Seniors Golf this Friday

• Playing for – Autumn League – Round 2
• Format – Singles stableford over 15 holes
• Handicap – 95% of course handicap
• Entry to competition on IG necessary? – Yes

Red tees option

All senior members now have the option to play from the red tees for the whole of their round should they choose to do so. Members should sign up for competitions in the normal way.

Handicaps for those playing from the red tees are shown in IG, under Handicap Record, Calculator, the handicap is beside Lymm 9 Minutes (Red) in the Playing Handicap (95%) column.

If you decide to play off the red tees your scorecard should be completed using the Par and Stroke Index next to the yellow column on the card, except for hole 12 which will be a par 4 off the red tees.

If you elect to play off the red tees you should complete your score in IG choosing the red tee option.

All of the above has been approved by the Club, is WHS compliant and your score will be taken into consideration for your handicap as normal.

Rules quiz

A player plays their second shot, searches for the ball briefly and then goes back and drops another ball under penalty of stroke and distance. Before the player can play the dropped ball, the player’s original ball is found within three minutes of when the player first started searching for it. What is the ruling?
A – The player must continue with the original ball.
B – The player must continue with the dropped ball.
C – The player may choose whether to continue with the original ball or the dropped ball.

Answer at the end of this newsletter

Autumn League – Round 1 – Friday 25 September

Reporter: The Editor

Our handicap secretary has ‘delegated’ this week’s report to me; so, I’ll keep it brief. 43 seniors took part in week one of our Autumn League, 18 in Division 1 and 25 in Division 2. You can check the full results, including which division you will be in, on the Club’s website. Congratulations to our week one winners: Grahame Brickell in the First Division with 33 points and Dave Craggs in Division two with 30 points. Compelling evidence that being a committee member is good for your golf. Top placings below:

Results

Division 1

Division 2

Joint winners of this week’s ‘bad planning award’ – Peter Willson and Mervyn Roberts who, on a windy day, both parked their trollies with umbrella mainsails aloft by the second green. Whilst putting out both of their trollies tacked into the bunker depositing their contents into the sand. This didn’t however prevent Mervyn from sinking his putt for a 2. Peter, who had recovered from his trolley tragedy by the 13th, carefully applied his brake and carded a 2 on that hole.

Two’s recorded (worth a sleeve of balls each):

Happy Mondays Report – 28 September

Reporter: Steve Bird

A heavy dew greeted 17 players comprising two teams 4 one team of 3 and three teams of 2. No wind and when the sun appeared a most glorious autumn day albeit with the low sun and fallen leaves sometimes hampering ball searches. But we mustn’t complain – we would take this any time.

The winning team was our starting pair of Eric Cox and Alan Thomas with an average score of 27.5

Runners up were Phil Lomas and Peter Willson with 25.5.

Best score of the day was Kevin Bocquet with 31 points closely followed by Mike Bennett with 30.

Tee booking schedule for tomorrow Thursday 1 October

Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 4 October

Rules Quiz answer

Correct answer B
Explanation: See Rule 18.1. Once the player put another ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance, the original ball is no longer in play and must not be played.

Seniors Golf this Friday

• Playing for – Autumn League – Round 1
• Format – Singles Stableford over 15 holes
• Handicap – 95% of course handicap
• Entry to competition on IG necessary? – Yes

Rules quiz

A player is always entitled to free relief from tractor marks in the general area when the grass is cut to fairway height.
A – True
B – False

Answer at the end of this newsletter

Find the Fact – Barrie Simpson

Only one of the following statements about Barrie is correct. The other two are false. Can you pick out the true fact?

1. Barrie is a published author having written a book about his other hobby, tropical fish. The book is called ‘Tropical Fish Care Handbook’ and has been in print now for 16 years
2. In his younger days Barrie quit his job, hitchhiked alone across Canada into the Rockies then down to California, climbed in Yosemite National Park and then hitched back to New York via Chicago
3. Barrie once won a wildlife photography competition with a picture of a heron that wasn’t actually a heron. It was a plastic garden ornament

Answer below

Memorial Trophy – Friday 18 September

Reporter: The Editor

Continuing his recent run of good form John Armstrong was the clear winner of the Memorial Trophy with an impressive score of 36 points over the 15 holes played.

Results

Happy Mondays Report – 21 September

Reporter: Steve Bird

With eight of our regulars being involved in the final Inter Club Match of the season our numbers were severely depleted with only eight players present making up two teams of three and one of two.

The winning team was that of Alan Copeland, Eric Cox and Alan Thomas with an average score of 27

Runners up were Steve Bird, Tony Dixon and Les Williams with 25.6 and to complete the picture we have Mike Bennett and Richard Yates with 25.5.

Top scorers for the day were evenly spread across the teams with Alan Copeland on 29 and Tony and Richard on 27 each.

