Happy New Year

Seniors Xmas Fayre

The final Seniors event prior to Christmas was the Seniors Xmas Fayre played on Wednesday of this week. This year, the competition was a three-person Dallas Scramble competition drawn with a mixture in each team of low, medium and high handicaps with fourteen teams taking part. In the normal tradition of this event, each player brings a gift for the prize table, so everyone wins a prize with the top three teams receiving extra prizes of turkeys, Christmas puds and mince pies!
There was plenty of seasonal attire out on the golf course and the winning team with a score of nett 64.0 was Allan Trotman, Rod Spring and Ofer Ben-David. Runners-up were Sam Whiting, Harry Jackson and Steve Thompson on 65.4 closely followed by Derrick Perrin, Tom Wallin and Ted Fitzsimons on 65.8. Full result - click here.
After the golf the Seniors and invited partners had their traditional Christmas dinner. In all 68 people attended the dinner. A huge thank-you must go to Fiona and her hard-working team for providing and serving what was an excellent meal - nobody left the clubhouse feeling hungry!!! There were some quizzes during the meal with boxes of chocolates as prizes, Mrs Santa visited the tables during the meal to hand out presents to all the ladies and a "nearest the bottle" competition which raised £40 for local Macmillan nurses. Big thanks as well to the many people who helped organise this successful day including Mike and Judy Willson, Roy and Sam Whiting, Andrew Buchanan and Lesley Cratchley and many others too numerous to mention.

Merry Christmas

Turkey Trot

The last competition of the year, the Turkey Trot, was played today. The last two years, this competition has been cancelled due to bad weather, so it was nice to get one played at long last. Thirty-one competitors set out this morning with their 3 clubs in a Stableford competition. The winner, with a superb score of 40 points, was Josh Wallin. Runner-up, fresh from his junior medal success, was Dan Green on 36 points. Third place was decided on countback with Bob Stevenson just beating Sian Soanes after both carded 33 points.
Full result - click here.

December Junior Medal

The last of this year's Junior medals was played today in tricky conditions. The medal was played as a Stableford competition with eight juniors competing.
The outright winner today and making it a double with last month's win was Dan Green with a super score of 38 points. Runner-up was Chris Richardson on 32 points followed by George Baker on 31 points. Full result - click here.

This was the last counting event towards this year's Junior Masters Trophy. The winner of this award goes to Max Nicholls for the second consecutive year. Max has had a superbly successful year reducing his handicap from 8.0 to 2.8 in the last 12 months, winning the Junior Club Championship, the Div 1 nett Championship, Junior Open (gross), Scratch KO, Summer Foursomes KO (with John Graham), a couple of runners-up places in other comps and representing the Club in Scratch League matches. These results have firmly established Max as one of the best players at the Club at present. The runner-up in the Junior Masters Trophy was Luke Bannister who just pipped Jack Unsworth on countback courtesy of more wins in junior competitions.
Final Junior Masters table - click here.

Ladies Christmas Event

The annual Ladies Christmas Dinner was replaced this year, by something completely different. Lady Captain Sam Whiting organised a 9-hole Texas Scramble followed by a meal in the Clubhouse, which proved to be a very successful format and enjoyed by all.
The teams of 4 players set out in chilly conditions, however, they were somewhat relieved that the early morning rain had subsided. First place went to the team led by Kim Richardson, with Allison Holmes, Lesley Cratchley and Jan Hinks, their gross 35 giving them a nett score of 26.8. A really brilliant score in view of the conditions out there. Sam led the second team home with a gross 38, nett 29.8 score. Her fellow team mates were Jean Raincock, Sian Soanes and Sandy Deacon.
Many thanks to Sam for organising the event and to Jean Raincock for the flowers and candles.

Seniors Bowmaker

Because of racing on Wednesday this week, the Seniors played their weekly event on Thursday. The competition this week was a Bowmaker Stableford with 10 teams of 3 competing for the prizes.
In sunny but chilly conditions, the outright winners with a team score of 77 points were Derrick Perrin, Roy Whiting and Linda Vale. Second place went to Sam Whiting, Monty Norman and Stephen Vale on 73 points. Third place was decided on countback with the team of Ray Bilton, Harry Jackson and Jan Hinks just edging out Malcolm Passey, Rod Spring and Brian Grace after both returned 72 points.

Wendy Seymour Texas Scramble

Nineteen teams of three played today in chilly but fine conditions for the annual Wendy Seymour Texas Scramble Trophy. As usual, the scoring was very competitive with three of the teams scoring a gross 65. One of those teams on nett 56.6 were today's winners John Baron, John Day and John Christopher. Runners-up on nett 59.4 were Sarah Purvis, Jim Purvis and Roger Tillett. Just behind in third place were Mark France, Jason Allum and Shey Walder on 59.8.
Full result - click here.

Thanks to all players for supporting this event in memory of Wendy Seymour.


The winning three John's being presented with the trophy from Paul Seymour.

Seniors December Medal

The final medal on this year's senior calendar was played on Wednesday in some very gusty conditions. But, congratulations to all 36 players who attempted to play in the conditions. There were a few "early retirements", but most of the field managed to complete their rounds.
The winner of the senior men's medal was Mike Pritchard with a score of 37 points. Runner-up just one point behind was Les Eden. He was followed by three players on 33 points with Allan Trotman just fending off John Day and Harry Jackson on count back. Full result - click here.
The senior ladies winner was Sam Whiting on 26 points followed by Linda Vale on 24 points. Full result - click here.

December Medal

The last of this year's Men's and Ladies Stableford medals were played today. Despite a small shower late on, the weather was reasonably good (certainly compared to this time last year!!).

