this event was won by:
dave ashley
Our 3rd event of 2014, took us to Heswall Golf Club on the
Wirrral penninsula to enjoy some fantastic views over the Dee estuary.
We were able to bask in some wonderful summer weather and enjoy the beauty of this superb local course. The player that rose to the occasion was Dave Ashley, who produced a superb score of 36 points on a course that was very tricky and was punishing to players who played wayward shots. Read the review below and view the photographs See how these results reflect on our ORDER OF MERIT |
the sun shines on the righteous...
When we spoke in our 2013 A.G.M, one of the things we wanted more of was good, local courses. As a result of this we began looking a lot closer at clubs closer to home, and one of those finds was Heswall Golf Club on the Wirral Peninsula. The reviews of the club were solid and the word of mouth – although limited, was very good. Therefore, there was an expectancy that the course would be a good one – and it absolutely did not disappoint.
On arrival at the superb clubhouse we were greeted to majestic views out over the Dee estuary and the Welsh hills. The course looked lush and in full bloom and extremely well kept. The practice area was a step above most of the courses we have played in the last 18 months with a great practice ground, a large chipping and approach area and a huge putting green that was a true reflection of the speed of the greens on the course. The first impressions were great and credit to the club for making such an impressive and welcoming area.
The course was in immaculate condition and the weather was warm and sunny with a slight north easterly (or south westerly or west northerly) breeze blowing off the high ridges of Snowdonia and along the M53 past the clubhouse and straight across or up or down all of the well manicured fairways. At times it was a real test of skill and endurance and it was obvious that the winner would need not only to have enormous skill but also possess huge mental strength and good looks!
Following our pre round meeting and bacon rolls we made our way to the 1st tee, where there is another smaller putting green to do some last minute work before you drive off down the 1st to a slight left hand turn and back up towards the green – a tricky hole, given that it is out of bounds down the left hand side. A few tentative tee shots as the nerves kicked in, but all of the lads managed to get past the ladies tee [just in some cases] and we were off…
First off the tee in group 1 was Phil, Keith Long and Lloydy. Phil set off quickly before most of the other groups realised what was going on and this plan worked at treat with him hitting the fairway nicely. Lloydy managed to do what he does best and went multi-million pound house bound with a great pully, drawy, hook that sailed majestically into someone's back yard.
The first four holes were a mixed bag with Phil struggling to get the measure of the greens, Lloydy was happy with 7 points off the first four holes assuring he was not going to be last and Keith was steady playing good steady golf.
So what was young Marc's secret? He tried to keep it under his hat but did he tell anyone he had only had 2 hours sleep? He may have mentioned it once or twice during a pleasure filled 4.5hrs. So that was golf cracked then, no sleep produces points. He has another confession to make though having developed a love affair with his beloved 7 iron. When that beautiful Rocketbladez slid seductively out of his bag a big cheesy grin came across his face, his eyebrows raised and to be fair he generally hit it very well towards the green. He loves it so much he wanted a photo taken with it. Next time Marc, maybe next time.
In the midst of this great love affair, Phil started to score reasonably but hit a few into thick rough losing points here and there and was disappointed the 14th par 3 wasn't a nearest the pin with a great tee shot. The 17th saw the driver come out having enjoyed a few good hits and frustrated with the slow society ahead Phil saw red and knocked one 340 yards in their direction and beyond...ooops. They were unnecessarily slow though. Keith's good first nine tailed off towards the end. Four one pointers and a blob meant a place was always going to be unlikely. His driving was good but a few bunkers caused issues (not enough sand apparently!!) A good four on the 18th was welcomed and ensured a smile leaving the course.
Overall the group played well and enjoyed good banter when Lloydy allowed there to be any free air time. They also enjoyed Kev in the group behind pinging almost every approach shot 20 yards over the back of the green!!
In keeping with a recent run of form that has dropped below last years standards, Kevin Givnan had an erratic round with a really poor start giving him an uphill challenge to mount any sort of attempt at the prizes. His round improved midway through with some long, accurate driving enabling him to score well but it was all to little to late.
