Golfers mark triumphant return to North Golf Alliance circuit
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TWO Golspie Golf Club members returning to the North Golf Alliance circuit this season marked their return with a first place in the Alliance’s three-ball-better-ball Christmas fixture at Brora.
Alastair Bell (9) and Tim Featherstone (12) linked up with Tain’s Richard Hamblin (17) to be the only trio to get a nett score below fifty, their nett 49 seven under par and winning by a shot from Durness pair Alastair Morrison (15), an apprentice green keeper on the Brora course, Stephen Mackay (13) joined by local member Robert MacDonald (5).
It was two birdie twos contributed by Hamblin and Featherstone over the eight-hole inward stretch of Brora’s fifteen hole winter course that brought the winners inward half down to 23 following their outward 26. Hamlin, in receipt of a stoke at the inward cut-in hole played to the 11th green holed out from off the green for gross three, nett two, which set the trio on their way. After Bell and Hamblin both missed it was Featherstone’s last effort from three feet that dropped into the hole for another birdie that put the winning tinsel on their card.
The Durness/ Brora trio also managed two birdie two’s on the inward half, but could only get to 24 for the last eight holes to add to their outward 26 and second place bottles of champagne, the winners receiving a bottle of Brora Golf Club’s exclusive special malt whisky.
It was a credit to the Brora green keeping staff and helping volunteers that the event went ahead after they turned out on Saturday to clear debris that was dumped by the storm waves that ravaged Sutherland’s East Coast over the previous twenty four hours.
Saturday’s storm abated and on Sunday the course was drenched in perfect winter sun which enticed the next three best ball scores of 51. Two of them came from Tain teams, the trio of Munro and Billy Ferries and Ali Melville, halves of 25 and 26 rewarded them with Christmas Puddings and club mates Seann Sutherland, Raymond Lockie and Mike Sangster fifth with halves of 24 and 27. A duo of Brora members, Alliance secretary, Tony Gill, and Mike Howells might have crept up the prize list had they had a full compliment but their third player, club captain Ken Lorimer, was forced to withdraw after being struck by a morning sick bug and the pair had to make do with a fourth place on the count back.
The individual fixtures recommence at Reay Golf Club on January 20, 2013.
Results
Three-ball-better-ball net scores — 49 A Bell (Golspie), T Featherstone (Golspie), R Hamlin (Tain) (26/23); 50 R MacDonald (Brora), A Morrison (Durness), S Mackay (Durness) (26/24); 51 M Ferries, B Ferries, A Melville (Tain) (26/25); T Gill, M Howells (Brora) (26/25), S Sutherland, R Lockie M Sangster (Tain) (24/27).
