portal
Tarporley, Cheshire
Sunday 17th august 2014
this event was won by
ste bradshaw
The 2014 Bunkers Invitational was won on 17th August by Ste Bradshaw at Portal. A guest on the day, Braddy is well known to a lot of the Bunkers lads. Winner of the annual trophy and title holder for the next 12 months, Ste had a superb round of 36 stableford points in some tough conditions with strong winds, making club selection tricky and putting a complete nightmare at times A consistent performance throughout the 18 holes, helped with steady work from the tee, solid iron play and some great putts [and saves] along the way. CONGRATULATIONS on a superb victory. |
'Blowin' in the Wind'...
The final ‘Major’ of the season saw us heading to Portal in Tapporley, Cheshire to play “The Bunkers Invitational” on their ‘Championship Course’. The idea behind the invitational is that it is an opportunity for Bunkers members to invite their golfing friends and family to come along and experience one of our days out. It is the only event within our society calendar that allows guests to win the top prizes and with it being a ‘Major’ the prize pot is always bigger and better.
The turnout of 28 players was the highest that we have ever welcomed to an event and with several guests in tow it was a perfect opportunity to sell ourselves to potential future attendees.
The conditions for play were destined to play a huge role in who would be taking home the trophy at the end of the day. A strong swirling wind of 20-25mph with advertised ‘gusts’ of up to 40mph are always a challenge and on a track with some long holes with tricky greens it was going to be even tougher. It was quite clear that anyone shooting close to their handicap would be in with a real chance of walking away with the title – and so it proved.
We will not discuss the course condition or resort customer service in this review; instead [as always] we will leave it for our members to mention in their reviews on Teeuplo
As we walked to the 1st tee there was a heavy downpour which was a real concern as it looked bleak and like it was settling in for the day, but as quickly as it came it disappeared and thankfully only came in fleeting glimpses throughout the afternoon.
Lloydy stood up on the first tee – as always – and set us off with a reminder of how he had performed wonderfully on the opening two holes the previous year. He sported a monster hangover that was apparently the fault of the Premier League for daring to organise the opening day fixtures the day before our play. Lloydy was not the only one with an alcohol induced illness, as normal service was resumed as Chris Berry arrived with his obligatory hangover after a mere 4 hours sleep.
The days play went as followed for each of our 7 fourballs:
Group 1 – Marc Lloyd, Scott Seddon, Ste Holmes, Phil Williams
With Lloydy in the group it was a first time for Ste, Scott & maybe Phil to feel the pressure of teeing off in front of a baying crowd. However, the group were spared the gaze of 24 other pairs of eyes as the late pre round butties meant that the opening 2 groups were out alone. Saved!
All four got off to a great start and all balls were in play for the short par 4. A nice chip onto the green left Ste with a Birdie in his sights. 4 putts later he walked off with a 6 and a shell of a man. The yips from The Belfry continuing for Holmsey as he constantly battled with the putter all day. The unpredictable greens and strong winds didn’t help though. From here Ste was hit and miss, very inconsistent with all shots and this left him sweating in the club house as each member of every subsequent group came home with a higher score than his own. Thankfully he was saved the dreaded wooden spoon by the last group.
Bubba Lloyd was on fire hitting 16 points on the front 9 – and as you can imagine, barely mentioning his fine play. The driver was behaving its self and his ‘wand of a 7 iron’ was utilised to the max. He kept the group smiling with comments like … “It's criminal getting a point when you hit an 8” - continually informing the group of his 2 shots on the relevant 8 holes! Bubba thought he saved a point on the first par 3 with a delicate chip landing literally 1 and a half inches from the cup. He swaggered towards his ball like a man with the winning lottery numbers to tap it in….only to ground his club, clip the ball and send it rolling less than 1 inch and miss. Hilarious!!! Lloydy was on for his best ever score but his hangover kicked in [or that’s what he told us over and over] and all his momentum lost as he came back with 7 points to give him 23 overall.
