

Evening sun on the 14th hole at the Hesketh

Grange Park Friday April 11th 2025

 A lovely afternoon during this prolonged beautiful spring weather, and 26 golfers arrived at pretty Grange Park GC for the afternoon.  The course was firm but fair with tricky greens, but playing golf in tee shirt and shorts in early April is a bonus, for which we are very grateful.  Some of the scenery as we worked our way around the course was lovely, with ponds and other water features adding to the interest without affecting the golf too much!  Another feature was the almost complete absence of traffic noise which these days is a real blessing.

A comfortable winner with 36pts was Graham Greene, followed by second and third places with a distant 31 pts.

Winner of the Spring Trophy            Graham Greene        36 pts

                                    2nd cpo         Mary Bale                 31 pts

                                    3rd                Denise McInerney     31 pts

Longest Drive            Michael Simonsen

Ladies LD                  Yvonne Greene

NTP                            Yvonne Greene -  completing a successful afternoon for the Greene's. Well done.

NTP in 2                     Keith Robinson - Captains Prize a bottle of bubbly!

We sat down to a very pleasant meal served in the upstairs restaurant, having been very impressed by the all round presentation of Grange Park GC (St Helens). 

Captain Bryan Robinson on the right, presenting the Spring Trophy to Graham Greene.  (I must ask him to autograph some books.)  Secretary of the Victoria Golf Society Chris Edwards assisting.

Next meeting, May 12th at that top Southport venue THE HESKETH.

Formby Ladies March 14th 2025

 24 golfers turned out on a cold but dry day at Formby Ladies for our opening comp of the year, and Captain Bryan Robinson's first event of the year.  The course was dry after all this favourable weather but the greens were a little lumpy but work has to be done on them sometime.

Newbie Lee Morris started with a birdie on the 1st for 4 points then repeated it on the 7th.  This was the NTP in2 hole and Lee was just 3ft form the pin in 2!  But in the same group Evan Bale hit a huge (straight this time) drive and putted onto the green to within a foot from the hole to claim the prize!  The closest ever!  Well done Evan.

Winner of the Dave Martin Trophy         Paul Hooton  40 pts  and a £25 M&S Voucher (Captains Prize)

                                            2nd place     Alan Dean      37pts cpo

                                            3rd               Paul Yates      37 pts

Longest Drive                    Chris Prescott

Ladies LD                          Denise McInerney

NTP                                    Chris Prescott

NTP in 2                            Evan Bale

2s                                       Paul Yates

As usual we had a lovely meal in the clubhouse after a largely very pleasant day.

Nick Pilkington caught this lovely image of the sun setting just as we were about to dine.....

And here's Captain Bryan presenting Paul with the Trophy......and the blobs and biscuits raised £71 for the Captain's charity, the British Heart Foundation.

Next meeting is Grange Park on 11th April.

 

Heswall 8th November 2024

Apologies - I thought I'd done this....

A cold dank day made golf hard work and the condition of the course did not help.  It was a pleasure to finish have a hot shower and a warm meal.

Winner Chris Edwards     39 points

2nd Susan Fazackerly     37 pts

3rd Denise McInerney    35 pts

Don't know who won the other prizes.....if you did please let me know.

Christmas Competition Formby Ladies December 15th 2024

 A very pleasant afternoon for golf at Formby Ladies was welcome after a damp and chilly few weeks locally.  A good turn out of 19 golfers on the day turned in some good scores in the excellent conditions.  Good underfoot, and plenty of run on the ball made playing enjoyable providing you hit straight.  The greens were tricky with some cut shorter than others so judging distance was often difficult.

On the day John Wilson had an excellent round coming in with 41 points, his best round of the season by far won him the Auberge Brasserie Trophy.  Well done John. Two players finished with 35 points with Chris Edwards pipping Julian McInerny to second place.  4th was Paul Hooton with 31 points.

The other prizes were as follows:

NTP                                     Paul Stanson

Longest Drive                    Dave Allen

Ladies LD                           Nuala Robinson

NTP in 2 Captains Prize     John Wilson

The Society's Champion Golfer of 2024 is Chris Edwards.

Afterwards we met at the Auberge for a lovely meal and evening, expertly organised by Chris Edwards, join by a few members.