Allan Gannon came into the event not feeling 100% and it showed as a poor start improved briefly. Unfortunately, Allan was unable to sustain the improvement although an excellent par on the 18th gave him some comfort.
Brendan Smith also had a poor start and much like Kevin and Allan, he was unable to pull it back to threaten the top spot. However, after finishing bottom in his last event, he will be relieved to avoid this fate this time round.
Kieran Murphy played very well with some excellent iron play resulting in some heavy scoring. The highlight of his round was a superb birdie on a par 5 which he had 2 shots on! Kieran quickly adjusted his sombrero and continued scoring well resulting in him only losing out on 3rd place on a scorecard count back.
In group three, Craig Evans drove his ball poorly on the whole throughout his round, but relied on the rest of his game to keep him in touch with the leaders. He holed a few nice putts but equally missed a couple that he was disappointed with. However, despite this he came in with 33 points to take 3rd place.
Ste Holmes broke the 30 score mark for the first time in the society and yet he would have left feeling a little disappointed with ‘what might have been’. He left several putts short, which did not assist his solid all round performance. To be fair, the greens where dry and hard and therefore very quick, and it was often through fear that the ball was tentatively pushed towards the hole rather than confidently. However, it was a solid performance by Ste and definitely one to build on.
Allan Gunn was as steady as ever and found the fairway on almost ever y tee shot. However, his approach play often let him down, other than a great shot on the 17th that left Allan with a 5 footer for birdie. However, this was missed and that kind of summed up his day on the greens.
Paul Davies was like an air conditioning unit, and blew hot and cold. A very inconsistent front 9, that began with an uncharacteristic duffed/pulled tee shot on the 1st. With only 12points accumulated on the front 9, it was the ice cold putter that was his biggest enemy which provided him with a few too many 3 putts which only added to his frustration. This only grew greater when he thought he had taken a nearest the pin, only to have 2 of them ripped from his grasp. The new superb sized grip is destined for the scrap heap and if that doesn’t work, the putter itself is getting launched!!!
Group 4 on paper had players from polar opposites of the spectrum with Paul Davies Jnr and Kev Murphy both coming to Heswall on the back of great performances already this season, and Andy Roper and Ant Holland in particular showing real inconsistency. However, things would not turn out quite so clear cut.
All 4 players found their balls in the ‘not-so-light rough’ on the first tee and this was to be a bit of a common theme for the afternoon. The rough at Heswall looked great but was extremely punishing as it was deep and lush and meant that trying to get out of it if the ball was ‘sat down’ was a real test.
Kev Murphy started strongly and was driving the ball nicely with some nice work around the greens. However, later in the round he developed a fade that was pushing him into the rough and this brought inevitable difficulties and basically took away any chance of finishing in the winning positions.
Andy Roper was quite the opposite, and started off terribly with some wayward long iron play that found him in the rough [or trees] far too often on the opening holes. However, this gradually got better and a 4 pointer on 5th hole kick started his round. As usual with Roper, too many blobs [as a result of putting himself out of position] were the downfall on the front 9 with 4 of the holes scoring nil points. The back 9 was much better with some nice drives, solid approaches and good lag putting on the greens. The new putter having 3-putt free round!
Paul Davies Jnr had a very unusual round. Usually steady and consistent off the tee and superb around the greens, he had a very off day and developed a card wrecking pull/hook with his driver that left him in some absolutely terrible position. He also had some awful luck in the rough – one in particular on the par 3 16th hole where his tee shot – albeit wayward – ended in the rough beside the green…..yet could we find the ball? Not a chance.
On the plus side, Paul did play some sublime wedges from around the green with a couple of beautiful flop shots in particular that landed within 2 foot of the pin leaving Ant Holland to proclaim “this is a wedge master class”
Where can we start with the final member of the group…..after a miserable 3 points at Worsley Park, there was an expectancy that it was a one off and that he would return to his ways of 2013 and around the 20-25 point mark. However, Ant Holland had slices that Mr Kipling would have been envious of; this meant that on almost every shot up until the 12th hole his ball took off the club face at the 2 o’clock position. Most of the time it went directly into the bushes or water, or any other hazard. The cure? The close the club face so much that at address it looked like he was aiming at his left leg. This meant that he could at least ‘play’ the back 9, and he more than doubled his Worsley score in the end and bettered Paul Davies Jnr on the return leg with 7 points! However, there is a fair bit of work for Ant to do before Formby Hall, or he runs the risk of finishing last again and that would be 3 times in the season and he would therefore take the loser shirt for keeps!!!
