THIS EVENT WAS WON BY
STEVE BRADSHAW & KEV MURPHY
[CAPTAINS TEAM]
Leasowe Golf Club hosted our 2nd Captain v's President Pairs Day in blustery conditions that made the course play even longer than normal.
Those coastal breezes made some of the long par 4's very tricky and the links style course played its part in making positioning and course management key. The winning pair on the day nicked the victory on a card count back and scored a very impressive total of 44 Stableford points. Congratulations to Steve and Kev and more bragging rights for the Captains Team [again!] |
official bunkers review...
We headed back to the links of Leasowe for our final Captain v's Presidents day of the 2015 season. After taking a bit of a pasting over recent months, Dave Ashley [The President] was talking the talk and had big hopes for a resurgence from his team. The turnout was heavily skewed in the Captains favour with 10 of his team taking part compared to just 6 of the Presidents. Therefore, the top 3 pairings of each team counted towards the final score [meaning The Captain had 2 teams spare to play with] and each of the leaders had to pick a "dream team" who would earn double points for their respective teams.
After 1 months rain in 48 hours just days before, the course played unbelievably well. In fact, it was bone dry with no standing water throughout. The prevailing winds made some easy holes - according the the scorecard - play exceptionally tough with the 10th and 17th being particular monsters. A two club wind on a 440 yard par 4 and a 540 par 5 were certainly enough to separate the men from the boys.
Group 1 - Dave Ashley & Kev Givnan played alongside Paul Davies SNR & Brendan Smith
First on the tee was Mr. President who proceeded to crash his opening drive powerfully down the fairway to within 70 yards of the green. From there he set up stress free opening par to settle the nerves and put the first team points on the card.
His playing partner for the day was the effervescent Kevin Givnan. The quality of Kevin's early play was inconsistent - principally as a result of some wayward tee shots. However 20 points on the front nine gave the team some cause to be hopeful.
Turning for home now into a strong wind brought with it significantly more challenge and despite a spattering of excellent golf, too many errors and missed putts led to a disappointing total of 36 points for 18 holes - a score which surprisingly earned the pair the wooden spoon!
Playing alongside these two was a team made up of Paul Davies Snr and Brendan Smith. Steady if unspectacular golf from both players together with their successful "dovetailing" earned for them a pleasing 22 points for the first 9 holes. With both players struggling at times off the tee they relied heavily on their putting skills to gather a pretty creditable points total of 38 and avoid the wooden spoon. Paul Snr added to his joy with 6 balls for his nearest the pin prize - and the fact that he offered not a single ball to his playing partner and teammate did not go unnoticed by a number of committee members. (Captain please note).
Group 2 - Andy Roper & Chris Warbrick played alongside Tony King & Allan Gannon
Andy & Chris started off strongly with Andy posting 2 pars on shot holes giving them a nice 6 points after two holes. The first par 3 then threw a spanner in the works as both came off with a bogey and a single point. But other than this, and one other hole on the back 9, the pair never scored less than 2 points and had a healthy spattering of 3 pointers on the card. They dove-tailed nicely - which is obviously key to successful pairs play and came away not having played their absolute best golf, but scrambled and fought hard to turn errors around on certain holes. One in particular being the par 4 11th hole where a lovely tee shot from Andy left him 90 yards to the flag. A horrific 'shank' saw him in the rough 70 yards from the hole and with little optimism for success. However, a nice pitch onto the dance floor and a 20 foot putt wiped the smile from Kingy's face as saw Andy skip off with a remarkable par. This summed up the pairs round for the day as they always seemed to do a Harry Houdini when in trouble. 42 points was enough to take 3rd place, but they will be ruing the two holes where they scored a single point.
Tony and Allan started slowly with tee shots flying left and right [mainly left for Allan with 2 teashops on the 2nd heading into the rear yard of the Hotel!] However, the pair battled on and restored some order, mainly due to some miracle putting from Tony who was sinking everything that was on the green. A couple of 3-pointers and a superb birdie bringing 4 points saw the pair at the turn with 22 points and a glimmer of hope of the prize places. However, the strong headwind on the back 9 saw too many 1 pointers as the pair fought hard to hit the extra distances - Tony with his trust irons instead of woods, and Allan thanks to a horrible case of the Captain Hooks. A very respectable 39 points total, but they will feel like it was a missed opportunity given the solid front 9.
