Captain's Log Thoughts on the Rules of Golf
| This week has been glorious - weather perfect for golf and the ours magnificent. We halved our annual match against Northumbria Police (a fixture that dates back to 1981 - see the truncheon behind the bar) and the Juniors had a magnificent turn out for the Souter and Murray Cups for the finale of their season. Congratulations to Keith Atkinson and his many helpers on a brilliantly organised day. Best GROSS score of the day? 68 by the Junior Captain, Chris Forrest. What a season he's having. This was followed by the annual match between the Juniors and their seniors - again a thoroughly enjoyable night. And thanks to Sarah Atkinson for staffing the bar at the 10th. The seniors sneaked a win but the best quality swings on view were all from the young-uns. The future for the club looks rosy. Congratulations too to Connor Hoyle on his appointment as next year's Junior Captain. That leaves the Wilkinson Salvers on Sunday. Fingers crossed that the weather stays fair. |
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| Yesterday was the annual match against Royal Burgess - always a great day and this was no exception. Having been well beaten away last year, we managed to redress the balance, winning comfortably. Much more important, the relations between the two clubs were reinforced - hard work in the bar, but someone's got to do it!! Captain Neil Scott waxed lyrical about the state of the course and the dinner, so many thanks to Gordon and Fiona. Neil also presented the Club with Volume III of the Chronicle of the Royal Burgess Golfing Society - 1894 to 2010. The picture shows him signing it. It will reside in the Card Room library for those who wish to read it. I should also mention the magnificent win of the Towers Trophy (for the second year running) by Robin Breakey (President of GPLGC) and David Row. Congratulations to them both and thanks to everyone who played - a record field in recent years. Good luck to those playing in the President's Putter tomorrow - may the weather forecast be wrong! |
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| Well, as sort of predicted last week, re substitution of David (Row) for me as Captain was a desperate roll of the dice - but a successful one. The team won 9-3 against Newcastle Utd away. This is a tremendous achievement given the problems we have had this season. Well done to everybody who has played for the team this season. On other matters, this evening sees the Towers Trophy - always a thoroughly enjoyable night. Then on Saturday it's the Joseph Miller followed on Sunday by our match against Brancepeth Castle. So a busy weekend. Meanwhile, I have had the privilege of refereeing the U19 Home Internationals at Southerness - great course where the Secretary is John Handley, known to many of you. Ireland won the competition - see photo. |
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| A good night yesterday against Ponteland saw the team winning 7-5. Will it be enough to move us up the table??? However, all is not lost with our last match next week at Newcastle United, when David Row (who currently has a 100% record as a player) will captain the side as I am on reffing duties elsewhere. Chris Forrest and Michael Burrow (who celebrates his 23rd birthday on Saturday) both also won, and Kris Bengtsson resisted a birdie blitz on 16 and 17 to half his match. |
| Tonight saw the return as a player of David Row in the match against Tynemouth. Not only did he win (on a night when no less than 3past captains were playing on the two sides) but he won 4 and 2, putting together a run of 5 birdies in 6 holes (or so his shell-shocked opponent claimed!) Kris Bengtsson also won (6 and 4 - no doubt spurred on by his father who came across from Sweden and caddied). Overall result - a loss by 8 points to 4, but a really friendly evening. Good bunch, Tynemouth. Will it be enough to get us off the bottom of the League?...... Congratulations too to Pat Nixon on her win on Sunday in the GPLGC Salvers. Very appropriate, and richly deserved. Mike Barlow and I are off to Royal Burgess this weekend to help them celebrate their 275th anniversary. Not a bad run! It will be a proud moment for us to represent the Park at such an auspicious event. |
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| Although I am away from the Club (at a very windswept St Andrews) I am pleased to report that the team triumphed against Tyneside on Thursday, 8-4. Well done to them and thanks to Mike Barlow for stepping into the breach so effectively and stimulating Alan Ross into a last hurrah before he disappears up North for his summer vacation. Alan's 7 and 6 win was even better than Paul Coulthard's 6 and 5. Graham Forrest and Matt McGrady (back from his cycling exploits) also won. Well done also to the qualifiers last Saturday for the knockout rounds of the Club Championship - Graham Pickup, Chris Forrest, Kris Bengtsson, Alistair Brett, Neil Common, Graham Forrest, Mark Armstrong and Neil Macdonald. |