The final fourball of the day got off on time and the sun shone on the righteous! Dave's drive clipped a tree down the left side of the fairway. With its fate uncertain he played a provisional. A short time later however his original ball was found well in play and a considerable distance down the fairway! Chris on the other hand sent out a majestic tee shot with a slight draw which sailed awesomely down the right side of the fairway before trickling into the semi rough no more than ten feet off the fairway.... Result? Ball lost! (Unfortunately, this was a feat he was to repeat on numerous occasions throughout the course of his first outing with Bunkers!) John, who was also making his first appearance with Bunkers, crunched a huge drive which split the fairway like an arrow in a Bulmer's cider advert! (Please excuse the blatant product placement but we are still looking for sponsors!) To the great surprise of the cheering onlookers who had gathered on the patio, Keith too sent his ball hurtling some considerable distance down the middle. This was to set the tone for his front nine which after playing some superb steely-eyed, controlled gunslinger golf, he was to finish with an incredible (for him) 21points!
Chris continued to see many of his shots rewarded with a five minute search followed by a re-load and at times it was only possible to determine where John was by the sound of cracking branches so reminiscent of the endangered giant panda devouring bamboo stalks across the rich and fertile slopes of Northern Borneo .....But despite these distractions, Keith continued to play well and his potential score began to look very exciting. Dave however, widely known for his technical excellence, strong mind and good looks, continued to hit fairways relentlessly and although he didn't find too many greens in regulation, his short game was tidy and his putting was solid.
With all to play for going down the last, all four players made their par in front of the crowded spectator stand - which today doubled as a patio and bar area where delicious beverages such as Guinness and Doom Bay (did you notice this clever product placement) were available for purchase.
A fitting conclusion to a wonderful round of golf! When all cards were in 36 points was good enough to win by one from Keith giving Dave his maiden victory on the Bunkers Golf Society 2014 season. Shot of the Day from this group though has to go to John who smashed his second from out of the trees (again) to 6 feet from the flag at the par 5 17th. Sadly he didn't make his eagle and had to settle with birdie.
At the end of play we were able to sit on the balcony of the beautiful clubhouse, enjoy a pint or two and dissect the days play whilst looking out over the 18th green and the Dee estuary beyond.
A wonderful course, with superbly warm staff and welcoming members, it is definitely one to re-visit in 2015 and I think its fair to say that as a society it is one that all of the members would endorse.
Thank you to Heswall Golf Club.
On arrival at the superb clubhouse we were greeted to majestic views out over the Dee estuary and the Welsh hills. The course looked lush and in full bloom and extremely well kept. The practice area was a step above most of the courses we have played in the last 18 months with a great practice ground, a large chipping and approach area and a huge putting green that was a true reflection of the speed of the greens on the course. The first impressions were great and credit to the club for making such an impressive and welcoming area.
The course was in immaculate condition and the weather was warm and sunny with a slight north easterly (or south westerly or west northerly) breeze blowing off the high ridges of Snowdonia and along the M53 past the clubhouse and straight across or up or down all of the well manicured fairways. At times it was a real test of skill and endurance and it was obvious that the winner would need not only to have enormous skill but also possess huge mental strength and good looks!
Following our pre round meeting and bacon rolls we made our way to the 1st tee, where there is another smaller putting green to do some last minute work before you drive off down the 1st to a slight left hand turn and back up towards the green – a tricky hole, given that it is out of bounds down the left hand side. A few tentative tee shots as the nerves kicked in, but all of the lads managed to get past the ladies tee [just in some cases] and we were off…
First off the tee in group 1 was Phil, Keith Long and Lloydy. Phil set off quickly before most of the other groups realised what was going on and this plan worked at treat with him hitting the fairway nicely. Lloydy managed to do what he does best and went multi-million pound house bound with a great pully, drawy, hook that sailed majestically into someone's back yard.