Group 3 - Kev Murphy & Ste Bradshaw played alongside John Standley & Paul Davies JNR
Group 3 consisted of Paul Davis JNR - who has been playing well since his handicap cut - and John Standley, who in his own words 'hadn't swung a club since Worsley Park'. John started off and carried the same trend all day, he was very 'inconsistent'. His first shot of the day OB to the left and his next shot a fairway splitting drive. When he got off the tee he generally played well and chipped in with some good holes, making some good saves when Paul had a wobble. If John had a little more time to practice he would play off a lower handicap as he has the ability to play some good golf but is streaky.
It was Paul that stole the show this day. He played great, shooting +7 by himself which included 3 double bogeys! His play off the tee was smart and accurate and he made some great up and downs (plus his usual nearest the pin,which he did hole for a 2!) Playing off his new handicap he has got to be happy and shooting 44 points as a pair is a great score considering the windy conditions
Their playing partners were Kev Murphy and Ste Bradshaw with only 1 shot between the pairing they needed to be on song to be in with a chance of a good score. Ste started well with a great par after going through the green with his approach shot. He then had a round of ups and downs as he hit a few unusual shots off the tee, but his approach play was consistent as always. Ste made some great putts especially the one he mishit on the wrong line at the wrong pace that went straight in the middle of the hole! It was a good paring as they "ham and egged" it all day.
Next up was Kev Murphy who has been playing some good golf as of late, apart from a blip on the 2 hole this good golf continued with some fantastic play in and around the greens. His putting and chipping was solid and with the strong winds his ability to hit the ball a long way helped massively as he could get closer off the tee to hit shorter irons in. His highlight of the day was the par 3 12th - flying the green with a pitching wedge he managed to nip a lob wedge that pitched on the green and was only going one place straight into the hole! They played great together and it was a steady round with 22 out and 22 in, pipping there playing partners on a card count back to take top spot.
Group 3 - Craig Evans & Phil Williams played alongside Steve Evans & Allan Gunn
So as the final group had seen everyone else tee off. Craig was first to go and he and Phil had decided it was a utility club to start. What a thwack from Evo Jnr then..... Ping as it hit the green keepers tin roof. An easy hole cocked up was to become all to frequent. He played the harder holes well though and was steady without anything special.
Phil refused to get the big stick out of the bag early on. He claimed to have had a few nightmares lately. However eventually he couldn't resist and he needn't have worried as he boomed it straight time after time. Short to mid irons were phil's Achilles heel today. Summed up when he sliced a 6iron a rigggghht into a bush. He found his ball suspended 2 foot in the air and unbelievably managed to manufacture a shot onto the green that the great "Seve" would have been proud of.
Allan Gunn once again hit crisp straight drives off the tee but struggled to come to terms with the wind and found the course a little too long when it was in his face. He played his part in a steady pairing without setting the world on fire. Par 3's cost Allan dear as he didn't find a green despite having shots. But considering the tough conditions he must have left the course feeling satisfied.
The Captain made a brave choice to back himself as the dream team. He wasn't playing at his best and his usual steady driving was a little erratic. But as soon as he got on that green it was a different story. He hardly missed a putt all day and holed four +20 footers. This summed up on the last in front of the President et al when he holed a beauty for a 2. Both pairs scored a respectable 39 points.
After 1 months rain in 48 hours just days before, the course played unbelievably well. In fact, it was bone dry with no standing water throughout. The prevailing winds made some easy holes - according the the scorecard - play exceptionally tough with the 10th and 17th being particular monsters. A two club wind on a 440 yard par 4 and a 540 par 5 were certainly enough to separate the men from the boys.
Group 1 - Dave Ashley & Kev Givnan played alongside Paul Davies SNR & Brendan Smith
First on the tee was Mr. President who proceeded to crash his opening drive powerfully down the fairway to within 70 yards of the green. From there he set up stress free opening par to settle the nerves and put the first team points on the card.
His playing partner for the day was the effervescent Kevin Givnan. The quality of Kevin's early play was inconsistent - principally as a result of some wayward tee shots. However 20 points on the front nine gave the team some cause to be hopeful.
Turning for home now into a strong wind brought with it significantly more challenge and despite a spattering of excellent golf, too many errors and missed putts led to a disappointing total of 36 points for 18 holes - a score which surprisingly earned the pair the wooden spoon!
