this event was won by
dave ashley, mark gaskell
& pete bilson
Lee Park Golf Club hosted our first ever three ball betterball event, and after what seemed like months of wind and rain, we were greeted to a lovely autumn day.
The format meant that 1 players score counted on the first 6 holes, 2 players scores were taken for holes 7 to 12 and all 3 players on the team had to score well on the final 6 holes. The victorious team on the day consisted of Dave Ashley, Mark Gaskell and guest Pete Bilson - who scored a superb combined total of 78 Stableford Points. The team combined well and worked consistently to post their winning score and were deserved winners on what was a superb day, and night. CONGRATULATIONS. |
finishing positions
official bunkers review...
We visited Lee Park Golf Club in Liverpool to play our first ever 3-ball event as a society. The format for the day meant that the teams had to put their best players score down for the first 6 holes, then two players had to score between holes 7 to 12 and the final 6 holes all three players on the teams had to provide a score. A tricky format the further into the round you go, and one that rewards teams that work in unison and play the course rather than their own games.
The set up at Lee Park also helped contribute to this format as the final 6 holes are particularly tough, with two long par 4's, followed by a par 5 with out of bounds to the left and right and then finishing with two tight tee shots that require good placement to attack the tight greens.
Most of the lads have either visited Lee Park numerous times this year, or have signed up to the club in some form of membership. The club have also been the hosts of our 2015 Last Man Standing competition and so the majority of our members have a good understanding of the course and what was required.
Lee Park prides itself on being Liverpool's friendliest club, and its safe to say that following our partnership with he club we have seen this first hand over the last 12 months. Everyone at the club, from the Manager - Steve Settle, through to Brian in the bar, the bar staff and all of the starters and greens keepers - everyone has time to say hello and have a chat. Nothing is too much trouble and they make the atmosphere in the club warm and welcoming.
The course is an easy walking parkland with tight, tree lined fairways and plenty of natural hazards. The fairways were lush and springy underfoot and the definition between than and the rough was pleasing on the eye. The bunkers and tee boxes were all well kept and there were artisans on the course during our round keeping everything in check.
The star of the show at Lee Park though are their fabulous greens. They are emerald green and look like carpet, they roll smooth and true with plenty of pace and are an absolute dream to putt on. Set the ball on your chosen line and they do not deviate - this inspires confidence and allows players to attack putts. The greens during this visit were no different and were as good as they have been all season long.
Post round we devoured a lovely 2 course meal and then drank the night away the spike bar whilst enjoying highlights of the days football, playing snooker and generally having a laugh. The prices at the club are superbly fair and make it a very reasonable day and night out that doesn't empty your wallet.
All in all, Lee Park is a superb local golf course that is built on solid foundations of making sure that the welcome is warm and the course plays wonderfully. As with self funding courses, it isn't going to have expensive water fountains and eye catching expensive features. But what it does, it does exceptionally well and if you want to feel part of a club and like your money is being well invested, then there can't be many better than Lee Park in the area.
Group 1 - Chris Warbrick, Scott Seddon & Peter Woolley
As first group out, the pressure loomed over Chris, Scott and Peter. Especially with Scott being a known bandit with Chris and Peter both on the winners list this season!
After the first three holes we we're flying, Scott with pars on holes 1 & 2 for 3 points each and then a sensational eagle on the par 5 3rd, a good drive down the left and then shot of the day being a 245 yard 3 wood to 8 feet which he rolled in for 5 points! Off a 17 handicap!
After this Scott continued to add points to the tally, not quite as momentous as the first 3 but Chris and Peter were not making the card much!
Peter was steady, strong driving and good iron play set up some great opportunities, unfortunately the putting at times wasn't brilliant which kept him from scoring strongly. Add to this a few bunker shots which turned into what looked like an angry person destroying sand castles and it was at times a what could've been.
The most amusing part of the day was Peter attempting to take a shot from directly behind a tree on the 18th and only succeeding in snapping the shaft of his 7-iron clean down the middle [see the photo below]
Chris was good off the tee and mostly decent into the green but as has been the case on his off day the putting didn't quite meet what was needed to score well. He put a fair share of points on but could've added so much more! Excuses being breaking in a new putter were used but how much longer will that take? Nonetheless though it was a solid performance as usual tee to green!