Phil was probably the stand out golfer in the group with only his “Pirate Ship” putting technique preventing him from challenging at the top of the tree. He was pipped to the nearest pin in 2 on the 6th hole and he hit a great shot on the 14th to secure the nearest the pin. However, it was noted that Phil’s trolley must be like Marty McFly’s DeLorean as he consistently strives to push it at “88 miles an hour” around the course – leaving his playing partners in his frosty wake as he plays “PhilGolf” on his own. The mantra of “Ready Golf” has been taken a little bit too literally and between the 1st tee and the 18th green you rarely get chance to have a natter – which isn’t a bad thing in all honesty!
Scott by his on standards will not be happy with his knock! His usual bullet-like drive letting him down on too many holes. With the putter not saving him he struggled to get into the 20 ' s and it was a bad day at the office that he will want to forget and move on from. Not like Scott at all.
Group 2 – Allan Gunn, Chris Berry, Chris Warbrick, Chris Parrish
The 2nd group out consisted of Bunker's members Chris Warbrick, Allan Gunn and Chris Berry with the 4th player joining us as a guest for the day, "The Grimshaw’s” Chris Parrish. Having met Chris on the Wales trip we knew this was going to be a good fourball (“always better with a fellow Man Utd fan in the group” said Bez)
It looked like Saturday night had taken its toll with a few rough heads from the night before with Bez [as usual] being the worst of the lot. As we made our way to the short par 4 1st the weather took a turn for the worst and the heaven's opened. However, on they marched up the 1st fairway and on reaching the green blue skies greeted them.
Going down the 3rd hole we could see Allan was struggling with his back, although having been advised by his son in law not to play, that wasn't enough to stop him competing, unfortunately as the courses' varying climbs increased, Allan had to throw in the towel on the 6th and parted company with us. We were sorry to see him leave but no point in risking an injury and making things 10 times worse. So the group were down to a 3 ball.
Looking back I think Allan saw what was coming as from the 6th hole the wind turned brutal and was a good 3 club wind, making club selection even harder.
The back 9 started with Chris Warbrick leading the way on 19 points great scoring in the conditions. Carrying on the good form he made birdie at the tough 11th hole and things were looking good. Unfortunately not all good things last in this game and after 3 great drives from everyone down the par 5 12th Chris mistakenly hit the wrong ball resulting in a 2 shot penalty, and a no score on the hole when a birdie was looking likely. His round came to an end there really as he was fighting with himself to forget the oversight.
The last 4/5 holes were really picturesque parkland holes but as the hangovers were fading so was the energy - which the wind had helped sap. The group were ready for the clubhouse and a well earned drink but Bez decided he couldn't wait and hooked his tee shot on 18 in to the car park to end his round early.
Group 3 – John Morrison, Paul Davies Jnr, Tom Davies, Allan Gannon
Review to be added
Group 4 – Craig Evans, Ste Bradshaw, Ant Holland, Tony King
Ant Holland had a dodgy start and must have felt destined for the wooden spoon yet again. Especially when faced with a 600 yard par 5, and only hitting the ball 5 yards straight left kind of summed how things were going for him. However, a 3 hole master class gave Ant 9 points and he settled down and played quite steady towards the end. The pleasure on his face when he realised he had not come last [as he had genuinely not known until the results were read out] was worth the attendance fee alone.
Tony "iron man" King was striking the ball well but his reluctance to even choose to put the big stick in the bag meant that he was leaving himself a long way back on the longer holes. He enjoyed the banter though which came back to bite him a little on the 6th. Evo pointed out that the tree in the middle of the fairway was in play to which Kingy replied that he should really be looking at moving on to become a detective. He then struck a lovely iron shot to 1 yard of said tree directly in the way of the green. Unlucky.
Braddy made more up and downs than that a pair of undies in a Joan Collins novel. Some exceptional chipping and putting meant that he often scrambled good pars from the jaws of bogeys. The shot of the day probably belonged to Braddy when he hit a hybrid out of the left fairway bunker in the 13th. He was showing as 190 yards away and hit it to about 10 feet. Superb. He continued in this vein as he managed to hole a 40 foot par putt on the 17th only to follow this with a 30 footer on the last to give him the event victory. Very well done.