Division 1
Winner of the top division today was Phil Bye with 41 points. This is Phil's first medal win for over 5 years (although he did leave the club for a while during that period). Runner-up was David Warwick on 39 points with last month's winner Gordon Souter in third place a point further back.

Division 2
The winner in division 2 was Rowland Barnfield on 40 points. Only a 2 and a half year wait for Rowland since his last win! Runner-up was John Butcher on 38 points followed by October's winner Josh Wallin on 35 points.

Division 3
The clear winner in the third division was Ofer Ben-David on 36 points. After gaining some experience and confidence playing regularly with the Seniors on Wednesday's and in weekend competitions, Ofer has now won his first medal. Runner-up was Mark France on 28 points with Stuart Briginshaw in third place a point further back.

Ladies
Not a very long wait for Cilla Osgood to win her next medal as she made it two in a row with her 37 points today. Runner-up was Sarah Purvis on 36 points followed in third place by Kim Richardson on 30 points.

Two's
I'm not sure how many people entered the Two's pool, but there were a number of two's recorded out on the course today. Rowland Barnfield grabbed two of them at the 6th and 16th, and joining him on the list with single two's were Josh Wallin (6th), Bob Stevenson (11th), Richard Osgood (6th), John Cooper (16th) and for the ladies, Maria Tillett (16th).

Seniors 123 Stableford

Once again, the sun shone on the Seniors today as they played a 1-2-3 Stableford competition. This is a team Stableford event with three players per team. The score for a team is the total of the best total score for one player in the team on holes 1-6, plus the two best total scores for holes 7-12, then all three scores on holes 13-18.
Today's winners were Paul Tebbutt, Barry Heath and Stephen Vale with a total score of 74 points. Runners-up, just one point further back were Jim Green, Al Drennan and Linda Vale. Third place was decided on count back with Ray Tillen, Monty Norman and Steve Thompson just edging out Allan Trotman, John Christopher and Mike Pritchard after both teams scored 67 points.
Special thanks to John Christopher for supplying additional prizes of bottles of wine following his birthday last week.

November Junior Medal

A small field of seven juniors played for the November Junior Medal last Sunday in tricky conditions. The winner by a single stroke was Dan Green with a nett 74. One shot further back was Josh Wallin followed by Simon Cottell on nett 77. Lowest gross of the day (81) was achieved by Max Nicholls.
Full result - click here.

Champagne Roll-Ups

BOXING DAY and NEW YEARS DAY
CHAMPAGNE ROLL UPS

Open to all members and non-members

9-HOLE INDIVIDUAL STABLEFORD
£3.00 members £8.00 non-members
Meet 9:30 Tee-Off from 10:00

(weather permitting)

December Clinics

DECEMBER GOLF CLINICS
Hosted by Nick Mitchell

LADIES CLINIC
Monday 5th Dec 6:30 - 7:30
WEDGE PLAY

MENS CLINIC
Wednesday 15th Dec 7:00 – 8:00
WEDGE PLAY

£7.00 per person

November Weekday Stableford

This month's weekday Stableford was played on Thursday 17th and Friday 18th November. Scoring was very tight with only 3 points separating the top five places. The winner on count back, courtesy of a slightly better back nine holes was Tim Page on 39 points from Chris Aedy on the same score. In third place on 38 points was September's winner Tim Burnett followed by last month's winner Gary Crosby on 37 points.
Full result - click here.

Seniors Bowmaker

Today's Seniors competition was a strokeplay Bowmaker competition - teams of three with the best two nett scores counting on each hole. Ten teams braved the very chilly weather, but despite this there were some creditable scores returned.
The clear winners this week with a total of 132 were the team of Monty Norman, Steve Thompson and Ofer Ben-David. Runners-up were Raymond Bilton, Ray Tillen and Judy Willson (137) followed by Rod Spring, Barry Heath and Roy Whiting (138).
Special mention to Jim Green who carded the best individual gross score of the day 77, which was exceptional in those conditions.

November Greensomes

After a foggy start, the weather gradually improved and by midday it was a perfect autumnal day for playing golf with pleasant sunshine and very little wind. Thanks again to the green staff for their very early work this morning preparing the course. Twenty-six pairings teed it up today for the November Greensomes Stableford, which was played from the yellow tees for men using the ladies card.
It certainly gets harder and harder to win competitions these days and, as today's scores show, this competition was no exception with the top 12 pairings scoring 40 points or more!! The winners today with a record equalling score in this competition of 46 points were Wayne Arnold and Patrick Brind. Runners-up were John Baron and Kim Richardson who just squeaked in front of Paul Tebbutt and Stuart Briginshaw on countback courtesy of a back nine of 23 to 22 after both teams scored 44 points. Mark France and Shey Walder claimed fourth spot with a very creditable 43 points.
Full result - click here.

Order of Merit
Today was the last counting competition for the Order of Merit title this year. Any of the top three in the table could have won it today, but with all three failing to score more than one OOM point apiece, the title was decided on countback. Ian Folwell was the winner from unlucky Andrew Buchanan who has led the table for most of this year. Third place goes to Sarah Purvis just three points behind the leading two.
Final Standings - click here.

November Medal

The first of the four monthly winter medals was played today. These are still qualifiers but are played as Stableford off the yellow tees for men.

Division 1
It's been a long wait since his last success in a medal (10 years+), but Gordon Souter was the winner today with 35 points. One point further back was Roger Tillet who just beat Ian Folwell on countback. Fourth place was again decided on countback with Dave Warwick finishing just ahead of Richard Mead. Full result - click here.

Division 2
Only a five year wait since his last medal success for Geoff Denner who won today with a creditable 41 points. Josh Wallin claimed second spot on 39 points followed by Andrew Moore and Rowland Barnfield who were separated on countback after both carded 37 points. Full result - click here.