Overall it was an awesome group, shared many laughs, the company was fantastic. Couldn't of asked for more.
Group 2 - Chris Berry, Ste Holmes & Paul Davies JNR
Big hitters Bez and Paul Davis Jnr accompanied by Ste 'The Housewife' Holmes set off with the win in their sights. Unfortunately a slow start by The Housewife and Bez left Paul with all the work to do on the first 6 holes. Not a great return and not much to write home about.
The second 6 was a different story and all three players could put scores on the card if only they could have kept it up for the final 6 holes of the day. Some highlights being the nearest pin 10th where The Housewife came very close to his first hole in one leaving the ball only a matter of inches form the hole and Bez getting amongst the prizes with a nearest the pin. The last 6 holes where hit a miss and all three players rarely scored on each hole and battled their way over the finish line. A disappointing result in the end and too many 'what ifs' ! The course was in superb condition and the first outing for this format was very well liked by all.
Group 3 - Andy Roper, Phil Williams & Keith Long
Keith had a very consistent day from tee to green with his driving showing great accuracy and good distance and his approach shots being solid and 'on the money'. However, his putter seemed to have a face like a Toblerone as he pushed and pulled his putts all over the greens and coupled with the pace of the greens this brought far too many 3-putts - which is unusual for Keith. An individual score of 31 was solid, but he did leave a lot of points on the putting green.
Phil started with 4 points in 6 holes and confidence took a bit of a pummelling. A couple of solid pars around the turn led the group to think the tide had turned and he was going to roll in with some solid scores for the much tougher back 9 that this format demands. However, someone seemed to change Phil's short irons to left handed clubs without him knowing and he developed a horrific case of the Shanks for a period of 5 or 6 holes where every approach shot shot off at crazy angles and left him puzzled and bemused. 5 blobs in his round and a total of 19 individual points shows the day Phil endured and no matter how majestic some of his drives where - and they were - there is no recovery from deep rough that the Shanks give you.
Roper had a solid start of 3 pars that settled him into the round and then came the 4th where he battled to score 1 point after 3 horrific shots. This seemed to be the theme for his round with several good shots broken by a nasty one. However, he seemed to more often than not redeem the poor shot with some good play. None more so than the par 4 12th when his poor drive found a fairway bunker, his second he tried to hit to the green and caught the bunker lip and landed in another fairway bunker but then 'zipped' the 3rd shot to within 3 feet of the pin from the sand and 1-putted for par! Textbook. A superb hybrid on the long par 3 5th hole gave him a rare nearest the pin win and this was followed with a birdie on the 6th hole to come with the nearest the pin in 3 shots prize. Finishing with his tied lowest ever gross score of 79 and 40 Stableford points- it was clearly a solid day at the office and just a shame the group could not fill the gaps and dovetail a touch better or a push for top spot would have been on the cards.
Group 4 - Marc Lloyd, Rob Botterill & Graham Smith
Typical Lloydy clowning around on the 1st tee, telling all the lads waiting to "get behind the bushes" to avoid his wayward tee shot and bravely dishing out the banter as though he was going to rip a McIlroy-esque fizzed down the fairway. A pull-hook 100 yards off the tee and he wasn't lying about getting behind the bushes. A long day was going to develop for Bubba Lloyd. Rob and Graham hit lovely straight drives down the first and optimism was raised that things could dove tail nicely.
The group went out in a reasonable 20 points, but in this format as the more players enter the fray the scoring needs to keep progressing or you can fall behind opponents quickly. Rob was like Phil Mickelson around the greens, with some lovely chipping but he struggled with the pace and slickness of the Lee Park greens. Graham - having never played Lee Park before - also misjudged the quality of the greens and with his handicap being cut to 3/4 as a guest it was always going to be a tough day.
If the group could have moulded themselves as Grahams driving, Lloydys 5 to 7 irons and Robs work around the greens then would have done well, but as it was inconsistency throughout that left them short of a decent points total and unfortunately the infamy of finding themselves on the Wall of Shame - and last place.
Group 5 - Lee Caroll, John Carroll and John Standley
A 3 ball that consisted of 2 family members and a long term family friend. With three lads that know each other so well there was so no lack of team spirit within the group. This didn’t help matter one bit!