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| Not a good night at Westerhope - and we are running out of matches to haul ourselves off the bottom of the league. The Highlight, however, was an eagle 2 at the 18th by Chris Forrest - who wisely followed his caddy's advice on clubbing. Well done Sam Edwards, whose first outing as reserve this was. Saturday is the opening round of the Club Championship - I hope we have a good turn out for 36 holes and wish everyone the best of luck. 8 July |
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A thoroughly enjoyable evening in glorious weather and convivial golf resulted in the Captain's team regaining the wooden spoon in spite of a sterling performance by the Lady Captain and Vice Captain who deservedly defeated the Chairman of Greens and Yours Truly. The course is in tip top condition for the Northumberland and Lancashire Teams later today. 3rd July 00:05 a.m. We were honoured by the presence of the Lancashire and Northumberland teams on Saturday. It was gratifying to hear the president of Lancashire praising the course highly - so well done, Tony. Congratulations to Fiona and her team too for the meal, which everyone enjoyed. Good quality golf as well, and I am delighted to report that Northumberland won 9 1/2 to 8 1/2 against a very strong Lancs side 4th July 2010. |
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| Good result last night with the team winning 7-5 against Whitley Bay. Some very good matches with Alan Ross holing a very stuffy 20 footer on the 18th to halve it in three and halve the match. Coming on the back of his 71 to win the medal on Wednesday, it's been a good couple of days! Excellent wins too for Kris Bengtsson, Mark Armstrong and Chris Forrest. Now on to the real match of the season (against the Ladies tonight). I'm apprehensive. The handicap allowance is going to be challenging.... And then tomorrow, for those who want to see some top quality golf, Northumberland are playing Lancashire (with several internationals on show). The course is looking tremendous, so I hope that they enjoy it and, of course, that the right side wins. Friday 2nd July 2010 |
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Tuesday saw us with a difficult game at Prudhoe - the League leaders and very tough opponents at home. Sadly we were unsuccessful on every game. Congratulations to Sam Edwards on winning the Stan Bardgett Tankard on Wednesday evening with a magnificent 42 pts. Coming hard on the heels of his second place in the Captain's Prize, it is not surprising to see that his handicap is now down to 11. Congratulations to Kris Gray who got to the final of the County Championships where he was pipped by Nicky Maddison at the 36th hole. An excellent, though at the last frustrating, performance. Better luck next time, Kris. Latest News A win 8-4. Trophy now returned (polished) Thanks Mike for standing in on Friday and Sunday. 28th June 2010 |
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Saturday Update: A great evening at the summer buffet yesterday before which the results of the competition were revealed - best gross, Paul Coulthard, and the winner was John Lee with 75 less 6 on a countback from young Sam Edwards (clearly a star in the making) and Brian Fitzpatrick. Congratulations to you all. 20th June 2010 |
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News for this week: Thursday: Beautiful day, and the Ladies kicked it off with their finals of their club championship, won by Sally Atchison, beating Sue Heppell in a tight encounter. Congratulations to both on a splendid game, watched by about 50 spectators. Followed by a good performance by the League team against Ravensworth - an 8-4 win, with several really tight games, played in excellent spirit. This league really is about fostering good relations between clubs and with the course looking its best, Ravensworth were great opponents. A noteworthy contribution by Jim Semple who manfully volunteered to show their reserve round the course having already supported the ladies' final. Thanks, Jim. Finally today Saturday- less beautiful until the last competitors reached the 10th - if you use some imagination when you look at the picture (and ignore the ski-ware sported by Liz) you could persuade yourself it was summer! Tough conditions for a big field. At the time of typing, the winner has not been decided but the score will have been in the 60's, which is fantastic in the conditions. I can reveal that nearest the pin at the 10th was Howard Jobson - one of less than 20 who managed to hit the green! 19 June 2010 @6pm |
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It's been busy so far: 1. Vets dinner - great hospitality - star moment, the Hamlet award to Ken Jebson - 16 shots to complete the first hole including 11 in the bunker. The round got better, he observed, rather wrily, I thought. 2. Milburn Cup. Stunning round of 68 net 65 by Chris Forrest - could have been really quite good if he hadn't dropped three shots on the first two holes! Congratulations, though, on getting his handicap down to 2. 3. Great dinner at the Park on Saturday - see the picture (right) for the outrageous pudding I consumed. 4. Two days reffing at N Berwick in the Amateur. Phenomenal golf with a low score of 62 and decent weather too. 5. Cocktail party tonight - see picture of said Hamlet winner! More news to follow.... The team play Ravensworth tomorrow at the Park, and it's the Captain's prize on Saturday. 16 June 2010
