Match at home vs Hawarden Tuesday 25th July 2023. Report from Malcolm Williams

On Tuesday (25th) we enjoyed another great fixture against Hawarden at home. They were an extremely friendly and sporting group and it was good to hear their very positive comments about the excellent state of the course and the meal provided by Hayley (beef in Guinness!) We managed to win 5 and a half to 2 and a half, maintaining our 100% record for the season so far! Our next match is at home to Aldersey Green on Thursday,10th August – sign up sheet on the board.

Seniors Yellow July 27th 2023 result from Mike Healey

a showery day. Despite being warm, the rain was intermittent and put a bit of a damper on things but the scores remained quite good throughout. 32 seniors threw their tallies into the bag, with a number of committee members taking early tees due to a meeting afterwards. A ballsweep was held and Bob Brown was the only player on show with a 2, which he shot on the fifth hole. 8 x fourballs challenged for a Yellow Ball 4,5 4,5 today, but there could only be two prizes: Yellow Ball Result: First: Peter Lord, Eric Thwaites, Barry Evans and Mick Carnell - 165 points Second: Dave Jones, Ken Tieszen, Ian Ketland and Bill Kelleher - 161 points (c/b -79 points on back 9) Nigel Davies, Peter Taylor, Brian Beaton and Wyn Jenkins also had 161 points with (c/b of 78 points on back 9)

Captains Newsletter July 2023

Captain's Newsletter: July 2023 July has been a very busy month. The weather has not been quite as kind to us as the previous month but the course remains in fantastic condition and lots of golf has been played. It is lovely to hear great comments on how well the course is playing and how beautiful it is. The new toilets are still on hold at the moment but I’m pleased to inform you all that the benches have been ordered and should be on the course shortly. Competitions It has been another busy month with the Honours Board competitions now at the semi-final stage. Results and next rounds can be accessed on ‘ig’. We have a number of teams and individual members involved in various fixtures at Clays and at other clubs. Best of luck to all involved. Captains day was held on July 8th and was a great success. We were extremely lucky with the weather with everyone getting back to the clubhouse before the tremendous thunderstorms struck. A big thanks from the lady captain Sue and myself to all the players who took part in supporting us on our Captains day. Thanks to my wife Dawn for sorting the registration helping to get the day off to a great start; to Patrick for setting up the gazebo and refreshments and to Lucy for selling tickets and handing out refreshments with Dawn during the day. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the charity raffle in aid of Wales Air Ambulance Trust which raised approximately £250 on the day. Thanks to Mark and the green staff the course was in fantastic condition, thanks also to Hayley and the bar staff for their excellent service once again. Well done to: Nigel Davies on winning the Seniors & Vets trophy with a net 68. Tom Pierce on winning the Captains day men’s trophy Jane Gibson on winning the Captains day ladies trophy Chris Jacques on winning the Seniors two day challenge Clays DGU team on a good display at Denbigh not quiet getting the win but still picked up some valuable away points Jane Evans and the Ping team on their ongoing success with their latest wins over Maesdu Conor Mitchell on winning the Club Championship with best Gross & myself on winning the Rowland Cup with best Net. Coming up: The Draw for JCB quarter final has been made so please check ’ig’ for the details. The Jubilee plate 2nd round has been made so please keep an eye on the notice board for further details. D. G. U. match Clays V Old Colwyn on Sunday 30th July. Best of look to Patrick and his team for that one Captains charity day, in aid of Wales ambulance trust will take place on 12th of August. This will be a fun competition for 3 or 4 players per team entry fee £10 per player with all proceeds going to the charity. There will be prizes on the day also. If any member or a company known to a member wishes to donate a prize or sponsor a hole on the course for the day please contact myself or lady Captain. We will also be holding a charity raffle on the day, I would be very grateful for any raffle prize donations, please leave them in reception or you can bring them with you on the day. Presidents day August 19th Ladies report Another busy month with HB and NWLCSA matches. In the NWLCSA matches a mixture of wins and unfortunately a couple of losses. One final match against Denbigh next week. On our Ladies Club day on Wednesday mornings, we have welcomed new ladies. Two of those new ladies have now attained handicaps and we look forward to them participating in our Wednesday competitions. The Open held on Wednesday 12th July was very successful. 42 players participated in teams, including those from Porthmadog, 2 teams from Powys, Chester, Mile End, Denbigh, Padeswood and Buckley. The weather was certainly better than predicted and sunshine broke through for most of the day. Thank you to Nigel Davies as Starter for his superb efficiency and Mick McHugh and Chris Jones for their support. Mark and his team had got the course in fantastic condition, many ladies commented on the condition of the course and enjoyed the challenging pin positions. Hayley worked hard from early in the day to ensure everyone could enjoy plenty of food and drink. My sincere thanks to all the fantastic ladies within our section, their contribution made the day possible and the success it was. Congratulations also to all our winners, first place with 73 points were Jane Evans, Jan Keen and Dawn Thompson. In second place with 70 points Eleanor Osei – Frimpong, Judy Owen and Pauline Evans from Denbigh. A close third place, also with 70 points, Nicky Bowen, Pauline Peacock and Bev Hood. Home player nearest the pin on the 5th hole was Lizzie Hart and the Away player from St Idloes, Joan Hunt who achieved a HOLE IN ONE. Joan has been playing golf for over 40 years and had never had a hole in one so she was absolutely thrilled. In addition to her nearest the pin winnings, Clays Golf Club presented her with a complimentary voucher for a round of golf for 4 people. Many of the teams have said they would like to play in The Open again next year, enjoyed the course and the hospitality they received. Our first New 2 Golf lessons have concluded. A number of participants attended regularly and appeared keen to continue. I am very grateful to Rhodri Fieldhouse for running the course. The group have been provided with a follow up plan which has included information on further lessons, mentorship and Membership options. A further course may be organised for later in the year. In the Daily Mail competition Jane Evans and Bev Hood have progressed through 6 rounds and in the Purves Cup we have now reached the semi finals. The Ping Team have won a number of matches and I wish them continued success. A number of us played at The Denbighshire Lady Captains Day at Wrexham earlier in the month and am delighted to say that Angela Thomas Williams was a worthy winner in quite appalling weather conditions. Once again the following months are busy with plenty of competitions which include HB, The Fan Jones Trophy for higher handicap players, knockout Board comps, NWLCSA match at Denbigh, and Charity Day. In August, 14 ladies have signed up for an ‘Awayday ‘ which has been arranged at Upton by Chester Golf Club, to include coffee etc on arrival, 18 holes of golf and a 2 course meal. On Friday July 28th Angela Thomas Williams is playing a continuing 72 holes of golf to raise money for The North Wales Air Ambulance. I will be playing with her for some of the rounds to support and it would be great to see as many of you on the course on that day. The link to sponsor Angela is given below. Plenty of golf to come and hopefully better weather, Sue Falcus (Lady Captain) And finally from me… Not long to go On the 28th of July, I will be taking on 72 holes of the course in aid of this year’s Captains’ charity the Wales Air Ambulance Charity. Angela Thomas-Williams will be joining me for the full 4 rounds, Lady Captain Sue Falcus will be joining in the first two rounds and Jack Whitehouse take on the final two rounds with us. Any support you can give us on the course would be very welcome. We would be very grateful if you could make a donation towards this worthwhile cause if you are able on our JustGiving page via https://www.justgiving.com/page/clays-golf-club-captains-charity-1687459963858?utm_term=nBv26kRdN or there are sponsor forms available in the foyer and upstairs in the bar area. We now have a Safeguarding /Welfare Officer in place but we still require a Junior Organiser to encourage new young members to join our club. if any members are interested, or if you know of anyone who would be interested in this role, please get in touch with me or any member of the council. Please be aware as it’s getting very busy out on the course over the next few months, please avoid slow play. Please remember the 3 R’s: Rake, Repair and Replace and most of all enjoy your golf! Kind Regards, Michael McHugh (Club Captain)