Captain's Day - Southport and Ainsdale GC Thursday 17th October

We were blessed with a wonderful day's weather at S&A, light winds and an excellent surface, which after the deluge of the previous day was a delight. It was a priviledge to play these famous old links on such a lovely day, and to enjoy the hospitality in the lovely clubhouse.  The rain on Wednesday made the greens receptive which certainly helped me, and made the course a touch easier.

Nineteen golfers supported our Captain Nick Pilkington on his day, and there were some good scores and no less than FOUR players registered 2's, to the Secretary's chagrin.

Results:

Winner of the Captains Trophy    Terry Broderick    36pts cpo

                                  Runner up   Pauline Curry       36pts cpo

                                        Third     John Whalley       35pts cpo

Other prizes:

Hole 13 nearest the pin                   Evan Bale

Hole 17 Longest Drive                   Terry Broderick

Hole 4 nearest the pin in 2 shots     Paul Stanson

2s were recorded by                        Nuala Robinson

                                                        John Gradwell

                                                        John Whalley

                                                        Paul Yates

Before the presentations we were served a lovely chicken dinner, followed by a Creme Brulee crumble....heaven!

Next meeting Friday November 8th at Heswall Golf Club.

Four balls on the 10th green in 4 shots, from the last 4 ball group!  Just ONE 2 though!

Terry receiving the Captain's Trophy, and he also collected the

                                          May Trophy, making it a bumper night for him!

Southport and Ainsdale, beautiful in the sunshine.  What a treat!

Preston Golf Club - Friday September 6th

In this 'summer' we are getting used to surprises.  Well today our surprise was scorching sun and a temperature of 26'C, on a slightly soft course after a bit of rain recently!  To those from central Lancashire the course was beautiful, with some gentle walks up and down across the brook that runs through the course.  There are plenty of mature trees to decorate the course, and catch the unwary, and to provide some welcome shade at times.  To those from nearer the coast used to flatter courses and firm fairways where the ball runs and runs, it was a bit of a shock!  Such is life.

We all seemed to enjoy the day and a cooling beer on the terrace afterwards, followed by a sumptious roast beef meal, one of the best we've had anywhere!

Results:

Winner of the September Bowl:    Paul Hooton          39pts

2nd                                                 Peter Watson         38 pts

3rd                                                 James Fazackerly  35 pts plus the only '2' on the day.

Longest drives    Men                    Nick Pilkington

                            Ladies                Sue O'Donnell

Nearest the pin                               Lindsay Jessup

Nearest the pin in 2                        Kevin O'Donnell - the Captain's Prize, a lovely gift of 

a bottle of REDLEG, a spiced, rum based grog! Hic.....

A couple of shady characters here - Captain Nick presenting the gorgeous September Bowl to Paul.

HESVIC TROPHY - FORMBY LADIES - 2nd August 2025

The HESVIC TROPHY is competed for once a year at Formby Ladies GC between Hesketh Causals and the Victoria golf Society.  The match is played  over 36 holes in an enjoyable and long day. This year we were blessed with excellent weather and even better the Victoria Society came out on top by 7.5 points to 4.5 and regained the trophy we had lost the previous year.

Onward to our next meeting at Preston Golf Course on Friday 6th September.

WOOLTON GOLF COURSE - Friday 5th July 2024

 Following yesterday's political upheavals, it was very pleasant to return to some normality with a meeting at the lovely Woolton GC.  What's more the weather (for this summer) was a bonus, being able to play in shorts and tee shirts on the tree sheltered course, sloping down to the banks of the Mersey.  Note that - the MERSEY not the DEE, as that was where Mark Gabott was heading over the RUNCORN bridge enroute to Woolton.  It was while driving over the bridge he had a lightbulb moment and did an about turn (when able).  Don't forget to pay your tolls Mark or else a brown envelope will head your way.

As for the golf, well I said above that Woolton was a tree sheltered course, also meaning that the fairways were a little narrow in places, and the required direction was not always clear.  That's my excuse for a difficult day off the tee and around the course, although having a lesson the day before probably wouldn't help. 

Anyway judging from the scores some people enjoyed themselves......

Winner            Sue Fazackerly     39 points

2nd                  James Fazackerly 39 points cpo

3rd                  Alison Hyde          35 points

Good scores you three.