Lee had a solid individual round and was constantly scoring and scoring well. He hit it it very well off the tee but too many 3 putts and missed greens on the par 3s let him down in the end.
John Standley played some great recovery shots from wild tee shots that cleared the very tall trees at Lee Park. Unfortunately he couldn’t keep that up and couldn’t contribute to the team score as much as he would have liked.
John Carroll was a visiting guest for the day and enjoyed a solid round of golf playing off ¾ handicap. Unfortunately that restricted him from helping out so much in the combined score... but he battled well and should be happy how he played off a handicap he should be aiming for in the near future.
Group 6 - Dave Ashley, Mark Gaskell & Pete Bilson
The penultimate three-ball featured the team made up of Dave Ashley, Mark Gaskell and guest - and potential new comer to the society - Pete Bilson. With the warm sunshine breaking through the cloud cover just as they arrived on the tee the omens looked good as all three drove their opening shots straight and true. With some very consistent play on the opening holes, the points began to build rapidly with all three making their contributions. As a new-comer, Pete was burdened by having to play with a reduced handicap. Despite this additional burden he played very steadily throughout, making several valuable contributions at vital times.
Mark was as competitive as ever and his habit of urging himself on vocally before each shot certainly paid dividends as he too scored heavily at times. Dave's scoring was bolstered by a series of holes where he managed to "get up and down" from some quite difficult positions. With a personal total of 38 points which featured many one putt greens and two birdies, he was delighted to sign for a team total of 78 points which all three players felt might be good enough perhaps for a top five placing. Certainly one of the highlights of the round was Mark's tremendous play down the last hole which enabled him to take the prize for Nearest the Pin in Two.
All three players were united in the view that this was a very enjoyable competition format which should be offered to members again in future
Group 7 - Kev Murphy, Ben Warden & Paul Hanson
The last group to go out was Kev Murphy, Ben Warden and Paul Hanson(Guest). All three started off the boil and had chances to score well ok the opening holes, Kev missed a great chance to score well on the opening par 5 only making par after taking 2 in the greenside bunker. Ben played up and down,he hit some great tee shots then failed to capitalise in them with some wayward approach shots, when he got the shot onto the green right he was putting a score on the card.
Paul who is fairly new to golf showed some great 4 iron shots off the tee but his inconsistency showed after taking a couple of shots to get to the greens. With not playing for over 9 months Paul struggled with the pace of the slick greens and only really got the feel on the 16th hole, im sure if he starts playing more often he will get much more consistant.
Kev Murphy didnt play great but his score was masked by some great work around the greens, getting up and down on numerous occasions makes it look like he played ok but in all honesty he was disappointed how he struck the ball with the high standards he sets himself.
The group played ok together but left lots of shots out there, so to shoot 72 points which works out as par they all have to be happy with that.
The set up at Lee Park also helped contribute to this format as the final 6 holes are particularly tough, with two long par 4's, followed by a par 5 with out of bounds to the left and right and then finishing with two tight tee shots that require good placement to attack the tight greens.
Most of the lads have either visited Lee Park numerous times this year, or have signed up to the club in some form of membership. The club have also been the hosts of our 2015 Last Man Standing competition and so the majority of our members have a good understanding of the course and what was required.
Lee Park prides itself on being Liverpool's friendliest club, and its safe to say that following our partnership with he club we have seen this first hand over the last 12 months. Everyone at the club, from the Manager - Steve Settle, through to Brian in the bar, the bar staff and all of the starters and greens keepers - everyone has time to say hello and have a chat. Nothing is too much trouble and they make the atmosphere in the club warm and welcoming.
The course is an easy walking parkland with tight, tree lined fairways and plenty of natural hazards. The fairways were lush and springy underfoot and the definition between than and the rough was pleasing on the eye. The bunkers and tee boxes were all well kept and there were artisans on the course during our round keeping everything in check.
The star of the show at Lee Park though are their fabulous greens. They are emerald green and look like carpet, they roll smooth and true with plenty of pace and are an absolute dream to putt on. Set the ball on your chosen line and they do not deviate - this inspires confidence and allows players to attack putts. The greens during this visit were no different and were as good as they have been all season long.
Post round we devoured a lovely 2 course meal and then drank the night away the spike bar whilst enjoying highlights of the days football, playing snooker and generally having a laugh. The prices at the club are superbly fair and make it a very reasonable day and night out that doesn't empty your wallet.
