Seniors 2 scores to count. Report from Mike Healey along with other news 0ctober 31st 2023

Seniors - as you all know, I keep a weather eye before competitions and report conditions along with the golf scores. Having listened to the overnight rain at home and further, reading about the hole closures this morning, I did not expect so many members to turn up. No less than 34 seniors threw their tallies into the draw for a Two Scores to Count competition. We had to split into 2 groups of Three- and Fourballs with 2 prizes for the threes and 1 prize for the fourballs. The course was always going to be damp and going was heavy but we persevered. The competition was followed by the Senior Committee's last meeting of the year, preceding our AGM (Reminder - Tuesday 5th December - place in diaries) so I am indebted to Bob Brown for overseeing the incoming cards, scores and distributing the prize money at the end. Please find scores and winners below and read on for more admin/information: Threeballs - Two to Count: First: Mal Williams, Ernie Williams and Mike Healey - 59 points Second: Barry Dare, Graham Wright and Mike Drake - 48 points Fourballs - Two to Count: First: Andy Mitchell, Bill Kelleher, Tony Harcombe and Mick Carnell - 54 points I have mentioned ground conditions above and we are lucky that the course is currently open, with many around us being closed today. The next storm to hit GB is due tomorrow night (Wednesday) with the likelihood of either ground closure or extremely heavy ground as a result. Because of the forecast, we have postponed the November Medal until Thursday 23rd November (2 weeks hence). Should the course be open this Thursday, a kitty comp will be arranged for the numbers that arrive. Next - Thursday 9th November is scheduled to be our Ken Lawrence Memorial Trophy. There will be a tally draw as normal and the competition is an Individual Stableford. The competition is held annually on behalf of the Royal British Legion and all of your entry fees go to the National Poppy Day Appeal. We have set a fee of £5.00 but if you feel generous and would like to give more - feel free. All fees will be collected in reception The AGM is already in your diary (Tuesday 5th December) and it is this time of year that we look to nominate a new committee. The nomination form will be posted this week and you will see familiar names of committee members who are prepared to stand once again in their current role. There will be, however, a number of resignations, so the form will have spaces for new nominations to be voted onto the committee. Conversations have been had with a number of individuals but it is up to those members to find a proposer and seconder if they are interested in contributing to the work of the committee. Xmas Party - In order to finalise all the arrangements for pre-party golf, table plans/seating, food and wine orders, etc. it is imperative (should you wish to be present on Tuesday 12th December) that you sign up for the morning golf (if you wish - not compulsory) and more importantly, give your £15.00 to Steve Monk as soon as possible (with your Annual Subs - £5.00 - if you haven't already done so.)

