Due to the closure of the golf course caused by last Friday’s stormy winds, the only golfing activity to report this week is the Happy Mondays competition.
The maximum number of rounds possible in our Winter League is now reduced to eight. The forecast looks good for the next few days though. There is some light rain forecast for early Friday morning, but I think we can expect to be playing our 12-hole comp on all holes and on proper greens.
I played an enjoyable 13 holes today in the company of Paddy Moran and Kevin Bocquet. Neither Paddy or I had played with Kevin before. I persuaded Kevin to write a paragraph or two to introduce himself to everyone in the senior section. If you don’t yet know Kevin, but think he looks vaguely familiar, it is highly probable that you used to watch him on the telly!
Happy Mondays – Monday 27 January
Match Reporter: Peter Willson
A bitterly cold day feeling much colder than the 4 deg. C indicated on the thermometer. Dry but mainly cloudy with some watery sunshine and a brisk breeze.
Game: Team Stableford
14 players – 4 teams – 2 x 4 and 2 x 3.
Played over 8 holes only (although that was enough in the low temps). On temporary greens with odd puddles in the fairways
Winners: Kevin Bocquet, Eric Cox, Steve Rowley and Peter Willson – 15.8 points per player
2nd: Pete Broady, Les Fecitt, Charlie Hill and Ken Pearce – 14.8 ppp
Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 30 January)
Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 2nd Feb
A ‘Hello’ from Kevin Bocquet, our journalist-in-residence!
Hello everyone, my name is Kevin Bocquet and I joined Lymm GC in April last year. I was a member at Styal for several years, but after moving to High Legh, decided it made more sense to switch clubs. I’ve enjoyed my first year at Lymm, particularly playing on a course which stays much drier than I’m used to (the top holes at least). And I’ve found everyone very welcoming.
Early in my adult life, it became clear I was not suited for proper work, so I became a journalist. I spent most of my career reporting for the BBC both on radio and on TV, which on slow news days could be boring, on good days quite frenetic and occasionally very exciting.
I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting many Lymm seniors and look forward to meeting the rest of you.
A little late, but straight from the heart – To all members of the Lymm Golf Club Seniors Section I wish you a New Year filled with laughter, love, and success, I may be late, but my wishes for your happiness are always on time. Here’s to a year full of joy on the fairways, friendship amongst all our members, and health to each and every one of us. I personally have made many friends in my short time with the seniors, and looking forward to making many more.
At last, the weather has abated, and we can get back to our favourite sport of whacking that pesky pill of peril around a big field…!
A beautiful winter’s day, no wind, 12 holes on offer, and a record 49 players for the first round available in 2025. However, I collected 64 completed cards from the box!!
Alas there was no ‘keep a 6 off your card’ handed in.
A large field of 49 runners completed the 12 holes on offer, 25 players from Division 1 and 24 players from Division 2.
Just the one 2 recorded today, Martin Franks. See the Second Lord of the Treasury Steve Gosling for your balls.
Division 1 Results Winner – Steve Barlow with 27pts R/up – Andy Timms with 26pts 3rd – Paul Collins with 25pts on a CPO
Division 2 Results Winner – Jeff Ashurst with 27pts on a CPO R/up – Steve Bramall with 27pts 3rd – Keith Melia with 26pts on a CPO
A few comments for you all to digest, following our first round of the new year, and a few headaches for me after collecting the scorecards!
Three Div 1 players put the wrong WHS club hcap down, and two Div 2 players couldn’t remember their hcap from the Autumn league…
Eight players completed 13 holes and recorded all in their total on their card, trying to confuse me. Took me a while to work that one out.
Eight members did not register their rounds before last Friday. I think the booze laden Xmas pud got to scramble too many brain! Don’t forget to register your round prior to playing on Fridays. You can register for them all in advance. You can register for all rounds up to the round 10 now if you like. If, nearer the time, you decided cannot play on the day, just remove yourself.
Finally there were fourteen cards in the box from the 27th December 2024. Now that really confused me!!!
Happy Mondays – 20th January
Reporter: Richard Yates
A very cold morning, with drizzle most of the time.
There were 18 of us, playing in 5 groups.