All in all, Lee Park is a superb local golf course that is built on solid foundations of making sure that the welcome is warm and the course plays wonderfully. As with self funding courses, it isn't going to have expensive water fountains and eye catching expensive features. But what it does, it does exceptionally well and if you want to feel part of a club and like your money is being well invested, then there can't be many better than Lee Park in the area.
Group 1 - Chris Warbrick, Scott Seddon & Peter Woolley
As first group out, the pressure loomed over Chris, Scott and Peter. Especially with Scott being a known bandit with Chris and Peter both on the winners list this season!
After the first three holes we we're flying, Scott with pars on holes 1 & 2 for 3 points each and then a sensational eagle on the par 5 3rd, a good drive down the left and then shot of the day being a 245 yard 3 wood to 8 feet which he rolled in for 5 points! Off a 17 handicap!
After this Scott continued to add points to the tally, not quite as momentous as the first 3 but Chris and Peter were not making the card much!
Peter was steady, strong driving and good iron play set up some great opportunities, unfortunately the putting at times wasn't brilliant which kept him from scoring strongly. Add to this a few bunker shots which turned into what looked like an angry person destroying sand castles and it was at times a what could've been.
The most amusing part of the day was Peter attempting to take a shot from directly behind a tree on the 18th and only succeeding in snapping the shaft of his 7-iron clean down the middle [see the photo below]
Chris was good off the tee and mostly decent into the green but as has been the case on his off day the putting didn't quite meet what was needed to score well. He put a fair share of points on but could've added so much more! Excuses being breaking in a new putter were used but how much longer will that take? Nonetheless though it was a solid performance as usual tee to green!
Overall it was an awesome group, shared many laughs, the company was fantastic. Couldn't of asked for more.
Group 2 - Chris Berry, Ste Holmes & Paul Davies JNR
Big hitters Bez and Paul Davis Jnr accompanied by Ste 'The Housewife' Holmes set off with the win in their sights. Unfortunately a slow start by The Housewife and Bez left Paul with all the work to do on the first 6 holes. Not a great return and not much to write home about.
The second 6 was a different story and all three players could put scores on the card if only they could have kept it up for the final 6 holes of the day. Some highlights being the nearest pin 10th where The Housewife came very close to his first hole in one leaving the ball only a matter of inches form the hole and Bez getting amongst the prizes with a nearest the pin. The last 6 holes where hit a miss and all three players rarely scored on each hole and battled their way over the finish line. A disappointing result in the end and too many 'what ifs' ! The course was in superb condition and the first outing for this format was very well liked by all.
Group 3 - Andy Roper, Phil Williams & Keith Long
Keith had a very consistent day from tee to green with his driving showing great accuracy and good distance and his approach shots being solid and 'on the money'. However, his putter seemed to have a face like a Toblerone as he pushed and pulled his putts all over the greens and coupled with the pace of the greens this brought far too many 3-putts - which is unusual for Keith. An individual score of 31 was solid, but he did leave a lot of points on the putting green.
Phil started with 4 points in 6 holes and confidence took a bit of a pummelling. A couple of solid pars around the turn led the group to think the tide had turned and he was going to roll in with some solid scores for the much tougher back 9 that this format demands. However, someone seemed to change Phil's short irons to left handed clubs without him knowing and he developed a horrific case of the Shanks for a period of 5 or 6 holes where every approach shot shot off at crazy angles and left him puzzled and bemused. 5 blobs in his round and a total of 19 individual points shows the day Phil endured and no matter how majestic some of his drives where - and they were - there is no recovery from deep rough that the Shanks give you.
Roper had a solid start of 3 pars that settled him into the round and then came the 4th where he battled to score 1 point after 3 horrific shots. This seemed to be the theme for his round with several good shots broken by a nasty one. However, he seemed to more often than not redeem the poor shot with some good play. None more so than the par 4 12th when his poor drive found a fairway bunker, his second he tried to hit to the green and caught the bunker lip and landed in another fairway bunker but then 'zipped' the 3rd shot to within 3 feet of the pin from the sand and 1-putted for par! Textbook. A superb hybrid on the long par 3 5th hole gave him a rare nearest the pin win and this was followed with a birdie on the 6th hole to come with the nearest the pin in 3 shots prize. Finishing with his tied lowest ever gross score of 79 and 40 Stableford points- it was clearly a solid day at the office and just a shame the group could not fill the gaps and dovetail a touch better or a push for top spot would have been on the cards.