Captains News letter October 2023

Captain’s Newsletter: October 2023 Unfortunately, the weather has not been kind to us resulting in the closure of the course for one of the final events of the calendar year the Presentation Day. The morning Texas scramble had to be called off, so we made a late decision to change the time of the presentation ceremony to ten o clock. My thanks to everyone who turned up to celebrate with the winners and runners up. Big thanks also to all members who participated in the presentation day prize giving. Competitions Fantastic result for our DGU team winning their final match against Abergele 6 ½ 1 ½ which means we are top of League once again. Congratulations to Patrick our DGU captain on picking a winning team. Patrick will be presented with the DGU winners trophy later in the year. Ladies Captain, s Report In our final Club event of the season we were able to celebrate the achievements of our Competition winners at a quickly rescheduled Presentation event. I would like, once again, to take this opportunity to thank everyone for entering the Competitions and to convey my warmest congratulations to all those who were successful and to thank everyone for supporting the event at short notice. Jane Evans and Beverley Hood reported that they had a great weekend at St. Pierre Golf Club in Chepstow, having reached the final 16 in the Daily Mail Foursomes Competition. Sadly on this occasion however they were not able to progress through any further rounds. We all recognise that this was a huge achievement to have successfully reached this stage and thank you for representing The Club in such a prestigious competition. In the Purves Cup, a North Wales wide competition, the Finals were played at Abergele Golf Club against a pair from Mold Golf Club. I am delighted to announce that Jane Evans and partner (modesty forebids naming) won this competition. The Presentation of the trophy is in early November at North Wales Golf Club. In our recent Tri match against Llanymynech and Mile End, I am pleased to report that this was won by Clays Ladies Team who retained the trophy with an outstanding win. The Llanymynerch course was new to many of the team and the match was played in challenging weather conditions, which I understand is not unusual! Now that the main competition season has ended, a winter calendar of golf has been drawn up with a plan to play a mixture of kitty team and individual 9 hole competitions in the Ladies Section. It is hoped that the scheduled formats will encourage as many of us as possible to play on a Wednesday and keep the Section integrated and in touch over the winter months. It is great news that Mark and his team have commenced work to raise and level some of the ladies tees which will be an ongoing programme over the next year. Poor weather delayed the start of the work initially but now Hole 4 and Hole 15 have been started though further heavy rain has hampered any further progress. I would like to thank Mr Lewis, Mark and his team for making this improvement on the course and fellow golfers who gave up their time to help with this project. A report regarding the recent reassessment of the course slope rating has been received by Management. It has indicated in particular a significant change in the ladies course slope rating the implications of which are not yet fully understood. I understand that Management have queried some of the recommendations in the report and requested validation of the points raised and are awaiting a response. Josh has advised that once all the information is available to him he will notify Club Members of any changes and if any, forthcoming implications. It is hard to believe that our Ladies Christmas party preceded by a 9 hole kitty competition of 3 clubs and a putter which is scheduled for December 3rd, is rapidly approaching. We have a series of kitty league competitions running up to this event and I am pleased that many ladies are able to attend the event. The calendar for the 2024 season is being finalised and as with other sections of the Club we are in the process of scheduling NWLCSA, exchange days etc for 2024. It is anticipated that the Club calendar for all Sections will be available to view by the end of December. Hopefully this will give all Members a chance to make plans for 2024. My thanks to Lady Vice Captain, Shan Stapley for organising an overnight golfing trip to Nefyn in late March. Many ladies have already signed up for this and will be a great date in the diary to look forward to after the winter months. Finally plans for The Captains Last Supper are currently under way , so there is an advance save the date for Friday March 22nd. We hope to be able to confirm arrangements for this shortly. Thank you to Lady Vice Captain Shan and all the ladies for your continued support and help, Sue Falcus (Lady Captain) And finally from me… The White tees have been put away for the winter this doesn’t mean companions are over , Keep an eye out for turkey trot comps. where turkeys and wines are on offer. On the 9th of November the seniors section will hold their annual memorial day compaction looking further ahead captains last supper well be on 22nd of March a date for your Calander . So until next time enjoy your golf, fingers crossed the weather will get a bit dryer soon Kind Regards, Michael McHugh (Club Captain)

Pinehurst competition October October 26th 2023. Report from Mike Healey.

Today's competition - Pinehurst. This format was borrowed from the Pinehurst GC in North Carolina. It was invented by a Mr Chapman and it sometimes goes by that name also. So, 28 Seniors braved the early rain, which had virtually disppeared just after 9.00am. Having their tallies drawn in pairs, there was some intrigue as to the actual format and after a lengthy explanation, the troops set forth to try their luck and know-how. Swapping second shots confused a few, but alternate shots to the green seemed to settle everybody down, with group movement flowing nicely. Ground conditions, following a week of rain, is still affecting scores for the majority but not for today's four winning groups, although combined handicaps in some cases, came into question. There was a buzz in the clubhouse afterwards and it was generally agreed that the format was not only entertaining but also involved a little thought regarding tactics. At the top of the scoring there was some countback required - please read on for the four winning pairs: Pinehurst Results: First: Paul Wallace-Jones and Ernie Williams - 31 points (c/b) Second: Alan Barnsdale and Peter Taylor - 31 points (c/b) Third: Nigel Davies and Damian Atkin - 31 points (c/b) Fourth: Richard Collier and Mick Carnell - 30 points

Individual Stableford over 13 holes October 24th 2023. Report from Steve Monk

23 of us turned up today to play an individual stableford kitty competition. 13 holes were open, including a shortened par 3 1st, and although the ground was naturally soft following the weekend rains, the course and especially the greens maintained their good playing quality. Plus, despite a somewhat adverse forecast, the weather stayed dry and warmish and so we had very pleasant conditions in which to play. Five prizes were on offer today and the winners of them were: 1st - Alan Barnsdale with 29 points 2nd - Stuart Leyland with 27 points 3rd - Peter Lord with 26 points 4th - Steve Monk with 25 points 5th - Mick Carnell with 24 points

Seniors Individual Stableford October 19th 2023. Report from Steve Monk.

