3 Clubs and a putter September 19th 2023. Report via Mike Healey

Seniors - Once again, the horrendous BBC weather forecast turned out to be no more than a damp squib. Cool at 9.00am but by 11.00am warm, admittedly windy conditions led to short sleeves coming on show. There was some rain over the last three holes but it did not disrupt the golf. Three Clubs and a Putter was the chosen format and although not everybody's cup of tea, the seniors who arrived thoroughly enjoyed the competition. Format or weather - who knows? Only 10 stalwarts threw their tally into the bag and 5 x twoballs hit the fairways. Three prizes were on offer and they went to: Three Clubs and a Putter: First: Chris Roseblade - 39 points Second: Alan Barnsdale - 38 points Third: Tom McGrady - 35 points Reminder - there are currently 44 names on the "Not Quite the Ryder Cup" sign-up sheet for Tuesday 26th September. This will be taken down when I have finished my medal round this Thursday 21st. If you wish to play and you are teeing off later than me, you need to sign up before you go out for your medal. Also - if for any reason you need to cry off (having already signed up) you must let me know asap (07716 527332) so that gaps can be filled. I am keeping up a dialogue with both captains, who are selecting their teams over the weekend and we will advise everybody of their respective tees for next Tuesday. I have managed to reserve two extra early tees to accommodate numbers, so if everybody could arrive before 8.30am with golf bags ready, it would be good to photograph the respective teams in red (Wales) and blue (RotW) before we kick off. Good luck in the medal Thursday and see you all for "Not Quite the Ryder Cup."

Individual Stableford September 14th 2023. Report via Mike Healey

Seniors - a rain-free morning of golf, turning warm towards the end of the round. Peter kindly set up a qualifying round of Individual Stableford and although not particularly high-scoring, there was a necessity for countback on the return of cards. There was a carry over in the ballsweep due to nobody scoring 2's two weeks ago and Alan Bottomley, scoring the only 2 all morning on the fifth, walked away with all proceeds. He was also unlucky with countback in the Stableford. 24 seniors entered the kitty competition with five prizes to be distributed at the end. Individual Stableford: First: Damian Atkin - 35 points Second: Richard Collier - 34 points Third: Alan Barnsdale - 33 points (c/b) Fourth: Dave Nicholson - 33 points (c/b) Fifth: Stuart Miles - 33 points (c/b) Alan Bottomley also carded 33 points but recorded the lowest back 9. Can I remind you about the Medal next Thursday (21st) and that day will also be the last day for your sign up to "Not Quite the Ryder Cup" (Tuesday 26th). Teams have to be organised and in place

3 Ball results and other news from Mike Healey September 12th 2023

Seniors - some notes to begin this missive: Firstly, for those of you that haven't already looked, Don has released the tee times for next week's medal (Thursday 21st) and they are now available for viewing on ig. Secondly, this Thursday is marked as an Individual Stableford kitty competition and Peter has also set it up as a qualifier. Before handing cards to me for prizes, please enter all scores into ig (if you are unable to do this - please ask reception to enter scores for you before returning cards.) Thirdly, you may remember that Neville Bassett and Dave Fergus won our Welsh Greensomes qualifier back in June. Last week they travelled down to Carmarthen Golf Club, where they were able to have a practice round before playing in the Welsh Senior Final. I am pleased to report that they represented Clays GC very well, gaining eighth position overall. Well done to both of them! Today - Tom Pierce took responsibility for the Clays senior team going to Harwarden GC for our return fixture with their seniors. Before play started, there was a problem on the A483, with some late arrivals for the match. Some team members had to be swapped around in order to meet tee times but all matches got away on time. Weatherwise, it was never a great start to the day for any golf and there was a fair amount of rain at Harwarden but the rain eventually lifted. For the final fixture of the season, it was a very close run affair with a number of matches being decided on the eighteenth green. What might have been an equitable draw finished with Harwarden seniors taking the honours 5 games to 3. There were some 2's but not recorded by any of our senior members from Clays. Tom reported that the food was excellent once again and that the opposition was as convivial as ever - all in all a good fixture to maintain. Meanwhile, back on home turf, fifteen further stalwarts braved the weather gods and threw their tallies into the morning draw. Given numbers at Harwarden, this kitty competition was always going to be decided on numbers arriving, so 5 x threeballs set off with the best two scores to count. Damp, blustery conditions, after heavy overnight rain did not lend themselves initially to great scoring. The weather lifted after 10 o'clock, however and shirt sleeves even started to appear across the course. Ultimately, the scores were relatively close with two prizes on offer: Threeball - 2 to Count: First: Les Williams, Brian Beaton and Chris Roseblade - 81 points. Second: Andy Mitchell, Dave Nicholson and Tom Blackshaw - 76 points

Multiplier September 7th 2023. Report from Mike Healey

Seniors - Hayley will be away next week on holiday and she is leaving the regular food sign up sheets for both Tuesday and Thursday, next to the tally numbers. This will definitely be of benefit to the temporary staff making our lunches, so please sign up if you want food. Multiplier Report - numbers were lower today, probably because of the heat on Tuesday. Those that did turn out were well prepared with hats and water. 25 seniors threw their tallies into the bag, which required separate competitions of both threeball and fourball teams. We experienced a little light rain early doors but the heat and humidity came through eventually, leaving perspiring bodies in the clubhouse at the end. The scoring was good on both sides of our competition - a Multiplier. We ran a ballsweep and Paul Wallace-Jones shot a 2 on the 2nd hole with one of his team partners, Eric Thwaites, getting the next 2 on the 5th hole. This undoubtedly helped them with the team competition. Well done to both and they shared the spoils. After the comparisons of putting through sand, which remains temporarily on the greens, that only left the announcement of two results: Threeball Multiplier: First: Tony Jackson, Mick Carnell and Mike Healey - 110 points Fourball Multiplier: First: Bob Brown, Chris Blazdell, Paul Wallace-Jones and Eric Thwaites - 115 points

Waltz results etc September 5th 2023 from Mike Healey

Seniors - what a scorcher! A full week of sunshine this week is payback for the period of summer rain we experienced earlier in the holidays, however, there are inherent dangers along with these current temperatures. All seniors have now been advised regarding hydration and we need to be on constant alert for not only ourselves, but fellow members on the course also. Hot, sticky conditions made for mostly, pleasurable golf with some excellent scores being returned. We always knew about ground maintenance week, with a lot of sand on the greens but putting became almost impossible. Still, a ballsweep was organised and there were no fewer than 3 x 2's - Tony Jackson on the 5th and Nigel Davies shooting both of the others on the 5th and 12th. Well done to them for sharing the spoils. 36 seniors entered the tally draw and 9 x fourballs played a Waltz. There were three prizes in total - Waltz Result: First: Stuart Leyland, Mike Drake, Brian Beaton and Mick McHugh - 88 points Second: Dave A Jones, Alan Barnsdale, Graham Wright and Russ Adamson - 81 points Third: Don Wraight, Mick Carnell, Steve Monk and Tony Harcombe - 78 points The August calendar has just ended and with nearly all of the board competitions completed, we can relax a little and hope the autumn/winter rain does not arrive too soon. This is advance notice of our “Not Quite the Ryder Cup” event (sign-up on noticeboard). This has been ear-marked for Tuesday 26th September and it will be a great way to effectively close the competitive season. Whether you entered last year or not, it could not have finished on a better note with all wins/losses being equal. An equitable draw with winning pairs on both sides being rewarded with the spoils. How does it work? - On the day we are setting up a national challenge between Wales and the Rest of the World (sign-up sheet for both sides.) Should we fail to match numbers then a couple of seniors may be asked to swap teams. The Welsh team will be asked to wear red and ROTW – blue. The team Captains this year have been identified as Ernie Williams (Wales) and Dave Palferman (ROTW). They are both tasked with organising their chosen pairs for a one-day match-play competition. The scores will be collated and the winning team announced. There will be a Trophy and an inexpensive prize for each member of the winning side. Naturally the prizes attract a small fee, so entry for this event will be a mere £1.00 each. The event proved popular in 2022 and it may be considered as a regular fixture for our calendar in the future. Mike H

Texas scramble August 31st 2023. Report via Mike Healey

Seniors - a late report from yesterday. I received visitors in the afternoon who left late hence report today. Before the report, you should have received the September calendar, which showed a change for the medal (Thursday 21st). That still stands but I inadvertently reversed it for an Individual Stableford, which would not work in maintenance week. The calendar will now read Thursday 7th - Multiplier and Thursday 14th - Individual Stableford. I hope you are able to re-arrange those dates. Yesterday's Report - Texas Scramble There was another awkward number of players yesterday (37) so the members were split into two competitions of three- and fourballs. Intermittent rain was the forecast for the day but it did not materialise until later on around midday and only the tailenders got a little damp. Some good scores came from both sides of the competition and there were three prizes in total. Threeball Texas Scramble First: Stewart Pool, Mike Griffiths and Nigel Davies - 67.8 Fourball Texas Scramble First: Colin Brown, Tom McGrady, Mike Parks and Mick Carndell - 61.8 Second: Jonathan Falcus, Damian Atkin, Eric Thwaites andSean McCarthry - 62.8

Individual Stableford etc August 29th 2023. Report via Mike Healey

I have just arrived back from Holywell, where the home team arranged an Am/Am competition rather than an inter club match. There were some very good scores on show and the winners from Clays point of view were Paul Wallace-Jones and Mike Hollings. I know their partners, who are no slouches when it comes to golf, but they declared that all four contributed to the final score of 89 points. The two course meal went down well and all in all, the Holywell members were very sociable on the day. We had a touch of rain early doors but apart from light winds, conditions were fine. Thank you once again for a good day out Malcolm. While we were abroad in Holywell, Don organised an Individual Stableford on home turf. I believe Wrexham had more rain than us up in the hills, as it rained for the best part of the morning. The stableford went down as a qualifier and some countback was required with the following results: Individual Stableford Results: First: Andy Mitchell - 40 points Second: Dave (Mole) Jones - 38 points Third: Chris Blazdell - 36 points (c/b) Fourth: John Kelty - 36 points (c/b) Fifth: Dave Palferman - 33 points My thanks go to Don for today's organisation and report. I am also attaching the September calendar with two notable dates - Don informs me that ground maintenance begins next week, so we are postponing the September medal until Thursday 21st September - check your entries and availability. On Tuesday 26th September we are holding our second "Not Quite the Ryder Cup" event. For those members who didn't play last year, a Welsh team will take on the Rest of the World for some mediocre prizes and a lot of stick and banter. A sign up sheet will apppear on the noticeboard for this competition and captains will be announced soon.