Winners: Dave Craggs, Steve Bramhall, Tony Lambert and Charlie Hill with an impressive average of 32 points per person over 15 holes.
Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 23 January)
Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 26 January
2025:Editor’s notes
Would you like to be Newsletter editor for the Senior Section?
My obligatory three years will be up in autumn. If you’re interested, please let me or the committee know.
I would be happy to continue into next year if no-one comes forward between now and autumn, but I do think it would be good to get some fresh impetus for our ‘comms’.
The Newsletter is published on the ‘WordPress’ platform. It is easy to use.
I would like to echo Paul Foster’s ‘New Year’ positive sentiments on our Senior Section. I joined LGC four years ago, on my retirement, age 60, having not played golf for a decade. Back in 2020 it was a shock to me to discover that a radically new rule book had been published. Even ‘water hazards’ no longer existed. And what was all this ‘WHS’ stuff?
When I started looking for a golf club, England was just gradually coming out of ‘Covid’ lockdown, and I had just moved from Sandbach to Altrincham (not easy in lockdown). I phoned a few golf clubs within reasonable distance (all of which were still closed) inquiring about membership. I phoned Tim, the former business manager of LGC, who was friendly enough, and he started talking about Lymm’s relatively high ‘slope rating’. I told Tim that I’m not keen on hilly courses… And so you can imagine how the conversation went!
On joining LGC, I was encouraged by Steve in the Pro’s shop to join the Senior Section, and I’m glad I did. However, the first person I was introduced to was a guy with outrageously colourful clothes and what sounded like a South African accent (but is apparently Rhodesian): Rob Taylor, Senior Section secretary/communications officer. I complimented Rob on his attire. He said, “the strange thing about you Englishmen is that you live in a dull climate and yet insist on wearing dull clothing!”
No-one is more frank than Rob, which is fine: I’m a Yorkshireman!
Rob asked, “What did you do for a living?” “Scientific Technical Writer”, I replied. “Good, he said”, just what we need. “I’ve been doing the comms for the Senior Section since its foundation, and am looking for for someone to take it over…”
There has been a frustrating lack of opportunity to play golf since the floods of two weeks ago. However, walking in last Friday’s sunlit snow provided some compensation for the cancellation of Round 1 of the Winter League! I took this picture, walking down the 6th Hole (Par 5) at Dunham Forest. I think the 6th is the most picturesque hole on the course in all seasons.
Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 16 January)
The scene from my window, at about the highest point in the Altrincham area, is deep and crisp and even. And with a forecast of freezing temperatures for the next few days, the prospects of playing any golf this week are looking very slim.
Let’s hope that the forecasters have got it wrong, and things do thaw out by Friday, in which case we will be playing Round 1 of 10 of the Winter League.
Paul Foster has drawn up the rules for the league, and the handicapping system we will be using for each division.
Winter League 2025 – Handicap Rules
Reporter: Paul Foster
The winter league 2025 will be played over 12 holes
1st Division
Handicaps reset to the WHS 95% playing handicap.
After a score above 24pts: 0.5 a shot reduction for every two shots under par.
25pts – no change
26 or 27pts – 0.5 shot reduction
28pts – 1 shot reduction etc.
After a score of 20 to 24pts: No handicap adjustment.
After a score of 19pts or less, a single addition of 0.5 of a shot to be added to the handicap.
Handicaps that include 0.5 are rounded up to the next whole number
2nd Division
Handicaps to continue from as they were at the end of the Autumn league 2024.
After a score above 24pts: 0.5 shot reduction for every shot under par.
After a score of 20 to 24pts: No handicap adjustment.
After a score of 15 to 19pts: A single addition of 0.5 of a stroke to be added to the handicap
After a score under 15pts: 0.5 of a stroke added to the handicap for each point less than 15pts
Handicaps that include 0.5 are rounded up to the next whole number
The Divisions
Paul has also worked on resetting the divisions. The Div 2 list is slightly longer; this is because fewer people in Div 2 play in the winter league than in Div 1.
Handicaps
Go to the Handicaps page to see your handicap for Week 1 of the Winter League.
Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 9 January)
Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 12 January
Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 2 January)
Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 5th January
Friday 27 December
Here are a few snaps from Colin Hughes, who played in the mist with fellow members of the senior section last Friday. Colin has no idea why the police were searching the ship canal.
Game on Friday 3 January
This Friday will be an individual Stableford, using existing senior handicaps. A bottle of wine will go to the winner.
Individual Stableford. Played over the 8 holes open. Breezy, chilly but dry day whilst the game was played.
Players = 19 – but 8 handicaps incorrectly entered.
Winner: John White – 20 points 2nd: Peter Willson – 17 points – CPO over last 6 holes 3rd: Jeff Chapman – 17 points
Bottle of wine to John.
Tee-booking schedule for Thursday 26 December
Happy Mondays tee-booking for Sunday 29 December
Pub Crawl – 29 December
Paul Foster has organised a short pub crawl (maybe 2 or 3 pubs) in Lymm Village, to take place on Sunday 29th December. Meeting in the Sadlers Arms at 8pm. All invited.
Happy Christmas!
See the Calendar for 2025, recently completed by Dave Craggs, for a heads-up on our busy and diverse schedule of activities for 2025. Dave has also updated the Rules and Guidelines, to account for various recent changes.
Best Christmas wishes to all from the Senior Section Committee.
A still winter’s day for the final round, and once again some excellent scores from the 45 runners. All to play for.
Two ‘keep a 6 off your cards’ were handed in from Ian Whitehead & Paul Collins (that’s two for PC now).
2s from Mike Bennett, Duncan Clarke, Paul Collins, Michael John and Peter Willson. See George Osbourne aka Steve Gosling for your Christmas balls.
Division 1 Results Winner – Paul Collins with 36pts on a CPO 2nd – Colin Hughes with 34pts 3rd – Mike Kendal and John White 33pts
Division 2 Results Winner – Stuart Baird with 36pts on a CPO 2nd – Mike Bennett with 36 points 3nd – Dave Craggs with 35pts
Autumn League Summary
Reporter: Paul Foster
‘They think it’s all over… it is now’.
So we come to the end of the Autumn League. 71 competitors, 402 rounds, ten different winners in Division 1, but only five different winners in Division 2.
Mr Stewart Baird won 3 rounds and Mr Alan Copeland won 4 rounds. Thirty-one 2s scored, Best score was 41 points by, yes, Mr Copeland. Lowest winning score was 30 points in Division and 28 points in Division 2
Mark Pickles is Division 1 champion of the Autumn League, and richly deserved I must say. Mark lost 7 shots from his handicap over the Autumn League getting down to an all time senior’s low handicap of 1. Michael Johntakes second place, a solitary single point behind Mark in the league table. Martin Frankstakes third place, having been a leader throughout most of the Autumn League period. Congratulations to all three of you.
Alan Copeland is Division 2 champion. With a Christmas-cracker of a finish to his campaign, he has lost 8 shots in his final few rounds. Stuart Baird takes second place. Dave Craggstakes third place. Once again many congratulations to you three.
The seniors’ handicap system, and divisions will be amended for the Winters League starting on Friday 10th January. All will be revealed in due course.
Handicaps until Friday 10 January
The senior section competitions, including ‘Happy Mondays’, will be using senior handicaps for both Div 1 and Div 2. See the ‘Handicaps’ tab for the latest adjustments.
A new handicapping regime will apply from the first round of the Winter League, on 10 January.
Happy Mondays – 16th December
Peter Willson
Well …. Another Monday morning – chilly, damp with glowering clouds and a stiff breeze and because we’re the Senior Section plenty of clouds of confusion to see us on our way and to provide discussions in the Clubhouse afterwards.
The rules were changed in the car park by the earlier starters to play off WHS handicaps rather than the customary Lymm Seniors handicaps. Why this was suggested before we recalibrate the handicaps for the Winter League before WHS returns in the Spring – I’d prefer not to speculate. Some players played off WHS – some of the later starters were told to play off Lymm Seniors handicaps. I’ve checked the scorecards and adjusted the many incorrect handicaps when Seniors handicaps are applied – however amazingly the change to use the most recent SWHS handicap still brought out they same wining team
Game: Team Stableford
6 teams a total of 20 players
Winners: Grahame Brickell, Steve Gosling and Ken Pearce – a creditable 85 points or 28.3 points per player.
