results from the 2008/2009 season

Our results for the 2008/2009 season were as follows (most recent event first):

Challenge Trophy
Sutton Coldfield Golf Club - 23rd October 2009

28 hole stableford (full handicap)

28 players were due to arrivemade an early start for the relatively short trip to Sutton Coldfield for the final event of the 2008/2009 BUNGS season. Sutton is a wonderfully old heathland course with tree-lined but generous fairways and an abundance of gorse and heather.

The course was in good condition and the tees were forward somewhat, so scoring was anticipated to be good but most players did tend to struggle over the morning 10 holes. Some did perform however and the talk at lunchtime was of the outrageous 24 points scored by Tim Thacker. That talk was silences eventually when John Haley stepped into the clubhouse with an even more outrageous 26 points. All the rest of the field could hope was that Tim and John would have a massive collapse in the afternoon to give the rest of us a chance.

After scoring a steady 17 points on the morning 10 holes, Barry Whitmore started the afternoon round on fire with 21 points on the front nine. Playing off 18, Baz could only manage 14 points on the back nine however for a 28 hole total of 52 points which was good enough for the first of the prize places in fourth, beating Ivan Heathcote on countback.

Defending his Challenge Trophy title was Phil Latham, playing off 23. Phil had a very steady day scoring 18 in the morning and then 17 points on both the front and back nine in the afternoon for a 54 point total and third place.

Playing off 12, Tim Thacker could not keep up his form from the morning and only manages to score 16 on each of the nines in the afternoon to go with his 24 points from the morning and a 56 point total for second place.

With Tim falling away during the afternoon, no-one was going to catch John Haley and he his afternoon was steady rather than spectacular. Playing off 20, John scored 17 on the front nine and 18 on the back nine for a 35 point afternoon total to add to his whopping 26 from the morning for a 61 point total and a comprehensive victory and sizeable handicap cut down to 17. It's perhaps a good job that John only scored two points over the final three holes or his handicap chop would have been even more severe. An excellent performance for your maiden BUNGS victory - well played John.

Full results from the Sutton Coldfield golf day can be seen by clicking results_2009_10_suttoncoldfield_2009.htm

Captain's Trophy
Brocton Hall Golf Club - 24th September 2009

18 hole stableford (full handicap)

Another good turn-out of 32 players made the journey to Brocton Hall Golf Club and entered the impressive stately home that serves as the club house for the morning coffee and bacon sandwiches.

The morning started in bright sunshine and the good weather continued throughout the day. This helped to make it a very good day along with the course which, although not long, was in fabulous condition and a very enjoyable experience.

The morning money was won by Steve Lloyd with 20 points one point ahead of both John Mansell and new member, David Aston, on 19 points, with John pipping David into second place with a better last six holes.

After the usual soup and sandwich lunch, it was onto the important business of the afternoon. Important for most was trying to win, important for Society Captain, Bobby Ho, was getting as much money from the attendees for his charity. In addition to the usual 50p forfeit for going in a bunker on a par three, there was an additional £1 'fine' for every three putt on a par three. In fairness to Bobby, he also would put in £1 for every single putt and every sand save on a par three. At a recent committee meeting, Bobby had offered to make his donation for EVERY single putt and sand save over all 18 holes, until Steve Lloyd pointed out just how much that would cost him. The morning round demonstrated this as in just 9 holes, Steve had six single putts and two sand saves which would have cost Bobby £8 from just one player over only half a round.

After taking the morning prize, Steve's form continued during the afternoon and he scored a very steady 18 points on the front 9 and 18 points on the back nine, playing off a handicap of 7, for a 36 point total which was good enough for fifth place.

Also on 36 points but beating Steve on countback with  a better back nine of nineteen points was this year's form player, Graham Bilsland. Despite only have one shot, Graham still managed to score very very well for fourth place.

After a surprisingly wayward morning round, Adam Thompson's radar returned for the afternoon and, playing off 5, Thommo scored an excellent 21 on the front 9 and 17 on the back nine for 38 points and third place.