Playing alongside these two was a team made up of Paul Davies Snr and Brendan Smith. Steady if unspectacular golf from both players together with their successful "dovetailing" earned for them a pleasing 22 points for the first 9 holes. With both players struggling at times off the tee they relied heavily on their putting skills to gather a pretty creditable points total of 38 and avoid the wooden spoon. Paul Snr added to his joy with 6 balls for his nearest the pin prize - and the fact that he offered not a single ball to his playing partner and teammate did not go unnoticed by a number of committee members. (Captain please note).
Group 2 - Andy Roper & Chris Warbrick played alongside Tony King & Allan Gannon
Andy & Chris started off strongly with Andy posting 2 pars on shot holes giving them a nice 6 points after two holes. The first par 3 then threw a spanner in the works as both came off with a bogey and a single point. But other than this, and one other hole on the back 9, the pair never scored less than 2 points and had a healthy spattering of 3 pointers on the card. They dove-tailed nicely - which is obviously key to successful pairs play and came away not having played their absolute best golf, but scrambled and fought hard to turn errors around on certain holes. One in particular being the par 4 11th hole where a lovely tee shot from Andy left him 90 yards to the flag. A horrific 'shank' saw him in the rough 70 yards from the hole and with little optimism for success. However, a nice pitch onto the dance floor and a 20 foot putt wiped the smile from Kingy's face as saw Andy skip off with a remarkable par. This summed up the pairs round for the day as they always seemed to do a Harry Houdini when in trouble. 42 points was enough to take 3rd place, but they will be ruing the two holes where they scored a single point.
Tony and Allan started slowly with tee shots flying left and right [mainly left for Allan with 2 teashops on the 2nd heading into the rear yard of the Hotel!] However, the pair battled on and restored some order, mainly due to some miracle putting from Tony who was sinking everything that was on the green. A couple of 3-pointers and a superb birdie bringing 4 points saw the pair at the turn with 22 points and a glimmer of hope of the prize places. However, the strong headwind on the back 9 saw too many 1 pointers as the pair fought hard to hit the extra distances - Tony with his trust irons instead of woods, and Allan thanks to a horrible case of the Captain Hooks. A very respectable 39 points total, but they will feel like it was a missed opportunity given the solid front 9.
Group 3 - Kev Murphy & Ste Bradshaw played alongside John Standley & Paul Davies JNR
Group 3 consisted of Paul Davis JNR - who has been playing well since his handicap cut - and John Standley, who in his own words 'hadn't swung a club since Worsley Park'. John started off and carried the same trend all day, he was very 'inconsistent'. His first shot of the day OB to the left and his next shot a fairway splitting drive. When he got off the tee he generally played well and chipped in with some good holes, making some good saves when Paul had a wobble. If John had a little more time to practice he would play off a lower handicap as he has the ability to play some good golf but is streaky.
It was Paul that stole the show this day. He played great, shooting +7 by himself which included 3 double bogeys! His play off the tee was smart and accurate and he made some great up and downs (plus his usual nearest the pin,which he did hole for a 2!) Playing off his new handicap he has got to be happy and shooting 44 points as a pair is a great score considering the windy conditions
Their playing partners were Kev Murphy and Ste Bradshaw with only 1 shot between the pairing they needed to be on song to be in with a chance of a good score. Ste started well with a great par after going through the green with his approach shot. He then had a round of ups and downs as he hit a few unusual shots off the tee, but his approach play was consistent as always. Ste made some great putts especially the one he mishit on the wrong line at the wrong pace that went straight in the middle of the hole! It was a good paring as they "ham and egged" it all day.
Next up was Kev Murphy who has been playing some good golf as of late, apart from a blip on the 2 hole this good golf continued with some fantastic play in and around the greens. His putting and chipping was solid and with the strong winds his ability to hit the ball a long way helped massively as he could get closer off the tee to hit shorter irons in. His highlight of the day was the par 3 12th - flying the green with a pitching wedge he managed to nip a lob wedge that pitched on the green and was only going one place straight into the hole! They played great together and it was a steady round with 22 out and 22 in, pipping there playing partners on a card count back to take top spot.
Group 3 - Craig Evans & Phil Williams played alongside Steve Evans & Allan Gunn
So as the final group had seen everyone else tee off. Craig was first to go and he and Phil had decided it was a utility club to start. What a thwack from Evo Jnr then..... Ping as it hit the green keepers tin roof. An easy hole cocked up was to become all to frequent. He played the harder holes well though and was steady without anything special.