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Congratulations to the team this evening - sharing the points with Newbiggin away from home is an excellent result, with wins for the junior and senior members of the team (Chris Forrest and Alan Ross) and Michael Burrow. In case you have not been to Newbiggin, it is a genuine links course, complete with windswept (and, tonight, very cold) conditions, and the classic links background (see picture and think of Carnoustie, Porthcawl, Dunbar and Seaton Carew!). It is also one of the oldest courses in Northumberland. By the way, Michael Burrow is doing a charity "exercise" on Monday for Wateraid - 72 holes in the day at Panmure starting at 4.30 am. If anyone wants to support him, just let him know (michael_burrow@hotmail.com) 10th June 2010 |
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The team did rather less well than we had hoped at Arcot (who, it turns out, have a very strong team this year, see below.) David Row was standing in for me as skipper, so many thanks to him - and to Kris Bengtsson, a new member, whose first game for the club this was. Better luck on Thursday against Newbiggin (never an easy game). However, our team performed very creditably on Saturday at Close House where the NGU's Inter Club Championship was held - won by Arcot. Our team was Graham Forrest, Matthew McGrady and Chris Forrest. Chris pipped his father to the lowest score for the team (147). Well done to all of you. Then today we had the Dunlop Trophy. The course needed water, and got it plentifully this afternoon so the 24 couples who participated all are to be congratulated for stoicism. The Course is looking the better for the water, and the convivial atmosphere in the clubhouse was excellent as always. Many thanks to Daniel for keeping the water hole open at the 10th and to Fiona and her team for an excellent buffet. The winners were Tony and Jacky Brett with a very creditable 36 points - well done. A thought for next year: When Dunlop gave the Trophy to the Club in 1972 (as thanks for us hosting the Dunlop Masters) they suggested that the field should be drawn (ie we would not select our partners). Apparently this was not too popular because some members were reluctant to play with others, particularly those whom they thought were much better players. What a pity. It seems to me that this would be worth considering in the future as a way for (particularly new) members to meet others. It would also facilitate entry by those who may not have spouses at the club. What do you think? 6th June 2010 |
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Good result also last night in the friendly at Newcastle United. Several matches went to the 18th but I'm pleased to report that we retained the trophy. Great weather, great team performance and, most importantly, great hospitality. This is the club from which NGC sprang in 1898, so the ties are longstanding and valued. Also yesterday, Nicola Haynes of GPLGC was runner up to her (much more experienced) opponent in the final of the Ladies' County Championship. Many congratulations to her and we hope that she goes one better next year. 29th May 2010 |
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Tuesday saw a good result against Backworth on a Jekyll and Hyde sort of evening in terms of weather - witness the clothing worn by past captain Jim. The team welcomed Kris Gray back from the States and in spite of the weather change, played his part in a team win 7/5 - the first of the season. Hopefully portents of what is to follow. 27th May 2010 |
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A couple of the more gnarled veterans on the team asked (rather wistfully, I thought) whether we didn't have any younger players on our books, to share the load and match the big hitting tyro's that our opponents field against us. Well, Rome wasn't built in a day, but we are planning for the future. Today saw the youngest member of the Forrest dynasty, Jamie (aged 7) beat his personal record for a round at the Park by 8 shots. So just hang in there, guys, the cavalry is coming.... 23rd May 2010 |
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This photo is a spectacular view of sunset over Blyth Golf Course, where the team were last night. It's an interesting new course with a pond where there are nesting swans. The hospitality was splendid and it was such a pleasure to be out on the course without freezing. Long may it last. Today was the Charity Day at the Park, with the Evening Chronicle Sunshine Fund the beneficiary. A reasonable turn out, great organisation and great weather (again) - all in all, a super day. PS We lost against Blyth. 21st May 2010 |
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On Thursday, we had the third match of the season - disappointingly, in spite of some good performances we lost to City of Newcastle 10-2. This conceals the fact that dropped a point each on the last hole of two matches. It also involved the largest physical mis-match in the league - the picture shows Alan Ross giving his opponent the advantage of a foot in height and probably double his body weight! However, the team is in good heart and looking forward to next week's match at Blyth. 14th May 2010 |