One ahead of Adam was this year's Vice Captain, Brian Keates playing off a handicap of 23. Brian amassed an excellent 22 points on the front nine but faded somewhat on the longer back nine with only 17 points but his total of 39 was good enough for second place.

He may have been a society member for only a year but in that time Graham Thorpe has performed well in he matchplay competition and on the golf days themselves. Playing off 25, Graham also scored superbly n the front nine with a massive 23 points. Like Brian, he faded on the back nine somewhat with just 17 points but a 40 point total was an excellent return and gave Graham his first BUNGS victory. Well played Graham.

Overall t was an excellent day and the money raised on the day for Bobby's charity, Rainbows Children's Hospice was £183 pounds. Bobby wishes to pass on the following message:

"Hi Guys, your efforts and generosity in raising money for Rainbows Hospice throughout the year have just been amazing. We have collected a massive 183 pounds at Brocton Hall. That was really fantastic and help breaking the 1000 pounds mark. With the current difficulty in the economy, I am tremendously proud of what we have achieved. You are all real Gents and I am extremely grateful for your support. Thank you so very much and lets hope we can keep this up for the remainder of the year.

Full results from the Brocton Hall golf day can be seen by clicking results_2009_09_broctonhall_2009.htm

BUNGS Shield

Handsworth Golf Club - 27th August 2009

36 hole selected-score (eclectic) stableford (3/4 handicap)

33 players set-off facing the prospect of the Birmingham traffic but most were pleasantly surprised to find the traffic to be very thin on the ground and a shorter than expected journey time. Another surprise was the quality of the golf course. Let's be honest, Handsworth Golf Club is not situated in the nicest area, but the course itself is a real 'hidden gem' set in picturesque parkland and is a good test of golf with great greens and plenty of trees although not overly 'tight'.

With this being our 36 hole eclectic event, all holes morning and afternoon were important and many players struggled in the morning round, with Steve Lloyd and Karl Hughes sharing the halfway lead with 34 points. After sandwiches and chips for lunch, it was back onto the first tee to try and improve the morning scores and, in general, players still struggled.

Fifth place went to current society Captain, Bobby Ho, who played off a handicap of 10 and scored 38 points. Bobby beat Howard Holliday into the final prize position by virtue of countback with a better back six holes. Steve Lloyd, playing off seven, only managed to improve his morning score on three holes, crucially the 18th being one of them. After trying to hit a 'big one' off the 18th tee (the longest drive hole) his drive ended in the trees to the right and all he could do was 'knock one out' (Jamie Moore style) 20 yards down the fairway. With 200 yards to go, he then hit a rescue club to 20 feet and then rolled in the putt for a remarkable birdie. This crucial birdie took Steve's score to 38 points and he beat Bobby into fourth position on countback with a better last three holes.

One ahead of Howard, Bobby and Steve was Stewart Fairweather who improved his morning score on nine holes and scored 19 on the front nine and 20 on the back nine for his 39 point total. One point clear of Stewart was the other halfway leader, Karl Hughes. Playing off a handicap of 10, Karl improved his score on six holes to score 21 points on the front nine and 19 on the back nine for his 40 point total and second place finish.

At lunchtime, Neil Smith, playing off 16 had a rather sorry total of 24 points but the lunchtime refreshments did Neil the world of good and he improved his score on 11 holes to go from also-ran to winner with a 41 point total. Neil scored 22 points on the front nine and 19 on the back nine for his 41 point total and his fourth BUNGS victory. Well played Neil.

Full results from the Handsworth golf day can be seen by clicking results_2009_08_handsworth_2009.htm

2's Sweep - gross 2's scored by the following:

Pairs Championship

Ladbrook Park Golf Club - 31st July 2009

18 hole fourball-betterball stableford (3/4 handicap)

32 players drove through the impressive housing estate that borders Ladbrook Park to arrive at a club in great condition in pretty good weather. Despite having to wait for 10 minutes for the tee to clear of members who seemed unaware that the tee was reserved, everyone headed down the first for the opening 9 holes. The morning money was won by Graham Bilsland and Jeff Sackett with a whopping 23 points. Second were defending champions Craig Vale and Howard Holliday who took the final cash although Brian Keates, who collated the scorecards, did his best to give the money to Ivan Heathcote and Alan Tolley, who were actually in third place.