Nearest the Pin                        Gareth Ball

Nearest the pin in 2 (18th)      Mark Field

Longest Drive Ladies             Sue Fazackerly

Longest Drive Men                John Warham

Afterwards we enjoyed the hospitality in the lovely old Woolton clubhouse, beautifully extended, creating a lovely sheltered patio to sit and enjoy the view and post golf chatter.  The corridors at the back to the locker rooms were somewhat of a maze, and we should note that it is useful to know the locker room codes when you leave for a shower.  I changed in the shower room but John W spent a few minutes with not much on, seeking the locker room code, before being reunited with his clothes.

On to Formby Ladies on August 2nd for the HESVIC Trophy

DIDSBURY GOLF COURSE JUNE 7th 2024

We had a lovely afternoon at the secluded Didsbury GC, with the mature trees providing a good windbreak from the fresh summer breeze (haha).  Well it was a pleasant afternoon, although it could have been warmer.  At times it was hard to imagine we were only a couple of  miles from the centre of Manchester.  It really is a green oasis in the area.

Results:

Winner of June Trophy        Gareth Ball 37 pts

                            2nd           Chris Edwards 35pts cpo

                            3rd            John Warham

Longest Drive                      Peter Watson, much to his delight.

Ladies LD                            Sue Fazackerly

NTP                                      Gareth Ball

NTP2 Captain's prize           Mark Field - a bottle of Jamieson's donated by Captain Nick.

A delighted Gareth with his booty!

Afterwards we were fed a curry and chocolate cake by the excellent staff at the club, and departed on roads quieter than when we arrived.  Such is the traffic in Manchester these days.

Next event, July 5th Woolton GC. This is the last qualifying event for the HESVIC challenge in August. This will cost around £110 for 36 holes of golf, lunch and dinner at Formby Ladies, a real bargain these days!  Thanks to John Wilson for arranging the scorecards, and Sue O'Donnell as ever for the 'biscuits' and everyone's contributions to the Captain Charity for blobs and biscuits.

The HESKETH GOLF CLUB SOUTHPORT - Friday 17th May 2024

 We are well into 2024 and thankfully the damp winter seems to be a thing of the past.  It certainly is judging by the condition of the HESKETH course, which is in fine condition as they prepare the course for the OPEN qualifier competition.  One consequence of that is that the rough is being allowed to grow, and while not being too dense to generally prevent you finding your ball, hitting said ball out the rough was not straightforward.  Having said that the fairways were firm meaning lots of run and the greens were firm, making for a good day all round, enjoyed by 25 members of the Victoria Golf Society on our latest meeting.

So the results:

1st on cpo     Terry Broderick    35pts 

2nd               Peter Hyde            35pts

3rd               Nuala Robinson    34pts.

Well done to you three, but a special mention to Nuala who is the HESKETH GC Ladies Captain this year, and is playing a lot of golf as you would expect in this role.

Alan Dean managed the only 2.

The Captains Prize, NTP in 2 on the 8th was won by Peter Hyde.  Longest drives were won by Evan Bale and Alison Hyde.

Thank you to the HESKETH Club and their members who played and enabled us to have a splendid day, followed by a superb  meal, the hospitality was second to none!

Terry Broderick won the May (Cochrane Carpet Care) Trophy won last year by Evan Bale.  It will be presented at a future occasion as Evan forgot to bring said trophy on the day......

The Temporary Trophy...

Vice Captain Bryan presenting Terry with his winnings sans trophy!

Wirral Golf Club - Friday 12th April

Well after all the rain recently we were not expecting a sparkling course on the Wirral but it wasn't too wet, certainly for us from central Lancashire. For you sandsiders it may have been a bit wet but hey it didn't rain and it was warm.  What more would you wish for!  And we sat on the patio for a pint afterwards, watching someone who is named later putting in from 20ft for a birdie.

16 golfers signed up, so well done all of you for turning up and playing.  

Results:

Winner of the Douglas Trophy     Sue O'Donnell        43 pts

2nd                                               Chris Edwards        37 pts

3rd                                                Kevin O'Donnell     37 pts

Longest Drive                              Terry Broderick    

Ladies LD                                    Sue O'Donnell

NTP                                             Bryan Robinson

NTP2                                           Paul Yates

2's - Evan Bale and Val Sumner.   Well done especially Evan on the tricky 17th hole which was all of 45 yards long.  I'm surprised our honorable treasurer allowed 2's on this hole, but the deed has been done!

The photo shows Sue receiving the trophy from Vice Captain Bryan.