Hopefully as there are now no matches until Spring 2027 our numbers will be back up to usual levels next week and just a reminder that Happy Mondays is open to all Seniors. If you are not a ‘regular’ please feel free to add your name to one of the teams should you wish to join in. 

Tee booking schedule for tomorrow Thursday 24 September

Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 27 September

Rules Quiz answer

Correct answer B
Explanation: See Clarification Ground Under Repair/1. A rut made by a tractor is not ground under repair by default, but the Committee is justified in declaring a deep rut to be ground under repair.

Find the Fact answer

Answer 2 is correct. Barrie did quit his job and hitch hike across Canada and the USA in his younger days

Seniors Golf this Friday

• Playing for – Memorial Trophy
• Format – Single stableford over 15 holes
• Handicap – 95% of course handicap
• Entry to competition on IG necessary? – Yes

The overall winner will be awarded the trophy at the Annual Business Meeting on 16 October (see news item below). A donation bucket for our nominated charity will be on the bar in the clubhouse for you to donate your hard-earned cash.  The Committee will provide the customary shots of whiskey in remembrance of those members who have gone before, recent and past.

Rules quiz

As a player was searching in a pile of leaves, they accidentally kicked and moved their ball as well as a number of the leaves around the ball. The player estimated where the ball originally lay and replaced it on that spot but did not replace the leaves before making their next stroke. What is the ruling?
A – The player gets the general penalty for improving the lie of their ball.
B – There is no penalty.
C – The player gets one penalty stroke for causing the ball to move but does not need to replace the leaves.

Answer at the end of this newsletter

Championship Trophy – Friday 11 September

Author: The Editor

With our Handicap Secretary currently away in Aberdaron I am afraid that I have no report on last Friday’s Championship Game. I also had to withdraw after qualifying as my lovely daughter decided to move house on the day in question. Family first! So, I simply list the results of this prestigious competition below and convey hearty congratulations from all of the Seniors to our Championship Golfer Bob Ellison for a great performance on the day.

Results

Happy Mondays Report – 14 September

Reporter: Steve Bird

A ‘perfect storm’ of our Inter Club Match against Warrington, our Tatton League Fixture and our away game against Leigh on the following day meant that numbers taking part this Monday were down to 12, comprised of two teams of 4 and two of 2.

A beautiful autumn day with little or no wind, the sun now noticeably lower in the sky, lush fairways and superb greens made for ideal golfing conditions.

The winning team were Alan Copeland and Ken Pearce with an average of 30 points. Runners up with a score of 25.25 were Colin Chisnall, Sammy Lee, Alan Thomas and Dave Waggitt.

Top scorer for the day was Phil Lomas with a superb 33 followed by Alan Copeland with 32.

It says much for the other members of Phil’s team (me included) that despite Phil’s contribution we managed to come last – sorry Phil!

Tee booking schedule for tomorrow Thursday 17 September

Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 20 September

Rules Quiz answer

Correct answer B
Explanation: See Rule 7.4 and Clarification 7.4/1. There is no penalty for accidentally moving the ball while trying to find it. In replacing the ball the player is not required to replace loose impediments.

Seniors Golf this Friday

Playing for – Championship Trophy Game (for those eligible)

Format – Stableford over 15 holes

Handicap – 95% of course handicap

Entry to competition on IG necessary? – Yes

Rules quiz

In stroke play, a player swings at and misses a wrong ball. What is the ruling?
A – There is no penalty.
B – The player gets two penalty strokes and the stroke at the wrong ball counts.
C – The player gets two penalty strokes but the actual missed stroke does not count.

Answer at the end of this newsletter

Bottle of Wine Competition – Friday 4 September

Reporter: Paul Foster

Confusion was the call of the day, with players wondering whether Friday’s competition was over 13 holes, 15 holes, or possibly whatever number they happened to fancy! The newsletter of 19th August did state that Friday’s competition would be over 13 holes because of the afternoon shotgun start, with concerns that not everyone would get back in time. Simple enough, or so we thought. In hindsight we should have reiterated this in last week’s newsletter, so apologies from the committee! (Editor’s note: future newsletters will always now start with details of what the Friday format will be).

In the end, 16 players completed 15 holes, while 8 players completed 13 holes. The 13-hole players entered their 13 holes into IG and put NS for holes 14 and 15. Thankfully, IG appears to have been less confused than the players. It doesn’t matter which holes were completed, because the competition had been set up as a 15-hole competition. The WHS algorithm then calculates an Expected Score for those unplayed holes based on your Handicap Index and course difficulty, rather than just automatically giving you a net par. Holes not started/skipped entirely for a valid reason (such as bad weather, fading light, sudden injury, or a hole closed for maintenance) are recorded as “Not Started” (often marked with an asterisk *).

So, if you played 15 holes, your score counts. If you played 13 holes, your score also counts. In short, everyone wins…apart from anyone who was hoping their missing holes would conveniently disappear!