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We had an excellent day today hosting Alnmouth Golf Club. They were gracious visitors and allowed us to prevail – a courtesy that one would expect from a club that was established in 1869 and is the fourth oldest golf club in England. Captain Arthur Walker (on the right), the first Secretary, looks the part, don’t you think? Sadly, neither team today was quite so well turned out. Alnmouth was also one of the first sponsors of the Amateur Championship and was involved in controlling the event until the year 1919. It is always a privilege to welcome them to the Park. P.S. Rumour has it that, in very windy conditions, the winning pair yesterday returned a score in upper 40's. Identity not known to me yet, so I await further details. 9th May 2010 |
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Last night, the team shared the points with Gosforth ( away) an excellent result following last week. Congratulations to them all, especially Michael Burrow and Jimmy Johnston ( as the newest and longest serving members of the team, winners both). The final match was halved, in the encroaching gloom, with our man, Chris Forrest, driving THOUGH the par 4 17th, and matching his opponent's birdie. The dramatic follow through shown here is NOT that of one of the team, but is an impressively athletic pose, nonetheless! The weekend looms, with the Howarth Trophies (the most benign of formats - so enjoy!) and the first of the season's friendlies on Sunday, at home against Alnmouth GC. Have a great weekend.
7th May 2010 |
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We sometimes mutter about the state of our greens (though apparently Morpeth's are no better) but at times we should remember just how lucky we are. This is a photo of a course I visited in Peru in January (to see a public driving range that the R&A has funded). The course has two landing strips that cross the fairways, the greens are oil and sand based, and the golf cart (in picture) is an adapted three wheel taxi. At least they don't have to hollow tine to beat the thatch! |
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Morpeth My first league match in charge - wasn't any more successful than the ladies, I'm afraid. We were faced by a team whose combined handicap was better than scratch and whose top player was 5 under par after 12 holes, so it was no disgrace for us only to get two points (thanks to the youngest, Chris Forrest, and oldest, Alan Ross)! Nevertheless, it was a thoroughly enjoyable night. I feel well and truly blooded. Thursday 29th April 2010 |
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County Ladies The week opened with a friendly match against the County Ladies on Sunday. A useful pipe opener for the serious business to follow on Thursday - Morpeth at home - but beyond that let's just say that a good time was had by all, and that the Ladies played very well, off useful handicaps! Tuesday 27th April 2010 |
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| I am delighted to report that, owing no doubt to the fact that I could not play and therefore had to ask my predecessor (David Row) and his predecessor (Mike Barlow) to stand in for me, the Club has won the Thompson Shield for the second year running. This is a pipe opener for the League team captains and vice captains and was held at the Park. Let's hope it augurs well for the League season which kicks off on Thursday 29th April with a home match against Morpeth. If you want to see some good golf, come up and watch! The team are in good fettle, with the pre-season training session last Thursday well attended - some new and more old faces in attendance - and a great spirit in evidence. Any good golfer who is in the club and wants to get involved, and with whom I have not yet spoken, should please get in touch with me - direct or through Jamie. The only downside about last Thursday was that it stopped me attending the mixed foursomes pre-season dinner and draw. It was also well attended, though, so congratulations to Fiona and her team for keeping us all well fed and watered. There was a lot of enthusiasm in evidence, so this looks as though it is going to be hotly contested, as always! Chris Monday 19th April 2010 |
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 Mike Barlow |
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This weekend saw my first competition as Captain - the Inter County Foursomes. Ian Donaldson unfortunately had to withdraw owing to injury late in the week and, thankfully, Chris Forrest was able and willing to join father Graham to represent the Club. Not only that, but the pair won their first two matches (against Whitley Bay and Warkworth) at Newbiggin. Unfortunately, they succumbed to a very consistent pairing from Blyth on day two at Tynedale. However, their performance was highly creditable, and, from my point of view as a spectator, enjoyable. Some great ball striking from both, and prodigious length from Chris. Thanks to them both. Chris Sunday 11th April 2010 |
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