Seniors D J Bogey August 24th 2023. Report from Mike Healey

There was a slight delay in posting the results for yesterday's competition because of card verification. Bogey is a format loved by some but not necessarily all, yet 43 members still entered. Once again, we all got away on time and the threeball composition seems to work for timing around the course. The weather was warm with benign conditions, although there was not much run on the ball after all the rain we have had. Alan Barnsdale and Dave A Jones both recorded 2's on the fifth hole and share the ballsweep money. Congratulations to them. The top three were as follows but the full result can be seen on ig: D.J.Bogie Result: First: Stewart Poole - +6 Second: Stuart Leyland - +5 Third: Stefan Coghlan - +3 Only four other players recorded plus scores - difficult format!

Captains Newsletter August 2023

Captain's Newsletter: August 2023 Another month has passed and we are now entering the final weeks of the Honours Board competition season. August has been a particularly busy month and the course is in amazing condition considering some of the unseasonal weather we have had this passed month. The Toilet project is undergoing negotiations with Mr and Mrs Lewis, but I’m pleased to inform you that the new benches are now on the course situated on 6th, 9th and 15th tees. Competitions Captains charity day was held on the 12th of August, and was a great success. We were extremely lucky with the weather again. Thanks to my wife Dawn for sorting the registration once again and helping to get the day off to a great start; to Patrick for setting up the gazebo and the refreshments and to Joanna and Lucy for selling tickets and handing out refreshments with Dawn during the day. A massive thanks to all the players who took part on the day, also thanks to everyone who donated raffle prizes, bought tickets and gave donations for the refreshments on the course. The day raised in excess £1000 for the Wales Air Ambulance Trust. Thanks to Mark and the green keeping staff on presenting the course in fantastic condition, thanks also to Hayley and the bar staff for their excellent service once again. Well done to: . Mike Hollings on winning County Captains day at Wrexham Matthew Nicholas on winning on Presidents Day Clive Davies and David Palferman on winning senior’s open with Alan Bottomley and Mike Carnell taking 2nd place Clays DGU team, and to captain Patrick on picking a winning team gaining a wonderful 7 – 1 victory over Old Colwyn Craig Yarwood and his team for winning on charity Day and Patrick McHugh’s team for coming second. Coming up: Saturday August 26th - Neil Harden Memorial Trophy Tuesday August 29th - Seniors match V Holywell (A) September 2nd and 3rd - Honours Board Finals weekend Sunday 24th September - DGU Autumm Meeting JCB draw has been made please check on IG for the details The Jubilee Plate next round has been made so please keep an eye on the notice board for further details. Ladies report Once again it has been a busy month of golf in the Ladies Section. The Honours Board Knockout Competitions are reaching the final stages with just one semi -final still to play. We wish the best of luck to all those who are have reached the Finals, amongst those playing are Shan Stapley and Christine Evans v Jayne Gibson and Angela Thomas Williams in the Ladies Betterball, Jayne Gibson and Mike D Jones v Jane Evans and Graham Davidson Clarke in the mixed foursomes and in the Aber Rose Bowl, Jayne Gibson v Jane Evans or Christine Evans. At our Club Championship weekend we congratulated the winner of the best gross score, Angela Thomas Williams and Jayne Gibson in winning the Harcombe Trophy with the best nett score. Our Charity Day to support North Wales Air Ambulance Service was a huge success and we were delighted that Debra Syma from the organisation joined us for the start of the event and she will be joining us again at The Captains Last Supper in March. Together with the 72 hole golf marathon organised by Angela Thomas Williams a significant amount of money has been raised. Our thanks to everyone who supported these events. The series of NWLCSA matches concluded at Denbigh earlier in the month. Whilst it was a very close match, the team missed out on the final hole in a number of the matches. Our final position in the Division is yet to be announced. The Lady Captain’s Away day was a great success at Upton by Chester Golf Club. Twelve ladies were able to join the day and we received a very warm welcome from everyone at The Club. We enjoyed playing a tricky course with some interesting challenges, in a format of individual and team competitions, nearest the pin in one on a Par 3 and nearest the pin in 2 on a par 4, had good weather and enjoyed a relaxed meal afterwards in the Clubhouse. Following the success of the Ladies Open, I am pleased that a number of entrants from other Clubs who played have expressed interest in taking part in the Competition again next year. An article reviewing the day and recognising Joan’s Hole in One at Clays Golf Club is to be published in the September/October edition of The Golfers local paper. In late July, The Fan Jones Trophy was won by Debbie Scott. Forthcoming competitions still to look forward to include The Welsh Dragon Brooch, a Tri match against Llanymynech and Mile End and our final Honours Board Competition, The Allington Hughes Salver which will conclude our Section season of competitions. An annual exchange day with Denbigh is scheduled on 29th August and we will be welcoming 31 ladies back to Clays for a return visit on August 30th. Jane Evans and Bev Hood have been successful in reaching the final 16 of The Daily Mail Foursomes competition and are scheduled to play Greenmount Golf Club in their next round, I wish them continued success. In the Purves Cup, Jane and myself are through to the finals to be played at Abergele at the beginning of October. Plans for the golfing season into the coming months are being made in which we hope to include more weekly kitty competitions and of course dare I say our ‘tinsel trail’ in November. Thank you once again to everyone at The Club for their continued support, Sue Falcus (Lady Captain) And finally from me… On the 28th of July, Angela Thomas-Williams joined me in completing a 72 hole marathon in aid of this year’s Captains’ charity the Wales Air Ambulance Trust. Lady Captain Sue Falcus completed the first two rounds and Jack Whitehouse completed the final two rounds with us, and Vice Captain Patrick Mchugh joined us on the first round. We are extremely grateful for your generosity in sponsoring us, helping to raise £1,061 to date. https://www.justgiving.com/page/clays-golf-club-captains-charity-1687459963858?utm_term=nBv26kRdN Please be aware as it’s getting very busy out on the course over the next few months, please avoid slow play. I know all our members consistently use the 3 R’s: Rake, Repair and Replace. Can I ask all members to be vigilant and report any players not adhering to course etiquette to Josh at reception, as it is most frustrating for you all to have your games unnecessarily spoilt by this. We have discussed at council the possibility of giving out a simple course etiquette leaflet to guests as they register to play. Please let me know if you have any thoughts or other ideas to help with this issue. And most of all enjoy your golf! Kind Regards, Michael McHugh (Club Captain)

Seniors 9x3 plus 9x2 August 22nd 2023. Report via Mike Healey

Seniors - what can I say? A Mickey Mouse head cover displayed on a broken golf club shaft, I took to be a jokey welcome back. Ego far too big - it was being displayed for somebody who had left it on the course. Obviously not missed one iota!! Well I am back and apart from today's results there are other results to catch up with. Today 30 seniors appeared for a "9x3" plus "9x2" - perfect numbers. 10 x threeballs set forth into quite blustery conditons, which I am told had some effect on shots. Not so for Alan Barnsdale and Nigel Davies - they both split the winnings in the ballsweep by shooting 2's on the 5th and 12th chronologically. The main competition provided three prizes in total, where there was quite a divide from bottom card to top but the prizewinners were close at the end. "9 x 3" plus "9 x 2" Result First: Chris Roseblade, Peter Taylor and Alan Bottomley - 95 points Second: Peter Frazer, Graham Wright and Irwin Elkin - 92 points Third: Andy Mitchell, Alan Barnsdale and Chris Blazdell - 88 points

Clays Seniors Open August 17th 2023

CLAYS GOLF SENIOR’S OPEN 17th August 2023 - RESULTS 52 Pairs participated in this Open, Betterball Stableford competition yesterday, with the winners as follows: 1st Place – 42 points, Clive Davies and David Palferman, both Clays Golf. 2nd Place - 40 points, on countback, Alan Bottomley and Mike Carnell, both Clays Golf. 3rd Place – 40 points, on countback, Steve Parker and David Baker, both Antrobus Golf Club. Other Prizes: Nearest the Pin 12th Hole – Clive Davies, Clays Golf. Nearest the 18th in 2 shots, Visitors only – Mike Eaton, Douglas Park Golf Club. Nearest the line 10th Hole, Men and Ladies – Nev Bassett, Clays Golf. Nearest the Pin 5th Hole, Ladies only – No winner.

