marriott worsley park
worsley, manchester
Sunday 13th april 2014
this event was won by:
kevin murphy
The 2014 Bunkers Masters was held at WORSLEY PARK in Manchester and on a blustery day, one player scored strongly and finished well ahead of the pack to take the opening Major of the season. Solid off the tee with good restraint shown when needed. Accurate approach play and consistency on the greens gave Kev Murphy a final Stableford score of 39 points - which in the conditions could well have been equivalent to mid 40's. He also came in with a nearest the pin to round off a superb days golf. The blue jacket was presented by our Captain Steve Evans, and the trophy and winning prizes went to a deserving Kevin Murphy. CONGRATULATIONS. See full details of our Majors HERE |
the race for the blue jacket....
With numbers having swollen over the winter months there was an excitement going into the first event of the new season. The trip to Wales had whetted the appetite and with the Masters being on the TV it had pushed that feeling to fever pitch as Worsley Park drew closer.
The venue had been a firm favourite for the group in 2013 and so it was somewhere we wanted to fit into the calendar early on in 2014. The weather had been reasonably kind in the build up to the day; with good weather all week and just a touch of rain in the morning as we made our way up the M62 or East Lancashire Road. However, by the time we had all teed off, the wind had picked up and made for very interesting days golf.
After a delightful bacon butty, we had a quick welcome and briefing of the days play and then made our way our to the practice green beside the first tee. A perfect opportunity to take the first society photo of the new season – all in our new Bunkers shirts. [continues below photo]
The venue had been a firm favourite for the group in 2013 and so it was somewhere we wanted to fit into the calendar early on in 2014. The weather had been reasonably kind in the build up to the day; with good weather all week and just a touch of rain in the morning as we made our way up the M62 or East Lancashire Road. However, by the time we had all teed off, the wind had picked up and made for very interesting days golf.
After a delightful bacon butty, we had a quick welcome and briefing of the days play and then made our way our to the practice green beside the first tee. A perfect opportunity to take the first society photo of the new season – all in our new Bunkers shirts. [continues below photo]
The year may have changed, but the rules don’t – and with that Marc Lloyd was summonsed to the 1st tee to open proceedings. Everyone stood by with baited breath as a confident Lloydy strode toward the tee box. New clubs safely secured in the bag and despite a bit of a hangover he was upbeat for the new season. It lasted all of 30 seconds as his ball began to drift further right and finally out of bounds…..must’ve been the club!
This first group produced some very steady and strong golf in parts and brought about 3 players who finished in the top 8. New member Keith Long had a solid day and came in with a very respectable 33 points to finish second and in these conditions that probably played more like a 36-38 score. Paul Davies will be disappointed not to finish a touch higher than 6th with 30 points, and it was a case of a couple of missed opportunities that could well have pushed him into the top 3.
Group 2 consisted of 2 new members to the Bunkers fold – Allan Gannon and Brendan Rodgers [I mean Smith, but I keep typing Rodgers EVERY TIME I write anything with his name on!!!] The return of “El Bandito” – Mr Paul Davies Jnr and Keith. Yep, that Keith!
Allan and Brendan started slowly [possibly with a touch of nerves on their Bunkers debut] with Allan hitting his 1st two balls out of bounds and Brendan failing to score on the first three holes. However, both grew into the round and hit some lovely shots and proved to be popular new additions to the group.
Paul Davies Jnr wasn’t as prolific as previous rounds but was solid and came home with 32 points and took the nearest to the pin in two shots on the 12th hole. Maybe the poncho just needs dusting down for next time Pablo?
This first group produced some very steady and strong golf in parts and brought about 3 players who finished in the top 8. New member Keith Long had a solid day and came in with a very respectable 33 points to finish second and in these conditions that probably played more like a 36-38 score. Paul Davies will be disappointed not to finish a touch higher than 6th with 30 points, and it was a case of a couple of missed opportunities that could well have pushed him into the top 3.
Group 2 consisted of 2 new members to the Bunkers fold – Allan Gannon and Brendan Rodgers [I mean Smith, but I keep typing Rodgers EVERY TIME I write anything with his name on!!!] The return of “El Bandito” – Mr Paul Davies Jnr and Keith. Yep, that Keith!
Allan and Brendan started slowly [possibly with a touch of nerves on their Bunkers debut] with Allan hitting his 1st two balls out of bounds and Brendan failing to score on the first three holes. However, both grew into the round and hit some lovely shots and proved to be popular new additions to the group.
Paul Davies Jnr wasn’t as prolific as previous rounds but was solid and came home with 32 points and took the nearest to the pin in two shots on the 12th hole. Maybe the poncho just needs dusting down for next time Pablo?
