Parker Hart Four-ball

A smallish field today for the Parker Hart fourball trophy. Sixteen pairings played this better-ball stroke-play event with the men off the white tees and all players on 3/4 handicap.

Once again, conditions were very good and the scoring was excellent. The winners today were mother and son combination Fay Unsworth & Jack Unsworth who returned a superb nett 65. Runners-up and defending champions were the team of Dave Warwick & John Day who just pipped Nick Turner & Pete Turner on count-back after both scored nett 66.

Full result - click here.
This competition counts for Order of Merit points. After their win today Fay Unsworth and Jack Unsworth move up the table. Fay has taken the lead on 36pts followed by Roger Tillett on 31pts then Jack Unsworth on 23pts. Full listing - click here.

July Weekday Stableford

Thirteen players for this months Weekday Stableford played on Thursday and Friday of this week with some impressive scoring at the top of the leader board.

The Hines brothers had to be separated by count-back, but the winner was Jamie Hines just edging out Luke Hines on the final hole after both carded 43 points. Wayne Arnold grabbed third spot with an impressive 39 points off 8 hcap followed by Chris Richardson on 36 points.

Full details - click here.

TEL - Week 9

The heatwave continued for week 9 of the Thursday Evening League today. Although the rough is punishing, the conditions made for some excellent scoring this evening.

No fewer than ten players scored better than their handicap. Top of the list was Jason Allum (Colts & Fillies) with an excellent 24 pts. Luke Bannister (Bottle Jobs) was second with 22 pts followed by John Baron (Easily Second) and Mark Richardson (Birdies & Bogeymen) who each returned 21 pts.

The top three teams this evening all scored 59 pts so it was all down the the fourth scores in theirs teams to decide the order. The winning team was Easily Second followed by Colts & Fillies and then Bottle Jobs in third place. Birdies & Bogeymen retain their place at the top of the league followed by Easily Second, Bottle Jobs then Colts & Fillies. Sean Sargeant (Birdies & Bogeymen) still tops the individual Best5 list on 93 pts closely followed by Jack Unsworth (Bottle Jobs), Dean Butler (Balls & Bushes) and Josh Wallin (Bottle Jobs).

Full details - click here.

Seniors Four-ball

A sweltering hot day (haven't said that for a while!) for the Seniors as they played a four-ball better-ball Stableford today. Again the course and particularly greens in excellent condition but, as some no doubt experienced today, if you wander off line, the rough can be very punishing!!

Thirty-eight players competed today with some excellent scores returned off 3/4 handicap. The winners today with 42 pts were John Butcher and John Clark. The next four teams all returned 41 pts so count-back had to be used to separate them. Geoff Denner & Ofer Ben-David made second place followed by Brian Faithfull & Richard Cross, Raymond Bilton & Les Eden and Ray Tillen & Lesley Cratchley.

Full details - click here.

Lost

Paul Seymour has lost a Big Bertha Callaway Diablo 6 iron. If anyone has any information on this, please contact the Pro-Shop.

Newbury Racecourse v Theale

After a rather embarrassing defeat 6-0 away to Theale last month, the men of Newbury Racecourse GC set out on Sunday with two goals: 1) Attempt to restore some pride and 2) Win 6-0 at home to retain the trophy.

Now a 6-0 victory doesn't come along every day, so goal #2 was perhaps more a dream than a realistic expectation, but home advantage seemed to be a key factor as NRGC took comfortable leads in many of the matches. For some time, the miracle looked like it might just come true, but despite a valiant effort, Theale secured the solitary half they required. This left the score on the day at 5 1/2 - 1/2 to NRGC and the final aggregate score as a 6 1/2 - 5 1/2 victory to Theale. It was an unbelievably gutsy effort by every member of the team, who almost pulled off the most remarkable of comebacks.

Also, congratulations to nearest-the-pin winners, Dean Butler (a fine effort on the 11th, which was barely reachable into the wind) and John Day (the only person to hit the green on the ever-perplexing 14th hole).