It was a close run thing though as 2 other teams came in with 28 ppp
No game for the next two weeks, but the draw for the 1st game of 2025 – 6th January will need to be done on Sunday (see below).
The new scoring system and which handicaps are to be used for next year’s Happy Mondays will decided nearer the time.
Merry Christmas!
A good time was had by all at our Senior Section Christmas lunch last Friday. Here are a few snaps from the event. There was an impressive array of Christmas jumpers.
There were big cheers when the amazing duo of Joe Priestner and George Allen were each in turn drawn in the first raffle tickets! Lucky Joe, whose number was the first to be drawn for the second year running said, “Is this a fix?”
Thank you to Karen and all the catering and bar staff for the excellent meal and service and smooth running of the afternoon.
Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 19 December)
Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 22 Dec
We’re a day early for this week’s newsletter. I will be away tomorrow. The website technology does allow me to schedule publication for any date and time, however, it makes sense to publish today to remind members that there is still chance to join us in our Christmas lunch, so long as you sign by tomorrow afternoon.
I played golf with my mate last-minute-Bob (Mycock) today. He said he “might join” us for Christmas lunch. I said you “might not” unless you put your name on the list today. He said he might do it tomorrow!
Christmas Lunch starting time is 2pm for 2:30pm.
The list of names on the senior’s noticeboard will be removed by Karen on Wednesday evening. Therefore, if you are hoping to attend Christmas lunch this Friday (13 Dec) and haven’t yet added your name, please do so as soon as possible.
Karen will be taking £18 from the bar account of everyone on the list on Wednesday evening. Therefore, if you have changed your mind, remove your name from the list by Wednesday afternoon, or alternatively phone Karen to say that you will be unable to attend. Once the food orders have been made, Karen will not be able to refund those who are listed who do not turn up, and the rest of us will be preying on the extra turkey, roasties and Christmas pud that you have kindly donated.
Please remember to make sure there is enough money on your card, otherwise, on the day, we’ll send ‘the Princess’ round to your table to give you a gentle hug.
The Princess of Oldfield Brow
There is no formal seating plan, but could all Manchester United supporters, former accountants, and former insurance-loss adjusters please sit on Bob Mycock’s table (if he turns up), to avoid boring the rest of us 😉
Autumn League round 9 of 10
Match Reporter: Paul Foster
Another winter’s day, but fortunately in a lull between Storm Darragh’s first and second nuclear attack on the UK, and so we enjoyed rather tranquil conditions on a shortened course (holes 10 and 3-to-9) with winter greens on 7 and 8. Once again some excellent scores, a record 24 players (more than half the field) played better than their handicap. Lots to get my teeth into chopping handicaps.
With only one par 5 in play, numerous ‘keep a 6 off your card’ were handed in this week, from Paddy Moran, Dave Meir, Michael John, Andy Timms, Russ Jones, Ian Whitehead and Paul Collins.
However, a precedent has been set for a new challenge: ‘keep a 5 off your card’! I don’t think this has ever been achieved before in our senior league. Mark Pickles posted a two-under gross card with 4 x 4s and 4 x 3s. As a consequence, Mark’s handicap has plummeted from 5 to 1, effectively scratch (because we do not play the 16th hole).
A large field of 40 runners participated, 21 players from Division 1 and 19 players from Division 2.
Three 2s recorded on the two par 3s played today, Martin Franks, Dave Meir and Ian Whitehead, all on the 9th. See the Second Lord of the Treasury Steve Gosling for your balls.
Division 1 Results: Winner – Mark Pickles with 38pts R/up – Dave Meir with 36pts on a CPO 3rd – Paddy Moran with 36pts on a CPO
Division 2 Results: Winner – Alan Copeland with a league high of 41pts R/up – Mike Bennet with 39pts 3rd – Richard Yates with 38pts
New leader in the 1st division is Mark Pickles with 160 points. Long-time leader Martin Franks is now in 2nd place with 156 points, and Michael John in 3rd place also with 156 points
Extending his lead in the 2nd division is Alan Copeland with 168 points in 2nd position with 157 pts is Dave Craggs, followed by Stuart Baird with 151 points in 3rd place. Alan has now been docked 8 shots just in the Autumn League!
