Yearly Archives: 2017

The club’s Stableford round began with a strong north-easterly wind and intermittent drizzle.  During the round the wind moved to the north-west and then shifted around for the remainder of the afternoon, Royal Romsey had bared her teeth!  Rain on Thursday and Friday saw casual water on some fairways and some greens.  The shifting wind and the cold air made club section a challenge and strong gusts caused balls to move on the green resulting in many a certain par ending up just short or away from the cup.  As the round progressed there were really only three players in contention but, a gust of wind or a missed putt made all the difference, in the end it was a day for the club’s younger players.  On a cold, windy day the results were;

Winner; MichaelMcCarten (11) – 36 pts from Scott Williams (17) – 33 pts

NTP; 1st – John Freestone

The day’s golf was played under almost perfect conditions; there was not a breath of wind and the winter’s sun was out for the entire round.  The fairways had excellent cover and the greens were quite good however the poor old 16th had again been attacked by the birds and quite a bit of damage had been caused.  A great pity especially after the herculean efforts by life member John Laing to repair earlier damage.  This year is the 1st year the birds have begun to attack the greens as early as August.  On another wonderful mid-winter’s day the results were;

Winners; Leila Beasley/Darlene Baler – 108/30.5/77.5 from Wendy Gosden/Jenny hartley – 122/34.5/88.5

A good field turned out for the July medal and while the predicted 130 Kph gusts of wind didn’t really eventuate it was a cold and very windy afternoon on the course.  The wind gusted from the north then the east before moving back and forth for most of the afternoon.  Players found themselves choosing clubs two up or two down from their regular selection, it all depended if the the wind was with you or against you.  Some played their shot, allowing for the wind only to have a lull and end up well off target or have the wind blow up and, again, end up well off target.  It was a day for steady golf and it was a couple older heads and two younger players who were able to card a respectable score.  On a challenging day the results were;

Winner & July Medalist; Shannon Wright – 87/15/72 from Anthony Freeman – 93/19/74, Andrew Clement – 83/9/94 & Daniel Wright – 79/5/74

NTPs; 15th – Anthony Lakey and 16th – Michael Nicholls Jnr.

Play began on a very cold afternoon, there were over cast skies and a gusting northerly wind.  The recent rain had again softened the fairways and greens however there was still some growth and all fairways had good cover.  The final of the W. E. Tom looked to be over after the first nine with Freeman picking up wins on 1, 3 & 4 and McCarten chipping in with a win on 6.  Freestone & Nicholls were not downcast and proceeded to pick up the 10, 11 & 12 to be one down with six holes to go.  It was then that youngster McCarten turned on the heat winning 13, 14 & 15.  With 16 squared McCarten/Freeman had won the day.  The Par competition got under way about 20 minutes after the 4Ball Final.  The gusting wind moved balls in the air, some players seemed to hit off just as a gust blew in while others seemed to get the quite spots and see their ball sail fairly true.  It was a tough day and anything approaching square was a good score.  On another, windy, chilly winter’s day the results were;

Winner; Michael Nicholls Jnr (22) – Square from Scott Williams (17) -1

NTP; 15 – Michael McCarten

W. E. Tom Final

Anthony Freeman (8)/Michael McCarten (0) D John Freestone (10)/Mick Nicholls Snr (10) – 4/2

2017 W. E. Tom 4BBB Winners Michael McCarten, RGC Capt Anthony Lakey & Anthony Freeman

Well, it was a hardy, (some might say fool hardy), group who assembled and headed out for the Par competition.  After the overnight rain there was more, light rain falling and a cold wind from the north making for slippery conditions, soft fairways and keeping players checking for plugged balls.  As the round progressed the rain became heavier coming in waves across the course and after the 5th it was decided to make a strategic withdrawal to the rooms and a warm cuppa.  Well done all these who ventured out.

Some good rain over the latter part of the week and a heavy frost on Saturday morning made for a challenging competition, heavy, overcast skies kept the air cold however the sun did break through now and then.  The softness of the course meant all balls would pick up mud so “Preferred Lies Through The Green” was given.  The two semi-finals of the W. E. Tom Shield looked to be evenly  matched with all four teams having players in good form.   The 1st semi Freestone/Nicholls Snr Vs Mottram/Williams was a see-sawing match with neither team being able to get away until well into the final nine  holes.  The 2nd semi, McCarten/Freeman Vs Wright/Patton was even closer.  The two young guns, Wright & McCarten, lead the way with some exciting golf but wily, old heads Freeman and Patton chipped in picking up holes just when they were needed.  This semi went into a second 18.  The Stroke competition proved to be one of attrition with golfers gaining shots here and there only to have the course and conditions bite hard resulting a double or triple bogey.  The round proved to be a day for one of the club’s evergreen veterans who used all his knowledge of the course (possibly gained as much through mowing as golfing) to card the best score of the day.  On a cold, overcast day the results were;

Winner; Bob McLennan – 87/13/74

W. E. Tom Semi-final results

John Freestone/Mick Nicholls Snr D Mal Mottram/Scott Wiliams – 4/2

Anthony Freeman/Michael McCarten D Jim Patton/Shannon Wright – 20th hole

The W. E. Tom Final will be;

John Freestone/Mick Nicholls Snr Vs Anthony Freeman/Michael McCarten

NTPs; 1st & 15th – Anthony Freeman, 16th – Mal Mottram

Players faced a very overcast sky and a steady, ~20Kph NE wind as they headed to the course for the 2017 Silver Spoon Playoff, a pleasant mid-winter day.  As the field progressed up the first three fairways ice could be seen clumping on the buggy wheels and falling off in an icy trail.  The sun soon broke through and made for very pleasant conditions.

The winner for the day with a very respectable score of nett 71 was Jenny Hartley, followed by Beryl Cole in second place and Darlene Baker third. This round was also the playoff for the Silver Spoon which was won by Darlene .

Players assembled under an overcast sky with a steady south-easterly wind however, after about 25 minutes the clouds lifted and the course warmed considerably (8C to ~10C!).  The cold air and the soft fairways challenged all players but everyone enjoyed excellent lies on the lush fairways.  The real difficulties came when the ball was on the green; the greens were decidedly two paced, some quite fast others required a serious whack to get close to the hole.  Needless to say a number of players confused some greens, putting to have their ball finish well off the green or well short of the cup.  As the day drew to a close it was a battle between experience and youth with experience just holding out over the final few holes. The day’s results were;

Winner; Bob Dwyer (all of 86 yrs old) – 37 pts from Michael McCarten and Scott Williams – 36 pts  (Bob also picked up the meat tray so a good weekend)

NTPs; 15th – Mick Nicholls Snr (Great shot that got the $100 jackpot too!), 16th – Scott Williams

The course had held up reasonably well after the extreme cold of the weekend and the steady rain of Mon/Tue however there was some casual water on many fairways and even one or two greens.  At the beginning of the round the sun poked through and stayed for the first few holes.  By hole 6 things looked a little bleak and by the 7th light rain began to fall.  The players decided that discretion was the better part of valour and it was agreed that all play the the 12-hole “Old Course”.  Under these conditions it was extremely difficult to card a good score.  Well done to those who turned out and who completed the slightly reduced round.