Pryors Hayes results from Brian Beaton August 15th 2023

I have had a short email from Pryors Hayes. With their great 45 points Andrew Mitchell and Ernie Williams finished in 3rd place overall. First place was won with 46 points. Full details will be on the Pryors Hayes website in due course. Well done both. Vouchers are being posted out to me and I will pass them on asap. In the kitty competition today after another "lucky " day with the weather. First Andrew Mitchell and Ernie Williams 45 points. Second Mick Carnell and Jon Falcus 44 points. Third Tony Harcombe and Stuart Leyland 42 points on countback. Fourth Tom Pierce and Sean Mccarthy 42 points. Also, Alan Barnsdale recorded a 2 with a great putt on the ? hole. Sorry Alan, I can't remember the hole but it was a pleasure to watch.

Individual Stableford August 15th 2023. Report via Malcolm Williams

26 Senior Members competed this morning in an Individual Stableford format. This was a good turn-out considering there were also a number competing in the Priors Hayes Seniors Open. Results:- 1st:- George Hughes – 42pts. 2nd:- Peter Taylor – 38pts. 3rd:- Wyn Jenkins – 38pts. 4th:- John Kelty – 35pts. 5th:- Chris Blazdell – 34pts.

DGU County Captains Day August 6th 2023. Results from Alan Pocklington

The results for the DGU County Captains Day are now available on the DGU Website. The event was held at Wrexham Golf Club on Sunday 6th August. It was a glorious day both weather wise and for the entrants from Clays Golf. Results Star of the show was Mike Hollings who won the County Captains Day Stableford Championship with 45 points. Tom Pierce was Senior Stableford Champion with 41 points. Iwan Bonds gained runner up spot in the Senior Gross Category with 75 gross. Congratulations to all 3 of them on their brilliant performances. My thanks also to all Clays entrants who made the long trek (!) across the road to give it a go. Next up is the DGU Autumn Meeting to be held at LLangollen on Sunday 24th September. The details and sign up sheet are on the noticeboard in the Foyer. Lets see if Clays can win that one as well! Alan Pocklington Competitions Secretary

Rhos on Sea Open August 8th 2023 results courtesy on Brian Beaton

Unfortunately Stewart Poole had to withdraw at the last minute due to illness. Get well soon Stewart. We were unable to find a replacement but the club did provide one of their members (Phil O'Brien) as a substitute partner for Vic Rogerson. The weather was excellent. Most of us had not played the course before and it involves some interesting challenges including water and greens with lots of variation. Everything was in great condition for golf. Another well attended day with 30 players in our group and another good result. First place went to members of Rhos on Sea with 46 points. Second place Vic Rogerson and his partner from the home club with 46 points (countback on back 9). There were then many scores in the 40' s, mainly home club players, with our next pair being Mike Drake and Peter Bowen with 41 points but not in the prizes. The full results are on the Rhos on Sea GC website. In our kitty competition the results were, 1st Vic Rogerson and Phil O'Brien with 46 points 2nd Mike Drake and Peter Bowen 41 points 3rd Don Wraight and Jon Falcus 40 points (countback) 4th Andrew Mitchell and Ernie Williams 40 points. Both Tony Harcombe and Andrew Mitchell recorded 2's and have vouchers of £8.52 each at the pro's shop. Dave Fergus won the nearest the line competition and has a voucher for £25 waiting.

Individual Stableford August 8th 2023 from Mike Healey and Bob Brown

Today's result comes courtesy of Bob Brown. 20 seniors played an Individual Stableford kitty comp today at Clays. (30 members were playing away at the Rhos on Sea Senior Open.) Three prizes were given out as below; 1st with 36 points was Les Williams. 2nd with 33 points was Peter Fraser. 3rd with 32 points was Tom Blackshaw.

August 3rd 2023 Medal and other news via Mike Healey

The August calendar came with a warning that there was lots of golf for us to choose. Brian Beaton entered 32 members in the Senior Open at Aldersey Green - Wednesday 2nd August and although we are still waiting on overall final results we had a good showing on the day. It is a tough track with plenty of water hazards to be aware of but the majority of our pairs coped well. Quite a few turned up with all their wet gear but it proved to be quite a warm, sunny day. We had several members winning with two's in the ballsweep but they have not been named for this report - Brian will follow up. For our own comp, the following pairs were successful: First: Jonathan Falcus and Dave Palferman - 45 points. Second: Tom Pierce and Les Williams - 42 points I am told that the above two scores are amongst the winners from Aldersey but it has to be confirmed. Four pairs carded 35 points and countback was applied. Inevitably there are winners and losers - Nev Bassett / Dave Fergus and Mike Drake/Rodney Evans just missed out. Third: Ernie Williams and Mick Carnell - 35 points (c/b) Fourth: John Hellowell and Stuart Miles - 35 points (c/b) August Senior Medal - Thursday 3rd August The weathermen got it wrong again. The early starters arrived and prepared in quite a downpour, followed by a relatively heavy shower just after 9.00 but then the jackets came off and stayed off for the duration. Similar to Tuesday, the ball did not seem to fly and a distinct lack of bounce hindered some of the scoring today. There were 2 x two's recorded: John Kelty and Gary Campbell - both on the fifth hole. Well done to them and well done to the three winners in each division.. Division 1: First: Paul Wallace-Jones (nett 67) Second: Chris Jacques (nett 69) Third: Richard Collier (nett 73 c/b) Alan Bottomley also carded (nett 73) Division 2: First: Reg Peacock (nett 73) Second: Mick Carnell (nett 74) Third: Sean McCarthy (nett 76) Division 3: First: Les Wiliams (nett 70) Second: Mike Drake (nett75) Third: Peter Fraser (nett 76 c/b) Stephen Graham also carded (nett 76)

3 Ball 2 scores to count plus request for Seniors Open prizes. Report from Mike Healey

Seniors - Messages first: Chris Jacques gave a follow up appeal for donations of prizes for our Senior Open on 17th August. There will be a box in reception or give any prizes to Mike Holllings, who continues to work hard for the cause. Remember we benefit from any profits made from this particular raffle. You received a calendar yesterday and I'm afraid there was an error. I do not know how many are playing on President's Day but it is taking place on Saturday 19th August and not on Saturday 26th August as advertised. I have adjusted the date on the noticeboard - kindly adjust your own. Today's Result - Threeball - 2 to Count. It was advertised as a Pairs Betterball initially but numbers were wrong, so we set forth in threeballs and once again, it proved to be better with the timing. Everybody seemed to arrive back at the clubhouse in good time, presentations were made and all got away early. Although overcast, it remained warm throughout but scores not brilliant. The greens have been in excellent condition but 2 days of rain made progress up the fairways harder than normal, thus reducing points scores, with the exception of one group. There were three prizes in total: Threeball - 2 to Count: First: Jon Falcus, Alan Barnsdale and Peter Thomas - 85 points Second: Ernie Williams, Chris Blazdell and Ian Ketland - 75 points Third: Reg Peacock, Mike Scott and Colin Evans - 70 points (c/b) (2 other groups carded 70 points but missed out on countback)