As for me Craig, the lads in the group would agree that he struck the ball as well as he ever has. Almost every green in regulation was hit. 2 blobs let Craig down the first coming on the 14th. Wind in the face Braddy told Evo it's playing 170 yards and Braddy hit a 5 iron to the centre of the green. Evo took a 7 iron and struck it as well as he had all day and right into the drink at the back of the green. This affected his swede and got into his inner man, resulting in a Blobus Maximus on the very next hole. That said, it was a solid score that gave him 3rd place on the day.
Group 5 – Bobby Barrow, Andy Roper, Paul Davies, Andy Sullivan
Bobby Barrow had a mixed bag of an afternoon. He hit some lovely strikes, particularly with the driver and long irons – making the most of his natural left to right shot shape. However, the wedge play deserted him all day as he duffed several at 45 degree angles off the club face and a couple that went directly into the sand traps leaving him puzzled for answers why. Putting saved him a couple of times and one in particular was a modern miracle when it rolled 360 degrees around the mouth of the hole before rolling out a couple of inches – only for the slope of the green to bring the ball back and into the hole. Majestic.
Paul Davies began with some wonderful tee shots with his 3 wood that had a lovely draw on them. However, these soon led to horrible pulls and it was later ditched in favour of his driver that didn’t really aid him greatly off the tee – which was a shame as it would have helped him finish much closer to the top of the table. Some lovely chipping around the greens gave Paul several great opportunities to putt for decent scores. However, some dropped whilst others lipped away from the hole and it was a case of ‘what could’ve been – particularly harsh was a Lord Lucan ball on the 17th which everyone watched into the first cut of rough but couldn’t find despite best efforts and this kind of rounded off Paul’s day.
Andy Sullivan produced a very solid and steady scorecard up until the 15th and 16th holes where two pieces of bad luck [or poor club selection] bit him well and truly on the backside. Firstly on his approach to 15 the ball came up a yard short and found the water protecting the green which left Andy looking at his club in confusion as he was adamant it was enough to make the distance despite the strong breeze. Onto the par 3 16th and a lovely long iron shot that was directly into the wind sailed majestically through the air and looked to be nailed on to snatch the nearest the pin. However, it landed 1 foot past the hazard and rolled backwards into the murky drink. Aside from these two holes, Andy played wonderfully with some great drawing drives with his SLDR mini and a confident display of putting that saw him drilling the ball at the back of the cup.
Andy Roper playing off his new handicap of 18, and on the back of a couple of good recent performances, was confident going into the round. His driving was solid throughout the day with only one leaking away to the right, and one pulled to the left – but both leaving him in play. His approach play from 150 yards and within was consistent and gave him the chance to putt for decent scores. A wonderful 6 iron from 170 yards on the 13th left him with 4 foot for birdie which he duly sank for 4 points. This was pleasing for him having come off the back of a missed par on the hole before from less than 2 foot that he ‘dollied’ down the hill and let the break of the green win the battle. However, another improved performance saw Andy finish with 35 points to finish second and another handicap cut awaits.
Group 6 – Lee Carroll, Kev Murphy, Leigh Robertson, Stu Seddon
Kev Murphy could say he had 'one of them rounds' as he blew hot and cold all day. Some fantastic work on the front 9 to go out with 19 points only to slump in with 9 on the back. He had one of those days with the putter were he must of lipped out or caught the edge 8-10 times causing dropped points, on a day were they would have dropped he could have had a respectable 30+ points posted. Most of the pressure putts were caused by errant tee shots which I'm sure he will be eager to iron out!
Next up was Stu Seddon who came in under the radar with a great 33 points and another solid performance in a major. In tricky conditions he used his hybrid to great effect finding many fairways throughout the round. Couple this with his very tidy short game and some great up and downs he scored consistently and if it wasn’t for the tough conditions he would have scored even better.
Lee Carroll was playing for his first time with Bunkers and we hope he enjoyed his first outing. However, his nerves may have got the better of him early doors as he shanked a wedge on the first hole (yes I did see it go sideways!). Lee steadied himself well after the first with some good drives in blustery conditions but was let down by a couple of miss struck shots which resulted in him not scoring on a couple of occasions. His highlight of the day was his superb second shot into the par 5 12th hitting the back of the green from about 220 yards, he duly lagged his eagle putt up to tap in for birdie for 4 points. Hopefully we will see him back at future events.