Group 4 - Marc Lloyd, Rob Botterill & Graham Smith
Typical Lloydy clowning around on the 1st tee, telling all the lads waiting to "get behind the bushes" to avoid his wayward tee shot and bravely dishing out the banter as though he was going to rip a McIlroy-esque fizzed down the fairway. A pull-hook 100 yards off the tee and he wasn't lying about getting behind the bushes. A long day was going to develop for Bubba Lloyd. Rob and Graham hit lovely straight drives down the first and optimism was raised that things could dove tail nicely.
The group went out in a reasonable 20 points, but in this format as the more players enter the fray the scoring needs to keep progressing or you can fall behind opponents quickly. Rob was like Phil Mickelson around the greens, with some lovely chipping but he struggled with the pace and slickness of the Lee Park greens. Graham - having never played Lee Park before - also misjudged the quality of the greens and with his handicap being cut to 3/4 as a guest it was always going to be a tough day.
If the group could have moulded themselves as Grahams driving, Lloydys 5 to 7 irons and Robs work around the greens then would have done well, but as it was inconsistency throughout that left them short of a decent points total and unfortunately the infamy of finding themselves on the Wall of Shame - and last place.
Group 5 - Lee Caroll, John Carroll and John Standley
A 3 ball that consisted of 2 family members and a long term family friend. With three lads that know each other so well there was so no lack of team spirit within the group. This didn’t help matter one bit!
Lee had a solid individual round and was constantly scoring and scoring well. He hit it it very well off the tee but too many 3 putts and missed greens on the par 3s let him down in the end.
John Standley played some great recovery shots from wild tee shots that cleared the very tall trees at Lee Park. Unfortunately he couldn’t keep that up and couldn’t contribute to the team score as much as he would have liked.
John Carroll was a visiting guest for the day and enjoyed a solid round of golf playing off ¾ handicap. Unfortunately that restricted him from helping out so much in the combined score... but he battled well and should be happy how he played off a handicap he should be aiming for in the near future.
Group 6 - Dave Ashley, Mark Gaskell & Pete Bilson
The penultimate three-ball featured the team made up of Dave Ashley, Mark Gaskell and guest - and potential new comer to the society - Pete Bilson. With the warm sunshine breaking through the cloud cover just as they arrived on the tee the omens looked good as all three drove their opening shots straight and true. With some very consistent play on the opening holes, the points began to build rapidly with all three making their contributions. As a new-comer, Pete was burdened by having to play with a reduced handicap. Despite this additional burden he played very steadily throughout, making several valuable contributions at vital times.
Mark was as competitive as ever and his habit of urging himself on vocally before each shot certainly paid dividends as he too scored heavily at times. Dave's scoring was bolstered by a series of holes where he managed to "get up and down" from some quite difficult positions. With a personal total of 38 points which featured many one putt greens and two birdies, he was delighted to sign for a team total of 78 points which all three players felt might be good enough perhaps for a top five placing. Certainly one of the highlights of the round was Mark's tremendous play down the last hole which enabled him to take the prize for Nearest the Pin in Two.
All three players were united in the view that this was a very enjoyable competition format which should be offered to members again in future
Group 7 - Kev Murphy, Ben Warden & Paul Hanson
The last group to go out was Kev Murphy, Ben Warden and Paul Hanson(Guest). All three started off the boil and had chances to score well ok the opening holes, Kev missed a great chance to score well on the opening par 5 only making par after taking 2 in the greenside bunker. Ben played up and down,he hit some great tee shots then failed to capitalise in them with some wayward approach shots, when he got the shot onto the green right he was putting a score on the card.
Paul who is fairly new to golf showed some great 4 iron shots off the tee but his inconsistency showed after taking a couple of shots to get to the greens. With not playing for over 9 months Paul struggled with the pace of the slick greens and only really got the feel on the 16th hole, im sure if he starts playing more often he will get much more consistant.
