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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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...
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.
Formby Ladies Spring Competition - March 15th 2024
Well we are off for 2024 with a dry day at the lovely Formby Ladies Golf Course. There was no rain but there was a brisk westerly wind which made it a chilly experience, but making the redecorated clubhouse all the more welcoming at the end of the round. We were served a warming steak pie followed by apple crumble, most welcome on a chilly March day.
It was a successful day for Captain Nick Pilkington's first meeting of the year. 28 golfers signed up for the day a healthy entry this early in the year. There were a number of excellent scores with the results being as follows....
Winner of the John Martin Spring Trophy John Warham 41 pts
runner up Steve Neale 39 pts
3rd place Paul Stanson 38 pts
Men's Longest Drive Andy Lang
Ladies Longest Drive Yvonne Green (plus a sleeve of balls for 40 pts)
Nearest the pin on the 16th Yvonne Green
NTP in 2 on the 7th Captains Prize Peter Watson
2's John Warham
Here's John struggling to hold onto all his winnings, presented by Captain Nick.
(Nb - Yvonne as a new member is not immediately eligible to win the major prizes)
Onward to the next meeting at Wirral GC on 12th April
2024 Golf Programme
All the best to our 2024 Captain Nick Pilkington. We are looking forward to some good golf and exciting Captain's challenges and prizes.....
