Friday 4th July - Henbury GC
As usual we gathered early at Henbury for an 8:30 tee off. The weather gods were once again looking favourably down on the BAGS members as we arrived at the immaculately presented Henbury course bathed in warm sunshine and light wind. Up for grabs today were the Olympus trophy and Divisional cup.
As per tradition the captain teed off first, luckily with no other BAGS members in attendance much to his relief after the B&C barracking! The morning round was underway with some strong parings competing for the Olympus trophy. The course was in magnificent condition offering a challenge for all levels and the greens fast and true.
Marc and Tim winners of the morning pairs at B&C were up against a very strong pairing of Chris Sheahan and new member Dave Foot playing off of 5. A titanic battle ensued with both pairs matching each other shot for shot throughout the match. Dave and Chris were playing some fantastic golf. It was proving difficult for Marc and Tim to match them and they finally cracked under the relentless pressure and blobbed the 15th hole. Dave and Chris finished strongly with a competitive 44 points to seal victory and bag the Olympus trophy from Steve Jones and Alan Diaper on count back. Dave completed his round in an impressive 71 shots just 2 over par, seriously good golf and was rewarded with a 0.5 handicap cut in the afternoon!!!
Mark Funnell found the sweat spot driving down the 15th fairway, setting a bench mark for the mornings “longest drive” which could not be beaten (apart form the captains ball which was 10 meters past but just off of the fairway). Alan Diaper also won the A.M. nearest the pin on the tricky 7th drop hole to finish a rewarding morning of golf. This performance cemented Alan’s place in the Captains team for the annual Aircraft v Engines competition (like the Ryder cup but more prestigious).
After a quick lunch of soup and sandwiches, we were ready for the afternoon’s Divisional cup. Again the golf was of a good standard with some competitive scores being posted even though the weather had changed with a freshening wind and menacing clouds.
Dave Foots name appeared yet again in the winning team together with Alan Diaper and Bob Dodd claiming the Divisional cup with a respectable score of 77. Marc Funnell, Steve Griffith and ghost player Bob Dodd finished second with 75. Bob had a good afternoon’s round as he scored well for the second placed team.
Mighty Wrighty hit a “wind assisted” winner for the afternoon longest drive with Steve Heath finding his range and accuracy on the drop hole to win the nearest the pin, beating an earlier effort from Mighty Wrighty, thankfully he didn’t walk away with a clean sweep of prizes.
Other things of note from the day’s golf included Wrighty taking offence to a pair of courting squirrels putting him off his stroke on the 6th, a quick shake of the tree and a few obscenities broke up the amorous pair. Alan Diaper put his umbrella up during a light afternoon shower to stop his hair getting wet! Marc Funnell tested the off road capabilities of his buggy to the full driving into deep rough looking for someone’s ball. The captain, distracted on the first green, lined up his putt before realising his head cover was still on. I was trying to play a new soft touch shot honest!
The food in the evening was great with not a crumble remaining on any plate. After dinner the prizes were handed out including one for guessing the number of balls lost during the day. Amazingly only 36 balls were lost, which on such a tight course, goes to show how well people played throughout the day. Marc Funnel won this with a guess of 33. Maybe that’s why he lofted a few late shots into the bushes to increase the overall tally! Steve Heath resided over some pretty harsh fines in the evening with the money collected going towards a worthy charity, the St Peters Hospice.
All in all a great days golf. Henbury Golf club looked after us impeccably and I can’t recommend their course enough for those who could not make this day.
Thanks to all BAGS members who played today and roll on Friday August 8th for my third and final captain’s day at Mendip Golf Club.
Regards
Tim Wollaston
BAGS Captain