Teeing off season in style
THE weather has not been brilliant of late but it did not deter the 91 players who turned up to see Captain Gary Smyth, Lady Captain Jackie Crawford and junior Captain Bella Shaw open the season with great drives up the first hole for the captains drive-in on Saturday 9th of March.
Not only were there the 92 players who turned up, but numerous supporters, some non golfers and others unable to play on the day, turned out to wish the 2024 captains the best of luck.
The drive in was preceded by the traditional mulled wine to warm everyone up for the occasion. The car park was full to capacity and more. Hopefully this is a great sign for of the season to come.
Taking up position on the first tee in front of an audience is a daunting experience. Thankfully the three captains held their nerve and delivered three great drives as expected. Jackie was a bit concerned prior to her drive, but warned those of us who played with her the previous day to remember that she could hit a good ball and she certainly did.
Behind the scenes, over the winter season the greens convenor Vincent Corrigan and his team Derek, Dick and Jay and all the volunteers who have been working away in the background.
The brisk March morning was a perfect day for golf and showcased the course in pristine order.
The ‘drive in’ itself was followed by a four person scramble organised by ‘Scramble Master’ Ian Thompson who ably assisted our new match and handicap Secretary Patricia Durnien to assess the numerous cards and produce the results. Following the scramble the clubhouse was full to capacity and a great atmosphere prevailed while the results were eagerly anticipated. Everyone tucked in and enjoyed the copious selection of sandwiches and goodies provided by the members.
In a scramble scenario the winning score can be surprising with nobody knowing exactly what to expect. Teams with scores in and around 50 were waiting to see if they would be good enough but there are always teams who perform exceptionally well on the day. Teams were mostly made up of one lady and three gents. The winning team came in with a massive score of 48. 3. For some reason when it came to accepting the prizes the gentlemen became rather shy and ushered the lady members up to collect the prizes. Receiving the prize for our winning team with 48.3 was Catherine Cordell. Catherine’s male counter parts were Rodney Howe, Vincent Corrigan and Jay Loane. The recipient of the runner up team prize was none other than Captain Gary’s Archdale Cup partner Sandra Mcelroy. Also in that team were Ber Sheridan, Patrick Delaney and Jim Lucy. The third place prize recipient was Audrey Williamson who played with Malcolm Branley, Feargal Donnelly and Nathan Clyde. Fourth team prize collector was ‘shut the front door’ Sally Redman playing with Trevor Camley, Mark Mcclellend and Peter Little.
Not letting the opportunity of a full clubhouse slip by, sales were hot for that ‘find the joker’ competition. Once again the joker was not found. Frank Mcgowan drew number 12 and won £10. With the Jackpot escalating all the time we are beginning to wonder when Gary is actually going to put the Joker in. The jackpot now stands at an amazing £5,100. The popular draw for her the free car parking space for the year was won by Rosemary Wylie. Luckily for Ian Lyttle the space is located on the Eastern side of the carpark. Congratulations to Rosemary. All monies collected go towards course development. The England v Ireland rugby match was shown on the big screen following the prize presentation. There was a pints promotion of £4 per pint. The atmosphere was tense in the club during the very tight game. Unfortunately Ireland , not up to their usual standard, were narrowly defeated by England 23.22. The defeat was disappointing but the match captivated the audience and there was a great atmosphere in the club throughout.
The next competition in the club is the Saint Patrick’s Cup to be played on
Saturday March 16th. This will be followed by the the Ladies April Monthly Medal on Tuesday 2nd and the gents April Monthly Medal on Wednesday 3rd. The ladies hold their introductory 9 hole competition, the traditional ‘Bring and Win’ on Tuesday 26th March.
Remember also our next and final quiz of the season on Friday 15th March at 8pm.