Phil refused to get the big stick out of the bag early on. He claimed to have had a few nightmares lately. However eventually he couldn't resist and he needn't have worried as he boomed it straight time after time. Short to mid irons were phil's Achilles heel today. Summed up when he sliced a 6iron a rigggghht into a bush. He found his ball suspended 2 foot in the air and unbelievably managed to manufacture a shot onto the green that the great "Seve" would have been proud of.
Allan Gunn once again hit crisp straight drives off the tee but struggled to come to terms with the wind and found the course a little too long when it was in his face. He played his part in a steady pairing without setting the world on fire. Par 3's cost Allan dear as he didn't find a green despite having shots. But considering the tough conditions he must have left the course feeling satisfied.
The Captain made a brave choice to back himself as the dream team. He wasn't playing at his best and his usual steady driving was a little erratic. But as soon as he got on that green it was a different story. He hardly missed a putt all day and holed four +20 footers. This summed up on the last in front of the President et al when he holed a beauty for a 2. Both pairs scored a respectable 39 points.
Bunkers Golf Society Members £35.00 per person
Sunday 6th September 2015
Tee times from 11:00am [arrive no later than 10:00am] Prices include 18 holes + bacon roll & tea/coffee Website: www.leasowegolfclub.co.uk |
format for the event
- The Captain will play the President in Individual Stableford, but their combined scores will create a betterball score to go into the overall competition.
- Pairings will be drawn on the day and a "Dream Team" selected for each side who will win double points.
- 10 extra points awarded for the player hitting nearest the pins on the day
Format: Pairs Betterball [Captain v's Presidents Teams]
Handicaps: Players will play off full handicaps. [Except new members who are 3/4 handicap]
Groups: Will be drawn in the 2 weeks prior to play
Tee: Players will tee off from the yellow tees.
Mini Comps: There will be TWO nearest the pins and 1 nearest the pin in 2 shots. [Will be updated prior to play]
Prizes: Will be for 1st, 2nd & 3rd & "The Wall of Shame" for last
Captain v's President competition will be in operation.
who's playing?
Dave Ashley
Steve Evans Kev Givnan John Standley Paul Davies JNR Tony King Allan Gannon Allan Gunn |
Paul Davies SNR
Craig Evans Phil Williams Brendan Smith Chris Warbrick Kevin Murphy Andy Roper Steve Bradshaw |
Obviously the teams don't fit 50/50 as Captain v President, so we are going to have to work on a format/idea for this.
nearest the pins
All three of the Par 3's at Leasowe will be used.
The winner gets 6 Pro V1's plus 10 points for their respective teams.
CLICK THE IMAGES BELOW TO ENLARGE
The winner gets 6 Pro V1's plus 10 points for their respective teams.
CLICK THE IMAGES BELOW TO ENLARGE
the venue
A links course situated on the shoreline of the north coast of the Wirral peninsula with superb panoramic views extending from the mountains of North Wales and across Liverpool Bay towards the Lake District. The course is built on well draining sand meaning superb conditions all year round.
Tight fairways with intimidating out of bounds are a feature of the course; this coupled with the greens rated among the best in the area, makes Leasowe a good test of golf for players of all abilities without being too physically demanding.
The course was a favourite of Bunkers members in 2014 and was selected at our AGM to feature again this year. Read reviews of our members on the Teeuplo link below.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A HOLE BY HOLE COURSE GUIDE
Tight fairways with intimidating out of bounds are a feature of the course; this coupled with the greens rated among the best in the area, makes Leasowe a good test of golf for players of all abilities without being too physically demanding.
The course was a favourite of Bunkers members in 2014 and was selected at our AGM to feature again this year. Read reviews of our members on the Teeuplo link below.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A HOLE BY HOLE COURSE GUIDE
directions
Leasowe Golf Club is a mile from Junction one of the M53 - 40 minutes from Skellmersdale and 30 minutes from Liverpool.
The full address for Sat Navs is:
LeasoweGolf Club, Leasowe Road, Moreton, Wirral, CH46 3RD - Tel: 0151 677 5852
The full address for Sat Navs is:
LeasoweGolf Club, Leasowe Road, Moreton, Wirral, CH46 3RD - Tel: 0151 677 5852