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

Captain's Newsletter June 2023

Captain's Newsletter: June 2023 Since my last newsletter the weather has been brilliant, the course in fantastic condition, and lots of golf has been played. We have had numerous complimentary comments from societies, members and members of other clubs on how well our course is playing and on the friendly and welcoming atmosphere all around our club. The new toilets are on hold at the moment. Details on the new benches we are looking to purchase will be included in next month’s newsletter. Captains’ Day is fast approaching, and Lady Captain Sue and I would like to share the day with as many as possible on 8th July. We will have a nearest the pin on the 5th for the ladies, nearest the pin on 12th for the men and closest to the line on the first for all. There will be on course refreshments by the tee on the 5th. If any member would like to donate a raffle prize, please leave it at reception or bring it on the day. We would be grateful for donations. Tickets will be on sale on the day. Competitions It has been another busy month with the Honours Board competitions well under way. 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 against other clubs. Best of luck to all involved. Well done to: Jane and the Ping team on their ongoing success with wins over Conway and Mold. Jack Whitehouse and Jane Evans on winning Redfern gold cup mixt open at Vicars cross Dave Palferman and Richard Collier on winning the Prestatyn open Paul Wallace Jones on winning the Seniors Memorial Trophy with a fantastic 45 points Clays team 1 on taking 1st place in DGU regional qualifier at Old Padeswood with 110 points. Clays team 2 on a very close 2nd with a score of 109 points. Both teams progress to play at Celtic Manor Congratulations to all, great results! Clays DGU team on a great win (4 ½ 3 ½) on Sunday 25th at the Moss, a very difficult place to get a win so well done Team Clays. Coming up: The Draw for JCB quarter final has been made so please check ’ig’ for the details. The Jubilee plate 1st round is now complete, so please keep an eye on the notice board for further details. There are plenty more opportunities coming up so please enter as many competitions as you can to support the club. Ladies report With the Golfing season well and truly underway, the Ladies Section have been playing in a range of both Club, Honours Board and external competitions. It has been great to see some of our ladies returning after a winter break and we have also welcomed new ladies on a Wednesday morning. In the NWLCSA (North Wales Ladies Challenge Shield Association) we moved up a division at the beginning of the year. In previous weeks we have won against Denbigh and Royal St Davids but unfortunately lost to Porthmadog. Plenty of matches still to come! Over the Bank Holiday Weekend, we were invited by the Ladies of Mile End to play a mixed friendly. Seven pairings were able to attend and we received a very warm welcome. They are keen to play a return fixture at Clays next year. Congratulations to Jane Evans and Beverley Hood on progressing through several rounds in of The Daily Mail, Jane and I are also through in the Purves Cup. Congratulations also to the Ping team. The Ladies New 2 Golf sessions are now halfway through. Rhodri has organised the Group lessons and thankfully for good weather at the first 3 sessions the Group have experienced tuition on the putting green and on the Driving Range. My thanks to a number of ladies from the Section who have been able to support this initiative with a ‘Meet and Greet’ rota. We are running a Ladies Open for the first time in several years in July. This is a great opportunity to show off the Club. Support has been excellent with a range of Clubs attending. There are only a couple of slots left so if you know of any ladies who may wish to play, please contact Josh. The Ladies Section have an ‘Awayday’ organised on August 16th at Upton By Chester Golf Club. Plenty of ladies already signed up for the day but time still to join up for this if not already done so. Other great news to report is that Bill has approved the plan to raise the ladies’ tees. The Greenkeeping Team will be starting work in September on a number of tees currently playing off the fairway, so next season those which have been improved will be fully functioning. The plan is to complete any remaining tees over the following months. Finally, a reminder that we have Captain’s Day on Saturday July 8th. Mick and I are looking forward to sharing the day with as many of you as possible. Enjoy your golf! Sue Falcus (Lady Captain) And finally from me… 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. We would be extremely grateful for your support along the course. We would be grateful if you could make a donation towards this worthwhile cause if you are able on our JustGiving page via this Link We are still looking for a Safeguarding /Welfare Officer, and a Junior Organiser, to encourage new young members to join our club. These are important positions so if any members are interested, or if you know of anyone who would be interested in these roles, please get in touch with myself 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

Multplier result June 29th 2023 and other information Via Mike Healy

Seniors - Where do I start? Firstly messages and reminders: There is a sign up sheet for the match against Northop at home on the 13th July. Malcolm has asked that you sign up asap in order to make selection. You received the July calendar on Tuesday but there was an omission - the Aldersey Green Senior Open is on Wednesday 2nd August (and not on 31st August as in the club calendar). Don asked that seniors sign up asap for all of the forthcoming comps - 6th July (Senior medal) 8th July (Captain's Day) 11th July (Senior/Vets Trophy) 18th and 20th July (2 Day Challenge). All of these comps are in ig so sign in or contact reception. I am reminded that the 2 Day Comp announces payment on 2 days - YOU ONLY PAY ON THE TUESDAY - ONCE!! Last notice - Stuart Miles sent out his invitation for the Devon trip next year, in the hope of attracting enough seniors early enough to warrant a discount. There are now only 2 weeks left before that discount disappears, so if you are interested, get in touch with Stuart: shmiles58@gmail.com Today's Multiplier Report: Despite at least half a dozen senior pairs doing battle in knockout competitions around the course, no fewer than 38 other members turned out for the tally draw. Twelve threeballs and a pair with a ghost player teed off to contest a Multiplier event. The course was in fantastic condition with greens getting faster all the time, the weather was warm with a gentle breeze and there were no excuses for poor cards. No Ballsweep today. There were three prizes in total: Multiplier Result: First: Fred Court, Peter Taylor and John Kelty - 125 points Second: Paul Wallace-Jones, Andy Mitchell and Keith Hawthorn - 111 points Third: Chris Jacques, Tony Jackson and Irwin Elkin - 104 points

Individual Stablefod June 27th 2023. Report from Mike Healey and report from Malcolm ref Aldersey Green match

Seniors - the ranks were split today with Malcolm Williams taking his senior team over to Aldersey Green. I believe no fewer than 20 members made the journey and were required to do battle (report to follow). We received an excellent welcome today as we once again renewed fixtures with Aldersey Green. They kindly gave each player a small welcome pack of tees, marker, pencil and divot repairer because the action took centre stage! Matches were extremely closely fought with some being decided on the 18th green! Clays finally emerged winners by 5 and a half to 4 and a half. We enjoyed a friendly and sporting day with the course in excellent condition and a very tasty meal after our games with our opponents. We now look forward to welcoming them back to Clays on Thursday, 10th August. Mal Other seniors are still involved in Knockout rounds leaving 18 seniors for today's tally draw and kitty competition. Andy Mitchell kindly took charge of proceedings in the absence of the committee members over at Aldersey. There wasn't a kitty comp. scheduled as such, by name because of the match and the ongoing knockout rounds, so an individual Stableford transpired and 18 cards were handed in. The forecast rain was on cue early doors but jackets came off just after 9.00am and the warm conditions were just right for our golf. There was no ballsweep today and the four prizes were won by the following players (a few needed countback to divide them): Individual Stableford First: Peter Taylor - 45 points Second: Andy Mitchell - 41 points (c/b) Third: Bob Jarvis - 41 points (c/b) Fourth: Paul Wallace-Jones - 39 points (c/b) Dave Jones also carded 39 points but just missed out on countback. Other cards of note - Tony Jackson on 36 points and I must report Fred Court's 35 points, including a magnificent Birdie on the 3rd hole - we won't mention the non-scoring holes.

Seniors Memorial Trophy results June 22nd 2023. Report from Mick Healey

What a magnificent day for the Senior section of Clays Golf. Don Wraight arrived early for the distribution of photos of past players, on each of the starter tees. It means a lot to some of the current players, who remember their colleagues of the past and that is what the Memorial Trophy is all about. In response to that, we must have had some sort of record today, to have 57 seniors turn up for the tally draw. Thinking caps went on and we got everybody away asap (not easy) off 3 tees into the glorious weather that persisted throughout the day. Timing was not at all bad around the course, but given the numbers, resolution of cards, collection of money and presentations, all took a little longer than usual. There was a lot of conviviality in the dining/bar area and the atmosphere was brilliant throughout. Chris Jacques (Senior Captain) conveyed his thanks to all for the turnout, held a minute's silence for past players and proceeded to present the prizes and Memorial Trophy to the eventual winner. The ballsweep was hotly contested, with no less than 5 players scoring twos: Mike Parks, Richard Collier and Fred Court on the fifth hole and Don Wraight and Stewart Poole on the twelfth hole. There were 9 prizes in total for the main event: Memorial Trophy: First and Memorial Trophy Recipient: Paul Wallace-Jones 45 points Second: Dave Palferman 43 points Third: Ian Jones 41 points Fourth: Chris Blazdell 40 points (c/b) Fifth: Ralph Hardy 40 points (c/b) Sixth: Barry Dare 39 points (c/b) Seventh: Eric Thwaites 39 points (c/b) Eighth: Ian Ketland 39 points (c/b) Ninth: Mike Hollings 38 points (c/b) Bob Brown and Bob Jarvis also carded 38 points but missed out on count back.

Kitty competition June 20th 2023. Report from Mike Healey et al

My thanks to Don and Steve for organising the golf today. Don sent this report through - Bruce Willis would have been proud today...11 ( Die Hard ) Seniors showed up today for golf albeit 2 in a singles knockout. Leaving 9 in the kitty comp but 1 player submitting a handicap card. Weather was very wet, rain falling up to 9.30 hence a delay in starting but from then on perfect conditions. Sun shone and the course was magnificent. We made a decision to have bunkers GUR as they were so wet. An individual Stableford was played. Good scores from all with Alan Barnsdale winning with a fantastic score of 45pts grrrrrrrr from Don Wraight on 38pts.

Devon results 2023 from Stuart Miles

Great week helped by superb weather and good company. Ramnee Trophy. Total accumulative points over 4 days. 1st Liam Roddis 167 points. 2nd Nev Bassett 162 points. 3rd Mike Scott 151 points. Forrest Chaless. Best net score on any day. 2 tied for the trophy. Les Williams and Mike Scott both with a net 62. 28 My A*** Trophy. Most 4 points or better over 4 days. Nev Bassett with 8. (winner for four straight years.) Congratulations to the winners.

Pairs both scores count June 15th. Report from Steve Monk

Despite 3 separate away trips today, involving around 24 players, we still had 36 players turning up for the kitty competition. To acknowledge the high turnout, and the continuing great weather, we decided to make the competition a pairs-both-scores-to-count format. On return to the clubhouse, one or two players were upset about this as they felt they had been held up by the slightly slower play involved, so apologies to them. The remainder enjoyed the day and some played very well! The course is immaculate, both in appearance and in playing characteristics. Results were:- 1st - Barry Evans (44) and Tom Blackshaw (36) - total of 80 points. 2nd - Stan Roberts (36) and Peter Taylor (35) - total of 71 points. 3rd - George Hughes (34) and Chris Jacques (36) - total of 70 points. 4th - Alan Barnsdale (35) and Peter Fraser (34) - total of 69 points

Golf report June 13th 2023 from Steve Monk

We had a superb morning for golf, with little or no breeze and wall-to-wall sunshine. Several umbrellas-acting-as-parasols were in use! 26 turned up to play, so we added a ghost player and played in 9 x 3-balls. By consensus we played 'Best Two Scores at Each Hole' to make the game fairly quick, bearing in mind the heat. All 9 teams competing matched or improved on par, and there were 3 prizes available. The top 3 were: 1st - Chris Jacques, Tom Bradshaw and Bob Jarvis, with 83 points. 2nd - Fred Court, Brian Beaton and Peter Taylor, with 82 points. 3rd - Ian Ketland, Peter Lynch and Colin Williams, with 81 points.

