New Bramhall role for Frances
FRANCES Gell has been a member of Bramhall Golf Club for over a decade and she is looking forward with great anticipation towards a great year ahead at her beloved club.
Frances, who had a best handicap of 15 and now plays off 19, said: “Bramhall GC has a reputation of being one of the friendliest clubs in the area. At the moment the clubhouse is undergoing a dramatic reconstruction and refurbishment and within a few months we will have an outstanding clubhouse to complement our fantastic course.
“In 2016 the Ladies Section were involved in the England Golf Initiative ‘Get into Golf for Ladies’ and were successful in recruiting ten new lady members, many of whom are already playing in winter competitions and we will be looking to follow the same initiative this year with an Open Day in April/May.
“My favourite course other than Bramhall is Astbury and my favourite hole at Bramhall is the par five 13th which has lovely views looking back from the green.
“I normally play about three times a week which can be four times in the summer and my hobbies other than golf are bridge, walking and being a Nanna as well as supporting Manchester United!
“My chosen Lady Captain’s charity will be the MS Society.
“My outstanding highlight in golf was when I was a member at Heaton Moor and won through to the Regional Final of the Rosebud competition- a national competition to raise funds for junior girls’ golf.
“I was runner-up at this final and qualified to play in the national Final at Abbotsley GC, St Neots (then owned by golfing legend Vivien Saunders) and this was an amazing experience especially playing with a professional in the team competition.
“Vivien would certainly play in my chosen fourball as she is a great golfer, raconteur and after-dinner speaker.
“Joining us would be Phil Mickelson – another great golfer who always tries to win even when he is having a bad day- you can never write him off as he invariably comes back fighting the next day and you could learn so much from his golf and temperament.
“The final player would be Terry Wogan - to keep me laughing and relaxed and tell me how he set a world record holing the longest putt ever televised in 1981 – I remember it well!”
Stockport Golf Club Lady Captain Diane Jowsey is enjoying her time as Lady Captain at Stockport Golf Club to the full at her beloved club.
Diane said: “Stockport GC is an excellent parkland course in superb condition with testing bunkers and greens.
“The team of Tina and Paul produce catering and service second to none, the membership is very friendly and mixed competitions are popular with both sections.
“We still maintain the tradition of having prize presentations following competitions which adds to the sociability of the club.
“I have been a member for 14 years with a best handicap of 26, now 34 and I play twice a week on average throughout the year along with my hobbies of cooking, gardening and shopping for shoes!
“My favourite hole at Stockport is the seventh as it is very scenic but challenging with out of bounds on the rights, trees on the left and well bunkered and my favourite course other than Stockport is San Lorenzo in the Algarve.
“My golfing highlight is winning the Millenium Trophy in 2016 with John Ainley who is the current Captain and was last year’s Vice Captain with me.
“The charity I will be supporting is the Marie Curie Cancer Care.
“My chosen four ball to play in would include Seve – he was always my hero, Howard Keel as I was a steward in his party at The Mere- I always enjoyed his singing and acting and when I told him he gave me a lovely hug and Sergio Garcia who appears to be a lovely person and a great friend of Seve.”
A Singles Stableford at Heaton Moor was won by M Curley with 46 points, one more than B Burke and C Tichias.
More good scoring in a BB Stableford at Moor led in by D Howes and J Shaw with 47 points ahead of P and K Ward and C Dinsdale and R Milne, both 46.
A Four man Team Stableford at Romiley was won by the fab four of Yates, Goodwin, Mellor and Smith with 118 points from Hart, Mills, Oldham and Pearson 115 and Kitchen, Barber-Bennett, Oakes and Brind 112.
A 9-hole Stableford for Mellor and Townscliffe ladies was won by Carys Baggs with 19 points from Sophie Neil 18 and Lesley Parkinson 10.
M and T’s men were in two competitions and in a singles Stableford PA Welsh topped division one with 30 points, three more than J Beech, Andy Greasley and Dexter Moult.
Division two also had a clear winner in Mark Hughes with 31 points from Neville Sharlis 29 and Dan Davies 28.
In a BB Stableford D Moult and K Clarke led in with 36 points from club legend Colin Hughes and P Gill 34 and T and J Heginbotham and S Wallworth and M Hanson, both 33.