So there we have it: 13 holes, 15 holes, holes not started, shotgun starts and a touch of golfing confusion — all sorted by the magic of IG! Official conclusion: Nobody really knew what was going on, but thankfully the computer did.

Back to the competition! The early starters were treated to heavy autumn rain, ensuring that nobody could complain about the greens and fairways being too dry! Thankfully, conditions improved for the later starters, who enjoyed a much more pleasant round. The fairways were a deep British Racing Green, the wind was mercifully light, and the greens were wonderfully receptive — although perhaps a little too receptive for some of the players’ approaches!

Despite the favourable conditions, only one player managed to beat par, proving once again that the course is considerably easier to admire than to actually score well on. A thoroughly enjoyable day was had by all, with plenty of good golf, a few questionable shots, and, of course, the important matter of competing for that highly coveted Bottle of Wine.
Congratulations to the winner — and commiserations to everyone who went home empty-handed and had to buy their own wine!

Winner – Stuart Baird with 33 points

Happy Mondays Report – 7 September

Reporter: Steve Bird

Eighteen players started in six teams of three, although only five teams finished as they started – more of that later.!!

After heavy overnight precipitation the rain abated to leave a damp and lush course. No wind and a grey sky provided for good golfing conditions although the fairways are now greening up meaning the ball roll of a couple of weeks ago is much less and consequently stableford scores were lower.

The winning team, fresh from their victory at Abergele, was that of Mike Bennett, Colin Crail and Richard Yates with an average of 27.6 points

Runners up were Kevin Bocquet and Ken Pearce with 27. 

The latter team started with three members but Les Fecitt had foot issues, and he sadly had to depart after 9. Similarly, Ken had a massive blister on his heel and reverted to trench surgery, when he used a Hawkstone Park scorecard to provide a buffer zone between the back of his shoe and his heel. He gallantly finished his round with Kevin.

There were some notable individual scores – Richard Yates with 33 points, and Ken Pearce and Pete Broady with 28 points each. But ‘hole of the day’ must go to Colin Crail who had a gross 2 on the par 4 11th for five points!

Tee booking schedule for tomorrow Thursday 10 September

Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 13 September

Rules Quiz answer

Correct answer C
Explanation: See Rule 6.3c. Since the player made a stroke at a wrong ball, they get the General Penalty, but the stroke does not count.

Rules quiz

A player is entitled to free relief when their ball is embedded in the rough.
A – True
B – False

Answer at the end of this newsletter

Seniors’ Exchange Day at Hazel Grove GC – Friday 28 August

Reporter: Ian Smith (LGC Seniors Competitions Secretary)

A high-quality field of Lymm senior golfers assembled at Hazel Grove Golf Club on Friday 28^th August for the inaugural seniors’ exchange day. At precisely the same time a group of senior golfers from Hazel Grove rocked up at Lymm for their reciprocal day out in line with the plan agreed between the two clubs at the beginning of the year.

Following some excellent pre-round clubhouse hospitality from the Hazel Grove staff, including freshly brewed filter coffee and ‘substantial’ bacon rolls, our 37 players prepared for battle in an individual stableford competition including a double checking of golf bags for waterproofs and brollies with some seriously dark clouds looming overhead.

The early groups were fortunate enough to start play in dry conditions, but this changed dramatically with an almighty downpour as the leading group reached the 6^th hole and the late starters were just going out. The weather conditions were an added challenge to what the course was already providing with some tricky tee shots and unpredictable greens. Thankfully the rain eventually relented in time for most golfers to finish their rounds in dry(ish) golfing attire.

They say that ‘form is temporary and class is permanent’ and in the end there was a handful of classy performances although only 3 out of our 37 golfers played to handicap or better.

Please see the table below for the winners and runners up in both divisions.

Results

Division 1 (handicaps 0 to 18)

Division 2 (handicaps 19 and above)

Well done to all the prize winning golfers and to all who took part in the day for ‘sticking with it’ in the face of some challenging weather which might have caused lesser mortals to head for the clubhouse mid round!!

The post match meal of Cheshire beef and ale pie followed by chocolate and raspberry cheesecake was of the highest quality and we were well looked after in all respects by the team at Hazel Grove. This definitely helped to create an overall positive view of the day and some excellent feedback has been provided by those who took part – about the golf course and the clubhouse hospitality. It has already been suggested that the exchange day could become an annual event in the seniors calendar so watch this space…..

Editor’s note: Once again, a massive thank you to Ian Smith on behalf of everyone who attended this excellent day out. From start to finish the planning, organisation and communications of this event were all first rate.

Happy Mondays Report

Reporter: Steve Bird

No report this week as Monday 31 August was a bank holiday.

Tee booking schedule for tomorrow Thursday 3 September

Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 6 September

Rules Quiz answer

Correct answer A
Explanation: See Rule 16.3b. When a player’s ball is embedded in the general area, the player may take free relief.