***
Comical moment of the week for me was Dave Meir performing the conga with 35 under-10 year olds at the club’s children’s Christmas party! Had to be seen to be believed!
Heads-up on the Winter League
Reporter: Paul Foster
The Winter League, starting in January, will be played over 12 holes.
Handicaps are always contentious of course, and it is impossible to have a perfect over-winter system.
Suggestions for sticking with WHS handicaps throughout winter sounds reasonable on the face of it, but, especially in Division 2, this would not work. There has to be some ongoing adjustment if we are playing an individual format in our autumn league and winter league. This difficult problem is the reason that Lymm Golf Club has only pairs formats and team formats for almost all the Saturday games outside of WHS qualifying season.
Following discussions with other members of the committee, and after doing several scenario experiments on my spreadsheet, and reporting back to the committee, we have agreed that for the Winter League:
Division 1 players will to revert back to their WHS handicap for Round 1
Division 2 players handicaps are to remain as they finished the Senior Section Autumn league for Round 1.
After every game, I will adjust the handicaps for Div 1 and Div 2, but not as severely for those who play better than their handicap. Full details to follow before the Winter League begins.
Tee-booking schedule for Thursday 12th Dec
Happy Mondays – 9th December
Reporter: Peter Willson
A dry and partly sunny morning with light winds but it became chillier as the round progressed. The course appeared to have avoided too much damage to trees following Storm Darragh – 93 mph winds on the North Wales coast – last weekend.
Game: Team Stableford
15 players in 5 teams
Winners: Steve Gosling, Ron Thornton and Peter Willson – 57 points / 19 ppp
Second: Les Fecitt, Paul Foster and Mark Pickles – 18.7 ppp
Christmas Season Real-Ale Appreciation
Reporter: Paul Foster
A short pub crawl (maybe 2 or 3 pubs is enough for our senior knee-and-hip joints) in Lymm Village will take place on Sunday 29th December. Meeting in the Sadlers pub at 8pm. All invited.
This could develop in the New Year into a regular event, at various locations. Real ale will be the theme.
Our secretary, ‘Craggzy’, is preparing for Christmas. Having an impressive head of white hair, the good folk of Stockton Heath have asked him to grow a long beard in readiness for the forthcoming community events.
Back at Lymm Golf Club, Dave has proposed a raffle for our Christmas lunch on Friday 13th. We had some good fun with the raffle last year, and raised some money for a worthy cause. Thank you to those who donated prizes for the raffle.
The largesse of Santa has limits. Therefore, any donation of a prize for the raffle will be much appreciated. Please contact Dave Craggs, or simply turn up on the day with your offering. I’ll publish more details in next week’s newsletter.
If you are coming to the Christmas, lunch, please make sure that there is at least £18 on your card. The catering and bar staff will be very busy, and we don’t want to burden them on the day with having to ask us to come to the bar to top up our account.
Turkey Trot
As promised last week, the full results were published on the main LGC website, taken from our inputs to the I.G. app. See here.
As luck would have it, following a couple of days of dryer weather, 15 holes were open. Here are the leading scores by division:
1st Division Winner – Richard Smyllie 35pts R/up – Ian Whitehead 35pts 3rd – Paddy Moran 33pts
2nd Division Winner Alan Copeland 35pts R/up Jeff Chapman 34pts 3rd Ken Narraway 34pts
Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow – Thursday 5th December
Happy Mondays – 2nd December
Reporter: Peter Willson
It wasn’t a particularly Happy Monday morning – the light rain was pretty continuous and it was cold. Three intrepid player were seen venturing up the muddy path to the 10th tee early doors, but the remaining 3 participants in the car park looked at the weather and decided to make a retreat home.
Please note – I’m not issuing a draw for the next 2 weeks – 23rd and 30th December – as most players will have other tasks to perform and entertain themselves.
Next draw for the 6th January 2025 will be issued in due course.
This coming Friday sees the climax of the Senior Section’s golfing year: the frozen-and-affordable-Turkey Trot.