The third group of Peter, Phil, Kieran and Rob had an enjoyable but pretty uneventful round with no-one standing out and only a few shots being worthy of mutual admiration. Peter’s driver early on caused several looks at the clubface as an unfamiliar hook hurt his chances of getting to the greens in two. Phil actually drove the ball pretty well for the opening third and regained that composure later on having heard of Roper’s trolley incident and Rob was pretty accurate as normal but a few early season duffs hindered his chances of a higher score. Kieran’s new driver was shouting “pick me, pick me” and this went against him. SLDR = Should’ve Left Down Road.
After settling down his iron play was good and a few nifty chips from within 30 yards made putting a lot easier. Highlight was of course his excellent tee shot at the 7th that stopped pretty much stone dead securing the nearest the pin. Rob followed this at the 8th where despite a 'slicey' tee shot and having to lay up before the water he hit a great iron from 130 yards that pitched 5 inches left of the flag and stopped giving him a net birdie. Phil deserved a bad score and got it. Driver and fairway woods worked well but with accuracy not his forte the boggy rough meant second shots often were hit heavy or poorly. His putting was shocking and the stick was lucky not to be “yoinked” pond wards. The 18th ensured the group enjoyed their pint and dinner with a 5 by Peter and three 6’s.
After settling down his iron play was good and a few nifty chips from within 30 yards made putting a lot easier. Highlight was of course his excellent tee shot at the 7th that stopped pretty much stone dead securing the nearest the pin. Rob followed this at the 8th where despite a 'slicey' tee shot and having to lay up before the water he hit a great iron from 130 yards that pitched 5 inches left of the flag and stopped giving him a net birdie. Phil deserved a bad score and got it. Driver and fairway woods worked well but with accuracy not his forte the boggy rough meant second shots often were hit heavy or poorly. His putting was shocking and the stick was lucky not to be “yoinked” pond wards. The 18th ensured the group enjoyed their pint and dinner with a 5 by Peter and three 6’s.
Group 4 was abounding with confidence – particularly Kev Givnan, who mentioned something about a putt in Wales. However, it was a bit of an unusual off day for Kev as he struggled to score consistently throughout the round and finished on 27 points. Allan “The Metronome” Gunn was a steady as ever and was unlucky to be pipped to 3rd position overall by Paul Davies Jnr on a count back [having scored slightly less on the back 9 holes] Allan started his round very positively with straight driving leading to him scoring very heavily on the front 9. A positive start to the back 9 put Alan in contention but he couldn't manage to maintain the point scoring and his challenge petered out with back to back blobs towards the middle of the back 9.
Scott Seddon also started very promisingly, with some excellent ball striking leading to a good level of point scoring. Much like Alan though, the back 9 couldn't match the front 9.
However, the talking point of the group has to be Mr Anthony Holland who had what can only be described as an absolute stinker to finish rock bottom, and I do mean ROCK BOTTOM, with a final Stableford score of 3. To be fair to Ant, he is much much better than this suggests and the opening hole set the tone for a disaster of a day when he took 3 shots to get past the ladies tee. This couldn’t be erased from his mind and rather than trying to settle himself, a round of wafting at the ball like a he was trying to kill a housefly with a dishcloth ensued. One plus point from the round must be that his playing partner found that the lack of writing required on his scorecard kept the pencil nice and sharp! Chin up lad, it can only get better from here!!!
The final group of the day saw more things going up and down than the juicy pages in a Joan Collins novel. Mark Gaskell had what felt like a very solid round and will be disappointed that a few putts fell short on the day as he could have pushed for a top 3 finish with just a bit more pace on the greens. Ste Holmes started well and was playing solidly before a mini collapse that was blamed on a sore wrist – a likely tale young man, a likely tale indeed! However, the positives have to be that up until this point he was very consistent from tee to green and was en route for a very good score.
Andy Roper had a Bi-Polar round that started very well, fell to pieces and saw a man on the edge of explosion and then finished strongly. The highlight of his round had to be when a touch of rage was compounded by his electric trolley making a consistent clicking noise. His idea of careful and considerate repair work was to volley the wheel of the trolley with a crisp left foot – causing it to sheer clean off the body of the trolley and rendering useless. Watching him push it for 2 holes on one wheel was worth the admission fees alone. [continued below]
Scott Seddon also started very promisingly, with some excellent ball striking leading to a good level of point scoring. Much like Alan though, the back 9 couldn't match the front 9.