Prestatyn Seniors Open 2023

You have already had our kitty comp winners for Prestatyn but the official winners for the Open have just pinged in from Brian Beaton. Please read on: First: Dave Palferman and Richard Collier (41 points) Clays Second: Dave A Jones and Nigel Davies (40 points) (c/b) Clays Third: Dennis Wolsterhome and Steve Parker (40 points) (c/b) Other Fourth: Paul Wallace-Jones and Stuart Leyland (39 points) Clays All four pairs won varying amounts in vouchers, to be spent in the pro shop at Prestatyn GC - Brian will have the details. Five individuals scored 2's in the ballsweep, including Alan Barnsdale (Clays) Our thanks again go to Brian for his general organisation and work both before and after the day.

Individual Stabeford June 8th 2023. Report via Malcolm Williams

We had a good turn-out of 23 members today bearing in mind a large number were at Prestatyn Open. We held an Individual Stableford Competition and Peter Fraser emerged as the winner with an outstanding score of 41points (including a blob on the 11th!). Results as follows:- 1st:- Peter Fraser - 41pts; 2nd:- Graham Bryne 37pts; 3rd:- Malcolm Williams – 36pts; 4th:- Bill Kelleher – 35pts; 5th:- John Kelty – 35pts (c/b); 6th:- Keith Hawthorn – 35pts (c/b); Cheers, Mal

Captains News letter May 2023

Captain's Newsletter: May 2023 May has arrived and with that some good weather at last so get the suncream in your bag. Mark and his team have taken advantage of the good weather and have carried out extensive work on the course and the putting area. The course is in fantastic condition thanks to all their hard work, so, I ask that we all do our own little bit and rake bunkers repair pitch marks and replace divots to keep the course in tip top shape. Competitions This month is really starting to busy up now with the Honours Board competitions well under way. Results and next board comp. rounds can be accessed on ‘ig’. Our teams and individual members are involved in various fixtures at Clays and other clubs, so best of luck to all. Well done to the senior team traveling to Old Padeswood and coming away with a fantastic 7 – 1 victory. Congratulations to Alan Barnsdale on winning the Karen Griffiths Trophy with Nett 66, and to Chris Jacques and Bill Kelleher on winning the Seniors Gemini Trophy with a combined score of 133. A big thanks to all who took part. There are plenty more opportunities coming up so please enter as many competitions as you can to support the club. Ladies Report We have been able to catch up with our Monthly Medal and Stableford Qualifier competitions as the weather and course conditions have improved. Attendance has been increasing with a great turnout of 17 ladies one week who played either the comp or social golf, followed by food and drink in the Clubhouse. The Ladies section commenced their NWLCS matches the first match away at Royal St Davids in Harlech, a great team performance however on this occasion a home win for Harlech. We look forward to their return visit to Clays. In The Daily Mail Foursomes Competition, played at Carden Park, Jane Evans and Bev Hood have progressed through to the next round. By all accounts a thrilling match to the 18th Hole. In the Purves Cup Foursomes, played at Conwy Golf Club, Jane Evans and Sue Falcus also achieved a win in their first round. We have received approval from Wales Golf to run Ladies New 2 Golf lessons. The first group participating, identifid through Wales Golf are scheduled to commence lessons on June 1st on a six week programme. Initially this was planned for May however due to holiday commitments from some of the Group who will be attending, this date has had to be pushed back. An expression of interest has been forwarded to Sport Wales to apply for an equipment grant for the Ladies New 2 Golf programme. We are currently waiting to hear if we are allowed to proceed forward with a formal application. As we are requesting a small grant we are optimistic this will be given due consideration at this stage. My thanks to Jane Evans for organising and co ordinating the Ping team and their fixtures, I wish all those involved great success. The Clays Ladies Open on Wednesday July 12th, a fixture which has not been on our calendar for a number of years has teams participating represented from a number of Clubs, with only a few remaining tee times now available. Hopefully the weather will be kind with a great day planned. The ladies Section are also now in receipt of fleece gilets with the Clays logo and together with polo shirts from last year are ready for the season ahead. My thanks to Shan Lady Vice Captain and a great team of ladies supporting the Section in various roles. And finally We are currently looking for a Safeguarding /Welfare Officer, and a Junior Organiser, in order to try to encourage new young members to join our club. These are important positions so if any members are interested, or if you know of anyone who would be interested in these roles, please get in touch with myself or any member of the council. In the next few weeks we are hoping to agree on the type of toilets to be located on the course. Don’t forget as mentioned above the three R,s Rake, Repair and Replace and most of all enjoy your golf. Kind Regards, Michael Club Captain

Seniors Fourbal. June 6th 2023. Report via Mike Healey

Another good turn out for today's kitty comp. 38 members went into the draw - 10 groups with the 2 front runner groups employing a ghost player. The event was a Fourball - 3 to Count with 3 prizes for the winning groups. The majority wore shorts following the 19 deg. forecast but there were one or two comments about being cool in the nether regions as it got no higher than 14 degs. Unfortunately, the organiser cannot control the weather. The groundstaff have been working hard and given the great course condition, there was no excuse for poor golf today. We were not disappointed, with scoring tight at the top and lots of countback required. Read on: Fourball - 3 to Count: First: Don Wraight, Mike Griffiths, Stewart Poole and (Ghost) - 126 points (c/b) Second: Mike Hollings, Peter Lord, Bob Jarvis and Tony Jackson - 126 points (c/b) Third: Chris Jacques, Alan Bottomley, Mike Parks and Graham Bryne - 124 points (c/b) In unofficial 4th place - Wynn Jenkins, Colin Evans, Tom McGrady and Bill Kelleher also carded 124 points but were beaten on c/b. The next two groups both had 123 points, so scoring was very tight indeed. Well done all.

Seniors June medal June 1st 2023. Report from Mike Healey

Let's start with the weather - cool start with a gentle breeze developing into a warm sunny day. They were ideal conditions, once again, for golf, so why did we hear so many excuses in the clubhouse? The most popular and repeated line today was "the card was rolling nicely until I had an 8 (or a 9 - or a 10)." It was quite comical after a while. I think most of us suffered because it was simply individual stroke play. The greens had been watered and caught a few of us out, in terms of speed but really it was just you against the course - now history!! Congratulations to those members who did manage to score well and a mention of the ballsweep - Jon Falcus shot a 2 on the 5th hole and Barry Dare gained his share of the money with a 2 on the 17th hole. The top three in each division read as follows: June Medal Result Division 1: First: Alan Barnsdale - 70 (c/b) Second: Tony Jackson - 70 (c/b) Third: Paul Wallace-Jones - 72 Division 2: First: Stewart Poole - 68 Second: Bill Kelleher - 69 (c/b) Third: Sean McCarthy - 69 (c/b) Division 3: First: Tom Pierce - 68 Second: Bob Jarvis - 69 (c/b) Third: Dave A Jones - 69 (c/b

Welsh Greensomes qualifier courtesy of Mike Healey May 30th 2023

Today's golf - 18 pairs signed up in advance for the Welsh Greensomes Qualifier. We had a practice last month but this was the real McCoy plus a kitty comp. in tandem. For the princely sum of £5.00 per couple (all going to Welsh Golf) a pre-draw was arranged, shots calculated and everybody turned up on time for their tee slots. The weather gods were once again on our side and lovely warm conditions made it ideal for golf. We never know what scores to expect with the alternate shot format but we had 10 cards between 34 and 40 points, with the remaining 8 cards registering 41 and above. There were 4 prizes on offer today in the kitty comp. and they are being reported in reverse order- Welsh Greensomes Qualifier: Fourth: Alan Barnsdale and Mike Healey - 44 points Third: Peter Taylor and Barry Evans - 45 points Second: Peter Thomas and Ray Griffiths - 47 points First: Dave Fergus and Neville Bassett - 49 points (Dave and Neville will go on further and represent Clays GC in September, when they will contest the National Finals being held at Carmarthen GC on Thursday 7th September). Well done to both of them

Unknown pairs competition May 25th 2023. Report from Mike Healey

The weather reports get even shorter. Warm sunny conditions and a smartly cut course made for ideal senior golf this morning. At least 12 seniors were contesting Senior Pairs Knockout rounds, which left 30 members to contest the Unknown Pairs competition. It is not everybody's cup of tea but we are keeping it in the calendar for qualifying purposes and it creates a bit of intrigue and a hearty laugh here and there with the ensuing results. Thanks go to Peter Bowen for entering all of the cards for qualifying purposes. There were a number of good individual cards of note; Dave A Jones carded 41pts, Ken Tieszen 39 pts, Tom McGrady 39pts, Jon Falcus 38pts, Mike Hollings 38pts. Stewart Poole 36pts and Tony Jasckson 36pts but it really depended who the Unknown Partner was! There was a Ballsweep but no 2's recorded, so all monies will be carried over by Peter until the next competition. There were four competition prizes on offer and I am attaching the combined scores sheet for interest (several people asked me!!) Unknown Pairs Result: First: Wyn Jenkins and Tom McGrady 72 points - combined Second: Chris Jacques and Stewart Poole 69 points (c/b) Third: Dave A Jones and Stuart Miles 69 points (c/b) Fourth: Don Wraight and Mike Hollings 67 points.