Seniors individual Stableford July 24th 2023. Report from Mike Healey

Mike was very grateful to Don for taking on kitty comp duties. I know that 21 seniors had their names down for an early tee, prior to Malcolm's team going out against Hawarden in their match, however only 17 players handed their cards in for today's prize money. I suspect the weather had some effect and perhaps a few cards were held back as a result. The weather was not great, windy with light rain at the start, then after about 5 holes it turned heavy and unpleasant. When the sun came out it was nice and hot but that wasn't for too long before the rain came back and the temperature dropped once again. At the end of the day the scores reflected the difficult conditions. Some cards were good enough though and we had some winners: Individual Stableford: First: Stewart Poole - 35 points Second: Don Wraight - 33 points Third: Tom McGrady - 32 points Fourth: Keith Hawthorn - 31 points (c/b)

Seniors 2 day challenge. Final results from Mike Healey

Seniors - I can now announce our results from the 2 Day Challenge. This is yet another event that is quite unique in our senior golf calendar - adding stableford scores together instead of medal scores. For those who played on both days - what a contrast we had in weather. Tuesday's results were definitely affected by the rain, especially from the later starters, compared with Thursday's results, which appeared better, given the warmer, drier weather. There has been an absence of two's over the past couple of weeks but like the buses, they all seemed to come along at once in this competition - find below: Ballsweep: Tuesday - 2's for Tony Jackson, Bob Jarvis, Steve Monk and David Nicholson (5th hole), Nigel Davies and Dave Palferman (12th hole). Ballsweep: Thursday - 2's for Ernie Williams and Don Wraight (2nd hole), Stewart Poole (5th hole). Well done all! There is a Winner and Runner-up for the 2 Day Challenge and it is split into 2 Divisions with the cut off being 24 handicap. There are four prizes in total: 2 Day Challenge: Division 1: Winner - Chris Jacques 36 =41 = 77. Runner-Up - Dave Palferman 39 = 34 = 73. Division 2: Winner - Barry Dare 34 = 35 = 69. Runner-Up - Peter Fraser 31 = 36 = 67. Congratulations to the four winners and everybody else who took part, making it into a really good competition.

