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

Pannal GC

The third stage of Pannal GC’s comprehensive drainage programme was successfully completed over a seven-day period in mid-October.

Coupled with green reseeding and fairway verti-draining, this will help ensure that the course is well prepared for the winter season with maximum playability during wet periods.

Pannal’s Ladies competed on Tuesday October 10 in a three-lady team Texas Scramble drawn on a low, middle and high handicap basis. The result was a win for the combination of Sandra Taylor, Susan Asquith and Dee Miller whose nett 63 gave them a six shot win over the rest of the field.

Second place went to Sophie Jacob, Margaret McNeill and Kate Jesper with a nett 69 but they needed a card count to edge out the trio of Ruth Skaife-Clarke, Susan Taylor and Annie Burke into third.

With major competitions now finished, Saturday October 14 was the date for an optional Stableford competed for by 55 players. The changing conditions meant that scoring was clearly difficult with nobody making a level par score of 36 points and only three players scoring a two.

Three players needed to be separated by countbacks to decide the runner-up spots. In third place with 34 points was Phil Stott, edged out by Chris Matthewman on the same score.

But the competition winner was Tom Hesketh with 35 points. Playing off a plus-4 handicap, Hesketh shot a gross 69 with 10 pars, four birdies and an eagle at the par-five eleventh, seeing him home by just one point.

Finally, on Sunday, the last of the annual series of Men’s friendlies took place at home against Moortown GC, with the result a 5-3 win for Pannal.

These traditional fixtures of long standing are played alternately home and away each year with the emphasis always on a friendly and convivial contest.

Harrogate GC

Harrogate GC’s Ladies played the October Medal combined with the re-scheduled Centenary Salver (max. HI 38.6) between October 7-10.

It was a very close contest to see who would lift the Centenary Salver, with Dee Lewin-Jones and Frances Trowell in Division Three finishing on nett 79 and Joanne Crouse just pipping them with her nett 78 in Division Two.

Results: October Medal Div. One - 1st Jenny Hill, nett 83; 2nd Elaine Shepherd, nett 86; 3rd Pat Benson, nett 87.

Div. Two - 1st Joanne Crouse, nett 78; 2nd Louise Sellars, nett 85; 3rd Karen Myers, nett 86.

Div. Three – 1st Dee Lewin-Jones, nett 79; 2nd Frances Trowell, nett 79; 3rd Charlotte Franks, nett 83.

Sixteen of the club’s past lady captains played their annual nine-hole competition on October 12. The event was organised by immediate past lady captain, Boo Orman.

After lunch, the results of the competition were announced and it was Orman who came out on top with 15 points. But, as she had bought the prize, she gave it to Pat Capps, who was a close runner-up with 14 points. Orman did however receive the Jean Barton Trophy.

Josephine Walker won the Nine-hole Stableford over the Belmont Course.

Conditions for the last two Midweek Stablefords proved to be considerably different as rainfall levels increased week on week.

Ian Watson triumphed in the first of them with 37 points, whereas Steve English was the winner a week later with a score of 33 points.

A ‘fun’ Team of Four Stableford took place, with two scores to count on each hole and the result could hardly have been closer, with four teams separated by just two points.

Winning on 80 points after a countback was the team of Jacques Clarkson, Ralph Taylor, Luke Edwards and Sam Bainbridge.

Results: 1st J. Clarkson/R. Taylor/L. Edwards/S. Bainbridge, 80 pts. (bb9); 2nd S. Riley/A. Whiteley/ J. Shepherd/M Winter, 80 pts; 3rd D. Walkinshaw/R. Louden/C. Schofield/M. Gray, 78 pts. (bb9).

The Met Office’s second-named storm, Babet, wreaked miserable havoc across most of the UK recently, so it was no surprise to find the course closed at the end of last week, resulting in the abandonment and postponement of a number of planned competitions including the finals of the Annual Medal.

Harrogate GC’s Seniors were however able to wrap up their very busy season with a 4–2 win over York GC.

With 23 matched played since April, their overall record reads nine wins, nine losses and five draws.

The winners of the club’s Summer knock-outs were as follows: The Harrogate Trophy - Joe Buckley; The Corrie Cup – John Clarke; The Alexandra Plate – Keith Harrison & Stephen McPhee; The Jamieson Putter – Peter Cronin; The Rabbits Warren 4-Ball – Mike Thomas & Neil Baldwin

Oakdale GC

Twenty-four players took part in the Men’s Stableford on Wednesday October 18 and just one two was recorded on the day, by Michael Wilding.

The scores reflected the difficulty of a very breezy day. The winner, on countback, was Paul Dineen (22) from Daren Harris (15) with 33 points. Stephen Day (14) was third on countback from four other players.

Oakdale’s Seniors team played its final match of the season against Wetherby on Thursday October 19. The fixture was a very competitive affair, with three of the six matches being halved, but Oakdale managed to win two of the other three to secure a 3.5 to 2.5 win.

The 2023 Rabbits’ Nelson Trophy, a singles knock-out competition, was won by David Kennell, who triumphed in a challenging final against Ian Morris.

The 2023 Rabbits’ Mayze Trophy, a greensome knock-out competition, was won by Mark Parker and Chris Riley, who came through a tough match against Jamie Letts and Peter Nesbitt

Bedale GC

October 14 – Junior Stableford: 1st Thomas Moody 36 pts; 2nd Charlie Clark 27 pts.

October 14 – Rabbits Stableford: 1st Richard Hodgson 35 pts (countback required); 2nd Jimmy Bleasdale 35 pts (countback required); 3rd Mike Edwards 33 pts.

October 14 – Captain’s Mixed Charity: 1st Mike & Ginny Kirk; 2nd Steve Black & Emma Poulton-White; 3rd Al & Karolina Aurelius. In total, £170 was raised for the captain’s charity.

October 15 – Bedale Trophy: 1st Mo Kamali 37 pts; 2nd Ross Hodgson 35 pts (countback required); 3rd Paul Simmons 35 pts (countback required); 4th Lee Broadway 34 pts (countback required); 5th Tim Brown 34 pts (countback required).

October 15 – Captains versus Rabbits: The score after the first three matches was 13-0 to the Rabbits. But, the tail wagged for the Captain's team and they pulled off a sensational fightback, winning the last three matches won by 14 up.

So, in the end, Captain Chris Smith’s team took a 14-13 success.

Rudding Park GC

Six players from Rudding Park GC recently took part in the second round of the 2023 Harrogate Area Rabbits Golf Association Invitational Championships at Pike Hills GC.

The competition was introduced this year and sees each of the 16 member clubs invited to field a team of 6 players (3 pairs, 4BBB, Stableford format) at each of the invitationals, with the team scores being totaled over the two events to decide the Champion Club for the year.

After the first round in April at Thirsk & Northallerton GC, Rudding Park, represented by Dave Spenley and Kenny Ross, Giles Clegg and Jonathan Grainger and Andy Robinson and Paul Johnson topped the table with a six-point lead.

However, Clegg and Grainger subsequently moved to Oakdale, while Johnson had such a phenomenal season that by the time the second round of matches were played he was no longer a Rabbit.

So, in the second round, Rudding Park were represented by Spenley and Ross, Philip Holmes and Martin Mathieson and Robinson and Ian Chesnick.

Spenley and Ross led the way with a magnificent 47 points which was also the winning pairs score on the day.

The second pair of Holmes and Mathieson scored the equal third-highest total of the day with 43,while Robinson and Chesnick battled with the darkness over the final holes to also score 43.

This meant that Rudding Park finished a massive 24 points ahead of the second-placed team and were crowned champions.