this event was won by
phil williams
On a beautiful sunny spring day, we headed off to Warrington Golf Club for Bunkers first ever midweek event. The turnout was good, the golf was better and the some of the scores were sensational.
Top of that list was Phil Williams who shot a sublime Stableford score of 42 points playing off 13 - that's a gross score of 78 and by his own self admission his, "best ever round".
Tidy from tee to green with consistency throughout, with accuracy off the tee and a high percentage of greens in regulation, it was a well deserved win for Phil. On a tough, tight course it was a superb round of golf and the inevitable attention of the handicap secretary will indeed follow.
Position | Player | Points | ||
1st | Phil Williams | 42 | ||
2nd | Kev Murphy | 39 | ||
3rd | Marc Lloyd | 36 | ||
4th | Chris Parrish | 35 | ||
5th | Craig Evans | 35 | ||
6th | John Morrison | 35 | ||
7th | Stu Seddon | 34 | ||
8th | Chris Warbrick | 34 | ||
9th | Allan Gannon | 34 | ||
10th | Andy Roper | 32 | ||
11th | Steve Bradshaw | 32 | ||
12th | Steve Evans | 31 | ||
13th | Paul Davies JNR | 30 | ||
14th | Dave Ashley | 30 | ||
15th | Ste Holmes | 30 | ||
16th | Paul Scally | 29 | ||
17th | Rob Botterill | 28 | ||
18th | John Gaskell | 18 | ||
OFFICIAL BUNKERS REVIEW...
Bunkers first ever midweek event saw us head to Warrington Golf Club on a beautiful spring day. The turnout was exceptional, with 50% of our members organising time off work and turning out at what would prove to be a superb day.
Warrington Golf Club had come highly recommended and did not disappoint. Initial impressions were good as we arrived with an impressive clubhouse and views over the undulating course bringing a unified nodding of heads as the lads all agreed that it looks in great condition. Well tendered fairways and tee boxes, lush green grass that has rolled lines on the fairways and greens that looked slick and beautifully cared for.
The club never disappointed throughout the round and the friendliness of all the staff went a long way to leaving a lasting impression with the group, just as much as the quality of the course.
You can read the review of Bunkers members on our parters site at www.teeuplo.co.uk - CLICK BELOW
Warrington Golf Club had come highly recommended and did not disappoint. Initial impressions were good as we arrived with an impressive clubhouse and views over the undulating course bringing a unified nodding of heads as the lads all agreed that it looks in great condition. Well tendered fairways and tee boxes, lush green grass that has rolled lines on the fairways and greens that looked slick and beautifully cared for.
The club never disappointed throughout the round and the friendliness of all the staff went a long way to leaving a lasting impression with the group, just as much as the quality of the course.
You can read the review of Bunkers members on our parters site at www.teeuplo.co.uk - CLICK BELOW
Group 1 - Chris Warbick, Kev Murphy & Rob Botterill
Review to follow...Please visit back to see this in due course.
Group 2 - Dave Ashley, John Morrison & Allan Gannon
Second group out was the three-ball featuring the in-form John Morrison, the studious Alan Gannon and the ever optimistic Dave Ashley. With the warm sun on their backs the group set off in high spirits anticipating a very enjoyable round on what looked -even from the clubhouse balcony - to be a most impressive layout.
John's scoring on the front nine was consistently good, helped enormously by some impressive tee shots and steady putting. Alan too was performing well, with a number of excellent second shots from the semi rough putting him in good position to secure par figures on many occasions. At the turn it was Alan who had the best points score of the trio with a very tidy 20 points. John who was just a point behind but sadly Dave was four points adrift. This pattern continued until Alan was forced to deal with an urgent telephone query from work. This interruption most certainly affected his concentration and was reflected in his vastly reduced scoring.
Meanwhile John was also finding it difficult to put together a winning score. Some pretty mediocre iron play meant that he failed to take full advantage of his many good drives. Apart from a hot couple of holes which saw Dave get back to back birdies gaining him 4 points and 3 points respectively, he was struggling to score finishing the round with 30 points. Alan had a creditable 34 but it was John who took the group honours with 35.
