Round 4 Autumn League

Reporter: Paul Foster

A day of ‘I can’t see a thing’, and where did my ball go…? Most of the round was played with the sun low on the horizon, which transformed that searing ball of gas into a laser, aimed directly into our eyes. We hit several…somewhere, couldn’t see a single one. We just listened for the faint thud and prayed it wasn’t a tree, or somebody else! Guessing distances became a new sport, only spotting the ball after we had walked 30 yards passed it. Sunglasses? Check, Cap? Check, Ability to see the ball? Absolutely not, next time I’m bringing my welding goggles or a periscope.

Competitors on the day – 41, 22 from the Division 1 and 19 from the Division 2.

One 2 scored today, that man again Mr Collins again, on the long and difficult 5th, only 7 out the 41 players managed to par it, so a 2 is exceptional. Russ Jones birdied 3 of the 4 par 5s and achieved the lowest gross of the day, at 2 over par gross, only Paul Foster managed to par the 16th

Four players put the wrong handicap on their scorecard!!

Sixteen handicaps have changed for round 5, so carefully check your handicap please.

Once again we must try and keep up with the group in front, and be sure to utilize ‘ready play’. Four hours for 15 holes is not what we seek.

“Ready play” a method for speeding up play where players hit their shots when they are ready, rather than strictly following the traditional rule of playing in order of distance from the hole. The goal is to maintain a good pace of play, by encouraging players to be prepared to hit when they can do so safely, without endangering or interfering with others. 

Results:

Division 1 winner: Russ Jones with 35pts
R/up: Arthur Nuttall with 34pts
3rd: Paul Foster with 32pts

Division 2 winner:  Paul Lennie with 32pts
R/up: John Higgins with 29pts on a CPO
3rd: Colin Chisnall with 29pts on a CPO

A dank and dreary start but for those later starters the showers stopped and the sun eventually came out if somewhat reluctantly.

Game: Team Stableford 

3 teams – 10 players 

Happy Mondays – 27 October

Reporter: Peter Willson

Winners: Mike Bennett and Richard Yates – 57 points or 28.5 ppp. The win was made even sweeter by Mike holing out a 5 wood on the 2nd hole for a Hole in One – the 2nd recorded by Seniors in two consecutive weeks.

Mike says he will put a bottle of whisky on the bar on Friday.  

Second: Pete Broady, Dave Craggs, Alan Copeland and Tony Lambert – 101 points or 25.3 PPP

Highest individual score – Mike Bennett with 33 points assisted by his “5 pointer” but closely followed by Dave Craggs with 32 points also carding a 5 point hole score 

Tee booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 30 October)

Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 2 November

Message from Les Williams – Charity Appeal

Hello fellow seniors. The homeless in Manchester, through Rotary, are looking for any old warm clothes, shoes and blankets you are not using. If you have any, could you please bag them up and let me have them.

I am leaving my car open on Fridays in order that you can put your bags on on the back seat or front passenger seat. I then drop them off at Manchester Cathedral where there is a help centre for people who have fallen on bad times.

My car reg: 2 LCW
Silver Range Rover.

Thank you,
Les.

Your new newsletter editor: Ian Goodman

Reporter: Mark Pickles

Having done a three-year stint on the seniors’ committee, I will be handing over the newsletter next week to Ian Goodman. Ian has not been with us long. You can see his profile here, in the newsletter for 11 June 2025.

In view of the fact that Ian is not yet acquainted with everyone in the senior section, please help him out by sending any articles for inclusion, or reporting anything newsworthy or amusing. You can use the ‘Report News’ tab.

On Monday this week, I gave Ian training for managing the website. I will be available to help out if he has any difficulties while getting used to the technology, although I’m sure he’ll some find his feet. Ian tells me he used to manage an intranet for Citizens Advice.

I won’t be disappearing entirely. I might contribute an article from time to time. And I will be Ian’s reserve, taking over the newsletter when he’s away on holiday, not least because Ian does not possess a laptop PC to work remotely.

I look forward to Ian’s newsletters!

Newsletter Editor: Mark Pickles

Autumn League – Round 3 of 10

Reporter: Paul Foster

A very peaceful, autumnal day. The kind where the air carries the scent of pine and the sugars of autumn leaves. The fairways stretch out before you in shades of deep green, framed by trees dressed in fiery orange, reds and yellows. No rush, no pressure, just us seniors, the course and the calm pulse of nature around you. All the while, thinking ahead to the sumptuous steak pie that awaits us back in the clubhouse.

Competitors on the day increased to 47.

Three 2s scored for the second week in a row, one each for Tony Dixon, Phil Lomas and Mike Kendal. Mike hit the flag on the 13th with his tee shot, as close to a hole in one as you will ever see.