Division 3
Not such a long a wait for Patrick Brind who today won his third medal in the last twelve months with a score of 37 points just edging out Nick Turner on countback after both scored 37 points. Matthew Atkins secured third place with 34 points. Full result - click here.

Ladies
Yet another close contest for the ladies this month with Cilla Osgood just beating Sam Whiting on countback to win the medal on 35 points. Third place went to Kim Richardson on 31 points. Full result - click here.

Seniors November Medal

Twenty-eight men and five ladies competed in the Seniors medal today.
John Day continued his excellent form, scoring a superb gross 73 (nett 65) to win the men's competition from runner-up Barrie Sloan on nett 68. Stephen Vale was third carding a nett 70. Full result - click here.
The ladies competition was won by Jan Hinks who just pipped Sam Whiting (lowest gross - 83) on countback after both scored nett 70. Full result - click here.

October Junior Medal

Following his first competition success in the Bogey Competition yesterday, Stefan Klas made it a double by winning his first junior medal today narrowly beating Dan Green on countback after both players carded nett 69. Two shots further back, Josh Wallin grabbed third spot also on countback from Jack Unsworth who scored the lowest gross of the day (77) along with Max Nicholls. A decent field of eleven juniors competed today, and it was nice to see some new names on the result sheet! Full result - click here.

With a 16-point lead over Danny Glover and only a maximum of 14 points for two wins available in the Nov and Dec Junior Medals, I think Max Nicholls looks a safe bet for the Junior Masters trophy!! Latest table - click here.

Bogey Competition

Thirty-one players (27 men and 4 ladies) competed for the prizes in this year's Bogey Competition played today. With the weather being kind to us again and the course in pristine condition, there was some impressive scoring as over half the field beat the course at matchplay.
The clear winner today was rapidly-improving Stefan Klas with an impressive score of +10. The runner-up spot was decided on countback with Sarah Purvis just beating John Bye after both carded +7. Fourth and fifth places were also decided on countback with Mark Allen taking the honours from playing partner Mark Richardson, both scoring +5.
Full result - click here.

Order of Merit
With both leaders finishing outside the top 6 in today's competition, Sarah Purvis took advantage with her runner-up place today to sneak up on them. Andrew Buchanan and Ian Folwell both still lead the table on 48 points but Sarah is now only 3 points behind them. Max Nicholls and Maria Tillett are just a bit further back on 41 points, but with only one counting competition to go (November Greensomes), it really is between the top 3.
Full table - click here.

October Weekday Stableford

This month's Weekday Stableford was played on Thu 27th & Fri 28th October. On Friday in particular the weather was glorious with warm sunshine and very little wind. Fifteen players entered this month's competition. The winner by a single point was Gary Crosby on 41 points from Josh Wallin on 40 points. Third place went to Tim Page who beat John Baron and Steve Robinson on countback after all three scored 37 points.
Full result - click here.

Pro's Winter Texas Scramble

PRO'S TEXAS SCRAMBLE

Saturday 7th January 2012

starts with a Full English Breakfast
from 7:15am followed by
18-hole Texas Scramble
8:25 tee-off - Shotgun start

PRIZES FOR THE TOP THREE TEAMS

At the end of play, come to the Clubhouse for
Mulled wine and a mince pie

£16.00 - ALL MEMBERS, £26.00 - NON MEMBERS

Click here for entry form

Junior Open

Thirty-seven players took part in the annual S&J Communications Junior Open today. Twenty-five were in the main competition and a further twelve youngsters, who do not have an official handicap yet, took part in a 12-hole Stableford event all playing off a nominal 28 handicap. As well as the "home" players taking part, Newbury Racecourse welcomed players from nine other golf clubs (Deanwood, Donnington Valley, Castle Royle, Frilford Heath, Hadden Hill, Hazlemere, Reading, Sandford Springs and Woburn). Conditions today were very testing with a strong easterly wind blowing, but these conditions did not prevent some fantastic scores being returned and a very exciting finish to the event.

In the gross competition, Max Nicholls (NRGC) and Ben Gilbert (Newbury & Crookham) were tied after both shooting superb rounds of 72. A two-hole aggregate play-off ensued with Max Nicholls just edging out Ben after birdies on both play-off holes. Third place went to Chris Little (Frilford Heath) on 73, followed by last year's winner Jordan Williams (Frilford Heath) one shot further back. Full result - click here.
The nett competition witnessed more great scoring. The winner was Josh Gilbert (Newbury & Crookham) with a superb nett 62. Josh was followed by Ben Gilbert (nett 65), but as Ben had already captured the runner-up prize in the gross category, the runner-up prize went to third-placed Marcus Pugh (Hazlemere). Full result - click here.
The yellow-tee Stableford was won by Jamie Wallin and runner-up was Jack Oades.
For a full list of prize winners - click here.
















To see more pictures ... click here.

Finally, some thank-you's are in order...

Firstly to Peter Smith from S&J Communications for his continued sponsorship of this event and his generosity in keeping the whole support team "fed and watered".
Nick Mitchell and Lorraine Storey for their organisation and support of this event.
Richard Holmes and his green staff for the superb and ever-improving condition of the course.
Fiona and her team in the clubhouse for all the catering today - the meal was fantastic.
The team of Seniors helping with all jobs from starting to scoring to photography - John & Marian Taylor, Mike & Judy Willson, John Christopher, Paul Tebbutt and Andrew Buchanan.
Captains Jon Miller and Sam Whiting for presenting the prizes.
And finally to all the competitors today - thank-you for taking part and we hope to see you again next year.