Group 3 - Andy Roper, Marc Lloyd, Steve Evans & Steve Bradshaw
All the talk pre round was "The Return of the Lloyd" - mainly from Lloydy himself!. He had informed us that he had been playing well since taking a bit of a break from golf and coming back more determined to improve. Confidence was indeed high and he immediately slapped a bet on himself pre round to take the spoils, much to chuckles in the clubhouse. He nearly proved everyone wrong with some superb golf and but for a bit more consistency he would have come close to winning the event. Playing off 27, Lloydy used the 2 shot holes well and this saw him return with two 5 -pointers and 3 four-pointers and some wonderful golf to boot with 3 genuine, gross birdies on his card. 5 blobs will no doubt niggle at him a little, but it was a sublime return to the society, and the cries of "Bubba Lloyd" were heard far and wide and I think the smiles on everyones faces showed that they were almost as pleased for him as Lloydy was himself.
The rest of the group had an inconsistent and frustrating round with great and appalling golf in equal measure. However, this never dulled the enjoyment of the course and the banter and chit chat was probably more of a highlight than the golf itself.
Steve Evans found that his provisional ball was blessed with an almost magnetic attraction to the middle of the fairway or green - whereas his primary ball had wings and seemed to want to fly off in all directions. A beautiful drive on the short par 4 12th hole was the highlight as it left him 20 feet from the hole for eagle - which he duly left horrifically short. That summed up the day for Ste.
Andy Roper couldn't get going for 8 holes and was slapping the ball around averaging just 1 point per hole. However, a delicious flop shot from off the steep bank of the 9th hole which stopped 1 inches from the hole gave him a much needed par and the back 9 took a bit more consistency - thank in large part to some lovely drives. However, his second shot was what let him down throughout and he never capitalised on great tee shots.
Steve Bradshaw had a similar round to Andy, in that he would play a great shot followed by a poor one and off 7 shots this makes the game even tougher. However, it wasn't all doom and gloom and some of his work around the green was delightful. However, he will no doubt feel he left a lot of shots on the course - particularly putts that were rolling into the jaws but just lacked pace. The highlight was winning the nearest the pin on the 13th with a delightful tee shot into the wind that landed and spun to 10 feet from the pin on what was a very tricky green.
Group 4 - Chris Parrish, Phil Williams, Ste Holmes & Paul Scally
Group 4 approached the first tee with a mixture of emotions. Poor Ste Holmes had not had the expected kip he needed, Phil was also looking a little jaded and Paul was looking to get a good start. Chris showed no emotion until his first shot faded a bit too much and the first hint of blaming the midweek lesson was heard.
Chris didn't quite set the course alight over the first nine and a one pointer followed by two blobs was not what he was looking for. The action started on the first par 5 with a cracking birdie and he was 2 over gross for 5-18. With the new fade working well and solid approach shots notably a 220 yarder from light rough into 10 foot on the 18th probably just getting inside Phil's 225 yarder from the fairway!! 35 points well earned.
Holmesy probably surprised himself a little with a brilliant start. High drawing irons off the tee and good solid putting gave a plethora of 2's and 3's and despite one blob on the front he was loving a 20 point total. The phrase "hit the wall" can be used widely but perhaps is never more suited to this situation. Tired swings and a bit of frustration may have crept in meaning Ste brought back only half his front nine total. After so little sleep 30 points if offered on the first may have been accepted but Ste will probably be a little annoyed whilst blissfully dreaming about sending debt collecting emails.
Paul Scally is a bit of an enigma. He produces some cracking long iron shots and his putting is pretty good. If you ever see him with a wood in his hand give him a slap and say "No Paul, remember the first and second at Warrington". He spent that long clattering around the trees that the local woodpecker got a headache. It now appears he was looking for inspiration for Golden Woodland #2 (did you like that Paul?) and once inspired decided to play golf in the open air. A blob on the 8th interrupted a good run of points and a poorer back nine kept him safe but not up there with any chance of prizes. On the 17th his shot selection was questioned when witnessed on the fairway with a wood. A ball given back to lakeballs.com suggested iron was the correct play.
Phil plays well if he starts well and he did. Unusually consistent play and improved putting meant that he was more confident around the green. No horrendously errant driving and sensible play rewarded him with 21 points front nine. Determined not to think he had a chance he refused to total up as he continued to plot his way around and hit greens. Notable improvement on par 3's (+1) an area he sometimes struggles with and good approaches notably on the 18th meant come the end another 21 points gave a great total of 42, 7 over Gross and Phil's best round ever. Rumours he was on Rightmove researching the WA4 postcode have not been confirmed.
Group 5 - John Gaskell, Stu Seddon, Criag Evans & Paul Davies JNR
Craig was eager to see how the new driver would shape up and after nailing it off the first he had the answer. Solid driving helped him get into the positions he has been craving for weeks. During this period he has been relying on solid putting and regular up and downs. But as lady golf always seems to do, tee to green returned and putting and chipping left. Several 3 putts from no real distance left him feeling very frustrated especially after a pitch from 135 yards on the 3rd took 2 hops and centered the hole resulting in a welcome eagle. This was followed up on the 4th with another quality approach from 80 yards only for the ball to lip out the hole and finish 6 inches behind the cup to prevent the back-to-back eagle. But eventually he had to putt and ultimately this prevented him from getting the 40+ points the ball striking merited.