Captains Charity Day August 12 2023

Your Captain’s Charity Day Shotgun Start (Saturday 12th August @ 9.30am) booking sheet is now open for entries. To book your starting hole, go to the IG app, click on Competitions > Upcoming > Select the Competition > Click on ‘Enter Competition’. If you haven’t got the IG app, simply login to the Members Area via our website; www.claysgolf.co.uk and follow the same process. You can also book in your team members with you. Starting holes are available on a first come, first serve basis…so be quick to secure your preferred starting hole. Best regards, Josh

Seniors Vets Trophy plus other results via Mike Healey

Seniors - Tuesday 11th July. Tom Pierce led the field of 80 players on Captain's Day and I will leave that report for the Club Captain. Following further good results on Captain's Day from the seniors, the golf was followed up on Tuesday in the Seniors/Vets Trophy. There was a little rain around to dampen spirits but not enough to affect final scores and the course has been in superb condition all week. There were no 2's recorded and 42 seniors took part in this competition with the following results: I reported yesterday that there were no 2's carded in the Senior/Vets Trophy and that information going to print was correct. However, it was decided to award the prize to the player with the lowest score across the four par three holes. There were 3 scores of 15 and 16, 2 scores of 14, but the winner with a score of 13, including a magnificent 3 on the 17th, was Don Wraight. Congratulations to him on great scoring and a big thank you to Peter Bowen for scrutinising all of the cards for those scores. Seniors Winner: Nigel Davies 68 nett Seniors Runner Up: Eric Thwaites 69 nett Vets Winner: Tom Pierce 69 nett Vets Runner Up: Tony Jackson 70 nett Thursday 13th July. Today Malcolm Williams arranged a match with Northop GC at home. Tom Pierce took charge on the day and they were all sitting down to an extremely convivial, 2-course meal before announcing the match result. Clays Seniors ran out as winners 6 games - 2 games. Meanwhile, the remaining 15 seniors who turned up, managed to book early tees and a kitty comp ensued in the form of individual stableford. There seems to be a dearth of 2's currently but there were 4 winners in this competition: Individual Stableford: First: Bob Brown - 42 points Second: Damian Atkin - 40 points Third: Peter Taylor - 34 points Fourth: Stewart Poole - 33 points

Seniors Medal July6th 2023. Reults via Mike Healey

Great conditions today, both course and weatherwise and some very good medal scores to boot. Here are the results split into 3 divisions: Senior Medal - Division 1: First: Mick McHugh - 64 Second: Alan Bottomley - 65 (c/b) Third: - Chris Jacques - 65 (c/b) Senior Medal - Division 2: First: Sean McCarthy - 69 Second: Colin Brown - 70 Third: Chris Blazdell - 71 Senior Medal - Division 3: First: Peter Fraser - 68 (c/b) Second: Mike Hollings - 68 (c/b) Third: Steve Graham - 70

Antrobus Seniors Open results from Mike Healey July 5th 2023

Seniors - Along with no fewer than 31 other senior members, we have just returned from the Senior Open being held at Antrobus Golf Club. The weather forecast was not too good at the outset and we were indeed met by a few light flurries, with some heavier rain about 10.30. However, it did not last long and the remainder of our round was at least warm and dry. The course was in relatively good condition with true and fast greens but most of our pairs managed to score on a regular basis and some good cards were returned. The final positioning from the Antrobus club will be released forthwith but in the meantime they presented our organiser Brian Beaton (another splendid job organising 32 of us) with a voucher for a fourball to play the course in the future. 32 numbers went into the hat and the voucher was drawn by Vic Rogerson. Meanwhile, in our own kitty competition, the following four couples took home the prizes: Antrobus Senior Open: First: Tom Pierce and Alan Pocklington - 46 points Second: Mike Jordan and Graham Wright - 45 points Third: Peter Fraser and George Hughes - 44 points Fourth: Mick Carnell and Damian Atkin - 42 points Andy Mitchel/Ernie Williams and Nev Bassett/ Dave Fergus also carded 42 points but missed out on countback.

Texas scramble July 4th 2023. Report from Mike Healey

- we are very lucky to have this continuous good weather. The warm conditions, punctuated by a breeze with gusts, might have tested one or two but in all, the cards returned were very tidy. 30 seniors threw their tallies into the draw bag and 10 threeballs set forth into battle, making good timing, with a swifter than normal finish. The score differential between cards was extremely close and it was tight at the top for the eventual three winning teams: Texas Scramble Result: First: Dave Wright, Steve Graham and Nigel Davies - 63.0 Second: Fred Court, Tony Jackson and Liam Roddis - 63.1 Third: Graham Wright, Peter Lord and Alan Bottomley - 65.2 Just missing out on the prizes were Mick Carnell, Chris Roseblade and Tom Blackshaw with 65.8