Some tremendous scores from Mike Pigott (lowest gross of the day) and Martin Franks. Mike played holes 10 to 18 in two under par gross.

Three players this week put the wrong handicap on their scorecard.

Unfortunately the last group out could not complete the allotted 15 holes due to some alarmingly slow play in front of them. Please keep up with the group in front, and be sure to utilize ‘ready play’.

‘Ready play’ is a method for speeding up play where players hit their shots when they are ready, rather than strictly following the traditional rule of playing in order of distance from the hole. The goal is to maintain a good pace of play, by encouraging players to be prepared to hit when they can do so safely, without endangering or interfering with others.

Results:
1st Division winner – Mike Pigott with 33pts
R/up – Barry McGuigan with 32pts on a CPO
3rd – Martin Franks with 32pts on a CPO

2nd Division winner – Alister Cook with 33pts on a CPO
R/up – Les Williams with 33pts
3rd – John Armstrong with 32pts on a CPO

Annual Business Meeting and Lunch, Friday 17 October

Reporter: Dave Craggs

A very enjoyable afternoon with fine dining and good company. 47 members attended the presentation. Andy Timms, club captain, and John Armstrong, retiring senior’s committee chairman, presented the trophies and prizes to the winners able to attend. Pictured above is Tony Dixon, this year’s senior champion, being presented with the ‘green jumper’.

For those not able to attend see attached files of Steve Gosling’s treasurer’s report, John Armstrong’s speech, and the presentation day prize winners.

Happy Mondays Report

Reporter: Peter Willson

A cloudy but reasonably mild start – marred only by a light shower after a few holes. Game: Team Stableford 

6 teams – 17 players 

Winners: Mike Bennett, Colin Crail and Richard Yates – 85 points or  28.3 ppp
Second: Dave Craggs and Peter Willson – 52 points or 26 ppp

Highest Individual Score – Colin Crail – 31 points – it just goes to show what a new set of irons can do to raise your game even further.

Special Commendation – A Hole in One – scored by John White on the 17th. Well done John and it’s not the 1st time he’s managed to hole out in a single shot.

Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 23 October)

Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 26 October

History of the LGC Senior Section

Dave Craggs and Rob Taylor have created an up-to-date history of the senior section from the early 1970s to September 2025. I feel that the document deserves its own page, which I have created here with a permanently-visible link in the header menu.

Newsletter Editor: Mark Pickles

Autumn League – Round 2 of 10

Reporter: Paul Foster

A positively brief report this week after last week’s literary output.

A sizeable increment of players for round 2, up from 25 to 44, good to see. Oodles of 2nd division players joining the competition.

First the figures:
Three 2s scored on the day, one by Steve Gosling, and two by Mark Pickles, who also came in with the lowest gross score of the day.

Five 1st division players scored 31 points !! That dammed missed putt !!!

Five players put their wrong club handicap on their scorecard. Even more scrutiny of your handicap is required as there are 18 changes in handicap this week. We are now on the seniors winter hcap system, so your handicap may well be different to your existing club handicap. PLEASE CHECK on the Handicaps page here.

Results:
1st Division winner – Arthur Nuttall with 31pts on a CPO
R/up – Barry McGuigan with 31pts on a CPO
3rd – Mark Pickles with 31pts on a CPO

2nd Division winner – Alan Ranscombe with a super 36pts
R/up – Alan Copeland with 32pts on a CPO
3rd – Les Williams with 32pts

Annual Business Meeting – Friday 17th October

Reporter: Dave Craggs

The Annual Business Meeting and Presentation will commence at 13:30 on Friday. We anticipate sitting down for lunch at around 14:15. We have 50 members attending the lunch, so come early for a ring-side table!

There are four Committee members stepping down this year from the Seniors’ Committee.  After three year’s service each, Steve Gosling as treasurer, Mark Pickles as communications officer and Peter Willson as Monday booker & Competitions organiser are stepping down. John Armstrong is also stepping down after his year as Chairman,

We thank all four for their invaluable contributions to the smooth running of the Seniors Section.

It is pleasing to note that four members have stepped forward to stand for election to the Seniors Committee at the ABM on Friday.

Happy Mondays Report – 13 October

A dank and grey start to the day which didn’t improve much. However no rain and wind 

Game: Team Stableford. 18 players in 6 teams   

Winners: Steve Barlow; Steve Bird and Ron Thornton – 79 points or 26.3 ppp

Second: Alan Copeland, Steve Gosling, Charlie Hill and Phil Lomas – 102 points or 25.5 PPP.

High score of the day : Ron Thornton – 33 points including 2 x 4 pointers.

Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 16 October)

Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 19 October

Newsletter Editor: Mark Pickles

Autumn League, Round 1

Reporter: Paul Foster

A wet and wild day. Who needs sunshine when you can have 15 holes of monsoon golf, especially for the late starters who played in heavy rain from the first putt to the final putt. This turned the course into a real test of resilience, patience and waterproof clothing. More than a few players discovered their waterproofs weren’t as “proof” as advertised. From soaked socks to slippery grips it was a day to get back as quickly as possible to the safe haven of the bar and join Art and Alan for a warming glass of red wine. Despite the soggy fairways, puddled greens and plenty of slippery grips, twenty five players showed great spirit and determination to see the competition through. Did that bother us? Of course not, spirits stayed high (and so did the umbrellas) and we saw Dave Craggs and Paul Foster navigating the soggy chaos to finish top of their respective divisions, clearly Paul and Dave are part duck, part golfer..!!

Results

1^st Division winner: Paul Foster with 29pts
R/up: Grahame Brickell with 28pts on a CPO
3^rd: Dave Meir with 28pts

2^nd Division winner: Dave Craggs with 32pts
R/up: Paul Lennie with 29pts
3^rd: Alan Ranscombe with 27pts

Happy Mondays Report

Reporter: Peter Willson

A cloudy start but it turned into a very pleasant late Autumn day which was surprisingly warm. Game: Team Stableford 4 Teams each with 4 players.

Winners: Steve Barlow, Kevin Bocquet, Alan Copeland and Tony Dixon – 108 points or 27 ppp.
Second: John Booth, Dave Craggs, Phil Lomas and Alan Thomas – 106 points.

Highest Individual score – Steve Bramall – 31 points.

Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 9 October)

Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 12 October

Subs overdue

Most members have now paid their subs, but there are stil a few stragglers that our Treasurer will approach to see if they want to remain in the Senior Section.

We know things are uncertain at the moment, but it’s still important that you pay your subs. If you don’t think you can pay the whole amount, please contact our Treasurer, who will consider a monthly payment of £2.50 for 12 months, which includes a very modest interest rate. Please note that if you do not make any payment by November 1st, your credit rating could be affected and you might find it difficult to buy things on tick in the future.

Pay £25 into:

Lymm Golf Over 60s
60-20-29
50244779

LGC Seniors at Prestatyn Golf Club Senior 4BBB Open

Twelve of us made our way to the Welsh border, from where we crawled at 20mph – past many traffic-enforcement cameras – along the coast road to Prestatyn.

Players included Mr Captain – Andy Timms, and Phil Young (last year’s captain). Apart from Jeff Acton, the rest of us were all members of the Senior Section, with tee times of 10:20, 10:30 and 10:40.

Naturally, I arrived first, and was out on the practice area, which I had to myself. There is a long driveway to the clubhouse, which runs along the practice area. Mike Pigott, who travelled with Grahame Brickell, told me later that he and Grahame were laughing out loud when, from a long distance, Grahame pointed out a lone figure and said, “I bet that’s Pickles”.

I think I can say that everyone enjoyed the day. The weather was good. Gentle breeze, fairly bright with lightly overcast skies, and no rain forecast until well after we were due to finish playing. The course was in superb condition, with true and fairly-fast greens.

A handwritten note on the first tee cautioned us that crows on the golf course have been stealing golf balls on the third hole. This didn’t stop Mike Pigott – who hardly ever loses golf balls – from miscalculating the odds and opening a box of Pro V1s, only to see a crow swoop down and fly off with his new ball on the third hole. Mike wasn’t the only one. My playing partner Paul Collins and I saw our balls being carried off the third fairway by a pair of crows seemingly acting in tandem, swooping down from on high as soon as the balls landed. I think that that most of the other Lymm players suffered similar losses.

PC and I played with Trevor Williamson and John White. Trevor and John had a great round, with 40 points. The highest score for the whole Prestatyn open was 41 points, and Trevor and John just missed out on the prizes on CPO.

For our internal comp, we all put a fiver in the pot, with prizes for the best and second best round, and a nearest-the-pin. Trevor and John took first of course, Paul and I took second with 35 points. All the remaining four teams posted 34 points. These Stableford scores might seem low, but, for some reason, North Wales golf courses have a notoriously low course handicap and slope rating which, for instance, meant that I had to play off 4, and Paul off 5. Mike had to play off 2! Fair to say, I think that all pairs played well, and well above average for the main comp.

