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

Knaresborough GC

The aftermath of recent rain and frost may be patches of mud-compacted ground, but one team tripped the light fantastic to post a handsome 86 points in the four-person Waltz.

Chris Ogden and Duncan Roberts set the pattern with both holing birdies from six feet at the short third. Partners Paul Riley and Jim Pearson duly took their cue and helped maintain the strictly tempo.

It continued till they closed out the long ninth with a flourish and 10 points after Ogden sank a 12 foot birdie and Riley downed a birdie from 30 feet. Roberts only just missed adding three more points when his own birdie shaved the hole.

It was Riley to the fore at 15 when he found the green with a great chipped approach and rolled in a 15 footer for four points, doubling the team tally to eight at the index one hole.

Jim Pearson was the Lynch pin over the back nine, securing the team’s progress, including a great approach to the 13th green, a 300 yard drive at the curving 16th and a critical approach shot to 10 feet at the 18th.

Before that, the team looked like posting their only blank at the long 17th until Roberts saved a point with a 15 foot par. It was one of only three holes where they failed to record better than a single point in a win which left them four points ahead of their nearest rivals.

The team in second place, on 82 points, dropped nothing against par until the 18th after picking up their share of birdie points along the way.

Outstanding hole was at the par three 11th where Barry McDermottroe and Tony Bretherick both struck superb shots to within three feet to collect double birdies to the delight of partners John O’Kane and Colin Bell.

In third on countback were the team of Gordon and Trevor Skinner with Alan Kitching and Simon Brown. All teams were united in welcoming the spirit and the variety of the winter programme of team golf.

Earlier, the ladies - much more accustomed to playing team as well as solo golf - competed in a Texas Scramble.

The 11-hole event saw a resounding 32 points produced by Hilary Ingram, Jan Seymour and Brenda Moore. Highlight moments were at the 4th where Ingram’s lengthy drive was followed by a fine 150 yard shot to two feet from where Seymour cupped the birdie for four points.

The trio lit up the par five 10th after Moore’s drive opened up the dogleg for Ingram to plant the second 80 yards short of the uphill green. Seymour’s shot into the green left a tricky two-foot down hill putt which Moore holed for another birdie and four points.

In second spot with 28 points were Brenda Hargreaves, Gerry Huyts and Sue Williams, with Marcia Crossley, Pat Mckay and Carolyn Day third on 26.

In the semi-finals of the Mixed Winter Knockout, Ken Ramsdale and Aileen O’Kane beat Steve Chapman and Julie Lovell, 5 and 3, while Kevin Lodge and Sue Williams won the other semi, beating James Keene and Carolyn Day after three extra holes.

Pannal GC

With the worst of the winter hopefully past, 8 teams of three ladies competed in the 13 hole Tri-Am Stableford on Tuesday February 14th. The format was for one player’s score to count on holes 1 to 4, two on 5 to 8 and all three on holes 9 to 13.

Debbie Bruce, Ann Drinkwater and Sue White topped the leader board with 46 points, closely followed in second by Margaret McNeill, Alison Stratford and Lynn Sheldrake on 45 with third place going to Julie Parry. Sue Rutherford and Ann Whiteley just one point further back

There were good golfing conditions on Saturday February 18th with the previous day‘s gale having eased considerably. Competition format was a Stableford Shambles, with all players driving and then picking the best positioned drive and all then playing from that point with a conventional Betterball with two to score.

Everything was therefore set fair for high scoring which proved to be the case. Countback was needed to separate third place from fourth, both teams having scored 93 points.

It was the team of Michael, Jordan and Callum Jonas and Tim Rhodes who prevailed. One point ahead of them in second were Jon Langham, Steve Corrie, Simon Barnicoat and Adam Tucker.

But with a superb 95 points it was Richard Little, Julian Graham-Rack, Richard Goodall and Men’s Vice Captain Martin Boyle who came out on top.

Speaking after the scores were all in, Martin commented that “a key moment came at the par-3 10th where Richard Goodall “stiffed” his drive to within 2 feet allowing me a tap-in two for four points to add to Richard’s three points”.

In total,127 members entered the competition and between them amassed no less than 37 two’s which included a brace of twos by six players so congratulations go to Richard Weddell, James Gardiner, Jeremy Halliday, John Jones, Nigel Wright and Rob Booth.

Harrogate GC

Last week, the competitions teams went for the more, quirky team of three games. With the women going out on Tuesday playing a Florida Scramble and the men a team of three Yellow Ball Stableford on Saturday.

Ten teams of three Ladies played the Florida Scramble Medal, where in this format, unlike a Texas Scramble the player whose shot is chosen does not play the subsequent shot only her two team mates.

Scoring was close at the top with three teams scoring a nett 66 and three teams scoring a nett 65.

Lady Captain’s (Boo Orman) team with Sheila Robertson and Lynn Shears were pushed into fourth place after a count back. The winners were three shots ahead of the field scoring an excellent nett 62.

Results: 1st Lindsay Raybaud, Tina Meadows, Ladies Vice Captain Charlotte Franks, nett 62; 2nd Pat Benson, Liz Haw, Margaret Hindley, nett 65; 3rd Polly Brettle, Linda McPhee, Linda Herman, nett 65.

In the Yellow Ball game, it was two scores to count on each hole but one score had to be from the player with the yellow ball. This is passed on in sequence so player “A”, takes it on hole 1, player “B” on hole 2 and Player “C” is “yellow ball on hole 3. This sequence continues on the subsequent holes.

Players often refer to the ‘curse of the Yellow Ball’ as responsibility tends to weigh heavily on each player in turn.

It was very tight at the top of the leader board after the 33 teams had returned their cards. By just one point it was the team of Derek Hood, Peter Dean & Richard Money who walked off with the top prize.

Results: 1st Derek Hood, Peter Dean & Richard Money, 72 pts; 2nd Robin Nicholls, David Sykes & Paul Mitchell, 71 pts (bb9); 3rd Alan Firth, Johnny Pearson & Tim North 71 pts.