The chance to win the trophy back next year can't come quick enough, and if there's one thing we've learnt, it's that anything can happen!

Jeremy Twaits

Texas Scramble and Barbecue

With the last couple of weeks' weather, the thought of a barbecue was the last thing on many of our minds. Fortunately, the sun dances must have been working, as we were greeted by an unfamiliar burning ball in the sky on Saturday afternoon. Six teams of six people took part, with three playing the front and three playing the back nine in a Texas Scramble format, followed up by a barbecue afterwards.

There was some good scoring out on the course, and one team in particular stood out. Our winners, with an excellent gross score of 8 under par, which translated to a nett 57.9, were Jack Unsworth, Dan Green, Luke Bannister, Steve Bonner, Chris Adlem and Jim Green.

Thanks to everyone who turned up and played. It was a very enjoyable afternoon and also helps us to pay for events like the annual presentation evening. A special thank you also goes to Mike Smith and Sean Sargeant, who cooked the burgers and sausages that filled us up afterwards - it was delicious!

Jeremy Twaits.

TEL - Week 8

At last ... some decent weather for the Thursday Evening League - not a spot of rain all evening!!

Strangely enough, the better weather did not do most of us any good as the scoring was not as high as expected. Only three players bettered their handicap tonight - Chris Richardson (Birdies & Bogeymen), Jim Purvis (Balls & Bushes) and tonight's winner on count-back, Steve Robinson (Colts & Fillies) all scoring 19pts. The winning team this evening were Birdies & Bogeymen followed by Colts & Fillies then Balls & Bushes who just edged out Easily Second on count-back.
Birdies & Bogeymen are still top of the league with a nine-point lead over Bottle Jobs with Easily Second just one point further back.
More players are now appearing on the Best5 leaderboard, but Sean Sargeant still holds top spot on 93pts. Jack Unsworth is currently second closely followed by Josh Wallin.
Full details - click here.

AGM Date Change

The AGM will now be held on

Wed 19th September 2012 at 8:00pm

Seniors Bowmaker

Ten teams of three played in the Seniors Strokeplay Bowmaker today. It was a mild day, but we had a very strange and unusual phenomenon called "rain" for parts of the round!!!

The Seniors welcomed two new players today: 

John Butcher - previous Club Captain and just qualified for his senior status.

Chris Piper - new member at NRGC - originally a member at Newbury & Crookham.

The Bowmaker was won today by the team of Allan Trotman, Harry Jackson and Mike Pritchard with a score of 141. Second place on 144 went to Ray Tillen, Richard Cross and Al Drennan. Third place was decided on count-back with Paul Tebbutt, Tom Wallin and John Clark just edging out Chris Piper, Bob Evans and Jan Hinks after both teams returned scores of 145.

Bogey Competition

Considering the deluge we had yesterday (and a few other days besides), the course today was in excellent condition for today's Bogey Competition. Once again, our thanks  to Richard Holmes and his team for being out early this morning to prepare the course. Only a small field of twenty-one players today, but they were rewarded with some very welcome sunshine!!

Today's winner with a impressive score of +6 was Ofer Ben-David. Runner-up was Roger Tillett on +4 followed by Jason Allum on +2. 
Full details - click here.

This competition counts towards the season-long individual Order of Merit. Roger Tillett and Fay Unsworth are now tied at the top on 30pts followed by Max Nicholls and Maria Tillett. Full listing - click here.

TEL - Week 7

Back to the Thursday Evening League after a week's "rest" and, just for a change, RAIN again!!!! At least the setting sun wasn't blinding the players coming up 17 and 18!!!! All players are to be congratulated for playing this evening.

The top team this week were One For The Road with 49pts. Just behind were Easily Second on 48pts who just edged out Bottle Jobs by virtue of a better 4th score. Scoring this week was understandably a little lower than usual, but this week's individual winner, with a great score in the conditions, was Jimmy Dellow (One For The Road) with 20pts. Paul Bennelick (One For The Road) and Jack Unsworth (Bottle Jobs) also played below their handicaps, each scoring 19pts.