Back to the crows. There are several theories about their thieving behaviour, such as that the crows think the balls are eggs, and are storing them in a winter larder, just as jays and squirrels hide away acorns. Another theory is that the crows simply like collecting and hoarding shiny objects (perhaps to impress a mating partner, like bower birds do). However, when we returned to the clubhouse, I was talking to a Prestatyn member who offered the most convincing explanation. He said there is a former member called Dafydd ‘Dai’ Waggitt who lives in a house overlooking the third green and is suspected of training the crows to collect golf balls, and then hoarding them to impress his wife. I asked, “Is his wife impressed?” He said, “No. She was overheard saying, ‘FFS, Dai; how am I supposed to get into the garage with all these golf balls in the way?'”

Bye bye Lindsay!

Lindsay Fox left Lymm Golf Club today, after 24 years of service, heading for pastures new. I’m sure that I can speak for all of us in the Senior Section in saying that we will miss Lindsay. The seniors’ committee agreed to present Lindsay with a £50 M&S Voucher. Of the few of us in the clubhouse at lunchtime today, Arthur Nuttall, who served for 7 years on the seniors’ committee, was ‘volunteered’ to present the voucher and a card signed by many of us to Lindsay.

We wish her well in her new venture.

Health and Safety News

An unhinged-looking senior, getting ready to start up a chainsaw, was photographed on Monday walking around Lymm Golf Club car park. If you see him again, report him to the office. Under no circumstances should you approach him.

Joking apart, Phil Omersher responded to Dave Craggs’ appeal in last week’s newsletter for a chainsaw. Phil kindly offered it for no payment, suggesting a donation be made to charity instead.

Newsletter Editor: Mark Pickles

Subs are now overdue!

Our treasurer, Steve Gosling, is not a happy man. He tells me that out of a membership of 95, only 39 of us have paid to date.

I know that not everyone reads the newsletter, and so please tell your regular playing partners that they must pay up as soon as possible. One or two have stated they intend to leave the senior section due to other commitments. We will need to assume that those who have not paid up before the start of the Autumn League are also intending to leave us, and will not be competing in the Autumn League. We cannot function as a large club section without funds!

Steve also tells me that there are some who have put their name on the list for the ABM lunch, but have not paid the £10 for the two-course meal (part-subsidised by the senior section). Steve would like to confirm the catering numbers with Karen as soon as possible.

If you have not already done so, please pay immediately your £25 subs and – if you are attending – the £10 for the ABM lunch. Pay into our main bank account, not the interclub match account. The details are:

Lymm Golf Over 60s
60-20-29
50244779

Seniors’ Turkey Trot 2025

Reporter: Paul Foster

Another wonderful late summer’s day, for all our punters to win this year’s Turkey Trot Voucher. Only three players managed to beat par even with a number of shortened holes (but a few lengthened par 3s to make up) all from the 2nd division. Also good to see a full complement of the Friday wine club in the bar..

Results:

1st Division winner – Paul Foster with 30pts (wife is a vegan!!)
R/up – Trevor Williamson with 29pts
3rd – Steve Gosling with 28pts

2nd Division winner – Steve Bramall with 33pts
R/up – Ian Goodman with 32pts
3rd – Phil Lomas with 31pts

We start in earnest next Friday for the start of the Autumn League…First week we use the WHS club playing hcap as used in the turkey trot. (Note at least 2 players used the wrong hcap LAST Friday, and so please check.)

Happy Mondays Report

Reporter: Peter Willson

A murky misty start to the round and a bit on the chilly side, but after a few holes, the mists cleared and the sun came out, yielding a beautiful blue early-autumn day, with little to no wind.

Game: Team Stableford. 20 players in seven teams.

Winners: Steve Gosling, Charlie Hill and Ron Thornton – 81 points or 27 PPP
Second place: Paul Foster, John White and Peter Willson – 80 points or 26.7 PPP

Highest individual score: Alan Copeland and Steve Gosling – 30 points each.

Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 2 October)

Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 5 October

Prestatyn Tomorrow (Thursday 2 October)

Tomorrow Prestatyn Golf Club is hosting a mens’ senior open (4BBB).

I believe that there are going to be 12 of us from Lymm GC, with three adjacent tee times around 10:30.

I suggest that, for our internal competition, we all put £5 into the pot. We can then pay out £30 to the first pair, £20 to the second pair, and £10 for a nearest-the-pin on the short 17th. I’ll make sure everyone approves – or has any alternative ideas – before we tee off tomorrow. In any case, bring some cash!

The weather forecast for Prestatyn is good at the time of writing, and so it should be a very enjoyable day playing this superb championship links. I’ll report the results next week.

And finally…

Craggzy wants a chainsaw, for log cutting. If you have a working chainsaw for sale, please contact Dave Craggs on 07790 976916.

Newsletter Editor: Mark Pickles