So, today's competition was scheduled to be a '9 x 3' + '9 x 2' event. I was thinking of changing this to a Bonus Ball to avoid a similar comp to the Waltz played on Tuesday, but it turned out that we played an individual stableford competition as we had only 11 players. I think the weather forecast put most people off, and there had been significant overnight rain which made some of the surfaces squelchy and even waterlogged. However, enough of the holes were playable for Mark to keep the course open for us. The weather forecast turned out to be incorrect and we played an enjoyable round in warm and mostly sunny weather - with no rain at all. Results were: 1st - Bob Jarvis with 30 points (on countback). 2nd - Mick Carnell, also with 30 points. 3rd - Nigel Davies with 29 points. There were also 2 x cards of 28 and 1 of 27, so competition at the top was close. Steve Monk

Waltz competition October 17th 2023. Report from Steve Monk

The game was a Waltz today, and between 8.40 and 8.45 we were going to run this 3 ways. At 8.40 we had 27 players, so nine 3-balls. At 8.42, we had 28, so seven 4-balls. At 8.43, we had 29 - one of those awkward numbers of players. However, despite the derision and tut-tut's to the last player to arrive, everyone is always welcome and of course, the more the merrier! So we ended up with 3 x 3-balls and 5 x 4-balls, playing as two separate competitions. Holes 2, 16 and 17 were closed due to the rain over the previous few days. Hole 1 was played as a par 3, but the other 14 holes were fully open so the game was played over the 15 holes available to us. Despite a chilly start, the temperature rose steadily and the day turned out to be perfect for golf - not even a gentle breeze was blowing. Results were: 3-balls - 1st - David 'Mole' Jones; Liam Roddis and Peter Lord with 56 points. 4-balls - 1st - Tony Jackson; Tony Harcombe; Mick Carnell and Neil Jones with 67 points. 2nd - Richard Collier; Ian Ketland; Neil Gledhill and Peter Fraser with 66 points.

Mile End Open results showing Clays members

2nd Place: Eric Thwaites & Peter Fraser 3rd Place: Nev Bassett & Mal Williams Near Pin 3rd : Eric Thwaites Twos: Mike Holling & Colin Brown Hole 3rd Clive Davies & Richard Collier Hole 17th Dave Jones & Alan Bottomley Hole 7th Eric Thwaites & Sean McMcarthy Hole 3rd

Individual Stableford October 12th 2023. Report from Mike Healey and Steve Monk

For those that made Clays yesterday, Mike received the following report from Steve and remains in his debt for overseeing the kitty comp. "The plan was to run a Bonus Ball competition, but due to a combination of the course being slightly reduced due to waterlogging, plus the fact many seniors played yesterday and received a thorough soaking in atrocious conditions at the Mile End Open, only 10 turned up today for our kitty competition. Consequently those of us present decided to play an individual stableford competition instead of the Bonus Ball, with everyone being able to start from the 1st tee. The 1st hole was down to a shortened par 3 and the 16th and 17th holes were closed completely. Other than these reductions, the course played remarkably well considering how much rain it received yesterday." Well done to all who turned up, especially the three winners. Also, please read footnote below. Results were as follows: Individual Stableford Results: 1st - Alan Barnsdale, with 34 points. 2nd - Mick Carnell, with 27 points. 3rd - Bob Jarvis, with 25 points (c/b).

