36 Holes of Golf Proved to be the right number for Eric Queely
With only two events left on the CGS calendar, time is running out for those challenging for this years order of merit title.
The competition is getting tight at the top with six or more players still with a mathematical chance to take the CGS player of the year title.
So with thirty six members and guest lining up at the first tee at Gaudet Luce Golf Club, it was game.
Boom, Boom, Boom and slap went the first four ball group sending out a message to all standing and watching. There was a right mixture of talent in all the groups especially the guest players (more about that later).
As usual there is always good banter going on in the groups some pretending not to have played since the last event or “I’ve not been playing good lately” and then before you know it your playing partner has gone par, par birdie.
Don Bramble said he liked the course and would love to come back and recover some of the shots he left our there. “The guys in my group put me under some real pressure, but I enjoyed it I played my heart out, against him, it was a battle to keep Nat ‘the Geezer’ Burrows off my back, especially with him playing so well”. Don had to par the back nine with 9 pars and no buggies it was solid golf. That’s what a little pressure can do to your game.
Up and down the course there were some great play and other battles going on. The smooth silky skills of Roan Mcleod came to fruitfulness despite pulling his tee shot on the first into the trees on the left, he still managed 21 points on the front nine, which included him driving the fifth green, a 319 yard par 4 to pin high, but could only manage birdie.
Winton Mclean was going all guns blazing up until the 18th and was contention for a win until he hooked two balls out of bounds on the 18th ( it is not how you start but how you finish boys!). Winston’s other group members included a potential winners for next year in Len Hayles and new member Carl Cunningham who struggled off the tee like a few of us but showed great spirit and sportsmanship all the way. Carl (Kung-Fu) Douglas has another steady round despite his blob on the first.
On the course there were a number of other highlights, Mary Riley and Ken Brown did not start playing until the back nine, Mary was hitting some great shots and really turned her game around. Lloyd Bugsy Thomas was also having an up and down round spraying balls left and right, but was still able to return a credible 36 points. Overall there was some steady scoring by majority of the group.
For one player the day started really early and the CGS event was to be the second round of golf they played that day. Eric Queely (left in picture receiving his winners trophy from Roan Mcleod) having already played in an event at his home club chose to play in the CGS event also. Anyone who knows Eric know that he’s always on the golf course at Sandwell Park, so playing 36 holes is nothing to him. Well he didn’t have much success at Sandwell earlier but he came to let out his frustrations on the CGS members, shooting a gross score of 70, just one over par 69, winning this event with 41 stableford points playing off 6 handicap. That was an excellent round of golf. We must also mention Nick Hukins playing in the same group as Eric; he shot 40 points playing off 16 handicap to claim the runner up prize.
Eric said “this is a great course and one I have played before, I always play well here and it could have been better, in reality I was lucky to beat Nick he played a great game and might have won on any other day!”
“I really enjoyed myself out there today, my group was very competitive but we had a great chat and laugh, I could have taken it but Eric was in one of those fighting moods” Nick mentioned afterwards. Well done to Eric in securing his first CGS event win and moving up the order of merit into second spot, behind Nat Burrows who has held the lead in the order for most of the season.
After eighteen holes of golf the society would like to go back to Gaudet Luce Golf Club, hopefully there will be a bit more sand in some of the bunkers.
The Committee would also like to thank all its members for their continual good etiquette and discipline on and off the golf course. The Committee would also like to thank the ‘Pro’, Starter and all the staff at Gaudet Luce for making our day such a pleasant one!
Other Notables:
Longest Drive Winner
Went to our guest player Len Hayles, he apparently had been hitting long tee shots all day long. It looks like Junior, Ian, Roan and Eric have another rival for the longest drives. Well done Len.
Nearest the Pin Winner
This went to a ‘happy go lucky’ Lloyd Thomas aka ‘Bugsy’
Well done Bugsy, well deserved, hitting a 7 iron to with 2 feet from the pin. He said ”I knew when I hit it was going to be good, it’s about time I won something this year”.