However, the talking point of the group has to be Mr Anthony Holland who had what can only be described as an absolute stinker to finish rock bottom, and I do mean ROCK BOTTOM, with a final Stableford score of 3. To be fair to Ant, he is much much better than this suggests and the opening hole set the tone for a disaster of a day when he took 3 shots to get past the ladies tee. This couldn’t be erased from his mind and rather than trying to settle himself, a round of wafting at the ball like a he was trying to kill a housefly with a dishcloth ensued. One plus point from the round must be that his playing partner found that the lack of writing required on his scorecard kept the pencil nice and sharp! Chin up lad, it can only get better from here!!!
The final group of the day saw more things going up and down than the juicy pages in a Joan Collins novel. Mark Gaskell had what felt like a very solid round and will be disappointed that a few putts fell short on the day as he could have pushed for a top 3 finish with just a bit more pace on the greens. Ste Holmes started well and was playing solidly before a mini collapse that was blamed on a sore wrist – a likely tale young man, a likely tale indeed! However, the positives have to be that up until this point he was very consistent from tee to green and was en route for a very good score.
Andy Roper had a Bi-Polar round that started very well, fell to pieces and saw a man on the edge of explosion and then finished strongly. The highlight of his round had to be when a touch of rage was compounded by his electric trolley making a consistent clicking noise. His idea of careful and considerate repair work was to volley the wheel of the trolley with a crisp left foot – causing it to sheer clean off the body of the trolley and rendering useless. Watching him push it for 2 holes on one wheel was worth the admission fees alone. [continued below]
But the final word must go to the last player in this final group, Kevin Murphy. In conditions that were very difficult, he produced an exceptional Stableford score of 39 points. The swirling wind was a problem all day as you could set up and address the ball for a shot and the wind would change direction whilst you stood there. The course also played touch in places with sticky long cut rough grass that made shots that were slightly wayward a real challenge.
Kev was solid off the tee, opting to take a 3 wood more than the driver and delivering a nice draw on the ball that ‘zipped’ through the wind. There were only 2 or 3 wayward approach shots, and this consistency gave him chances to score well on the greens where he putted and lagged superbly.
A very well deserved win, found Kev presented with the title of The Bunkers Masters Champion 2014, and the blue jacket and trophy.
Post round we all made our way back to the clubhouse and enjoyed a wonderful choice of food. Worsley Park was the best venues on our calendar last year from a food perspective, and this year was no different with the lads enjoying a generous and well cooked steak and chips, or a monster sized burger or finally a juicy roast dinner…..must needed after a tough days golf.
We now look forward to our next day out at Leasowe Golf Club - CLICK HERE TO VIEW.
Kev was solid off the tee, opting to take a 3 wood more than the driver and delivering a nice draw on the ball that ‘zipped’ through the wind. There were only 2 or 3 wayward approach shots, and this consistency gave him chances to score well on the greens where he putted and lagged superbly.
A very well deserved win, found Kev presented with the title of The Bunkers Masters Champion 2014, and the blue jacket and trophy.
Post round we all made our way back to the clubhouse and enjoyed a wonderful choice of food. Worsley Park was the best venues on our calendar last year from a food perspective, and this year was no different with the lads enjoying a generous and well cooked steak and chips, or a monster sized burger or finally a juicy roast dinner…..must needed after a tough days golf.
We now look forward to our next day out at Leasowe Golf Club - CLICK HERE TO VIEW.
Sunday 13th April 2014
Tee times from 13:20am [arrive no later than 12:20am]
Prices include 18 holes + Bacon Roll & Hot Drink pre play & 1 Course Meal after play.
Website: www.worsleyparkgolf.co.uk
Tee times from 13:20am [arrive no later than 12:20am]
Prices include 18 holes + Bacon Roll & Hot Drink pre play & 1 Course Meal after play.
Website: www.worsleyparkgolf.co.uk
tee times & groups
Playing handicaps are shown in brackets below.
* denotes player does not hold official or Bunkers handicap and will therefore be required to play three quarters of shown handicap for 3 rounds.
* denotes player does not hold official or Bunkers handicap and will therefore be required to play three quarters of shown handicap for 3 rounds.
13:20 tee time
Mark LLOYD [26]
Ste EVANS [12] Keith LONG [13] Paul DAVIS [14] .
|
13:28 tee time
Brendan SMITH [23*]
Allan GANNON [17] Paul DAVIES Jnr [10] Keith MALONE [21] |
13:36 tee time
Rob BOTTERILL [26]
Keiran MURPHY [27] Phil WILLIAMS [16] Peter WOOLLEY [14] |
overview of the day
We will be meeting about 12:20pm at Worsley Park for pre round bacon rolls and tea/coffee and to provide some information regarding the day. The post round meal will be decided before play.