After a soup, sandwiches and fries lunch in a very busy clubhouse, it was onto the serious business of the afternoon fourball-betterball. Once again, Ladbrook Park members ignored the sign saying the tee was reserved and were still queuing on the first tee when our opening group should have been playing the first. They then proceeded to hold-up the entire BUNGS field for the whole round. Not very impressive Ladbrook Park, especially considering they sent the society a letter warning us of slow play from within the society and it was their members that were holding us up - cheek!!

Anyway, with prizes for the top three pairs, Graham Bilsland (handicap 1) and Jeff Sacket (18) were once again in fine form and scored 40 points for third place. They again had a fine front nine scoring 22 points but only managed 18 on the back nine. Also on 40 points but pipping Graham and Jeff into second with a better back nine were Ian Talboys (9) and Dave Grubb (24). Tallie and Grubby have a reverse of Graham and Jeff's round with 18 on the front nine and 22 on the back nine.

A whole three points clear of second and taking the title were Adrian Marchant (12) and Chris Craddy (17). They had a very steady round, hardly hitting a bad shot according to Adrian, and scored 22 on the front nine and 21 on the back nine for an impressive 43 point total. Well Played Chris and Marcho.

Full results from the Ladbrook Park golf day can be seen by clicking results_2009_07_ladbrookpark_2009.htm

2's Sweep - gross 2's scored by the following:

BUNGS Championship and BUNGS Masters

Burton on Trent Golf Club - 19th May 2009

18 hole stableford (full handicap)

28 BUNGS members and one guest arrived at Burton on Trent in beautiful sunshine and were greeted with a course in immaculate condition and the quick, undulating greens proved to be a test to everyone. The morning scoring was relatively good and the money was taken by David Jones in third on 18, Tom Harris in second also on 18 and the winner was Pete Barrow who used 'old chippie' to good effect for his 20 points.

The afternoon scoring wasn't as good as just about everyone faired worse after their lunch, with one exception. Graham Adams had a nightmare of a morning 9 holes, scoring only 4 points, so must have have teed-off with some trepidation in the afternoon. Things didn't start well as he hooked his drive onto the practice ground. However, he hit a superb blind second shot to around three feet and sank the putt for a birdie three and FIVE stableford points to be ahead of his morning total after just one hole. He continued the fine form scoring 21 points on the front nine but unfortunately fell away somewhat on the back.

Another mention must go to Shaun Mullaney who I'm sure was looking to impress playing partner, Neil Smith, his team Captain on the forthcoming South Wales tour. With a handicap of three Shaun was looking to dazzle Neil with his superb ball striking ability, however Shaun decided to strike Neil with the ball instead, nearly breaking Neil's finger. I'm sure Neil won't hold this against you who choosing your playing partners on tour Shaun.

The first of the prize winners in fourth place was Burton member John Haley, playing off 20, who used his knowledge of the course for his 32 points. In third on 34 points was Adam Thompson playing off 5 who was just pipped into second place by Brian Hornby, playing off 17, due to Brian's better back nine.

Winner of the BUNGS Championship with a score of 36 points was Dave Grubb. Playing off 26, Grubby scored just 15 on the front nine but an excellent 21 on the back nine for his total and a well deserved victory. Well played Grubby.

This golf day also saw eight players competing for the annual BUNGS Masters trophy. With all 27 holes to count, Pete Barrow seemed to have a commanding lead after the first nine with his 20 points but he only scored 25 on the afternoon 18 holes to let Adam Thompson slip in the rear entrance (that's why he always wears pink) to take the Masters crown with a total of 48 points. Full BUNGS Masters results can be seen here.