The first four holes were a mixed bag with Phil struggling to get the measure of the greens, Lloydy was happy with 7 points off the first four holes assuring he was not going to be last and Keith was steady playing good steady golf.
So what was young Marc's secret? He tried to keep it under his hat but did he tell anyone he had only had 2 hours sleep? He may have mentioned it once or twice during a pleasure filled 4.5hrs. So that was golf cracked then, no sleep produces points. He has another confession to make though having developed a love affair with his beloved 7 iron. When that beautiful Rocketbladez slid seductively out of his bag a big cheesy grin came across his face, his eyebrows raised and to be fair he generally hit it very well towards the green. He loves it so much he wanted a photo taken with it. Next time Marc, maybe next time.
In the midst of this great love affair, Phil started to score reasonably but hit a few into thick rough losing points here and there and was disappointed the 14th par 3 wasn't a nearest the pin with a great tee shot. The 17th saw the driver come out having enjoyed a few good hits and frustrated with the slow society ahead Phil saw red and knocked one 340 yards in their direction and beyond...ooops. They were unnecessarily slow though. Keith's good first nine tailed off towards the end. Four one pointers and a blob meant a place was always going to be unlikely. His driving was good but a few bunkers caused issues (not enough sand apparently!!) A good four on the 18th was welcomed and ensured a smile leaving the course.
Overall the group played well and enjoyed good banter when Lloydy allowed there to be any free air time. They also enjoyed Kev in the group behind pinging almost every approach shot 20 yards over the back of the green!!
In keeping with a recent run of form that has dropped below last years standards, Kevin Givnan had an erratic round with a really poor start giving him an uphill challenge to mount any sort of attempt at the prizes. His round improved midway through with some long, accurate driving enabling him to score well but it was all to little to late.
Allan Gannon came into the event not feeling 100% and it showed as a poor start improved briefly. Unfortunately, Allan was unable to sustain the improvement although an excellent par on the 18th gave him some comfort.
Brendan Smith also had a poor start and much like Kevin and Allan, he was unable to pull it back to threaten the top spot. However, after finishing bottom in his last event, he will be relieved to avoid this fate this time round.
Kieran Murphy played very well with some excellent iron play resulting in some heavy scoring. The highlight of his round was a superb birdie on a par 5 which he had 2 shots on! Kieran quickly adjusted his sombrero and continued scoring well resulting in him only losing out on 3rd place on a scorecard count back.
In group three, Craig Evans drove his ball poorly on the whole throughout his round, but relied on the rest of his game to keep him in touch with the leaders. He holed a few nice putts but equally missed a couple that he was disappointed with. However, despite this he came in with 33 points to take 3rd place.
Ste Holmes broke the 30 score mark for the first time in the society and yet he would have left feeling a little disappointed with ‘what might have been’. He left several putts short, which did not assist his solid all round performance. To be fair, the greens where dry and hard and therefore very quick, and it was often through fear that the ball was tentatively pushed towards the hole rather than confidently. However, it was a solid performance by Ste and definitely one to build on.
Allan Gunn was as steady as ever and found the fairway on almost ever y tee shot. However, his approach play often let him down, other than a great shot on the 17th that left Allan with a 5 footer for birdie. However, this was missed and that kind of summed up his day on the greens.
Paul Davies was like an air conditioning unit, and blew hot and cold. A very inconsistent front 9, that began with an uncharacteristic duffed/pulled tee shot on the 1st. With only 12points accumulated on the front 9, it was the ice cold putter that was his biggest enemy which provided him with a few too many 3 putts which only added to his frustration. This only grew greater when he thought he had taken a nearest the pin, only to have 2 of them ripped from his grasp. The new superb sized grip is destined for the scrap heap and if that doesn’t work, the putter itself is getting launched!!!