Entry to the competition is free to all paid-up members of the Senior Section, who will compete for the massive purse of £60: two £30 cash prizes, one each for the winner of Division 1 and Division 2 respectively.
Rules of the competition are:
15 holes, or fewer if parts of the course are closed.
WHS playing handicap.
Register in ‘Upcoming Competitions’ on the LGC website or the I.G. app for the ‘Senior Section Turkey Trot’ by Thursday evening at the latest (the I.G. app does not allow same-day entrants).
Enter your scorecard on the I.G. app.
When you enter your score on I.G. it will ensure that you enter your correct WHS 95% playing handicap. All the scores will be published the following day on the LGC website, after Paul Foster has checked the cards and ‘finalised’ the competition.
Good luck to all competitors. And remember, ‘Mums go to Iceland’. (Are we allowed to say this in our diversity-and-inclusion times? If not, ‘People who have given birth go to Iceland’. )
A reminder of our new change to Autumn/Winter league rules
In previous years, games that were played on more than three temporary greens and/or on a severely-shortened course due to weather conditions did not count in the ‘best 5 out of 10’.
Following the appallingly-wet weather last autumn and winter that jeopardised the leagues, the committee agreed that every Friday competition will count when the course is open. We play what is in front of us, regardless of the number of holes open, and the number of temporary tees and temporary greens.
If fewer holes are open than the designated 15 holes for the Autumn league (or 12 for the Winter league) your score will be aggregated up.
Senior’s Christmas Lunch – 13 December
If you intend to join us for the Christmas lunch on Friday 13th December. Please add your name to the list on the Seniors’ noticeboard, in order that Karen knows how many to cater for. The cost is £18, which will be taken from your bar card on the day.
Autumn League round 8 of 10
Reporter: Paul Foster
Wow, what a day to play golf! From where I was in a nice warm church the weather looked horrendous. I did feel for you all, however the scores didn’t reflect the arctic conditions. There were some excellent scores.
I think the cold seemed to mess with the old cerebellum though, as there were 5 wrong hcaps entered onto the score cards again, 3 completed cards for 15 holes (even though we only played 13 holes), 2 cards from 1 player (with different scores on them) 1 missing card but his IG had been inputted, and 2 cards submitted but their IG not inputted.
I have highlighted any change in handicap on the handicap list.
36 hardy souls completed round 8, 20 players from Division 1 and 16 players from Division 2.
Five 2s recorded again today, Grahame Brickell, Steve Gosling, Bob Ellison, Mark Pickles and a magnificent 2 on the 2nd for a net zero for 5 points for George Clark, well done to you 5. See ‘Jeremy Hunt’ Steve Gosling
A second card for this series to ‘keep a 6 off your card’ was handed in from Martin Franks, well done Martin, take some doing that..!
Division 1 Results: Winner – Grahame Brickell with 33pts on a CPO R/up – Martin Franks with 33pts 3rd – John Hayes with 32pts on a CPO
Division 2 Results Winner – Stuart Baird with an excellent 36pts R/up – Peter Willson with 35pts 3rd – Alan Copeland with 32pts
Still leader in the 1st division is Martin Franks with 151 points, Mike Pigott now having completed 5 cards has risen to 2nd place with 147 points and Mervyn Roberts in 3rd place with 146 points
New leader in the 2nd division is Dave Craggs with 155 points, leaving Alan Copeland in 2nd position with 152 pts, followed by Steve Bramall with 140 points in 3rd place
Please check your Seniors handicap here on our website.
Your WHS hcap could be different to your seniors hcap.
Happy Mondays – 25 November
Match Reporter: Peter Willson
A dry bright day with blue skies and plenty of sunshine which plays havoc with tee shots on the 9th.
The course was comparatively dry and back on main greens but only 8 holes were played on the top land.
Game: Team Stableford. 5 teams – 17 players.
Winners:Kevin Bocquet, Tommy Lawless and Peter Willson – 18 points per player Joint 2nd: Mike Bennett, Les Williams and Richard Yates and Steve Bramall, Colin Chisnall and Steve Gosling – both teams with 17.3 ppp
Tee-booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 28 November)
Happy Mondays tee-booking schedule for Sunday 1st December
Lymm Golf Club Senior Section 