Last up was Leigh Robertson; another new player to the society who the group enjoyed the company of and I’m sure would be very welcome again. In his own words he had not played much of late, and that was evident with a few errant tee shots and no confidence with the short stick, one thing that had not eluded him was his short game which at times was a joy to watch. Great approach shots and a great touch around the greens were standard and if he sharpens his long game he will see his handicap fall quickly [even with Evo about]. He hit arguably the shot of the day in the group. His tee shot had gone left into the trees leaving him underneath overhanging trees, from about 150 yards and he punched a 6 iron out that came out low and hot which rolled onto the green to about 2ft. A fantastic shot (unluckily his birdie attempt rolled by the hole). Hopefully we will see attend future events also.
Group 7 – John Standley, Rob Botterill, John Botterill, Syd Sullivan
Syd had a consistent round throughout the day and found the fairway on pretty much every tee shot. However he was let down with a couple of wrong club selections which left him short of the greens and he ended up 3 or 4 putting when he was there.
Rob – like Syd – had a very consistent day off the tee and his natural fade with the driver stood him in good stead throughout. He seemed to always be in play and on the fairway and gave himself opportunities to make a decent score. Some lovely iron shots also followed with the highlight being his tee shot on the par 3 16th hole that landed on the back of the green giving him a par.
Although John ended up finishing last on the day, it’s fair to say that it came as a bit of a shock to see his final scorecard as it felt during the round that he was playing reasonably. He hit some solid shots and it seemed as though he found most fairways and greens. One side of the game that did let him down was his putting and he had several that he putted too hard downhill or too soft back up hill and this left him with more hard work just to save from 3 or 4 putting.
John drove the ball well for the whole day with the odd one or two getting pulled left with disastrous consequences. It was a hook that Amir Khan would have been proud of. Again, he was another player that fell foul where club selections were concerned. However, it wasn’t falling short of the dance floor, but more over hitting the ball. He also suffered a bit at the hands of the greens and had too many putts to make sure he posted a top score.
The turnout of 28 players was the highest that we have ever welcomed to an event and with several guests in tow it was a perfect opportunity to sell ourselves to potential future attendees.
The conditions for play were destined to play a huge role in who would be taking home the trophy at the end of the day. A strong swirling wind of 20-25mph with advertised ‘gusts’ of up to 40mph are always a challenge and on a track with some long holes with tricky greens it was going to be even tougher. It was quite clear that anyone shooting close to their handicap would be in with a real chance of walking away with the title – and so it proved.
We will not discuss the course condition or resort customer service in this review; instead [as always] we will leave it for our members to mention in their reviews on Teeuplo
As we walked to the 1st tee there was a heavy downpour which was a real concern as it looked bleak and like it was settling in for the day, but as quickly as it came it disappeared and thankfully only came in fleeting glimpses throughout the afternoon.
Lloydy stood up on the first tee – as always – and set us off with a reminder of how he had performed wonderfully on the opening two holes the previous year. He sported a monster hangover that was apparently the fault of the Premier League for daring to organise the opening day fixtures the day before our play. Lloydy was not the only one with an alcohol induced illness, as normal service was resumed as Chris Berry arrived with his obligatory hangover after a mere 4 hours sleep.
The days play went as followed for each of our 7 fourballs:
Group 1 – Marc Lloyd, Scott Seddon, Ste Holmes, Phil Williams
With Lloydy in the group it was a first time for Ste, Scott & maybe Phil to feel the pressure of teeing off in front of a baying crowd. However, the group were spared the gaze of 24 other pairs of eyes as the late pre round butties meant that the opening 2 groups were out alone. Saved!