Group 4 on paper had players from polar opposites of the spectrum with Paul Davies Jnr and Kev Murphy both coming to Heswall on the back of great performances already this season, and Andy Roper and Ant Holland in particular showing real inconsistency. However, things would not turn out quite so clear cut.
All 4 players found their balls in the ‘not-so-light rough’ on the first tee and this was to be a bit of a common theme for the afternoon. The rough at Heswall looked great but was extremely punishing as it was deep and lush and meant that trying to get out of it if the ball was ‘sat down’ was a real test.
Kev Murphy started strongly and was driving the ball nicely with some nice work around the greens. However, later in the round he developed a fade that was pushing him into the rough and this brought inevitable difficulties and basically took away any chance of finishing in the winning positions.
Andy Roper was quite the opposite, and started off terribly with some wayward long iron play that found him in the rough [or trees] far too often on the opening holes. However, this gradually got better and a 4 pointer on 5th hole kick started his round. As usual with Roper, too many blobs [as a result of putting himself out of position] were the downfall on the front 9 with 4 of the holes scoring nil points. The back 9 was much better with some nice drives, solid approaches and good lag putting on the greens. The new putter having 3-putt free round!
Paul Davies Jnr had a very unusual round. Usually steady and consistent off the tee and superb around the greens, he had a very off day and developed a card wrecking pull/hook with his driver that left him in some absolutely terrible position. He also had some awful luck in the rough – one in particular on the par 3 16th hole where his tee shot – albeit wayward – ended in the rough beside the green…..yet could we find the ball? Not a chance.
On the plus side, Paul did play some sublime wedges from around the green with a couple of beautiful flop shots in particular that landed within 2 foot of the pin leaving Ant Holland to proclaim “this is a wedge master class”
Where can we start with the final member of the group…..after a miserable 3 points at Worsley Park, there was an expectancy that it was a one off and that he would return to his ways of 2013 and around the 20-25 point mark. However, Ant Holland had slices that Mr Kipling would have been envious of; this meant that on almost every shot up until the 12th hole his ball took off the club face at the 2 o’clock position. Most of the time it went directly into the bushes or water, or any other hazard. The cure? The close the club face so much that at address it looked like he was aiming at his left leg. This meant that he could at least ‘play’ the back 9, and he more than doubled his Worsley score in the end and bettered Paul Davies Jnr on the return leg with 7 points! However, there is a fair bit of work for Ant to do before Formby Hall, or he runs the risk of finishing last again and that would be 3 times in the season and he would therefore take the loser shirt for keeps!!!
The final fourball of the day got off on time and the sun shone on the righteous! Dave's drive clipped a tree down the left side of the fairway. With its fate uncertain he played a provisional. A short time later however his original ball was found well in play and a considerable distance down the fairway! Chris on the other hand sent out a majestic tee shot with a slight draw which sailed awesomely down the right side of the fairway before trickling into the semi rough no more than ten feet off the fairway.... Result? Ball lost! (Unfortunately, this was a feat he was to repeat on numerous occasions throughout the course of his first outing with Bunkers!) John, who was also making his first appearance with Bunkers, crunched a huge drive which split the fairway like an arrow in a Bulmer's cider advert! (Please excuse the blatant product placement but we are still looking for sponsors!) To the great surprise of the cheering onlookers who had gathered on the patio, Keith too sent his ball hurtling some considerable distance down the middle. This was to set the tone for his front nine which after playing some superb steely-eyed, controlled gunslinger golf, he was to finish with an incredible (for him) 21points!
Chris continued to see many of his shots rewarded with a five minute search followed by a re-load and at times it was only possible to determine where John was by the sound of cracking branches so reminiscent of the endangered giant panda devouring bamboo stalks across the rich and fertile slopes of Northern Borneo .....But despite these distractions, Keith continued to play well and his potential score began to look very exciting. Dave however, widely known for his technical excellence, strong mind and good looks, continued to hit fairways relentlessly and although he didn't find too many greens in regulation, his short game was tidy and his putting was solid.
With all to play for going down the last, all four players made their par in front of the crowded spectator stand - which today doubled as a patio and bar area where delicious beverages such as Guinness and Doom Bay (did you notice this clever product placement) were available for purchase.