Yellow Ball May 23rd 2023.Results via Mike Healey

Numbers for kitty comps have been down slightly because of commitment to early matches on Tuesdays/Thursdays in the senior knockout competitions. These have been flowing nicely although there are still a number of early matches to be completed. This morning, the sun came out and the course was in great condition for our Yellow Ball - what more could we ask for some good competitive golf?! 34 seniors threw their tallies into the draw and we played 9 x "fourballs" with two groups employing a ghost player. The majority of today's contestants entered the ballsweep but there was only ever going to be one winner - Brian Beaton recorded a two on the 2nd hole and walked away with the takings. There were three prizes on offer for the main event: Yellow Ball Result: First: Peter Taylor, Brian Beaton, Ian Ketland and Tom McGrady - 177 points Second: Steve Monk, Mike Hollings, Mike Healey plus ghost score - 174 points Third: Barry Evans, Bill Kelleher, Ken Tieszen and Jon Falcus - 166 points

Waltz and Tango results May 18th 2023. Results via Mike Healey.

Seniors - The thermometer reached a heady 18 degrees at one stage and shorts were prominent throughout. Sunshine, a little cloud and no wind made very pleasant playing conditions. The course is in great nick and the greens true and fast - what more could we ask? I'm afraid the organiser was a little stressed at the outset with numbers and tallies to-ing and fro-ing. 38 members meant two different competitions. 5 fourballs competed for a Tango comp and 6 threeballs challenged for a Waltz. Rather absent - mindedly, the fourballs were sent out first. In the end, it didn't impose that much as everybody kept up with the pace and we all got round in ample time for prizes. Two seniors scored 2's and split the ballsweep between them - Andy Mitchell on the 2nd hole and Jon Falcus on the 5th hole. There were two prizes for both of the individual sections: Waltz Result: First: Peter Taylor, Liam Roddis and Bill Kelleher - 86 points Second: Mike Parks, Peter Fraser and Mick Carnell - 79 points Tango Result: First: Dave Fergus, George Hughes, Les Williams and Stuart Miles - 113 points Second: Brian Beaton, Mike Hollings, Bob Brown and Mike Healey - 110 points

Gemini Trophy May 16th 2023. Report from Mike Healey

Another major competition completed in the calendar. Don organised the draw as usual and despite a rather cool wind, the competioin flowed throughout. 18 pairs took part in our annual Seniors Gemini Trophy. For the newcomers in the group, it is arguably the toughest competition of the year. It is a strokeplay competition, with both partners scoring and then adding nett scores together. I believe it is unique amongst local clubs at least! In the ballsweep - no fewer than 5 seniors recorded a 2 - all on the fifth hole. There was a 40 shot range between first and last positions just to show how tough it is, with 8 pairs shooting 146 or below. Well done to all competitors. The top eight pairs are recorded below: Seniors Gemini Trophy Result First: Chris Jacques and Bill Kelleher - 133 Second: Mike Hollings and Dave Palferman - 138 Third: Steve Monk and Mike Drake - 141 (c/b) Fourth: Richard Collier and Malcolm Williams - 141 (c/b) Fifth: Neville Bassettt and Ernie Williams - 142 Sixth: Michael McHugh and Chris Jones - 144 (c/b) Seventh: Peter Taylor and Liam Roddis - 144 (c/b) Eighth: Pauline Peacock and Reg Peacock - 146 Ballsweep Winners: Richard Collier, Mike Drake, Neil Gledhill, Bill Kelleher and Chris Jones - all on the fifth hole

Match vs Old Padeswood at Clays. Thursday May 11th 2023

Don Wraight kindly informed Derek that Clays won 7 matches to 1.

Kitty Competition abandoned Tuesday May 9th. Report from Mike Healey

Kitty Comp abandoned at 12.00 noon - No golf mentioned in the report as such!! Seniors - 1 or 2 members arrived in shorts anticipating 16/17 degrees as per the forecast. OK there were always going to be intermittent showers mixed in there but we were prepared. 31 entered the draw for a Pairs - Both to Count competition, with one lucky member getting 2 bites of the cherry. Monday night's rain left the course with some detritus in places so "Preferred Lies" were played "Through the Green". We experienced a few drops early doors and an expected, heavier shower around 10.00am, which I believe we all coped with. There were moments when umbrellas and rain gear were coming and going but no worse than a predicted wet day. We reached "High Noon" and could have written a disaster movie on what ensued. The thickest, blackest cloud appeared followed by thunder and lightning. That was our signal to get off the course quickly but in so doing, I believe every senior member on show had a thoroughly good soaking for his troubles. There was a 20 minute torrential downpour, which we all experienced on our return to the clubhouse and stair rods would not be an exaggerated description. Throw in some hail stones for good measure and there was only ever going to be one winner - the weather gods. A number of competitors handed me £1.00 for the comp and they will be refunded asap, due to insufficient cards being returned to continue with the comp. Those cards that did arrive back in the clubhouse were mostly illegible. A good number of players headed straight for their cars, loaded up wet gear and headed on home. Who can blame them? KITTY COMP ABANDONED. Those seniors that remained enjoyed their usual convivial lunches and banter but the deluge had left the course unplayable and it was closed for the rest of the day.

Seniors Medal 4th May 2023

We cannot be far away from a record number of entrants today. 57 put their names up for entry in the May medal and 2 of those were taking part for handicap purposes. The fairways and greens had been cut - the forecast rain did not materialise - we experimented with 3 balls instead of 4 balls and generally, it was agreed that the game flowed in the warm weather. Maybe we have a formula for future comps!? As always, the ballsweep was keenly contested with 4 competitors winning with 2's: David Jones both on the 2nd and 5th, Liam Roddis also on the 5th and Senior Captain, Chris Jacques on the 12th. Well done all. The results read as follows in divisions: Division 1: First: Chris Jacques 70 (c/b) Second: Don Wraight 70 (c/b) Third: Alan Bottomley 73 Division 2: First: Bill Kelleher 65 Second: Barry Dare 68 Third: Graham Bryne 69 Division 3: First: Vic Rogerson 70 Second: Steve Monk 73 (c/b) Third: Ian Ketland 73 (c/b)

Texas scramble May 2nd 2023. Results courtesy of Mike Healey

Busy Tuesday!! A myriad of seniors were contesting senior knockout competitions, both singles and pairs. Others signed up early doors for the Abershield knockout Trophy. However, numbers were kept high and 36 members placed their tallies into the draw for a Texas Scramble. Don Wraight and Chris Jacques oversaw the draw and split the group into threeballs, which flowed very well. The weather remained cloudy but warm and although there was some fairway cutting taking place, the course is getting very close to summer/competition condition. There were 3 prizes in total: Texas Scramble: First: Peter Thomas, Graham Wright and Mike Drake (65.6) Second: Ian Ketland, Chris Blazdell and George Hughes (66.4) Third: Don Wraight, Brian Beaton and Dave Jones (66.6)

Greensomes April 27th 2023. Report via Mike Healey

What have you done to the Spring weather? We started off with chilly temperatures this morning and the late rain just made conditions quite miserable. Today was the first of our Greensomes season with a practice round to start with. 36 seniors signed up in pairs and a pre-draw was made from three tees. A further 5 seniors arrived and we squeezed them in for a stableford competition, which was won by Keith Hawthorn. Other members were involved in senior match knockouts elsewhere. The Greensomes format is a quick one and everyone arrived back in the clubhouse in good time for the results. Of the 18 cards returned, all but one managed to score 30+ points and countback was essential at the top end. There were 4 prizes on offer - read on. Greensomes Result: First: Richard Collier and Dave Palferman - 39 points (c/b) Second: Alan Barndsdale and Mike Healey - 39 points (c/b) Third: Reg Peacock and Barry Dare - 39 points (c/b) Fourth: Mike Hollings and Stewart Poole - 38 points (c/b) Malcolm Williams and Russ Adamson plus Ernie Williams and Bill Kelleher also scored 38 points but missed prizes on countback.