Birdies & Boegeymen are still top of the league on 41pts closely pursued by Easily Second and Bottle Jobs. The early leader in the Best 5 table is Sean Sargeant (Birdies & Bogeymen) followed by Jack Unsworth (Bottle Jobs) and Nigel Huszarik (Easily Second). Full details - click here. 
Let's hope for some decent weather next week!!!

Seniors Open

The Seniors Open was played today in testing conditions with a stiff westerly breeze blowing. The weather was mostly dry apart from one sharp shower which unfortunately caught out the last few groups! Sixteen teams competed in a better-ball Stableford with 3/4 handicaps off the white tees for the men.

There were prizes for the top five teams plus a ladies longest drive, men's longest drive and 3 holes of nearest the pin for both men and ladies.

The clear and deserved winners with a great score of 42 pts were Doug Bell (Newbury & Crookham) and Sam Whiting (NRGC). Runners-up on 37 pts were Brian Faithfull (NRGC) and David Bray (Sand Martins). Third place went to John Christopher (NRGC) and Steve Lewington (Newbury & Crookham) who just beat Judy Willson (NRGC) and Tess Chantrey (Donnington Valley) on count-back after both scored 36 pts. In fifth place on 35 pts were John Day (NRGC) and Jan Hinks (NRGC).

The men's longest drive was John Day and the ladies longest drive was Sam Whiting.

Nearest the pin prizes were won by Sam Whiting(2nd), John Christopher(11th) and Al Drennan(16th) all from NRGC.

Our thanks go to Seniors Captain Mike Willson and his team of organisers for a very well run event, to the catering staff at the clubhouse who provided a superb meal afterwards and the green staff who have been working tirelessly on the course lately in adverse conditions.

Winners - Sam Whiting & Doug Bell

Runners-Up  - David Bray & Brian Faithfull

3rd - John Christopher & Steve Lewington

4th - Judy Willson & Tess Chantrey

5th - John Day & Jan Hinks

Sam Whiting - longest drive and nearest the pin (2nd)

John Day - longest drive

Al Drennan - nearest the pin (16th)

John Christopher - nearest the pin (11th)

Richard Hook - no prizes, but a very nice man!!!!

July Junior Medal

The July Junior Medal was played yesterday - a bit earlier in the month than normal due to match and other commitments. Six juniors took part, but disappointingly, only three finished their round.

The winner was Jack Unsworth who just pipped Max Nicholls on count-back after both returned nett 69. Max recorded the lowest gross of 72. Third place went to George Baker on nett 75. Full result - click here.

Jack Unsworth still leads the Junior Masters table just ahead of George Baker and Luke Bannister. Full details - click here.

Racing

Please note: Contrary to what it states in the club diary, there is NO evening racing on Friday 20th July 2012.

Pro's Summer Scramble

The Pro’s Texas Scramble was supported by 20 teams of 4 last Saturday and once again the rain poured down! But luckily, after 11 holes, it finally stopped and the last 8 were played in the dry.

Winning teams:
Nick Mitchell, Geoff Kells, Darren Boyce, Ian Panting  55.5
Lawrence Rowe, Luke Bannister, Jim Green (snr), Jim Purvis 58.0
Steve Bonner, Paul Seymour, Malcolm Bonner, Chris Adlem  58.6

Despite the bad weather the scoring was, as usual, fantastic.  Nick thanked Richard Holmes and his team for getting the course in such fantastic condition, and putting the flags on all the high spots so allowing play to continue. Following play was a full English breakfast in the club house.

The winner of the Skycaddie SGX was Ofer Ben-David.

Scratch KO

Just a reminder - the draw for the Scratch KO is now on the notice board.

The top eight players at the end of the Club Championships are automatically entered into the draw for this prestigious competition. They are seeded according to their finish placings in the Championships.

The first round matches must be completed by 5th August. A copy of the draw is also on the web and can be viewed here.