All four got off to a great start and all balls were in play for the short par 4. A nice chip onto the green left Ste with a Birdie in his sights. 4 putts later he walked off with a 6 and a shell of a man. The yips from The Belfry continuing for Holmsey as he constantly battled with the putter all day. The unpredictable greens and strong winds didn’t help though. From here Ste was hit and miss, very inconsistent with all shots and this left him sweating in the club house as each member of every subsequent group came home with a higher score than his own. Thankfully he was saved the dreaded wooden spoon by the last group.
Bubba Lloyd was on fire hitting 16 points on the front 9 – and as you can imagine, barely mentioning his fine play. The driver was behaving its self and his ‘wand of a 7 iron’ was utilised to the max. He kept the group smiling with comments like … “It's criminal getting a point when you hit an 8” - continually informing the group of his 2 shots on the relevant 8 holes! Bubba thought he saved a point on the first par 3 with a delicate chip landing literally 1 and a half inches from the cup. He swaggered towards his ball like a man with the winning lottery numbers to tap it in….only to ground his club, clip the ball and send it rolling less than 1 inch and miss. Hilarious!!! Lloydy was on for his best ever score but his hangover kicked in [or that’s what he told us over and over] and all his momentum lost as he came back with 7 points to give him 23 overall.
Phil was probably the stand out golfer in the group with only his “Pirate Ship” putting technique preventing him from challenging at the top of the tree. He was pipped to the nearest pin in 2 on the 6th hole and he hit a great shot on the 14th to secure the nearest the pin. However, it was noted that Phil’s trolley must be like Marty McFly’s DeLorean as he consistently strives to push it at “88 miles an hour” around the course – leaving his playing partners in his frosty wake as he plays “PhilGolf” on his own. The mantra of “Ready Golf” has been taken a little bit too literally and between the 1st tee and the 18th green you rarely get chance to have a natter – which isn’t a bad thing in all honesty!
Scott by his on standards will not be happy with his knock! His usual bullet-like drive letting him down on too many holes. With the putter not saving him he struggled to get into the 20 ' s and it was a bad day at the office that he will want to forget and move on from. Not like Scott at all.
Group 2 – Allan Gunn, Chris Berry, Chris Warbrick, Chris Parrish
The 2nd group out consisted of Bunker's members Chris Warbrick, Allan Gunn and Chris Berry with the 4th player joining us as a guest for the day, "The Grimshaw’s” Chris Parrish. Having met Chris on the Wales trip we knew this was going to be a good fourball (“always better with a fellow Man Utd fan in the group” said Bez)
It looked like Saturday night had taken its toll with a few rough heads from the night before with Bez [as usual] being the worst of the lot. As we made our way to the short par 4 1st the weather took a turn for the worst and the heaven's opened. However, on they marched up the 1st fairway and on reaching the green blue skies greeted them.
Going down the 3rd hole we could see Allan was struggling with his back, although having been advised by his son in law not to play, that wasn't enough to stop him competing, unfortunately as the courses' varying climbs increased, Allan had to throw in the towel on the 6th and parted company with us. We were sorry to see him leave but no point in risking an injury and making things 10 times worse. So the group were down to a 3 ball.
Looking back I think Allan saw what was coming as from the 6th hole the wind turned brutal and was a good 3 club wind, making club selection even harder.
The back 9 started with Chris Warbrick leading the way on 19 points great scoring in the conditions. Carrying on the good form he made birdie at the tough 11th hole and things were looking good. Unfortunately not all good things last in this game and after 3 great drives from everyone down the par 5 12th Chris mistakenly hit the wrong ball resulting in a 2 shot penalty, and a no score on the hole when a birdie was looking likely. His round came to an end there really as he was fighting with himself to forget the oversight.
The last 4/5 holes were really picturesque parkland holes but as the hangovers were fading so was the energy - which the wind had helped sap. The group were ready for the clubhouse and a well earned drink but Bez decided he couldn't wait and hooked his tee shot on 18 in to the car park to end his round early.
Group 3 – John Morrison, Paul Davies Jnr, Tom Davies, Allan Gannon
Review to be added
Group 4 – Craig Evans, Ste Bradshaw, Ant Holland, Tony King
Ant Holland had a dodgy start and must have felt destined for the wooden spoon yet again. Especially when faced with a 600 yard par 5, and only hitting the ball 5 yards straight left kind of summed how things were going for him. However, a 3 hole master class gave Ant 9 points and he settled down and played quite steady towards the end. The pleasure on his face when he realised he had not come last [as he had genuinely not known until the results were read out] was worth the attendance fee alone.