Stu Seddon thought he was going to struggle at the start of the round. He was in bits on the first tee due to hearing the exploits of sir Richie jones from John Gaskell. Breathing from laughter was his main priority and that showed in a Duffy pulled drive off the first. He scrambled to earn himself a point and soon picked himself up with a lovely par and the tricky second. Stu has a power fade that he can rely on. He would often hear his comrades shouting unlucky mate watching his drive heading left into the trees. Stu would remain posed in that follow through position saying just keep watching and sure enough a last minute but of fade would bring the ball right into the short stuff and in prime position. From their Stu regularly failed to capitalise, leaving himself with tricky chips or in the sand. He still managed several pars and only for some better putting Stu also could have been looking at the 40-point mark.
Paul Davis had been playing consistently well over recent events and Evo was happy to be grouped with him so he could see in close quarters how many shots he was taking off him. He boomed the ball all day long but that consistency just wasn't there on the day with a couple of wayward tee shots mixed in with the arrow like straight ones. Like the others in the group Paul never really got the pace of the greens and regularly left his first putt short or too long leaving himself with too much to do and ultimately this often resulted in 3 putts. He is still on Craig’s radar but survives for now.
Gaskell had everyone in stitches on the first tee and by the end of the first hole he probably wanted to leave someone needing stitches. In truth it took John several holes to get back into the swing of things but by the end of the front 9 he was hitting lovely drives that were long and straight. Yet again inept putting cost John dear. He laughed in the face of 3 putts and threw in far too many 4 putts and even a couple of 5 putts!! If he works on this part of the game he won't be wearing the losers shirt again but until then he is pretty much going to own it.
Review to follow...Please visit back to see this in due course.
Group 2 - Dave Ashley, John Morrison & Allan Gannon
Second group out was the three-ball featuring the in-form John Morrison, the studious Alan Gannon and the ever optimistic Dave Ashley. With the warm sun on their backs the group set off in high spirits anticipating a very enjoyable round on what looked -even from the clubhouse balcony - to be a most impressive layout.
John's scoring on the front nine was consistently good, helped enormously by some impressive tee shots and steady putting. Alan too was performing well, with a number of excellent second shots from the semi rough putting him in good position to secure par figures on many occasions. At the turn it was Alan who had the best points score of the trio with a very tidy 20 points. John who was just a point behind but sadly Dave was four points adrift. This pattern continued until Alan was forced to deal with an urgent telephone query from work. This interruption most certainly affected his concentration and was reflected in his vastly reduced scoring.
Meanwhile John was also finding it difficult to put together a winning score. Some pretty mediocre iron play meant that he failed to take full advantage of his many good drives. Apart from a hot couple of holes which saw Dave get back to back birdies gaining him 4 points and 3 points respectively, he was struggling to score finishing the round with 30 points. Alan had a creditable 34 but it was John who took the group honours with 35.
Group 3 - Andy Roper, Marc Lloyd, Steve Evans & Steve Bradshaw
All the talk pre round was "The Return of the Lloyd" - mainly from Lloydy himself!. He had informed us that he had been playing well since taking a bit of a break from golf and coming back more determined to improve. Confidence was indeed high and he immediately slapped a bet on himself pre round to take the spoils, much to chuckles in the clubhouse. He nearly proved everyone wrong with some superb golf and but for a bit more consistency he would have come close to winning the event. Playing off 27, Lloydy used the 2 shot holes well and this saw him return with two 5 -pointers and 3 four-pointers and some wonderful golf to boot with 3 genuine, gross birdies on his card. 5 blobs will no doubt niggle at him a little, but it was a sublime return to the society, and the cries of "Bubba Lloyd" were heard far and wide and I think the smiles on everyones faces showed that they were almost as pleased for him as Lloydy was himself.
The rest of the group had an inconsistent and frustrating round with great and appalling golf in equal measure. However, this never dulled the enjoyment of the course and the banter and chit chat was probably more of a highlight than the golf itself.
Steve Evans found that his provisional ball was blessed with an almost magnetic attraction to the middle of the fairway or green - whereas his primary ball had wings and seemed to want to fly off in all directions. A beautiful drive on the short par 4 12th hole was the highlight as it left him 20 feet from the hole for eagle - which he duly left horrifically short. That summed up the day for Ste.