Junior Pro-Am

The Junior Pro-Am recently played at NRGC saw some remarkable results – with 2 professionals, Dan Seymour (NRGC) and Richard Campbell (West Berks) breaking the course record, with their 7 under-par rounds of 64. Another record was shattered on the day, and that was a team score of -25, which won the tournament. The winning team was led by NRGC Pro Nick Mitchell with Jim Purvis and juniors Max Nicholls and Ben Gilbert. Second team home, just two shots behind the leaders, was headed by European Senior Tour player, John Hoskison with Myra Baker, George Baker, Jack Unsworth. In third place, with a score of -18, was Steve Mitchell’s team (also NRGC) of Jon Miller, Chris Richardson and Luke Bannister. For the professionals, Dan Seymour and Richard Campbell were joint first, with Nigel Hart (NRGC) in third place with a 6 under par, 65 and Nick Mitchell’s 2 under par 69 was enough to give him fourth place. This tournament has been running for about 8 years, and is the only one locally that gives juniors a chance to play alongside professional golfers in this format.

October Fourball

After a chilly start, this year's October Fourball was blessed with some warm autumnal sunshine for most of the competition. The benign conditions in this better-ball stroke play competition off 3/4 handicap allowed for some tremendous scores to be returned.
The winners, retaining their title from last year, were John Graham and Sarah Purvis with a superb nett 60. Runners-up were the junior pairing of Max Nicholls and Jack Unsworth who just pipped Jimmy Green and Nigel Huszarik on countback after both carded nett 63's. Fourth place went to John Butcher and Jim Purvis who beat two other teams who all scored nett 65.
Full result - click here.

Trousers-of-the-day award goes to Mark Richardson for his superb John Daley-esque strides ... fantastic!!!

Pace of play
Unfortunately, the pace of play today was disappointing with no groups managing to break the four-hour barrier!! We don't want a race, but we certainly need to improve on this!!

Order of Merit
The Order of Merit title is still in the balance after today's competition. Andrew Buchanan and Ian Folwell still remain tied at the top on 47 points each. Today's result means Max Nicholls has closed the leader's gap to 6 points closely followed by Maria Tillett 1 further point back. Just two counting events left this year (Bogey Competition and November Greensomes), so still all to play for.
Full listing - click here.

Mixed Open

John Day and Laura Hawkins from Donnington Grove are pictured receiving their prize as winners on countback with 40 points in our Mixed Open today. A very testing day in the wind saw 26 pairs take part in our Mixed Open. We had visitors from Bishopswood, Cams Hall, Deanwood Park. Donnington Valley, Donnington Grove, East Berkshire, Newbury & Crookham and Winter Hill. Second place on countback went to Paul Seymour and Jean Raincock. In third place on countback with 39 points was Mark France & Shey Walder from Dave Warwick and Alison Goudge.
Our top visiting pair not in the main prizes were Ian Fox & Sue Gardener from Cams Hall who won a pair of tickets to racing at Newbury. Men's nearest the pin was won by Russell Bowers and the ladies nearest the pin by Maria Tillett. The men's longest drive was won by Paul Seymour and the ladies longest drive by Shey Walder.
Full result - click here.
Thanks to our starter John Taylor and also to Mike & Judy Willson and Marian Taylor and Roy Whiting for their invaluable help on the day. £175.00 was raised in the raffle for our Captains Charity Newbury & District Cancer Care Trust. Fiona and her staff provided us with an excellent meal afterwards.
Sam Whiting.

Unwanted gifts or prizes

During the year at various times, we hold lots of raffles and are always pleased to receive donations of prizes from members for these purposes. If you have any unwanted gifts, prizes or other items that would be appropriate for raffle prizes, please bring them to the club or contact Sam Whiting or Maria Tillett. Many thanks in advance for your generosity.

GUR

The 6th hole has been modified recently - the pond has been filled in and whilst work continues the area is marked as ground under repair (GUR). If your ball lands anywhere within the GUR markings, you must take a drop at the nearest point of relief plus one club length - Rule 25-1.

2012 Diary

We are in the process of finalising the 2012 club diary. If you would like to advertise your business in the diary please let Lorraine know asap. The cost will be ... £50 for a half page or £100 for a full page advertisement.

Action For Children

Yesterday, last year's Club Captain and Lady Captain, John Graham and Maria Tillett, proudly presented a cheque for £1679.00 to Action For Children to be used by the charity in the Newbury and Thatcham area.
John and Maria would like to thank everyone at the Club for their help and support in raising this money over the last year. Well done everyone!!

Seniors October Medal

Thirty-one men and five ladies competed for the seniors medals today. Although the weather was fine, it was a lot cooler than of late with a stiff south-westerly breeze testing the players.

In the men's division, Al Drennan played a superb round of nett 67 to win his first senior medal. Runner-up was Tom Wallin who just beat Les Eden on count-back after both scored nett 69. Fourth place went to Brian Grace one shot further back. John Day carded the lowest gross of the day with 81.
Full result - click here.

For the ladies, Linda Vale shot a nett 71 to capture her second senior ladies medal this year. One shot further back was Judy Willson followed by Sam Whiting on nett 76.
Full result - click here.

There were two 2's today - Brian Grace (14th ) and Richard Hook (16th), but as neither of these players entered the two's pool, the money is carried forward to next time!!!

Mixed Open

MIXED OPEN

Sunday 9th October

(click here for tee times)

Junior Pro-Am

Junior Pro-Am

Saturday 15th October

(click here for tee times)

October Medal

With the course once again in pristine condition and the best weather you could hope for, twenty-six men and three ladies set out this morning to play for the October medals.