Tony "iron man" King was striking the ball well but his reluctance to even choose to put the big stick in the bag meant that he was leaving himself a long way back on the longer holes. He enjoyed the banter though which came back to bite him a little on the 6th. Evo pointed out that the tree in the middle of the fairway was in play to which Kingy replied that he should really be looking at moving on to become a detective. He then struck a lovely iron shot to 1 yard of said tree directly in the way of the green. Unlucky.
Braddy made more up and downs than that a pair of undies in a Joan Collins novel. Some exceptional chipping and putting meant that he often scrambled good pars from the jaws of bogeys. The shot of the day probably belonged to Braddy when he hit a hybrid out of the left fairway bunker in the 13th. He was showing as 190 yards away and hit it to about 10 feet. Superb. He continued in this vein as he managed to hole a 40 foot par putt on the 17th only to follow this with a 30 footer on the last to give him the event victory. Very well done.
As for me Craig, the lads in the group would agree that he struck the ball as well as he ever has. Almost every green in regulation was hit. 2 blobs let Craig down the first coming on the 14th. Wind in the face Braddy told Evo it's playing 170 yards and Braddy hit a 5 iron to the centre of the green. Evo took a 7 iron and struck it as well as he had all day and right into the drink at the back of the green. This affected his swede and got into his inner man, resulting in a Blobus Maximus on the very next hole. That said, it was a solid score that gave him 3rd place on the day.
Group 5 – Bobby Barrow, Andy Roper, Paul Davies, Andy Sullivan
Bobby Barrow had a mixed bag of an afternoon. He hit some lovely strikes, particularly with the driver and long irons – making the most of his natural left to right shot shape. However, the wedge play deserted him all day as he duffed several at 45 degree angles off the club face and a couple that went directly into the sand traps leaving him puzzled for answers why. Putting saved him a couple of times and one in particular was a modern miracle when it rolled 360 degrees around the mouth of the hole before rolling out a couple of inches – only for the slope of the green to bring the ball back and into the hole. Majestic.
Paul Davies began with some wonderful tee shots with his 3 wood that had a lovely draw on them. However, these soon led to horrible pulls and it was later ditched in favour of his driver that didn’t really aid him greatly off the tee – which was a shame as it would have helped him finish much closer to the top of the table. Some lovely chipping around the greens gave Paul several great opportunities to putt for decent scores. However, some dropped whilst others lipped away from the hole and it was a case of ‘what could’ve been – particularly harsh was a Lord Lucan ball on the 17th which everyone watched into the first cut of rough but couldn’t find despite best efforts and this kind of rounded off Paul’s day.
Andy Sullivan produced a very solid and steady scorecard up until the 15th and 16th holes where two pieces of bad luck [or poor club selection] bit him well and truly on the backside. Firstly on his approach to 15 the ball came up a yard short and found the water protecting the green which left Andy looking at his club in confusion as he was adamant it was enough to make the distance despite the strong breeze. Onto the par 3 16th and a lovely long iron shot that was directly into the wind sailed majestically through the air and looked to be nailed on to snatch the nearest the pin. However, it landed 1 foot past the hazard and rolled backwards into the murky drink. Aside from these two holes, Andy played wonderfully with some great drawing drives with his SLDR mini and a confident display of putting that saw him drilling the ball at the back of the cup.
Andy Roper playing off his new handicap of 18, and on the back of a couple of good recent performances, was confident going into the round. His driving was solid throughout the day with only one leaking away to the right, and one pulled to the left – but both leaving him in play. His approach play from 150 yards and within was consistent and gave him the chance to putt for decent scores. A wonderful 6 iron from 170 yards on the 13th left him with 4 foot for birdie which he duly sank for 4 points. This was pleasing for him having come off the back of a missed par on the hole before from less than 2 foot that he ‘dollied’ down the hill and let the break of the green win the battle. However, another improved performance saw Andy finish with 35 points to finish second and another handicap cut awaits.