Full results from the Burton on Trent golf day can be seen by clicking
results_2009_06_burton_2009.htm

2's Sweep - gross 2's scored by the following:

BUNGS Memorial Trophy

Kedleston Park Golf Club - 1st May 2009

18 hole stableford (full handicap)

30 players were to play in this year's Memorial Trophy, which took place at Kedleston Park Golf Club in Derby. The weather was pretty good on the day with just a few light showers late in the day. The course was manicured superbly and was a pleasure to play.

The morning money was shared between three players who all scored 18 points. On countback Steve Lloyd was third, Alan Tolley second and the bulk of the cash was taken by John Haley.

After lunch it was off to the first tee for the afternoon competition. Scoring was slightly better than has been previously with 33 points good enough for fifth place. Two players actually scored 33 but the final prize was taken by Robert Issitt, playing off 12, who scored 15 on the front nine and 18 on the back nine, which was good enough to pip Ivan Heathcote into fifth place with a better back nine.

Two shots ahead of Robert and Ivan was Graham Bilsland, playing off 1. In the prizes for the fifth time in the last seven events, Graham was as steady as ever scoring 16 on the front nine and 19 on the back nine for his 35 point total.

A further two shots ahead of Graham was John Mansell, playing off 22. John scored an impressive 20 points on the opening nine holes, followed by 17 points for his 37 point total. John also had the satisfaction of beating Steve Lloyd in the matchplay competition which was played over the afternoon round. Also on 37 points but beating John into second place with a better back nine was Simon Hayward who played off 17. Simon had a steady 17 points on the front nine and followed this with a superb 21 on the back nine to secure second.

One clear of both John and Simon was Paul Herrmann. Playing off 14, Paul scored 18 on the front nine and then matched Simon's 21 points on the back nine for a 39 point total to take the fourth title of his BUNGS 'career'.

Full results from the Kedleston Park golf day can be seen by clicking
results_2009_05_kedlestonpark_2009.htm

2's Sweep - gross 2's scored by the following:

Enterprise Cup

Market Drayton Golf Club - 3rd April 2009

18 hole stableford (full handicap)

31 players made their way down the country lanes, some seeing more of the countryside than others, to arrive at Market Drayton Golf Club. The weather forecast was for bright sunshine so it was a bit of a shock to arrive to chilly, foggy conditions.

After coffee and bacon rolls it was onto the morning practice for the money. The course was showing signs of a difficult winter and was not in as good a condition as when we last played there, and some of the greens were in a pretty poor condition due to recent verti-draining work. However, the course was as tight, undulating and as challenging as ever meaning scoring was not particularly good. The morning money was won by Brian Hornby in 1st with 19 points ahead of Phil Latham in 2nd with a better back six holes. The final cash went to Andy Smith in 3rd with 18 points.

After lunch, the sun finally arrived and it was short sleeve weather for the majority (Tim Thacker still insisted on wearing his bobble hat though). The sun had burnt away the morning dew so the greens were much quicker and better in the afternoon, meaning three putts were common, four putts were seen often and there was even the odd five putt (Phil Latham knows what I'm talking about)

The first of the prize winners was Bobby Ho, playing off 13, scoring 32 points. With both a front and back nine of 16 points, this was the same as Dave Grubb, playing off 27, who finished in fourth. Countback was needed to separate Bobby and Dave, the back six couldn't do it, neither could the back three or even the back two. Society Captain Bobby was gutted to miss-out on fourth spot by virtue of having a worse score than Grubby on the final hole.

The top three players all scored 34 points, so again countback was needed to separate the places. On his BUNGS debut, Jeff Sackett playing off 19 had to settle for third. With a strong 19 points on the front nine, Jeff couldn't follow this up on the back nine and had to settle for 15 points but was more than happy to take home a prize on his first visit. Brian Keates did ask the question of new member Jeff "Why does he speak with an American accent" - "Probably because he's American came the reply".

Neil Smith has been in fine recent form both at BUNGS and at his club and this form continued at Market Drayton. Playing off 17, Neil scored 16 on the front nine and 18 on the back nine to pip Jeff into second with a better back nine.