Ladies Open

The Ladies Open was played today in what seems to have become "normal weather" for this time of year ... RAIN!!! All the ladies are to be congratulated for completing this Bowmaker Stableford event in horrible conditions.
The overall winners with a score of 70pts were the team of Lorraine Storey, Jean Raincock and Caroline Nicholls. Count-back was required to determine the runners-up on 62pts who were last year's winning team of Tess Chantrey, Sue Adams and Judy Willson just ahead of Sian Soanes, Jeanie McMullin, and Alison Goude. The best individual score of the day went to Lorraine Storey with 33pts. Kim Richardson won the nearest the pin on the second hole, with Sian Soanes taking the longest drive prize.
Thanks to Ladies Captain Sam Whiting for hosting the event and presenting the prizes. 

Winners - Caroline Nicholls, Lorraine Storey and Jean Raincock

Runners-up - Judy Willson, Tess Chantrey and Sue Adams

Sian Soanes - Longest Drive

Lorraine Storey - Best Individual Score

Kim Richardson - Nearest The Pin

Texas Scramble & BBQ

On the afternoon of Saturday 21st July, we are running a 9-hole Texas Scramble, followed by a barbecue. The first tee time will be 3pm and the entry fee is £6 per person, which includes food from the barbecue afterwards. Three of the team play the front nine. Three of the team play the back nine, both in Texas Scramble format. Add the scores together, and that gives you your team's overall score. Then head to the clubhouse and enjoy a burger!

To enter, please add your name to the entry sheet on the noticeboard in the clubhouse. You can either enter as a complete team of 6, or individually and we'll group you together. If you need help finding a team or finding players to finalise your team, please contact Jeremy Twaits (jeremy.twaits@nrgc.co.uk).

July Seniors Medal

Today's Seniors Medal was played in damp conditions. There was occasional drizzle, but it was humid at the same time. With the wet, lush grass, the course was playing very long and the place NOT to be was in the rough!!! Twenty-eight men and five ladies competed for the prizes in separate men's and ladies competitions.

In the Men's competition, Richard Hook was the winner with a very good score of nett 71. Runner-up was Tommy Lees on 73 followed by Alan Pearce who just beat Jim Green on count-back after both returned nett 74. Jim Green carded the lowest gross of the day - 83.

Full result - click here.

For the Ladies, Lesley Cratchley was the victor on nett 80. Two shots further back was Sam Whiting who scored the lowest gross for the ladies - 95. Third place went to Liz Evans on nett 85. Full result - click here.

Two 2's were recorded today - Derrick Perrin and Rob Seaton both at the 2nd hole.

Ladies Golf Clinic

LADIES GOLF CLINIC

MONDAY 16TH JULY

6:30pm - 7:30pm

!HOW TO COPE WITH THE WIND!
LEARN NEW SHOTS

WITH TIM BUTLER

£7.00 PER PERSON

July Medal

Twenty-one players competed in the July medal today.

Because of the small field, the new rules were implemented which means that there are only two divisions (14 & below and 15 & above) instead of the normal three. Also, because there were only 4 ladies competing, there was no specific ladies medal and the ladies were integrated into the two divisions to make it a mixed gender competition.

In division 1, Josh Wallin continued his good form carding a nett 67 to claim the medal. Runner-up was Max Nicholls scoring the lowest gross of the day, an excellent 73. Good to see Jim Purvis back playing again after his ankle problems and he sneaked into third place just beating Phil Knight on count-back after both posted nett 72. Full result - click here.

Division 2 was dominated by the ladies. Maria Tillett topped the division with nett 72 and the lowest gross of 87. Lorraine Storey was runner-up on 74 followed by Mike Chamberlain on nett 75. Full result - click here.

Only two 2's recorded today - Max Nicholls (11th) and Lorraine Storey (16th). 

In the Owen Millennium Trophy, Josh Wallin still leads the way and has increased his lead over Roger Tillett in second place followed by Jeremy Twaits in third place. The highest placed lady is Maria Tillett in fourth place. Only those who have played in 4 medals are shown in the report. Full details - click here.