Andy Roper couldn't get going for 8 holes and was slapping the ball around averaging just 1 point per hole. However, a delicious flop shot from off the steep bank of the 9th hole which stopped 1 inches from the hole gave him a much needed par and the back 9 took a bit more consistency - thank in large part to some lovely drives. However, his second shot was what let him down throughout and he never capitalised on great tee shots.
Steve Bradshaw had a similar round to Andy, in that he would play a great shot followed by a poor one and off 7 shots this makes the game even tougher. However, it wasn't all doom and gloom and some of his work around the green was delightful. However, he will no doubt feel he left a lot of shots on the course - particularly putts that were rolling into the jaws but just lacked pace. The highlight was winning the nearest the pin on the 13th with a delightful tee shot into the wind that landed and spun to 10 feet from the pin on what was a very tricky green.
Group 4 - Chris Parrish, Phil Williams, Ste Holmes & Paul Scally
Group 4 approached the first tee with a mixture of emotions. Poor Ste Holmes had not had the expected kip he needed, Phil was also looking a little jaded and Paul was looking to get a good start. Chris showed no emotion until his first shot faded a bit too much and the first hint of blaming the midweek lesson was heard.
Chris didn't quite set the course alight over the first nine and a one pointer followed by two blobs was not what he was looking for. The action started on the first par 5 with a cracking birdie and he was 2 over gross for 5-18. With the new fade working well and solid approach shots notably a 220 yarder from light rough into 10 foot on the 18th probably just getting inside Phil's 225 yarder from the fairway!! 35 points well earned.
Holmesy probably surprised himself a little with a brilliant start. High drawing irons off the tee and good solid putting gave a plethora of 2's and 3's and despite one blob on the front he was loving a 20 point total. The phrase "hit the wall" can be used widely but perhaps is never more suited to this situation. Tired swings and a bit of frustration may have crept in meaning Ste brought back only half his front nine total. After so little sleep 30 points if offered on the first may have been accepted but Ste will probably be a little annoyed whilst blissfully dreaming about sending debt collecting emails.
Paul Scally is a bit of an enigma. He produces some cracking long iron shots and his putting is pretty good. If you ever see him with a wood in his hand give him a slap and say "No Paul, remember the first and second at Warrington". He spent that long clattering around the trees that the local woodpecker got a headache. It now appears he was looking for inspiration for Golden Woodland #2 (did you like that Paul?) and once inspired decided to play golf in the open air. A blob on the 8th interrupted a good run of points and a poorer back nine kept him safe but not up there with any chance of prizes. On the 17th his shot selection was questioned when witnessed on the fairway with a wood. A ball given back to lakeballs.com suggested iron was the correct play.
Phil plays well if he starts well and he did. Unusually consistent play and improved putting meant that he was more confident around the green. No horrendously errant driving and sensible play rewarded him with 21 points front nine. Determined not to think he had a chance he refused to total up as he continued to plot his way around and hit greens. Notable improvement on par 3's (+1) an area he sometimes struggles with and good approaches notably on the 18th meant come the end another 21 points gave a great total of 42, 7 over Gross and Phil's best round ever. Rumours he was on Rightmove researching the WA4 postcode have not been confirmed.
Group 5 - John Gaskell, Stu Seddon, Criag Evans & Paul Davies JNR
Craig was eager to see how the new driver would shape up and after nailing it off the first he had the answer. Solid driving helped him get into the positions he has been craving for weeks. During this period he has been relying on solid putting and regular up and downs. But as lady golf always seems to do, tee to green returned and putting and chipping left. Several 3 putts from no real distance left him feeling very frustrated especially after a pitch from 135 yards on the 3rd took 2 hops and centered the hole resulting in a welcome eagle. This was followed up on the 4th with another quality approach from 80 yards only for the ball to lip out the hole and finish 6 inches behind the cup to prevent the back-to-back eagle. But eventually he had to putt and ultimately this prevented him from getting the 40+ points the ball striking merited.
Stu Seddon thought he was going to struggle at the start of the round. He was in bits on the first tee due to hearing the exploits of sir Richie jones from John Gaskell. Breathing from laughter was his main priority and that showed in a Duffy pulled drive off the first. He scrambled to earn himself a point and soon picked himself up with a lovely par and the tricky second. Stu has a power fade that he can rely on. He would often hear his comrades shouting unlucky mate watching his drive heading left into the trees. Stu would remain posed in that follow through position saying just keep watching and sure enough a last minute but of fade would bring the ball right into the short stuff and in prime position. From their Stu regularly failed to capitalise, leaving himself with tricky chips or in the sand. He still managed several pars and only for some better putting Stu also could have been looking at the 40-point mark.