- The format for the day will be Individual Stableford scores and we will be playing from the yellow tees.[5914yds]
- It will be FULL HANDICAPS [CLICK HERE TO SEE] for all members and guests and newcomers will be playing 7/8ths of the given handicap as per the society rules.
food choices
Worsley Park was probably the pick of the food last season as we could all pick individually rather than 1 set meal - and it looks pretty good again this year. The choices are below....so take a look, pick what you want and then you can let me know on the day when I order it all.
If there are any vegetarians, or special dietary requirements - please let me know ASAP.
If there are any vegetarians, or special dietary requirements - please let me know ASAP.
Hot Pot and Chips
~o~
Fish & Chips
~o~
Pie & Chips
~o~
Burger & Chips
~o~
8oz Rump Steak, Pepper Corn Sauce & Chips
~o~
Fish & Chips
~o~
Pie & Chips
~o~
Burger & Chips
~o~
8oz Rump Steak, Pepper Corn Sauce & Chips
nearest the pins
Nearest the pins will be on the par 3's at the 7th and 14th holes
Nearest the pin in 2 shots will be at the 8th hole.
Nearest the pin in 2 shots will be at the 8th hole.
CLICK THE IMAGES BELOW TO ENLARGE
title on the line
The Bunkers Masters was not held in 2013 due to poor weather causing the cancellation of the day.
Therefore, the title is on the line for the champion of our opening event of 2014. The winner will be the holder of The Bunkers Masters trophy [see right] See all our reigning Major Champions HERE |
Bunkers Golf Society Members £40.00 per person
Non Bunkers Golf Society Members £45.00
the venue
Worsley Park is a true gem of a course in the North West of England and as such will be host to the opening Bunkers 'Major' of 2014 [The Bunkers Masters]. This therefore means that an annual title will be up for grabs as well as prizes and usual in-game competitions such as 'nearest the pin' and 'the par 3 challenge'.
At the conclusion of our 2013 season, we conducted a survey of members and asked which courses they enjoyed most during the season. Worsley Park was mentioned by almost all participants and with very good reason. A wonderful course, great surroundings and a lovely clubhouse/bar.
The Worsley Park Golf Club features an 18-hole, PGA championship course on 6,611 yards. Designed by European Golf Design in association with Michael King the design company behind the European Tour and IMG. This Manchester golf course's picturesque grounds and challenging par of 71 are a delight for guests.
A fine quality parkland course awaits you at Worsley Park It is one of the most respected courses without question in the North West and has eighteen holes laid out to exacting USGA standards. Therefore there can be no disputing that it poses a significant challenge to all who play there, and is on the whole a very fair test of golf to players of all levels of ability.
Worsley Park has hosted a European Challenge tour event in the past, as well as the Sir Alex Ferguson Golf Classic and Ryan Giggs’ Testimonial Golf Day. The clubhouse is very welcoming and has a lovely restaurant. There is a driving range, a short game area and putting green area as well as a superbly stocked pro shop.
VIEW A HOLE BY HOLE PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY HERE
At the conclusion of our 2013 season, we conducted a survey of members and asked which courses they enjoyed most during the season. Worsley Park was mentioned by almost all participants and with very good reason. A wonderful course, great surroundings and a lovely clubhouse/bar.
The Worsley Park Golf Club features an 18-hole, PGA championship course on 6,611 yards. Designed by European Golf Design in association with Michael King the design company behind the European Tour and IMG. This Manchester golf course's picturesque grounds and challenging par of 71 are a delight for guests.
A fine quality parkland course awaits you at Worsley Park It is one of the most respected courses without question in the North West and has eighteen holes laid out to exacting USGA standards. Therefore there can be no disputing that it poses a significant challenge to all who play there, and is on the whole a very fair test of golf to players of all levels of ability.
Worsley Park has hosted a European Challenge tour event in the past, as well as the Sir Alex Ferguson Golf Classic and Ryan Giggs’ Testimonial Golf Day. The clubhouse is very welcoming and has a lovely restaurant. There is a driving range, a short game area and putting green area as well as a superbly stocked pro shop.
VIEW A HOLE BY HOLE PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY HERE
directions
Worlsey Park is in North West Manchester and can be accessed from the M60 or East Lancashire Road. It is 35-40 minutes from Skelmersdale and Liverpool.
The full address for Sat Navs is:
Worsley Park, Manchester, England M28 2QT - Tel: 0161 975 2000
The full address for Sat Navs is:
Worsley Park, Manchester, England M28 2QT - Tel: 0161 975 2000
click on the photographs below to enlarge
Click to set custom HTML
worsley park videos
|
|