Division 1
In the top division, there were some fantastic scores. Leading the way and winning the medal (surprisingly his first adult medal) was Max Nicholls with a faultless nett 63 and the lowest gross of the day 67. Runner-up was Andy Steadman who just beat Sam Boyce on countback after both carded nett 65's. One shot further back was Ian Folwell with a nett 66.
Full result - click here.

Division 2
Another player winning his first adult medal was Josh Wallin who scored a nett 68 today to take the honours in this division. Runner-up was Chris Davis on nett 72 followed by John Baron one shot further back.
Full result - click here.

Division 3
Completing the hat-trick of first-time medal winners was Andrew Moore scoring nett 69. One shot behind was Pete Turner followed by George Baker on nett 72.
Full result - click here.

Ladies
Only a small field for the ladies this month, but the clear winner was Maria Tillett on nett 70 followed by Fay Unsworth (nett 72) and Lorraine Storey.
Full Result - click here.

Owen Millennium Trophy
This was the last stroke-play medal of the year as we move into our Stableford medals for the winter (yes ... winter!!!). This therefore brings to a close the qualifying medals for the Owen Millennium Trophy. Andy Steadman is this year's winner with a late surge of three good scores to finish on a score of 300 for 4 rounds. Runner-up was Nick Powell on 321 followed by John Bye on 323.
Full result - click here.

Check Your Telephone No

We are in the process of finalising the 2012 diary which will include fixtures and a list of members telephone numbers.
We need to make sure that the telephone number we have on our database for you is correct. The latest list of telephone numbers is on a list on the notice board. Please take time to check your own number over the next two weeks and let Lorraine know of any changes.
Many thanks.

Captains Cup

The annual Captains Cup was played today in fine conditions but with a tricky southerly wind blowing to test the competitors. The event started with the traditional drive-in by the new Captains - Jon Miller, Sam Whiting, Brian Bailey and Max Nicholls.




A total of 57 players competed for the main prizes. Today's overall winner was Jason Allum with an impressive 44 points. Runner-up was Jack Unsworth on 41 points followed by Matt Baillie one point further back. Top lady was Sarah Purvis who finished 8th on 36 points. Full result - click here.

Jean Raincock scooped both the ladies prizes for longest drive and nearest the pin.

For the men, Chris Richardson won the longest drive prize with Jason Allum picking up the men's nearest the pin.

Finally, there were a number of players who took part on "inactive" handicaps. These were ineligible to win the competition but a special prize for the best score of these players was won by Wessex chairman Mike Smith.

This year's Captain's charity is the Newbury and District Cancer Care Trust and the with today's raffle and car parking space lottery, we raised nearly £400 to start the year.
Many thanks to all who participated in this event.

September Junior Medal

A small field of five juniors played for the medal on Saturday 24th September. Success this month went to George Baker with an excellent nett 65 winning his first junior medal to go with the div 3 adult medal he won last month. Runner-up was Max Nicholls on nett 67 and the lowest gross of the day ... 71. Third was back-in-form Curtis Macgeever with nett 69.
Full result - click here.

Junior Masters
With three medals to go this year, Max Nicholls has now opened up a 15 point lead at the top of the Junior Masters table and will be difficult to catch. Currently second is Danny Glover followed by Luke Bannister. Latest standings - click here.

September Weekday Stableford

A very good field of 19 players competed for the September Weekday Stableford last week. In fine weather, the scores were very impressive. This month's winner with 43 points was Tim Burnett. Runner-up was Sian Soanes on 41 points followed by Wayne Arnold on 39 points.
Full result - click here.

Seniors

The Seniors played their annual away match against their friendly rivals, RAF Benson and unfortunately came away having lost the match 4-1. The only winning combination for the Racecourse was Rob Seaton and Richard Hook, who secured their win by just one hole. As usual the company was great and the after-match hospitality second to none.

The final round of the Seniors Summers KO competition (Jubilee Cup) was played between John Day and Bob Evans. John Day going 4 up with 4 to play but then Bob Evans made a superb come-back winning the 15th, 16th and 17th, leaving John Day one up with one to play. John proceeded to win the 18th, going 2 up, which gave him the title and the Jubilee Cup at his first attempt.
Full result - click here.

AGM

The 17th Annual General Meeting of Newbury Racecourse Golf Club was held this evening. Speeches and reviews of the year were given by Stephen Higgins (MD Newbury Racecourse), Maria Tillet (Treasurer and outgoing Ladies Captain), Tom Wallin (outgoing Seniors Captain), John Hoskison (Junior Organiser), John Graham (outgoing Club Captain) and Nick Mitchell (Head Professional and Golf Centre Manager).

The new committee for the year were nominated and will be as follows:

Managing Secretary - Nick Mitchell
Club Captain - Jon Miller
Ladies Captain - Sam Whiting
Treasurer - Maria Tillett
Vice Captain & Matches - Jeremy Twaits
Ladies Vice Captain - TBA
Handicaps Secretary - John Christopher
Competitions Secretary - Andrew Buchanan
Seniors Captain - Brain Bailey
Juniors Co-ordinator - John Hoskison
Admin Officer - Sarah Purvis
Press Officer - Judy Willson
IT Officer - Paul Tebbutt
The new Junior Captain is Max Nicholls

New Captains Brain Bailey, Sam Whiting and Jon Miller in their new club blazers. (except for Jon who has recycled his "old" one!!!)

Seniors Keith Knight Cup

The Seniors Keith Knight Cup was played today in "sporting" conditions. Thirty-six seniors (32 men and 4 ladies) played for the cup in a mixed Stableford competition off the white tees for men.
Playing to handicap today was none too easy and was reflected in the scoring with only one player managing 36 points and that was the worthy winner Les Eden. Runner-up was Linda Vale who just edged out Monty Norman after both carded 35 points. Fourth place was again decided on count-back with Raymond Bilton just beating Andrew Buchanan.
Full result - click here.