Kev Murphy didnt play great but his score was masked by some great work around the greens, getting up and down on numerous occasions makes it look like he played ok but in all honesty he was disappointed how he struck the ball with the high standards he sets himself.
The group played ok together but left lots of shots out there, so to shoot 72 points which works out as par they all have to be happy with that.
READ OUR MEMBERS REVIEWS ON TEEUPLO
Bunkers Golf Society Members £35 per person
Saturday 19th September 2015
Tee times from 13:30pm [arrive no later than 12:30pm]
Prices include 18 holes + pre and post round food.
Website: www.leepark.co.uk
Tee times from 13:30pm [arrive no later than 12:30pm]
Prices include 18 holes + pre and post round food.
Website: www.leepark.co.uk
format for the event
Format: 3 Ball BetterBall Event
Handicaps: Players will play off full handicaps.
Groups: Will be drawn on the day of play
Tee: Players will play off the yellow tees.
Mini Comps: There will be FIVE nearest the pins on all Par 3's and a Nearest in THREE SHOTS on the 6th.
Prizes: Will be for 1st & 2nd
Handicaps: Players will play off full handicaps.
Groups: Will be drawn on the day of play
Tee: Players will play off the yellow tees.
Mini Comps: There will be FIVE nearest the pins on all Par 3's and a Nearest in THREE SHOTS on the 6th.
Prizes: Will be for 1st & 2nd
post event
Those who came to Lee Park for a social event in 2014 will know what a superb day and night it was. Following the golf you will all get a superb 2 course meal and then we are left to enjoy the evening until WE decide we have had enough to drink.
the venue
Its fair to say that by the time this event comes around that most of us will know Lee Park Golf Club very well, and you will be fully aware of not only the wonderful course, but also the supremely friendly staff and clubhouse. Lee Park have been very supportive of Bunkers for a couple of years and the partnership and friendship we have formed with them will hopefully only continue to grow - and we hope you will all acknowledge this by attending this DAY & NIGHT event.
In February 2014's Today's Golfer magazine, Lee Park was recommended with 6 other courses in the UK as a "surprise package" that all people should try and play. It was described as a "breath of Parkland fresh air".
The Greens at Lee Park Golf Club are acknowledged by both its members and visitors as the best in the area and have won numerous awards and recognitions for this. Whilst an easy walking parkland course, the 18 holes offer a fine test of accurate driving and includes six dog-legs. The 5959 yards Par 70 (SSS 69) requires a good short game in order to attack the well protected raised greens.
Lee Park is always in immaculate condition, as evidenced by the recently awarded Silver Category by the independent assessor from HSBC. Further testimony to the club’s growing reputation is that it is still the only Merseyside club to have achieved the EGU GolfMark award in 2006. It also gained the EGU Environment award in 2008 for its committment and actions in providing an eco friendly, sustainable golf course.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A HOLE BY HOLE COURSE GUIDE
In February 2014's Today's Golfer magazine, Lee Park was recommended with 6 other courses in the UK as a "surprise package" that all people should try and play. It was described as a "breath of Parkland fresh air".
The Greens at Lee Park Golf Club are acknowledged by both its members and visitors as the best in the area and have won numerous awards and recognitions for this. Whilst an easy walking parkland course, the 18 holes offer a fine test of accurate driving and includes six dog-legs. The 5959 yards Par 70 (SSS 69) requires a good short game in order to attack the well protected raised greens.
Lee Park is always in immaculate condition, as evidenced by the recently awarded Silver Category by the independent assessor from HSBC. Further testimony to the club’s growing reputation is that it is still the only Merseyside club to have achieved the EGU GolfMark award in 2006. It also gained the EGU Environment award in 2008 for its committment and actions in providing an eco friendly, sustainable golf course.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A HOLE BY HOLE COURSE GUIDE
directions
Lee Park is 2 miles from Tarbock Island at Junction 1 on the M57 or Junction 6 of the M62. It is located in the Netherley area of Liverpool and is 25 minutes from Skelmersdale.
Full address for SatNav:
Lee Park Golf Club, Childwall Valley Rd, Gateacre, Liverpool L27 3YA - Tel: 0151 487 3882
Full address for SatNav:
Lee Park Golf Club, Childwall Valley Rd, Gateacre, Liverpool L27 3YA - Tel: 0151 487 3882