Group 6 – Lee Carroll, Kev Murphy, Leigh Robertson, Stu Seddon
Kev Murphy could say he had 'one of them rounds' as he blew hot and cold all day. Some fantastic work on the front 9 to go out with 19 points only to slump in with 9 on the back. He had one of those days with the putter were he must of lipped out or caught the edge 8-10 times causing dropped points, on a day were they would have dropped he could have had a respectable 30+ points posted. Most of the pressure putts were caused by errant tee shots which I'm sure he will be eager to iron out!
Next up was Stu Seddon who came in under the radar with a great 33 points and another solid performance in a major. In tricky conditions he used his hybrid to great effect finding many fairways throughout the round. Couple this with his very tidy short game and some great up and downs he scored consistently and if it wasn’t for the tough conditions he would have scored even better.
Lee Carroll was playing for his first time with Bunkers and we hope he enjoyed his first outing. However, his nerves may have got the better of him early doors as he shanked a wedge on the first hole (yes I did see it go sideways!). Lee steadied himself well after the first with some good drives in blustery conditions but was let down by a couple of miss struck shots which resulted in him not scoring on a couple of occasions. His highlight of the day was his superb second shot into the par 5 12th hitting the back of the green from about 220 yards, he duly lagged his eagle putt up to tap in for birdie for 4 points. Hopefully we will see him back at future events.
Last up was Leigh Robertson; another new player to the society who the group enjoyed the company of and I’m sure would be very welcome again. In his own words he had not played much of late, and that was evident with a few errant tee shots and no confidence with the short stick, one thing that had not eluded him was his short game which at times was a joy to watch. Great approach shots and a great touch around the greens were standard and if he sharpens his long game he will see his handicap fall quickly [even with Evo about]. He hit arguably the shot of the day in the group. His tee shot had gone left into the trees leaving him underneath overhanging trees, from about 150 yards and he punched a 6 iron out that came out low and hot which rolled onto the green to about 2ft. A fantastic shot (unluckily his birdie attempt rolled by the hole). Hopefully we will see attend future events also.
Group 7 – John Standley, Rob Botterill, John Botterill, Syd Sullivan
Syd had a consistent round throughout the day and found the fairway on pretty much every tee shot. However he was let down with a couple of wrong club selections which left him short of the greens and he ended up 3 or 4 putting when he was there.
Rob – like Syd – had a very consistent day off the tee and his natural fade with the driver stood him in good stead throughout. He seemed to always be in play and on the fairway and gave himself opportunities to make a decent score. Some lovely iron shots also followed with the highlight being his tee shot on the par 3 16th hole that landed on the back of the green giving him a par.
Although John ended up finishing last on the day, it’s fair to say that it came as a bit of a shock to see his final scorecard as it felt during the round that he was playing reasonably. He hit some solid shots and it seemed as though he found most fairways and greens. One side of the game that did let him down was his putting and he had several that he putted too hard downhill or too soft back up hill and this left him with more hard work just to save from 3 or 4 putting.
John drove the ball well for the whole day with the odd one or two getting pulled left with disastrous consequences. It was a hook that Amir Khan would have been proud of. Again, he was another player that fell foul where club selections were concerned. However, it wasn’t falling short of the dance floor, but more over hitting the ball. He also suffered a bit at the hands of the greens and had too many putts to make sure he posted a top score.
Sunday 17th August 2014
Tee times from 11:08am [arrive no later than 10:00am]
Prices include 18 holes + Bacon Roll & Hot Drink pre play & 1 Course Meal after play.
Website: www.portalgolf.com
The Bunkers Invitational is the only event on the Bunkers calendar where guests are eligible to win the top prizes. So we actively encourage members to bring along friends and family members to enjoy the full Bunkers Golf Society experience. [NOTE - Any guest without a CONGU golf handicap certificate will play off a handicap allocated by our handicap secretary]
Tee times from 11:08am [arrive no later than 10:00am]
Prices include 18 holes + Bacon Roll & Hot Drink pre play & 1 Course Meal after play.