Paul Davis had been playing consistently well over recent events and Evo was happy to be grouped with him so he could see in close quarters how many shots he was taking off him. He boomed the ball all day long but that consistency just wasn't there on the day with a couple of wayward tee shots mixed in with the arrow like straight ones. Like the others in the group Paul never really got the pace of the greens and regularly left his first putt short or too long leaving himself with too much to do and ultimately this often resulted in 3 putts. He is still on Craig’s radar but survives for now.
Gaskell had everyone in stitches on the first tee and by the end of the first hole he probably wanted to leave someone needing stitches. In truth it took John several holes to get back into the swing of things but by the end of the front 9 he was hitting lovely drives that were long and straight. Yet again inept putting cost John dear. He laughed in the face of 3 putts and threw in far too many 4 putts and even a couple of 5 putts!! If he works on this part of the game he won't be wearing the losers shirt again but until then he is pretty much going to own it.
BUNKERS GOLF SOCIETY MEMBERS £29.00
Wednesday 13th May 2015
Tee times from 09:30am [arrive no later than 08:45am]
Prices include 18 holes + Bacon Roll & Hot Drink pre play.
Website: www.warringtongolfclub.co.uk
Tee times from 09:30am [arrive no later than 08:45am]
Prices include 18 holes + Bacon Roll & Hot Drink pre play.
Website: www.warringtongolfclub.co.uk
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.
9:30am tee timeRob Botterill [27]
Chris Warbrick [10] Kevin Murphy [10] 9:54am tee timeChris Parrish [10]
Phil Williams [13] Paul Scally [*24] Ste Holmes [19] |
9:38am tee timeDave Ashley [11]
John Morrison [9] Allan Gannon [17] |
9:46am tee timeAndy Roper [14]
Steve Evans [13] Marc Lloyd [27] 10:02am tee timeJohn Gaskell [28]
Stu Seddon [13] Craig Evans [8] Paul Davies JNR [10] |
format for the event
Format: Stableford Scoring
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. [see below]
Prizes: Will be for 1st, 2nd & 3rd & "The Wall of Shame" for last
Captain v's President competition will be in operation.
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. [see below]
Prizes: Will be for 1st, 2nd & 3rd & "The Wall of Shame" for last
Captain v's President competition will be in operation.
nearest the pins
There will be 2 nearest the pins on the 6th and 13th and a nearest the pin in 2 shots on the 4th.
CLICK THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE
CLICK THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE
the course
The Warrington Golf Club was founded in 1903 and is located on the south side of the town. Being positioned at the highest point in Warrington, it affords fine views of the local area as well as the Pennines and Welsh hills.
The course measures 6,211 yards, par 71 for men and is a fair and enjoyable test for any level of golfer. The superb drainage makes play possible for 52 weeks of the year. The course is renowned for being kept in immaculate condition and having lush and spongy fairways with superbly manicured greens that are a joy to play on.
If you have played Warrington you will need little or no persuasion regarding the merits of the course. Warrington Golf Club is a traditional parkland/heathland course established in 1903. At 6211 yards from the white tees, it's a true test of golfing skill. The course's main defences are the greens, which are regularly amongst the best in the country and the views from the 7th tee are stunning.
SEE A HOLE-BY-HOLE OVERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHS
The course measures 6,211 yards, par 71 for men and is a fair and enjoyable test for any level of golfer. The superb drainage makes play possible for 52 weeks of the year. The course is renowned for being kept in immaculate condition and having lush and spongy fairways with superbly manicured greens that are a joy to play on.
If you have played Warrington you will need little or no persuasion regarding the merits of the course. Warrington Golf Club is a traditional parkland/heathland course established in 1903. At 6211 yards from the white tees, it's a true test of golfing skill. The course's main defences are the greens, which are regularly amongst the best in the country and the views from the 7th tee are stunning.
SEE A HOLE-BY-HOLE OVERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHS
Once you have paid, contact a committee member or CLICK HERE to tell us
directions
Warrington Golf Club is situated less than a mile from Junction 10 of the M56 in South Warrington. It is 35 minutes from Skellmersdale and 30 minutes from Liverpool.
The full address for Sat Navs is:
Warrington Golf Club, London Road, Warrington WA4 5HR
Tel: 01925 261775
The full address for Sat Navs is:
Warrington Golf Club, London Road, Warrington WA4 5HR
Tel: 01925 261775