Texas SHAMBLE report from Mike Healey October 10th 2023

Today we visited an oddball format which was initiated on the calendar last year. Our Texas Shamble required everybody to drive (5 drives each choosing best drive) and then all team members played out their own ball for a stableford score, with the best two counting for the team. Nearly everybody found the format enjoyable and given 30 players in the draw, 10 x threeballs worked well again from an organisational point of view. There were a few delays because of leaves but it is just that time of year. The scores were nearly all within 10 points of each other, so a fairly close format at the end of the day. There were three prizes in total: Texas Shamble Result: First: Nigel Davies, Jon Falcus and Bill Kelleher - 85 points Second: Tony Jackson, Andy Mitchell and Steve Monk - 82 points Third: Graham Wright, Mike Hollings and Neil Gledhill - 80 points

SENIORS MEDAL OCTOBER 5TH 2023. REPORT VIA MIKE HEALEY

Mike Healey had an awayday at Caldy today and it would appear that he had the better deal weatherwise. Looking through the division lists for the medal - all numbers were down. I know that quite a few seniors have gone off on holiday this week and there are a few absences for other reasons. I also suspect that the forecast might have made decisions for one or two. Speaking to my ground reporter, those that did play, experienced a rather damp morning to say the least. The rain was more persistent than intermittent but in general, arriving in heavy bursts. That is never a pleasant situation to play in, combined with autumn leaves and heavy ground. I believe the first hole was also shortened because of conditions and with one or two exceptions, the scores reflected the state of play in general. There were two x 2's scored during the competition - Richard Collier on the shortened 1st hole and Reg Peacock on the 5th hole. Well done to them. All the results are on ig but here are the three winners from each division: October Medal: Division 1: First: Richard Collier - 39 points Second: Bill Kelleher - 38 points Third: Keith Hawthorn - 37 points (Andy Mitchell carded 37 points but was beaten on countback) Division 2: First: Reg Peacock - 36 points Second: Graham Bryne - 29 points (c/b) Third: Mike Hollings - 29 points (c/b) Division 3: First: Bob Jarvis - 33 points Second: Billy Spilsted - 31 points (c/b) Third: Peter Martin Jones - 31 points (c/b)

Pairs Betterball October 3rd 2023 report via Mike Healey

Before the results from today, your committee held their monthly meeting after the golf and as usual, the minutes will be printed and posted on the noticeboard. During today's meeting, our Senior AGM (Tuesday 5th December) came under discussion and I have been asked to give you advance notice that two members of the current committee will be retiring. We are therefore looking to recruit replacements. A proposal sheet will appear well in advance of the AGM and nominations need to be made before Tuesday 7th November for any candidates who feel they can be of service to the senior membership and would be willing to fulfil one of the roles. In the meantime, feel free to discuss any of the committee positions with any of the current committee officers. Pairs Betterball - 32 senior players (perfect number) arrived for our pairs competition this morning. The weather held and warm sunny conditions were pleasant enough to play in. However, I'm sure all courses are undergoing the same process as us with ball hunting. The fallen and falling leaves added quite a few minutes to our recently well-timed competitions, with the result that some members had to go straight away after the golf. There were four prizes in total with quite a few cards requiring countback: Pairs Betterball: First: Nigel Davies and Richard Collier - 38 points Second: Chris Blazdell and Bob Brown - 37 points Third: Jon Falcus and George Hughes - 36 points (c/b) Fourth: Ernie Williams and Mike Healey - 36 points (c/b) (Alan Bottomley and Andy Mitchell) (Graham Bryne and Keith Hawthorn) - both teams had 36 points also but lost out on countback.

DGU Autumn meeting at Llangollen. Report via Alan Pocklington.

Great News for Clays Members (again!). Clays entered 15 pairs for the DGU Autumn Meeting at Llangollen. We took 4 of the top 5 places. This is a fabulous result, stunning even. This follows our excellent results at the previous DGU Event in August at Wrexham, and shows just how strong our Clays players are. Winners Adam Jones & Mike Jones Runners Up Alan Barnsdale & Ernie Williams 3rd place M Shaw & C Jones ( Wrexham) 4th place James Houston & Paul Stevenson 5th place Nigel Davies & Kieron Parry WE ALSO GOT 6TH PLACE! A superb end to the DGU season, and congratulations to all of the above pairs, but especially to the winners Adam & Mike Jones. Envelopes are already in reception. Thanks to the other entrants as well. Your turn will come next season. Alan Pocklington Competitions Secretary