Men's Roll Up - 18th September

The Men's Roll Up returned on Sunday in place of the cancelled Men's Invitation, and was well supported by 14 players including, for the first time, Wessex chairman and occasional golfer Mike Smith.
Many good scores were recorded with Jeremy Twaits, Andy Stockley and Gary Moore all missing out on the money, even with 39 points. The winner on count-back with 40 points was Jake Chambers, just edging out Mark Allen, who enjoyed a welcome return to form after his recent attack of the s's.
We also started a little eclectic competition which will run up to Xmas and which is still open to those unable to attend yesterday. Next date will hopefully be October 2nd, when Jeremy has offered to officiate in my absence.
Jon Miller

Seniors Captains Day

Last Wednesday, our Seniors Captain Tom Wallin organised a cross-country Texas Scramble for the annual Seniors Captains Day.
For those not familiar with this format, it is played on a modified course of 8 holes with many holes being combined. Teeing off on the 1st tee, you play to the 2nd green. Then from the 3rd tee (or rather using the greenside bunker on the 2nd hole as a tee) you play to the 4th green. Then off the the 5th tee to the 6th green. The 7th tee to the 8th green, 9th tee to the 12th green. Next, a tricky tee shot from the 10th tee over the racecourse to the "new" 18th green. Then two long holes to finish - 13th tee to the 15th green and 17th tee to the "old" 18th green. A fun way to play the course and some unfamiliar shots to contend with!!!
Forty-three Seniors and invited guests attended and fortunately for the players, although the conditions were very windy, the competition was completed in fair weather.

The winning team comprising, Rob Seaton, Harry Jackson and Mike Pritchard went round in a remarkable 43, giving them a nett score of 33.4.

The second team home included the Seniors Captain himself, Tom Wallin, who was ably assisted by Lorraine Storey and Gerry Eatwell to secure a nett score of 33.6.

Third place went to the Sam Whiting, Jeremy Proud and Alan Owen combination who carded a nett 34.4.

The men's longest drive was won by Mike Pritchard and the nearest the pin prize for the men went to Jeremy Proud. For the ladies, Sam Whiting was the longest drive winner.
Tom donated two special awards after the event, to John Day, who was the most prolific winner in the seniors during the year, and to Mike Willson, who had continued to attend the Clubhouse on Seniors Day, and carry out his duties as treasurer, despite serious illness this year.
The day culminated with a superb buffet prepared by Fiona and her staff courtesy of the Seniors.

Diary Dates ...

MENS ROLL UP CLINIC £7.00 PER PERSON
WITH NIGEL HART
WEDNESDAY 14th SEPTEMBER
7pm - 8pm

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JUNIOR OPEN DAY
FREE CLINIC WITH JOHN HOSKISON
SATURDAY 17th SEPTEMBER
2pm – 4pm

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LADIES ROLL UP CLINIC £7.00 PER PERSON
WITH NIGEL HART
MONDAY 19th SEPTEMBER
6:30pm - 7: 30pm

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DEMO EVENING
CALLAWAY & YONEX
FREE 15 MIN FLIGHTSCOPE FITTING
THURSDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER
4pm – 8pm

36-Hole Stableford

The Men's and Ladies 36-Hole Stableford competitions were played today in very testing conditions with a strong wind blowing and squally showers for the afternoon round. With the course once again in excellent condition, twenty-five men and five ladies set out early this morning to compete for the prizes in this prestigious event and it is a pleasure to report that all competitors completed both rounds. Despite the difficult playing conditions, there were some very good individual performances.

In the men's competition, there were four players tied on 37 points after the morning round - John Baron, Andrew Moore, Peter Turner and Mitchell Willmoth. There were another four players one shot further back on 36 points and it was these players who played solid afternoon rounds to take the spoils. Sam Boyce was the eventual winner with a total of 76 points closely followed by Max Nicholls on 75 points. Andrew Moore sealed third place on 72 points and Andrew Buchanan one point further back in 4th place.
Full result - click here.

For the ladies, Lorraine Storey held the lead after round 1 with a solid 36 points just ahead of Sarah Purvis on 34 points. However, Lorraine could not repeat her morning performance which left the door open for Maria Tillett to win with a total of 64 points. Sarah Purvis claimed second place from Lorraine Storey on count back after both finished with totals of 62 points.
Full result - click here.

Pace of play
We only measured the timings for the morning round, as the afternoon times were a bit staggered due to the lunch breaks. The average round time for the morning was 3hr 54min which is slightly over our target time of 3hr 45min. However, this average would have been better but for the final group who somehow managed to take 4hr 18min to complete their round!!! No need to mention any names - they know who they are!!! Please try to keep up with the group in front of you ... 4hr+ is not really acceptable for any round of golf. Thank-you.

Order of Merit
This competition counted towards the annual Order of Merit trophy. Andrew Buchanan still leads the way, five points ahead of Ian Folwell. Both Max Nicholls and last year's winner Maria Tillett are not far behind either after picking up valuable points today. There are still four counting competitions to go for this ... Captains Cup (Drive-in), October Four-ball, Bogey Competition and November Greensomes. Still all to play for!!!
Latest standings - click here.

Men's Roll Up

Due to the cancellation of the Men's Members / Guest day, there will now be a Men's Roll Up on SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18th, starting at 9.30
Jon Miller.

Men's Invitation

Regrettably - the Men's Member/Guest competition due to be staged on Sunday 18th September has had to be cancelled. Apologies to any members who had already booked to play in this event.

