Golf round-up: The latest news from Harrogate & district's courses

Pannal GC

High winds faced Pannal’s ladies as they set out on their regular 13-hole Stableford competition on Tuesday January 31st.

Clear winner on the day was Janet Jones whose 23 points were four better than her nearest rival, Julie Parry with 19. There was a three way points tie on 18 for third place with the countback system showing Sandra Taylor with the better closing holes.

As well as the week’s event this Stableford was the last of the six designated Stablefords over the winter that count towards the Ladies Winter Trophy. The player with the best three aggregate scores from the six designated 13 hole Stablefords becomes the Trophy holder.

In another closely fought competition there was a tie between Sandra Taylor and Sophie Jacob, both on 71 points with Sophie declared the overall winner with the highest two aggregate scores.

Conditions had calmed somewhat by Saturday when 37 pairs entered for the Betterball Stableford over the full course.

Once again there was a very tight finish with just three points separating the top five pairs. In fourth place on 41 points were Richard Finney and Rob Booth edging out Gareth Whiles and Philip Miles on countback.

A similar situation applied for second and third with both pairs on 42 points. Geoff Otty and John Sheldrake’s inferior back nine saw them into third with Alec Walton and John Gardiner securing second place.

However the winners for the week were the regular partnership of Jonathan Sands and Simon Hanslow who topped the leaderboard with 43 points.

On Tuesday 7th the ladies held a 13 hole Texas scramble when the team of Val Jackson, Alison Stratford, and Sandra Taylor won with a nett 46. In second place were Lydia Scott, Rebecca Ellacott and Amanda Finney with nett 48 followed home in third with nett 51 by the trio of Carole Whiles, Vicky Eyre and Lynn Sheldrake.

By the weekend there was just a hint of spring in the air as the fairways began to firm up and Saturday 11th saw the usual full field compete in a Fourball Better Ball Stableford.

There was three-way tussle for second and third place where a countback was needed to divide four pairs with 44 Stableford points. John Drumey and Geoff Otty had to be content with fourth, missing out to Rob Farnell and Andrew Asquith.

In second place with the best of the 44 points were first time pairing of Dom Hayes and Bruce Allison who very much rued their blob at the third hole!

Winners on the day were Tim Considine and Nigel Brown whose 45 points was good enough for victory.

On the social front, around 150 members gathered in the Clubhouse on Friday night to bid a fond farewell to Front of House Manager Jaine Collington who is moving on to pastures new.

To mark the occasion there was a fun quiz interspersed with Jaine’s fine singing voice treating the members to some of her and their favourites followed by the presentation of an engraved crystal vase.

Harrogate GC

Round three of the four-round series of the Winter League was played last Saturday. A large field turned out buoyed by the fine weather and the luxury of returning to the ‘proper’ greens after weeks of coping with the vagaries of the frozen temporary greens.

This individual Stableford was played over 16 holes and clearly the goal of winning the league overall inspired a wonderful competition with such a tight finish, it required no fewer than seven card countbacks to determine the winner and the places.

Four players were tied on 36 points in second place and five players tied on 37 points vying for the top spot. The countback revealed Jonathan Kingston as the winner from James Hobson, John Kirkby, Kevin Quick and Keith Rogers.

This left Jonny Noble at the head of the chasing pack in 6th place ahead of David McLeary, Robin Nicholls and David Taylor. The top ten was completed by Graham Dennison on 35 points.

Just as the Ladies, the day before, the contestants of the mid-week Stableford had to contend with the very strong wind.

Played over 15 holes, for John Kirkby (11), it proved a great warm up for Saturday’s Winter League match winning by 3 clear points on 29 points with Paul Lai (6) taking second scoring 26 points. Robert Gray (19), Vince McLaughlin & Carl Westerman (6) were tied on 25 points.

The Ladies battled against Tuesday’s 50 m.p.h. gusts of wind to play a Four Ball Better Ball Stableford over 15 Holes. The sun shone for them and the course was drying out well after the rain of previous weeks and thawing frost.

They were putting on the proper greens which was a real treat as they were in excellent condition for January.

Results: 1st Elaine Shepherd & Karen Myers, 25 pts. 2nd Valerie Thornborrow & Margaret Bleasdale, 23 pts. 3rd Ann Lancaster & Judy Holroyde, 22 pts.

Knaresborough GC

It was a canyon of difference that separated Ben Doherty (20) from a recent social game with friends to his eye-catching victory in the latest Seniors’ Roll Up.

In the first, so tortuous was his ordeal of hacking, shanking and miss-hitting drives that he almost - with apologies to his partners - walked off the course.

Contrast with his performance in division two of the Seniors, when he posted a sub-par 41 points, with just about everything working like a charm.

The near walk-off came after months of negative returns. This time, after a couple of opening pars, he ran up a succession of ‘birdie’ points at the next five holes.

Even after registering a blank at the long ninth, when finding water, he still banked 23 points as he marched to the 10th.

A more modest 18 points down the back stretch capped a resounding win. The key? The familiar one for reviving golfers, he says - refusing to put pressure on himself.

In second spot was Moss Walker (20.7) with 39 points and Ronnie Harrison (22) third on 37.

In Division One, Henry Webster’s (14) final tally of 35 may have been more modest overall, but he was well served by a couple of outstanding birdie putts.

His first was at the par five eight where he just scraped onto the front green leaving himself a 30 foot putt for the hole. He knew the moment he struck the ball it was destined for the birdie.

The second birdie came at the 14th. A drive down the middle and a 60 yard arc with the sand wedge over ran the hole, but this time a 15 foot putt curving perfectly down the slope holed out for three.

It was though neck and neck in division on with Ian Hartley (13), second, and Mauricio Contreras (10), third on countback.

Brenda Moore (15) made the best of wet, muddy conditions relying strongly on her chipping and putting to post a winning score of 34 points in the ladies’ February Medal.

Outstanding moments were at the long ninth, when a 12 foot putt missed a nett eagle by a hair’s breadth; and at the par five 15th where a downhill seven foot putt for nett birdie helped make the one point difference between her and Di Kemp (17) in second place on 33 with Julie Lovell (14) third on 30.