Website: www.portalgolf.com
The Bunkers Invitational is the only event on the Bunkers calendar where guests are eligible to win the top prizes. So we actively encourage members to bring along friends and family members to enjoy the full Bunkers Golf Society experience. [NOTE - Any guest without a CONGU golf handicap certificate will play off a handicap allocated by our handicap secretary]
format of the day
Format: Stableford Scoring
Handicaps: Players will play off full handicaps if Bunkers or CONGU. If not, it will be 3/4 of given handicap.
Tee: Players will tee off from the yellow tees. [6577 yards]
Nearest the Pins: There will be 2 nearest the pins & 1 nearest the pin in two shots.
Handicaps: Players will play off full handicaps if Bunkers or CONGU. If not, it will be 3/4 of given handicap.
Tee: Players will tee off from the yellow tees. [6577 yards]
Nearest the Pins: There will be 2 nearest the pins & 1 nearest the pin in two shots.
groups & tee times
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.
** Awaiting handicap confirmations
* 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.
** Awaiting handicap confirmations
11:08 tee time
Group 1
Marc Lloyd [26] Scott Seddon [17] Ste Holmes [19] Phil Williams [13] 11:24 tee timeGroup 3
John Morrison [9] Paul Davies Jnr [11] Tom Davies [22] Allan Gannon [17] 11:40 tee time
Group 5
Bobby Barrow [14] Andy Roper [18] Andy Sullivan [7] Paul Davies [15] |
11:48 tee time
Group 6
Lee Carroll [14]* Kev Murphy [10] Leigh Robertson [18]* Stu Seddon [13] |
11:16 tee time
Group 2
Allan Gunn [20] Chris Berry [13] Chris Warbrick [11] Chris Parrish [10] 11:32 tee time
Group 4
Craig Evans [9] Ant Holland [28] Ste Bradshaw [7] Tony King [18] 11:54 tee time
Group 7
John Standley [19] Syd Sullivan [20] John Botterill [15]* Rob Botterill [26] |
nearest the pins
There will be 2 nearest the pins on the 14th hole and the 16th hole.
The nearest the pin in 2 will be on the par 4 6th hole.
CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO ENLARGE
The nearest the pin in 2 will be on the par 4 6th hole.
CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO ENLARGE
read reviews of portal on....
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the venue
Portal has long been ranked in the top 20 when the annual top 100 UK courses are voted for. Its reputation is well known and it takes very little introduction. For those who have never played it, you quite simply do not want to miss this event - especially at the price we've secured it for considering advertised summer green fees are £80 per round, just for the golf!!!
Set in the heart of the rolling Cheshire countryside, the 18-hole Championship course has established Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa as a distinctive world class championship golf venue
The Championship Course at Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa , opened in 1990, was named 'Golf Course of the Year' in 1995, and is the star of Portal's golfing complex. Designer Donald Steel has created a challenge that is characterised by unique and distinctive holes; expansive water hazards and cascading waterfalls are among the tests. The signature is typical of Steel's magnificent 7,037 yard layout - the long third tips the scales at 607 yards, with a green guarded by a beautiful lake..
12TH IN TOP 100 REVIEWS HERE
Set in the heart of the rolling Cheshire countryside, the 18-hole Championship course has established Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa as a distinctive world class championship golf venue
The Championship Course at Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa , opened in 1990, was named 'Golf Course of the Year' in 1995, and is the star of Portal's golfing complex. Designer Donald Steel has created a challenge that is characterised by unique and distinctive holes; expansive water hazards and cascading waterfalls are among the tests. The signature is typical of Steel's magnificent 7,037 yard layout - the long third tips the scales at 607 yards, with a green guarded by a beautiful lake..
12TH IN TOP 100 REVIEWS HERE
directions
Portal is east of Chester. It is 45 minutes hour from Skelmersdale and 40 minutes Liverpool.
The full address for Sat Navs is:
Cobblers Cross Lane, Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 0DJ - Te: l0844 879 9082
The full address for Sat Navs is:
Cobblers Cross Lane, Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 0DJ - Te: l0844 879 9082
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