A few people have asked why this was cancelled and the simple answer is ... lack of entries.
We had two successful years of this competition in 2008 and 2009, but last year we had to cancel and the same this year.
Up to Wednesday of this week, we had only received two entries. We need at least 20 entries to make this a viable competition. A decision had to be made at the committee meeting on Wednesday whether to continue or not and the consensus was that we didn't feel we could get that many entries by the weekend cut-off date.

Seniors September Medal

Thirty-one men and five ladies competed for this month's Seniors medals in testing conditions. The conditions made the course play very long and anyone playing to handicap today was exceptional.

In the men's division Allan Trotman obviously mastered the conditions to return a nett 70 to win the gold medal. Runner-up and silver medal winner was Raymond Bilton who just beat Monty Norman and Ted Fitzsimons on count-back after all three carded nett 72. Raymond also scored the lowest gross of the day of 81.
Full result - click here.

For the ladies, Sam Whiting was the runaway winner with a very creditable nett 74 and lowest gross for the ladies of 87. Runner-up was Liz Evans followed by Jan Hinks.
Full result - click here.

Ladies Tea Event

The Ladies Section of NRGC held their first ever, Lady Captains Tea Event, which consisted of a 9-hole Dallas Scramble followed by afternoon tea. The event was well attended and organised by the Ladies Vice-Captain, Sam Whiting as a farewell get-together for the current Ladies Captain, Maria Tillett. This event will be added to the ladies calendar in future. The results were very close with the winners of this inaugural competition being the team led by Lorraine Storey, with Jan Hinks, Agnes Jackson and Judy Willson just one shot ahead of Fay Unsworth, Joyce MacDonald, Sian Soanes and Shey Walder.

Seniors Last Week ...

The NRGC Seniors halved their away match against The Hampshire Golf Club last Friday, which was a fitting result for a match played in superb weather, on a very good course with enjoyable company and good food to finish off the day. Winnings pairings for NRGC were Ray Tillen and Richard Hook who won 2 and 1; John Day and Alan Pearce who also won 2 and 1. The best win of the day for NRGC Seniors, was the Bob Evans and John Christopher combination who came home with 6 and 5 success.

The Seniors competition last Wednesday was a Texas Scramble, which resulted in some very low scores, mainly due to the superb weather. During the course of the morning, Bob Evans improved his teams' prospects, by getting a hole-in-one on the 6th hole (his fifth hole-in-one). In the event, his team just lost to the Sam Whiting, Paul Tebbutt, Mike Willson and John Christopher combination with their 55.2 result. Bob Evan's group which included John Day and Lesley Cratchley took the second slot just 0.8 ahead of Rod Spring, Les Eden and Jan Hinks.

September Medal

A good field of forty-two men and five ladies competed for the September medals on Sunday. Conditions were not exactly "summery" with much of the morning played in very wet conditions and not everyone managed to get through the full eighteen holes!

Division 1
The wet conditions did not prevent medal winner Nick Powell from registering his best ever qualifying score winning by 7 shots with a superb score of nett 62 and the lowest gross of the day (73). Runner-up was Dave Warwick on nett 69 followed closely by John Day who just beat John Bye on count-back after both returned nett 70.
Full result - click here.

Division 2
The scoring in this division was a bit closer with John Butcher taking the honours with a fine nett 70. Runner-up was Geoff Denner on nett 71 and two shots further back Jeremy Twaits just pipped Aubrey Phillips on count-back after both scored nett 73.
Full result - click here.

Division 3
The clear winner in Div 3 was new member Tony Ilsley playing in only his second qualifying event with a great score of nett 66. Mike Chamberlain was runner-up on nett 70 closely followed by last week's Racecourse Cup winner Andrew Moore on nett 71.
Full result - click here.

Ladies
No NR's from the ladies who are obviously made of sterner stuff !!!!
This month's winner was Sarah Purvis picking up her third medal of the year with a score of nett 71. Runner-up was Cilla Osgood (nett 78) followed by Sam Whiting on nett 79 and the lowest ladies gross of 92.
Full result - click here.

August Junior Medal

A disappointing turn-out for the Junior Medal this month, but I think there were other attractions / distractions for the juniors this bank holiday weekend!!
Either way this did not detract from a superb performance from Max Nicholls who scored a fantastic nett 66 off 5 handicap to win the medal. Runner-up was Danny Glover on a rare "off-day" with nett 80. Well done to those who did play.
Full result - click here.

This result has enabled Max Nicholls to open up an eleven-point lead in the Junior Masters Trophy table. Luke Bannister is in second place at present closely followed by Danny Glover.
Latest table - click here.

Racecourse Cup

Tricky conditions today for the prestigious Racecourse Cup competition with the ground softened up a bit after the recent spells of rain and a stiff breeze blowing. Thirty-six players (31 men and 5 ladies) set out this morning in this mixed Stableford event with the men playing from the white tees. As it was a mixed event, the scores/result reflect a CONGU handicap adjustment of +1 for the Men. It was also nice to see some new members playing in their first NRGC competition - we wish them luck for the future.

The winner today was decided on count-back with Andrew Moore just beating Jeremy Twaits after both scored 39 points. Ian Folwell claimed third place just one point behind the leading two. The best scoring lady was Lesley Cratchley who carded a creditable 35 points.
Full result - click here.

Order of Merit
With all the Summer KO competitions completed and this result included, the Order of Merit table looks a little more interesting. Only five counting competitions to go and Andrew Buchanan has been caught at the top by Ian Folwell, both on 39 points. Carl McCartney is currently third on 33 points followed by Richard Osgood on 32 points.
Full table - click here.

