Closely contested: Crosland Heath Golf Club
Clubhouse Leaders
Event Series #2: Crosland Heath Golf Club
Crosland Heath in Huddersfield provided the backdrop for our closely contested second event of the season.
Located high up on the Yorkshire Moors, the course threw up a fantastic challenge. Glorious sunshine provided the perfect day to play, with an accompanying stiff breeze providing punishment for poor shots.
Another well draining course ensured firm fairways and superb overall condition. The views from the higher holes were simply stunning.
Competition was unbelievably tight, with just two points separating the top 8 players!
Crosland Heath is known for its challenging par 3s, the majority of which require accuracy as you play across old quarries on to island greens. The wind made getting close to the pins very tough!
The test didn’t intimidate Dave McIntyre, as he fired in to just 10 foot from the pin on the 9th to claim the first Nearest the Pin prize. With Dave’s name also on the board for the second Nearest the Pin on the 17th, it was great to see another member step up in our final Group to make sure that Dave didn’t take a clean sweep. With a well judged shot to around 8 feet from the pin, Rob Burton claimed the glory.
The early clubhouse leader was Hugh Spillane, who had been out in the first Group and grabbed himself a drink to enjoy the sunshine whilst watching the competition play the final hole. The top of the leaderboard was stacked; meaning the 18th provided a dramatic finish and a nervous wait for Hugh. As group after group came through we saw missed putts and wayward approach shots. Hugh remained the outright leader, winning by a single shot, with 34 points. Well done Hugh - you were up for this challenge from the moment you arrived!
We had 4 players grappling for second place on 33 points, with Ashley Jaques stealing the position on a back 9 count back.
As everyone enjoyed the sun drenched terrace, the talk turned to the missed putts that ultimately cost victory.
It was great to see some new faces for this event; bringing together more of Yorkshire’s business community, in a relaxed, competitive environment.
First event of the Season: Selby Golf Club
First event for Clubhouse Leaders.
Event Series #1 : Selby Golf Club
Clubhouse Leaders headed to Selby Golf Club on Wednesday morning (10th April) excited to get our first ever event underway. After months of planning the day had come to welcome over 20 of our members and put on a top class golf day.
As we arrived at Selby early to get set up, we were greeted by the magnificent sight of the course bathed in sunshine, with greenkeepers putting the final touches to the greens. After the atrocious weather we have had over the past few months it was like driving into an oasis. No wading through mud. No plugged golf balls. Just superbly manicured greens and wonderfully shaped fairways.
It was no fluke that we chose Selby. It is widely regarded for providing high quality golfing conditions all year round and, in the most testing of times, it didn’t let us down.
The clubhouse had a sense of first day at school about it as our new members arrived to sign in. Contacts reconnecting and new relationships beginning.
We are pleased that we decided to sign up to Golf Genius for our Event Series; the technology didn’t let us down. Once everyone was comfortable with it, the scoring took care of itself and allowed everyone to relax and enjoy the golf.
As the fourballs made their way to the first tee, the excuses for poor performance began; nobody has been able to play much golf over the past few weeks and everyone was keen to get their tee shot away. The first player stepped up and put it out of bounds! Gradually everyone settled into their rounds, with blustery conditions making scoring difficult.
The first nearest the pin competition was on the 5th hole, a short par 3, with a very small green. The tight target helped focus the mind and we witnessed some great shots. The best by far saw Hamish McKenzie dance the ball around the pin and come to rest a metre away. The first prize of the 2024 series secured.
The second nearest the pin competition was on the 10th, with a strong cross wind; proving a much tougher test. It took until the final group for anyone to hit the Green; with Hugh Spillane taking the prize.
The weather took a turn for the worse over the back nine but the course remained immaculate. The lead took a few twists and turns over the final holes, but Allan Underwood took the title for the first event with 37 Stableford points, with Peter Laing securing second place with 35.
The race for Portugal has well and truly begun!
Lots of chat and a few well deserved drinks followed in the clubhouse. Feedback has been exceptional and plenty of new contacts have already been forged.