Individual Stableford April 25th 2023. Report from Mike Healey

The sun worshippers were out in force today. No overnight cloud guaranteed a very crisp start to our golf but the sun came out and it was quite pleasurable to play in shirt sleeves. 39 seniors threw their tallies in to play an individual stableford qualifier, with a couple of new faces to the group and a big welcome back to Nigel Davies after his mishap 10 days ago. The competition was initiated by Peter Bowen on ig and the scene was set with the committee going out first, in order to get back for their monthly meeting, following the results. Peter was left having to enter 7/8 cards at the end and we would encourage all to try and get the ig app on their phones as soon as possible. Anything under 35 points was just not good enough today but there were quite a few encouraging improvements compared with last week's medal and previous weeks. Three 2's were registered - all on the 5th hole. Eric Thwaites, Richard Collier and Peter Almond split the winnings from the ballsweep. Read on for stableford result - 7 prizes today. Individual Stableford Qualifier: First: Ken Tieszen - 39 points Second: Sean McCarthy - 38 points Third: Richard Collier - 36 points (c/b) Fourth: Mick Carnell - 36 points (c/b) Fifth: Bill Kelleher - 36 points (c/b) Sixth: Mike Healey - 35 points (c/b) Seventh: Ernie Williams - 35 points (c/b) Tom McGrady and Vic Rogerson also carded 35 points but missed out on countback

Seniors Medal April 20th 2023

Seniors Medal Thursday 20th April Division 1 1st Andrew Mitchell (20) 68 2nd David Mole Jones (14) 71 Division 2 1st Neville Bassett (26) 66 2nd Michael Hollings (26) 74 Division 3 1st Stuart Leyland (29) 69 2nd Peter Martin Jones (30) 70

Bonus Ball result April 18th 2024. Report courtsey of Mike Healey

This is the Bonus Ball Report Seniors - What a glorious day to be out there playing golf. We started cloudy but reached a heady 16 degrees of sunshine and shirt sleeves were to the fore. 32 seniors (perfect number) threw their tallies into the draw at 8.45am and the business end started at 9.00am with 8 x fourballs and a full course open. That alone tested one or two of our competitors. We estimated that 144 points would be an average score to make and several cards fell just short of that. 2 cards made 147 points each but they were still not good enough. There were only 2 prizes - read on for winners. Bonus Ball Result: First: Ernie Williams, Peter Fraser, Dave Jones and Mick Carnell - 173 points Second: Russ Adamson, Peter Taylor, Les Williams and Mike Healey - 153 points

Captains Newsletter April 2023

Captain's Newsletter: April 2023 Lady Captain Sue Falkus and myself would like to thank all who supported the Captain’s Drive in on Saturday 15th of April. It was wonderful to see so many members playing and we also appreciated those who weren’t playing, but who popped up to wish us good luck at the first tee. Thanks to Vice Captains Patrick and Shan and also to Dawn and Lucy for setting up the first tee and helping with the smooth running of the signing in. Patrick gave a warm welcome to our County Captain and thanked everyone for their support, he then invited Sue and myself to the tee off area. I would like to say we both hit the fairway but unfortunately only one of us did well done Sue, enough said on that. Our combined yardage was 198, and well done to Eddie Tudor with the nearest guess of 199 yards winning half the money pot of £26.00, with the other £26.00 going to our Captain’s Charity the North Wales Air Ambulance Service. Congratulations to the winner of ladies drive in Jayne Evans with a fantastic score of 40 points and to Richard Evans with another great score of 45 points to win the men’s drive in. Weather was great on the day and the course was in fantastic condition considering the amount of rain we have had leading up to the day. A massive thanks to Mark and his team who worked so tirelessly to get the course fully opened. Competitions The White Tees are now in play, so those that are involved in various knockout competitions can now see them up on ig. Please make sure to get matches played within the dates given on ig in order to insure the smooth running of the competitions. There will be numerous competitions coming up in the coming months so please support the club and join in as many as you can. Our aim this year is to try encourage more new members to the club and to try and encourage junior players to join us at Clays, so if anyone has an ideas on how to achieve this, please can you share them with me or with any members of the council or club. A Message from the Lady Captain Ladies golf, as with everyone’s, has been curbed with the poor weather however we have been able to play some golf out on the course and have also met on the driving range for practise and a social get together. It was a fabulous turn out for the Captain’s Drive in which a number of ladies were able to support, and of course a great win for Jayne Evans. Moving forward we have rescheduled the monthly medal and a number of NWLCS and Wales Golf matches are pending. Finally, this year we are hosting a Ladies Open in July which has not run for a few years so we are preparing for this event and hope it will be well supported. And Finally We are currently in negotiations with management regarding the purchase and location of new toilet facilities out on the course. We are also looking at purchasing new furniture for the bar area. Michael Club Captain

Latest results and news of Clays Seniors courtesy of Mike Healey. April 13th 2023

On Thursday, 13 April 2023 at 15:18:12 BST, Michael Healey wrote: Seniors - there are 3 reports so get your reading glasses on. Firstly - On Tuesday 11th our away match versus Northop GC took 16 members abroad and a convincing win of 5.5 to 2.5 saw us win our first match of the season. Warm sunny conditions eventually gave way to odd showers but they did not interrupt play. The opposition were both helpful and friendly around the course and it was all followed up with a convivial two course meal afterwards. Well done for the start of the season - Clays Senior team. On the same day, my thanks go to Andy Mitchell for organising an Individual Stableford back at base. 20 members entered the tally draw for a chance of one of the five prizes. The 2nd hole was closed and the winners read as follows: Individfual Stableford: First: Bill Kelleher 41 points Second: Peter Fraser 38 points (c/b) Third: Stewart Poole 38 points (c/b) Fourth: Neville Bassett 35 points (c/b) Fifth: Nigel Harris 35 points (c/b) Dave Fergus also had 35 points but missed out on countback Today - Thursday was scheduled to be a Pairs Betterball and no fewer than 38 members turned in for the competition. The weather was quite warm but the wind played a part in some of the scores. There was a lot of groundstaff work going on around the course (which just gets better and better) in preparation for the Captain's Drive-in on Saturday. They waited patiently for our seniors to play through and there were four prizes ultimately on offer. Just to round up the day the Ballsweep carry over eventually happened and it was carried over in style: Mike Hollings and Billy Spilstead both recorded 2's on the 12th hole, with Dave Jones making his on the 17th. Graham Wright also shot a splendid hole-in-one on the 5th hole. Not only did he receive a double share in the sweep but very kindly placed a bottle of whisky in the centre of the room for all to share. Well done Graham. Pairs Betterball: First: Colin Brown and Keith Hawthorn 43 points Second: Dave Jones and Graham Bryne 42 points (c/b) Third: Alan Pocklington and Mick Carnell 42 points (c/b) Fourth: Alan Barnsdale and Billy Spilstead 40 points (c/b) Richard Collier with Ken Tieszen and Brian Cross with Irwin Elkin also had 40 points but both teams missed out on countback

Senior team win away at Northop. Report from Mike Healey via Whats ap April 11th 2023

The Senior Team won 5.5 to 2.5 . Weather was sunshine and showers mixed with with very friendly opposition followed by a convival meal back in the Clubhouse.

Waltz result April 6th 2023. Courtesy of Mike Healey

The advertised Tango was changed on the day into a Waltz because of the numbers of holes open and also members who turned up. 9 x threeballs put their tallies into the draw and all enjoyed the warm sunny conditions, along with the ground improvement after maintenance and improved weather. There were three prizes for the winning teams with expected scores over 60 points: Waltz Result First: Chris Jacques, Ken Tieszen and Peter Lord 70 points Second: Keith Hawthorn, Tom Blakshaw and Peter Fraser 69 points Third: Stewart Poole, Bill Kelleher and Eric Thwaites 67 points

Peril Ball competition. Results courtesy of Mike Healey. April 4th 2023

We had been given plenty of warning about maintenance week and it has to be said that sand on greens never helps the golf on the day! It will benefit us all ultimately I'm sure. However, we persevered and the sand made little difference to the outcome. The rest of the course is drying very nicely and after a rather cool start, the blue skies appeared and we experienced a heady 14 degrees C - roll on summer. Peril Ball - what is it you may well ask? Basically a Yellow Ball competition with the normal bonus points but added differences when penalties are incurred by the holder. The troops were briefed and 9 x fourballs headed off to do battle. We did not hold a ballsweep today so there is still carry over to come. There were 3 prizes in total and the predicted score was somewhere between 90 and 100 points - read on. Peril Ball Result First: Peter Taylor, Bill Kelleher, Peter Fraser and Alan Barnsdale - 111 points Second: Dave A Jones, Peter Thomas, Ray Griffiths and Mike Healey - 101 points Third: Peter Lord, Tom Pierce, Stewart Poole and Irwin Elkin - 97 points Les Williams, Andy Mitchell, Alan Pocklington and Barry Dare also scored 97 points but missed out on countback.

Pairs both scores to count. March 30th 2023. Report via Mike Healey

There have been several reminders regarding the April medal which has now been moved from Thursday 6th April to Thursday 20th April to allow tining of greens and other ground preparation. Please check your own calendars at home. Today's Result - Yet another inclement day for our golf but playing numbers do not seem to suffer. We had 18 pairs out for a Pairs - Both to Count competition with four prizes for the winning teams. Three holes are still closed in readiness for summer competition. There was a ballsweep, well run by Peter Bowen as usual but on this occasion there were no winning 2's, so all prize money will be carried over to next week (definitely watch for numbers next Tuesday). Scoring was not brilliant today, probably due to the conditions, although Senior Captain - Chris Jacques and Ernie Williams reurned good individual cards (reflected in the winning teams). The result was as follows: Pairs - Both to Count First: Ernie Williams and Colin Brown - 60 points Second: Don Wraight and Chris Jacques - 58 points Third: Dave Palferman and Mike Hollings - 57 points (c/b) Fourth: Tom McGrady and Mick Carnell - 57 points (c/b) Download all attachments as a zip file

Seniors Texas Scramble March 28th 2023. Report via Mike Healey.

