News

B & D Hi-Lo Foursomes

The Bristol & District League Hi-Lo Foursomes is an annual event which this year was hosted by Shirehampton Park G.C. on Sunday 12^th May. Chipping Sodbury entered a team of five foursomes pairs.

Despite the howling wind, the driving rain and the challenge of this tight course we finished 12th of the 25 clubs who entered. All competitors were treated to a most welcome warm meal and enjoyed a friendly atmosphere, fine hospitality and competently organised event.

Great excitement was created from our first pair out, Craig Brookes and Greg Clare. Craig holed his tee shot at the 145 yard par 3 eighth, his high flying six iron skipped forward six inches past the hole and spun back, disappearing from view to the delight of both his partner and their opponents.  As well as the usual prizes for best team scores and best individual scores, the organisers made a special presentation, of a bottle of whisky, to commemorate the feat – his first ace.

Craig is no stranger to success as you can see in the photograph of him, at last year’s presentation evening, with the Fox Cup.

Golf Course Repair

Following a “call to arms” around 40 volunteers arrived with their trowels, on Monday 29^th April, to carry out a major divot filling exercise.

The senior greenkeepers, John and Craig, divided the troops into two sections. Each was supported by a trailer of 5 tons of topsoil, sand and seed with which to infill our fairway scars.

The devoted divoters started at around 10:00a.m and by 12:30p.m. the job was virtually completed, for each fairway and a reward of a cup of coffee with a bacon roll soon soothed the aching backs and creaky knees.

Everyone agreed it was a worthwhile job, carried out in good humour.  We will all realise the benefit as the new season approaches.

Gloucestershire Golf Captains

Filton GC recently hosted The Spring Cup.  This is a major trophy contested by the captains from within the Gloucestershire Golf Union.

It is, perhaps, testimony to the outstanding development of Chipping Sodbury Golf Course, as a test of golfing skills, that 4 of the top 5 pairings in this competition came from our club.

The winners, by a narrow margin, were Chris Pearce and Trevor Stewart, demonstrating Chris’s continued winning ways at the present time.

The President's Cleek

To realise the old saying that “If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again” has certainly come true for our 1994 Captain Chris Pearce who recently won the President’s Cleek.

The popular and always ebullient Chris triumphed with a magnificent 73 on a day of virtually no run on the ball and conditions which could only be described as challenging.

This is his first honours board success in 43 years of trying and might be the start of a rich vein of form – the Competitions Secretary will watch his progress with keen interest.  Congratulations Chris.

CAPTAINS' CHARITY

We should all feel delighted to have been associated with Randolph and Jackie Berry’s charity work in their successful Captains year, as they hand over a cheque for £14,000.

Their chosen charity was the Royal United Hospital Forever Friends Cancer Care Campaign, whose representative, Zoe Tainton, described the hospital’s ambitious £5.5 million challenge.  The initial phase of £650K is for a scanner. The second phase is for a dedicated cancer centre to replace the existing facility built in 1942.

The entire project will establish a new environment, taking an holistic approach to cancer care. There will be a support centre, private en-suite rooms and cutting edge equipment for diagnosis and treatment for 2000 new cancer sufferers each year.

The presentation evening, hosted by Randolph & Jackie, left us all with mixed emotions being both proud and humble.