A fitting conclusion to a wonderful round of golf! When all cards were in 36 points was good enough to win by one from Keith giving Dave his maiden victory on the Bunkers Golf Society 2014 season. Shot of the Day from this group though has to go to John who smashed his second from out of the trees (again) to 6 feet from the flag at the par 5 17th. Sadly he didn't make his eagle and had to settle with birdie.
At the end of play we were able to sit on the balcony of the beautiful clubhouse, enjoy a pint or two and dissect the days play whilst looking out over the 18th green and the Dee estuary beyond.
A wonderful course, with superbly warm staff and welcoming members, it is definitely one to re-visit in 2015 and I think its fair to say that as a society it is one that all of the members would endorse.
Thank you to Heswall Golf Club.
BUNKERS GOLF SOCIETY MEMBERS £35.00
NON BUNKERS GOLF SOCIETY MEMBERS £40.00
Once you have paid, contact a committee member or CLICK HERE to tell us
Sunday 18th May 2014
Tee times from 11:24am [arrive no later than 10:30am]
Prices include 18 holes + Bacon Roll & Hot Drink pre play.
Website: www.heswallgolfclub.com
Sunday 18th May 2014
Tee times from 11:24am [arrive no later than 10:30am]
Prices include 18 holes + Bacon Roll & Hot Drink pre play.
Website: www.heswallgolfclub.com
tee times & groups
Playing handicaps are shown in brackets below.
* denotes the player does not hold an official or Bunkers handicap and will therefore be required to play three quarters of shown handicap for 3 rounds.
* denotes the player does not hold an official or Bunkers handicap and will therefore be required to play three quarters of shown handicap for 3 rounds.
11:24 tee time
Marc Lloyd [26]
Phil Williams [13] Keith Long [13] |
11:32 tee time
Kev Givnan [12]
Allan Gannon [17] Keiran Murphy [26] Brendan Smith [23] |
11:40 tee time
Ste Holmes [20]
Allan Gunn [22] Craig Evans [9] Paul Davies [14] |
overview of the day
We will be meeting about 10:30hrs at Heswall Golf Club for pre round bacon rolls and tea/coffee and to provide some information regarding the day.
- The format for the day will be Individual Stableford scores and we will be playing from the yellow tees.[6272yds]
- It will be FULL HANDICAPS [CLICK HERE TO SEE] for all members and guests and newcomers will be playing 3/4's of the given handicap as per the society rules.
nearest the pin
There will be 2 nearest the pins on the 7th hole and the 16th hole.
The nearest the pin in 2 will be on the par 4 11th hole.
CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO ENLARGE
The nearest the pin in 2 will be on the par 4 11th hole.
CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO ENLARGE
the course
Heswall is a celebrated golf club that sits on a delightful patch of parkland. Founded in 1902, the club, and its course, have undergone significant development to reach the stage it is now - a Wirral classic that is one of this golf-rich area's real stars.
Breathtaking views across the Dee Estuary to the Welsh Hills provide an unrivalled and peaceful environment for golfers and visitors to enjoy this tranquil setting. Heswall golf club is a mature 18 hole, 6872 yard, par 72 golf course, set in the most beautiful location on the Wirral Peninsula.
SEE HOLE-BY-HOLE PHOTOGRAPHS HERE
Breathtaking views across the Dee Estuary to the Welsh Hills provide an unrivalled and peaceful environment for golfers and visitors to enjoy this tranquil setting. Heswall golf club is a mature 18 hole, 6872 yard, par 72 golf course, set in the most beautiful location on the Wirral Peninsula.
SEE HOLE-BY-HOLE PHOTOGRAPHS HERE
directions
Heswall Golf Club is via the M53 and is 50 minutes from Skelmersdale and 30 minutes from Liverpool.
The full address for Sat Navs is:
Heswall Golf Club, Cottage Lane, Gayton, Wirral, CH60 8PB - Tel: 0151 342 1237
The full address for Sat Navs is:
Heswall Golf Club, Cottage Lane, Gayton, Wirral, CH60 8PB - Tel: 0151 342 1237