With just 1 point after three holes and only two shots to play with, Graham Bilsland must have thought his chance of a prize position finish was over. However, he played the remaining 15 holes in one under gross, scoring 15 on the front nine and 19 on the back nine to take the title from Neil with his better back nine. One again, well played Graham.

With three wins and a second place in the last six BUNGS events, I'm sure Graham's handicap will be a discussion topic at the next society committee meeting. Perhaps we can ask for suggestions from the society membership as to what Graham's handicap should be - plus 5 sounds good to me, what do you think Graham?

Full results from the Market Drayton golf day can be seen by clicking results_2009_04_marketdrayton_2009.htm

2's Sweep - gross 2's scored by the following:

Horsley Lodge Golf Day

5th March 2009

18 hole stableford (full handicap)

36 players scraped the ice of their windscreens to get to Horsley Lodge Golf Club in Derby. Despite the cold start to the day, the sun was out and some hardy soles were playing in short sleeves. The course was in a good condition for the time of year (sand on the tees excepted) and the greens were fairly fast and undulating, meaning holing putts was difficult. Despite this, there were a record number of 2's for a BUNGS day, with 9 in total, including two each from Gordon Galloway and James Shipman.

2009 Captain Bobby Ho had a successful drive off the first tee, it's a shame people weren't watching his second (he shanked it into the trees). Scoring was on the low side and 32 points was enough to get into the prizes. Playing off 22, John Mansell pipped Steve Booth and Pete Barrow into fifth place on countback with a better back nine of 20 points (after his paltry 12 points on the front nine).

One ahead of John was Alan Tolley who, once again, came close to winning but has to settle for fourth place. Playing off 17, Alan scored 15 on the front nine and 18 on the back nine for his 33 point total. One clear of Alan on 34 points was Howard Holliday, playing off 6 who scored a great 19 on the front nine but fell away on the back nine with just 15 points.

Ivan Heathcote is a player who has never won a BUNGS event and was certainly struggling with the golfing demons at the start of 2008, but some lessons have seen a steady improvement in his game. Like Howard, Ivan started well scoring 19 on the front nine, playing off a handicap of 16. Ivan also only scored 15 on the back but pipped Howard into second with a better 'back six'. Ivan was kicking himself in the clubhouse afterwards after missing-out on his maiden BUNGS victory after only scoring 1 point on the final two holes.

The winner was BUNGS 'Mr Consistent', Graham Bilsland who played off 2. No matter where we play, Graham's scores are nearly always good and on days like today where the rest of the field struggle, Graham's quality goof game shines through. With 18 points on the front nine and 16 on the back nine, Graham took the title from Ivan and Howard with a better back nine on his 34 point total. A great round of golf from Graham to take his second BUNGS title in the last five events - well played Graham.

Full results from the Horsley Lodge golf day can be seen by clicking results_2009_03_horsleylodge_2009.htm

2's Sweep - gross 2's scored by the following:

Christmas Cup

Maxstoke Park Golf Club - 11th December 2008

18 hole stableford (full handicap)

29 players were due to arrive arrive at Maxstoke Park, some getting there earlier than others, as even Adrian Marchant's flash Audi couldn't get past the helicopter that was parked on the motorway. At least Marcho did eventually arrive, poor Bill Hancock never left his drive due to a massive coolant leak - that's what you get for buying a Rover Bill!

With Chris Craddy staying at home with a bout of 'man-flu' and Mike Thacker having to sit-out due to the buggy ban, there were just 26 players present to complete for the first Christmas Cup, the renamed trophy replacing the Christmas Clock.

Although not as bad as the conditions for last years Christmas event, the freezing conditions still meant it was firm underfoot with the tees and greens being frozen solid, making approach shots to greens somewhat interesting. Despite the conditions, we were luck to be playing as I'm sure many courses would have been closed (or on temporary greens) in similar conditions.