Weatherwise, we experienced rather a damp squib this morning but we soldiered on for a very enjoyable and relatively well-timed competition. 28 seniors turned out for our Texas Scramble (perfect numbers again) and all cards were returned with reasonable to good scores. There were three holes closed, so final scores were lower than usual - 3 cards in the 50's and four cards in the high 40's, with a card play-off for the runner-up place. Two team prizes were awarded as follows: Texas Scramble Result First: Jon Falcus, Richard Collier, Peter Fraser and Alan Pocklington - 48.1 Second: Mick Carnell, Bob Jarvis, Barry Dare and Andy Mitchell - 48.7 Tom McGrady, Ken Tieszen, Alan Barnsdale and Nigel Davies returned 48.7(with exactly the same team shots reduction) but lost it on countback. The Senior's Winter League was finally completed on the 21st March, as previously reported. Alan Barnsdale and Ernie Williams gave Wyn Jenkins a run for his money right up to the sixth and very last round with all scores being tight. Wyn was the final victor and after the Texas Scramble today, Retiring Club Captain, Don Wraight presented Wyn with the Winter League Trophy plus a bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin.

Seniors Xmas tipple March 23rd 2023 Report via Mike Healey

Seniors - Another good day in the Senior calendar. What should have been the Xmas Tipple eventually arrived, everybody tippled on the ninth tee but nobody toppled on this occasion. The weather Gods allowed the competition to be played but one heavy shower, followed by a series of smaller ones just kept us on our toes. The sun eventually came out and warm conditions prevailed - that would not have happpened for the Xmas bash. The only items missing were the complimentary mince pies but I'm not sure if they were still edible from December. At this point I would add my thanks to Mike Hollings for making the spot markers with printed score sheets, which can be used in the future and also to Steve Monk for his help with the bottle prizes. 42 members entered the tally draw for the Pairs Betterball kitty competition, some with silly hats to gain extra points. 15 holes were played with hole closures on 2, 6 and 7. There were 20 cards with 30 points or more, meaning scoring was tight, plus a further 7 extra spot prizes on a variety of holes and 6 prizes in the ball sweep - read on for results: Pairs Betterball Results: First: Les Williams and Mick Carnell 39 points (c/b) Cash plus Bottles of Wine Second: Peter Bowen and Peter Taylor 39 points (c/b) Cash Third: Ernie Williams and Richard Collier 38 points Cash Fourth: Tom Pierce and Nigel Davies 37 points (c/b) Cash Fifth: Reg Peacock and Mike Healey 37 points (c/b) Cash Ball Sweep Results - Prize for 2's: Malcolm Williams, Mike Hollings (both on 1st), Richard Collier (12th), Dave Palferman (17th) and Damian Atkin x 2 (on 1st and 12th) - all Cash Spot Prizes: Nearest Pin on 1: Damian Atkin Mini Wine Nearest Pin on 5: Chris Jacques Mini Wine Longest Drive on 9: Russ Adamson Mini Wine Nearest Pin in 2 on 9: Ernie Williams Mini Wine Nearest Pin on 12: Richard Collier Mini Wine Nearest Pin on 17: Dave Palferman Mini Wine Nearest Pin in 2 on 18: Alan Barnsdale Mini Wine

6TH AND FINAL ROUND OF WINTER LEAGUE. Results courtesy of Steve Monk March 21st 2023

Today we played the sixth and final round of this year's Winter League. 13 holes of the course were open and the weather was fine throughout the morning, leading to a very pleasant game. Quite amazingly, the three leaders after Round 5 fought a good battle for the ultimate victory and finished in the top 3 places of today's round. The results today were: 1st - Wyn Jenkins, with 33 stableford points and 10 league points. 2nd - Alan Barnsdale, with 30 stableford points and 9 league points. 3rd - Ernie Williams, with 30 stableford points (on countback) and 8 league points. 4th - Peter Taylor, with 29 stableford points and 7 league points. 5th - Don Wraight, with 28 stableford points and 6 league points. 6th - George Hughes, with 27 stableford points and 5 league points. 7th - Steve Monk, with 27 stableford points (countback) and 4 league points. 8th - Mick Carnell, with 27 stableford points (countback) and 3 league points. 9th - Andrew Mitchell, with 27 stableford points (countback) and 2 league points. 10th - Reg Peacock, with 26 stableford points and 1 league point. 3 further players also scored 26 points but lost out on countback. I don't have all previous scores available so I cannot show a final table of all players' positions. I am sure Mike Healey will assemble all information and issue the final table when he returns from holiday. I can however issue the top 3 final places, as follows. 1st - Wyn Jenkins with a total of 43 league points. 2nd - Ernie Williams with 36 league points. 3rd - Alan Barnsdale with 34 league points. Well done to these 3 and also to all other players who scored points in several rounds. Finally, thanks to all who played in the various rounds through fair weather or less fair! At the last count a total of 52 of you have participated this year (12 of whom scored at least double figures of league points), which I am sure Mike Healey will be gratified by - it makes his work in organising and record keeping all worthwhile! Cheers Steve Monk

NO GOLF REPORTS THIS WEEK

Nothing to report this week as course been closed

Captains Newsletter March 2023

Captain's Newsletter: March 2023 Well here it is my last newsletter as Captain of our wonderful club. What a great honour it has been for me. I am now in my 25th year as a member of this club and what an amazing journey I have had. Having moved and relocated from West London to North Wales one of my priorities has been to find and become a member of a golf club having left Home Park golf club in Kingston and so many friends. What a friendly welcoming club this is. It has progressed to be a leading contender for the best in the area, if we are not that already. The green-staff this last month have been extremely busy preparing the course for the new competitive season which is nearly here. They have been holotined and sanded the tees, trimmed trees and used the chippings for paths and making the course attractive. Greens will be next to be holotined which will be done shortly depending on the weather, at the moment they are very fast and with Mark’s tender care can only get better. I can hear a few who will be frustrated when they are top dressed but the benefits will be well worth it in the long run. Competition sheets are online and in the foyer for all to enter. I must congratulate Alan Pocklington on producing fact sheets concerning the club competitions; I would love to see him overwhelmed with entries for the knock-outs. There are entries for the DGU team plus the Ping mixed which this year we hope enter 2 teams with your help, so please add your name if you wish to participate in this gents and ladies competition, you get to play at various courses during the heats and if successful and could end up in the semi-finals and finals at Carmarthen golf club in September. Congratulations Hayley who has passed her Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Catering and has been awarded a certificate to proudly display in the bar area together with her 5 star hygiene rating. Fully deserved and I hope very much that more members will use the facilities that she provides. Finally big thanks to ALL members who have supported the club. Julie and I in our Captaincies and hope that you will do the same for our new officers who will be voted in at the AGM on the 25th March to which you are all invited. There is an Agenda on the noticeboard together with proposals for incoming officers. Happy golfing and for the last time from me RAKE those bunkers and REPAIR those pitch marks. Don Wraight

Seniors Stableford Medal March 2nd 2023

Seniors Stableford Medal Thursday 2nd March Division 1 1st David Palferman (16) 41 2nd Michael Scott (20) 38 Division 2 1st Sean McCarthy (26) 39 2nd Bill Kelleher (23) 39 Division 3 1st Leslie Williams (32) 42 2nd Gareth Thomas (31) 36

St Davids Day 2023 competition results via Mike Healey

The Met. Office is anticipating a near-record low for rainfall in the month of February and we have been able to complete all of the scheduled calendar events, including the big one today. That said - there was some rain over the course just before play today, leaving the rough a little damp in places, but the fairways held well, play was not affected and some good scores were returned. So what was the competition to attract such numbers? Today we played the first of our majors - the Nearly St. David's Trophy, which naturally carries a Welsh theme throughout! A magnificent Trophy, entered by no fewer than 48 seniors, many sporting daffodils on the day. The troops not only played their golf but all remained for soup and sandwiches, the food being organised by Steve Monk, before the announcement of prizes. To say the afternoon was convivial is underselling the occasion. Roy Jones, Past Captain and still part-time member of the club, was present and as usual, sponsored the first prize to run alongside the Trophy - thank you Roy. There were 10 prizes in total, again brilliantly purchased and organised by Don Wraight, who always maintains the Welsh theme for this occasion. Chris Jacques, Senior Captain made a short speech before the prize-giving and Roy was on hand to present the prizes, which was preceded by the anouncement of the Ballsweep winners. The scores at the top were tight, with a lot of cards returning 35/36 points but on the day, none of them were good enough. Countback was required for all of the top 10 prize winners - read on! Ballsweep Winners: Russ Adamson - (2 on 2nd), Chris Jacques - (2 on 2nd) and Bob Jarvis - (2 on 12th). All three received £10.00 Nearly St. David's Day Trophy Results: First: Alan Barnsdale - 43 points (c/b) Trophy and Welsh Penderyn whisky Second: Mick Carnell - 43 points (c/b) Welsh gin Third: Andy Mitchell - 43 points (c/b) Welsh whisky glass and stones Fourth: Dave Palferman - 39 points (c/b) Welsh Merlyn cream licquer Fifth: Wyn Jenkins - 39 points (c/b) Welsh engraved hip flask Sixth: Richard Collier - 39 points (c/b) Welsh engraved pint glass and 3 Welsh beers Seventh: Ken Tieszen - 39 points (c/b) 12 golf balls and 1 Welsh beer Eighth: Liam Roddis - 38 points (c/b) 9 golf balls and 1 Welsh beer Ninth: Bill Kelleher - 38 points (c/b) Welsh hat, 3 golf balls and 1 Welsh beer Tenth: Chris Jacques - 38 points (c/b) 6 golf ball