Thursday Evening League Final

The culmination of fourteen weeks of competition ended as the 18-hole Thursday Evening League final games were played today. Unfortunately, we were unlucky and lost two of the fourteen weeks to bad weather, but this not detract too much from what was an exciting and competitive league this year.
The pre-competition favourites and holders for the last two years were pushed all the way this year, but Easily Second managed to hang on to their lead and complete a hat-trick of league wins. Runners-up were Captain's Eleven who sneaked past Birdies & Bogeymen on the final day with Puurre in fourth place.
The Best-5 individual prize was extremely close with the top three all tied on 100 points. In the end, Danny Glover (Birdies & Bogeymen) just edged out Brian Matthews (Fore Pears) and Luke Bannister (One For The Road) courtesy of a better scoring average.
Even though TEL handicaps have been tumbling throughout the competition, the final day still produced some fantastic scoring. Today's 18-hole individual winner was Luke Bannister (One For The Road) with 41 points one point ahead of Jack Unsworth (Puurre) and Lizzie Swallow (Captain's Eleven).
Full details - click here.

Huge thanks to Nick and Lorraine for organising another very successful event. Also thanks to Fiona and her staff for keeping us "fed and watered" over the whole competition and special mention to Richard Holmes and his green staff who have worked tirelessly on the course this year.

Hope to see you all again next year.

August Weekday Stableford

Unfortunately, due to the torrential rain on Thursday which caused the course to be closed for most of the day, this month's weekday Stableford was only available for entries on Friday 19th. However, the players that did play on Friday returned some impressive scores.
This month's winner was Jake Chambers who amassed a superb 45 points which earned him a two-shot reduction to his handicap. Runner-up was Chris Richardson who just pipped vice-captain Jon Miller after both carded 42 points apiece.
Full result - click here.

August 9-hole Stableford

The last of this year's 9-hole Stableford qualifiers was played on Tuesday. A more encouraging field of 12 players took part in this event. We intend to repeat these evening competitions next year from April to August and hope more players will take advantage of this. As it is an official qualifying competition, it is another way of completing the minimum of three qualifiers per year to keep your handicap "Active".
Tuesday's competition was won by Tim Burnett with 22 points (who has now earned an active handicap!). Runner-up was Jon Miller who just pipped Denise Matthews on count-back after both carded 21 points. Third place went to Mark Richardson who headed a trio on 20 points.
Full result - click here.

Junior Club Championship

Fourteen juniors competed for the Junior Club Championship today played over 36 holes. There was also an 18-hole Red-Tee Stableford competition for less experienced players to compete for prizes. The course was in perfect condition and although the weather was overcast for most of the day and a stiff breeze blowing, this did not prevent the juniors returning some fantastic scores.

Gross
In the main event after round 1, Max Nicholls held a slender lead posting a 73 followed by Lizzie Swallow and Lloyd Childs one shot behind. In round 2, Lizzie shot a 73 and Max 74 which ended in a tie with both players on 147. This resulted in two-hole aggregate play-off between Max and Lizzie on holes 13 and 18. After a tense and exciting two holes, Max Nicholls just edged the title by a single shot from Lizzie Swallow. Third place went to Lloyd Childs with a total of 150.
Full result - click here.

Nett
In the nett competition, Luke Bannister (133) just managed to hang on to his first round lead to win by one stroke from Josh Wallin (134). Third place went to Jack Unsworth who just edged out George Baker on count-back after both scored 136.
Full result - click here.

Stableford
In a close red-tee Stableford competition, Jak Theyer just beat Kieran Hannah on count-back after both carded rounds of 31 points.

Other Prizes
Nearest the pin - 2nd hole - Luke Cottell
Longest Drive - 10th - 18 hcap & under - Lizzie Swallow
Longest Drive - 9th - 19 hcap and over - Andrew Mead
Special Prizes - George Baker, Luke Bannister, Max Nicholls, Danny Glover

Well done to John Hoskison for organising a superb event and thanks to Mike and Judy Willson, John Taylor, Tom Wallin, Sam Whiting, Andrew Buchanan, Jon Miller and Paul Tebbutt for their assistance. Also thanks to Fiona for supplying food for the competitors and the green staff for their excellent work on the course.

To view some pictures for this event - click here.

Free Junior Open Day

Saturday 17th September 2:00-4:00pm

FREE CLINIC
FREE BALLS
FREE USE OF EQUIPMENT

with JOHN HOSKISON

NO NEED TO BOOK

Ideal for any Junior wishing to sample golf

Thursday Evening League - Week 12

Another challenging evening for the teams with a stiff south-westerly wind blowing and the course just a little softer after the recent showers. At this stage in the league, the average scores are coming down as handicaps are reduced, but still there were some creditable individual performances. Four players managed 20 points this evening - John Day (Allsorts), Gary Moore (One For The Road), Andy Stockley (Allsorts) and Lizzie Swallow (Captains Eleven). But these were eclipsed by two scores from the Fore Pears team - Jim Purvis scored 22 points, and this week's winner Brian Matthews on 23 points. These scores ensured the Fore Pears team were this week's clear winners from Puurre and Captains Eleven.
Once again, the league became a little more interesting with the gaps at the top still closing. Easily Second still hold the lead by 9 points from Birdies & Bogeymen just 2 points ahead of Captain's Eleven.
The Best 5 table also tightened up as well. Danny Glover still holds the lead, but only by virtue of a better average from Brian Matthews and Luke Bannister who all have 100 points. George Baker, Dan Green and John McCartney are only just behind.
Full details - click here.

So it's all to play for next week when we have the last Thursday followed two days later by the 18-hole final on Saturday 20th August. The fixture list for the final Saturday will be published this weekend.