Although everyone received a prize as is usual at the Christmas event, as usual it was the top four and ties that get the handicap cuts. Three players scored 35 points, Stewart Fairweather (playing off 20), Alan Tolley (playing off 17) and Dave Grubb (playing off 27). Alan beat Stewart into fourth with a better back nine of 19 points. Grubby, who also had 19 on the back nine, beat Alan into third with a better last six holes.

One point ahead was Neil Smith, playing off 17. Neil Scored 19 on the front nine, followed by 17 on the back nine for his 36 point total. One head of Neil, and taking his first BUNGS title, was Pete Barrow. Pete has been in fine form on his last two BUNGS outings, just missing-out at Beeston Fields but he wasn't to be denied this time. Playing off 27, Pete Scored 19 on his first nine holes followed by 18 on his final nine holes for a 37 point total. Well played Pete.

Full results from the the Maxstoke Park golf day can be seen by clicking results_2008_12_maxstokepark_2008.htm

2's Sweep - gross 2's scored by the following:

No 2's scored

The Cliff Thompson Salver

Woodhall Spa, Hotchkin Course - 15th November 2008

18 hole stableford (full handicap)

23 players made the early morning drive to Lincolnshire to arrive on Friday morning at Woodhall Spa, the headquarters of English Golf. After a hearty breakfast it was off the the 1st tee of the Bracken course for the fourball-betterball's. With an odd number, the first player drawn out of the hat would have two partners and this player was to be 2008 Society Captain Mike Fox. Partnered with both Brian Keates and Steve Lloyd, Foxy was in fine form and scored 41 points with Brian Keates which was good enough for second place on countback. With a better back nine, Mike Fox was beaten by...............Mike Fox and Steve Lloyd who took the money for the Friday competition.

After a few beers at the golf club, it was off to The Admiral Rodney Hotel in Horncastle for a quick rest/shower/change and a few more beers / glasses of wine before a very pleasant evening meal. The majority of the group spent the rest of the evening in the hotel bar with the exception of Graham Bilsland and John Mansell who had spotted a pole-dancing bar and they went off to 'try their luck' and rolled-back sometime after 3am.

An early start and breakfast was the order of the day for Saturday for a 1st tee time of 08.50 on The Hotchkin Course. The bunkers were as deep and the course as picturesque as ever but the greens, like the Bracken course yesterday, had been micro-tined which was a disappointment as putting was a bit of a lottery. I'm sure Karl Hughes would like to blame the state of the green for the 18inch putt he missed on the 12th - sorry Karl, you're just a crap putter. This didn't stop him scoring a respectable 33 points though for a fifth place finish.

The first of the prize winners, one point ahead of Karl, playing off 23 was Gordon Sullivan. We reckon Gordon must have something of the Samson about him, not for strength but his playing ability. The longer Gordon's hair gets, the better he plays. He played the first nine holes in a whopping 23 points but perhaps a bit of tiredness set-in for the societies 2nd oldest member (3rd oldest if Mike Thacker had his way) and Gordon only scored 11 points on the back nine for a 34 point total.

One clear of Gordon were the societies two best players, John Shaw and Graham Bilsland, playing off 5 and 2 respectively. Long, straight tee shots are the order of the day on the Hotchkin course and John and Graham are two of the 'best in the business' and their fine play was rewarded. John scored 19 on the front nine and 16 on the back nine for his 35 point total but was pipped-into second spot by Graham's better back nine as Graham scored 18 on the front nine and 17 on the back.

Perhaps not as long off the tee as Graham and John, Adam Thompson, the societies 3rd best player, must be the most accurate. Playing with a newly acquired driver purchased for less then the cost of a hand job lapdance for John Mansell, Tommo, playing off 6, had a very steady round of golf scoring 17 on the front nine and 19 on the back nine for a 36 point total and took the Salver named in memory of his late father, Cliff. Well played Adam.

Full results from the the Woodhall Spa golf day can be seen by clicking results_2008_11_woodhallspa_2008.htm

2's Sweep - gross 2's scored by the following: