Hill and Goodair Head Heaton Charge

Hanging Heaton will take their place in the 6th Division of the Yorkshire Team Championship at Abbeydale next week after filling the sixth and final qualifying place in the 7th Division round at Hunley Hall last week.

Tom Hill collected a prize for the leading first round score with an excellent 74 and although he fell away in the afternoon his morning effort was certainly key to the 9-hole clubs progression. Tom Goodair was on equally good form and matched Hill's round of 74 in the afternoon and his total of 154 was comfortably the teams best.

Hanging Heaton will join near neighbours, Dewsbury District, at the Sheffield course a week today after the Mirfield club retained their status from last year.

Crow Nest Park just missed out as they finished in seventh position whilst Todmorden ended their campaign for 2009 in a disappointing 16th place. Both sides must face pre-qualification next year.

Full scores.

Greaves in Confident Mood ahead of Season Opener

Frank Greaves, the HHDUGC Junior supremo, heads into the first two games of the Yorkshire Inter District Union Junior League fixtures brimming with confidence and excited about the forthcoming campaign.

Harrogate are first up at Dewsbury District this Sunday (3rd May) where Greaves' lads will be hoping to atone for last years defeat at Ripon City. The West End member warned though, "This will be no mean feat as Harrogate demolished Teesside 30 – 6 in their opening match earlier this season."

The North Yorkshire side were also the 2007 Junior League Champions and despite a disappointing finish last term (6th) they are one of the favourites this year to take top honours.

East Riding then visit the following Sunday, with Bradley Park the venue, and having lost to Sheffield in their first game will want to get their season back on track and reverse the heavy defeat the HHDUGC side inflicted upon them at Allerthorpe Park last year.

The Junior IDU fixtures started a couple of weeks ago (see league table) but Greaves is happy with the delayed start for his side, "Normally by this time of year we have played two matches, however, having moved the first two fixtures a month later it has allowed us to get some golf under our belts and the weather has a chance of being better!"

The recent Junior versus Senior match at Fixby helped finalise the last three places although Greaves admitted, "It was a close run thing on who to leave out. A number of the lads have had a great start to the season with many reducing their handicaps by a shot already and several having played some rounds in the Yorkshire Union divisional championships."

Greaves will hope that his young side can take the lead that he himself showed last season in landing the Senior Order of Merit crown with some battling performances. Meltham teenager, Jamie Bower (pictured), is one of those already showing early season promise with two games played for Yorkshire U16's and currently unbeaten for the county.

Adam Cryer from Hebden Bridge is also in good form and must take a lot of confidence from his visit to Brazil in the Faldo Junior Series. Ben Adamson (Crow Nest park) and Tom Goodair (Hanging Heaton) have had notable success in the YUGC divisional championships with Adamson collecting the best gross in the 7th Division qualifying competition a couple of weeks ago.

Team:

Jamie Bower (Meltham)
Adam Cryer (Hebden Bridge)
Joe Hill (Bradley Park)
Tom Goodair (Hanging Heaton)
Ben Adamson (Crow Nest Park)
Nathan Scott (Crow Nest Park)
Adam Walker (Longley Park)
George Bamford (Hebden Bridge)
Tom Calvert (Willow Valley)
Stephen Pullen (Saddleworth)
Ben Simpson (Saddleworth)
Lewis Howell (Willow Valley)

Reserves:
Ethan Shaw (Marsden)
Charles Ryan Hicks (Longley Park)

Lawrence Batley Results - 24th April

Results of matches played in the Lawrence Batley Seniors League from the 24th April are listed below. Lightcliffe produced the performance of the week with an 8-0 demolition of Outlane whilst Branshaw sprang a shock beating Woodsome Hall 7-1.

Section A:
Oldham 6 Marsden 2
Ryburn 5 Silkstone 3
West End 6 Calverley 2
Wortley 4 Hebden Bridge 4

Section B:
Hanging Heaton 6 Huddersfield 2
Lightcliffe 8 Outlane 0
Queensbury 4 Werneth 4
West Bradford 6 Bradley Hall 2

Section C:
Bradford Moor 6 Crosland Heath 1
Low Laithes 4 South Bradford 4

Section D:
Branshaw 7 Woodsome Hall 1
Elland 5 Halifax 3
Todmorden 6 Bradley Park 2

See the Latest League Tables

Salver Joy for Hot Curry

Curry Proves to Hot to Handle as he Blows the Field Away!

A magnificent performance from Brancepeth's Michael Curry landed him the Cleveland Salver yesterday.

The plus-one handicapper scorched round the North-East links course in a best of the day 67 during the afternoon to tag to his opening 70, giving him a five stroke victory over home favourite Adam Best who also produced a 67 in his second round.

Leading Scores:
M Curry, Brancepeth, +1, 70 + 67 = 137
A Best, Cleveland, +1, 75 + 67 = 142
R Aisbitt, Brancepeth, +1, 76 + 68 = 144
J Buckley, Harrogate, Scr, 73 + 71 = 144
J Grey, South Shields, +3, 75 + 70 = 145

Full Results

Outlane Weekend Round-up

Outlane enjoyed a terrific weekend of golf with two competitions taking place.

Firstly on Saturday father and son Keith and Alex Birchinall combined to win the Union 4-Ball Qualifier on a countback from Dennis Pearcey and Dave Cromack. Andy Lister and Andy McLaughlin finished in third despite having two gross eagles! All three pairs qualify for the Union 4-ball final.

Union 4 ball Qualifier:
K Birchinall/A Birchinall = 60 nett
D Pearcey/D Cromack = 60 nett
A Lister/A McLaughlin = 61 nett

The Howlett cup was then played in fine conditions on Sunday and after a pulsating knock-out format final Jarrad Hazelden triumphed. Jarrad is pictured above receiving the trophy from Peter Lawrence Brown, the present Captain at Outlane.

The Howlett cup is played by all the seasons 12 major winners over 11 holes. The worst scorer after each hole is knocked out. Should there be a tie for worst score, there is a 'play off' with a designated shot to nearest the pin, chosen by the Professional, the furthest away being eliminated. Last years Captain, David Berry, finished as the runner-up.

Howlett Cup:
Winner Jarrad Hazelden
Runner-Up David Berry

Janet Comes out on Top

A testing wind made the scoring particularly tricky in the latest monthly 'Rainbow' competition at Todmorden Golf Club. The individual Stableford, played by Men and Ladies on the
Rainbow course, was won by Janet Topham with a very creditable 38 points.

Leading Scores:
1st Janet Topham = 38pts
2nd Roy Holland = 36
3rd Geoff Stansfield = 33
4th Les Woodhead = 32
5th Colin Greenwood = 30

The first two competitions this year had previously been won by Men, so Janet is the first lady to win on the Rainbow Course this year.

The creator of the hybrid course, Roger Wornell, said, "What was also very interesting is that for the second month in the row, the average scoring for the ladies and the men was virtually identical. This suggests that the course is now perfectly balanced for both sexes and is a genuinely equal competition for ladies and men to compete together."

L.E.G.S Trophy Result

A team made up from the golf committee won the annual L.E.G.S trophy at Outlane Golf Club. The trophy is donated by the Lancashire Entertainers Golf Society who use the course to raise money for deserving causes.

The team of Martyn Atkinson ,Nigel Crowther, Andy Lister and Andy McLaughlin won with a 'best 2 scores to count' of 121 despite hitting a remarkable 7 tee shots on the 8th hole, with 3 players re- loading after hitting wayward tee shots which looked to be out of bounds. With only 1 ball in definite play it looked likely that a big score was on the cards but luckily 1 of the wayward shots was found after ricochetting through several trees to finish just in play and they went on to win by 3 shots.

L.E.G.S 4 man Team Trophy:
1. M.Atkinson / N.Crowther / A.Lister / A.McLaughlin = 121
2. J.Pryce / J.Jackson / I.Greenwood / A.Daker = 124

Roper in Hawksworth Trophy Victory

Brilliant Roger Roper Clinches Dramatic Win!

A brilliant afternoon round of 66 earned Roger Roper an impressive victory in the Hawksworth Trophy at Bradford Golf Club.

The seasoned campaigner's stunning second round leapfrogged him over a number of other contenders as he secured victory by a stroke from a quartet of players.

Full Results

Page Trophy Start Times

Starting times for the The HHDGA Page Trophy can be seen below. The 36-hole individual medal will take place at Dewsbury next Thursday (30th April).

Organiser of the Alliance meetings, James Washington, said, "We have an excellent entry of 81 competitors for the testing 36 holes around Dewsbury with superb support once again from the professionals, with 12 competing." He added, "Let's hope for some decent weather next week."

7.00am & 12.00pm:
Mr. T. Wild, SCR, Bradley Park
Mr. C. Holmes, 5, Meltham
Mr. I. Furness, 8, Dewsbury

7.08am & 12.08pm:
Mr. D. Law, 11, Meltham
Mr. J. Pearcey, 5, Bradley Park
Mr. J. Binns, 4, Dewsbury

7.16am & 12.16pm:
Mr. T. Pollard, 5, Halifax
Mr. J. Ambler, SCR, Longley Park
Mr. M. Guymer, 8, Meltham

7.24am & 12.24pm:
Mr. T. Williams, 14, Bradley Park
Mr. N. Corcoran, 14, Meltham
Mr. G. Shuttleworth, 11, Bradley Hall

7.32am & 12.32pm:
Mr. M. Riley, 6, Bradley Park
Mr. J. Perks, 8, Marsden
Mr. J. Hemmings, 14, Meltham

7.48am & 12.48pm:
Mr. N. J. Carr, 8, Marsden
Mr. J. Doherty, 5, Longley Park
Mr. C. Thewlis, SCR, Ryburn

7.56am & 12.56am:
Mr. J. Awork, 7, Dewsbury
Mr. A. Walker, 5, Longley Park
Mr. D. Alexis, 8, Bradley Hall

8.04am & 1.04pm:
Mr. S. Garside, 17, Willow Valley
Mr. K. Bruce, 20, Meltham
Mr. R. Dembizky, 17, Dewsbury

8.12am & 1.12pm:
Mr. I. Saxton, 7, Meltham
Mr. J. Caine, 4, Dewsbury
Mr. D. Whitwam, 5, Marsden

8.20am & 1.20pm:
Mr. M. Waddington, 11, Bradley Park
Mr. S. Whiteley, 11, Meltham
Mr. M. Dempsey, 12, (Ind) Fixby

8.28am & 1.28pm:
Mr. C. Regan, 15, West End
Mr. J. Smith , 20, Longley Park
Mr. A. Foster, 15, Bradley Hall

8.36am & 1.36pm:
Mr. D. Arber, SCR, West End
Mr. E. Shaw, 6, Marsden
Mr. R. Clarke, 17, Meltham

8.44am & 1.44pm:
Mr. R. Booth, SCR, Bradley Hall
Mr. G. McLean, 0, Meltham
Mr. N. Wilson, 6, (Ind) Fixby

8.52am & 1.52pm:
Mr. D. Braithwaite, 13, Marsden
Mr. D. Illingworth, 20, Longley Park
Mr. M. Atkinson, 10, Outlane

9.00am & 2.00pm:
Mr. D. Stafford, 1, Todmorden
Mr. J. Washington, 6, Marsden
Mr. A. Crum, 2, Dewsbury

9.08am & 2.08pm:
Mr. S. Hughes, 8, Todmorden
Mr. C. Hanson, SCR, Crosland Heath
Mr. T. Morrison, 8, Bradley Hall

9.16am & 2.16pm:
Mr. A. Cryer, 9, Hebden Bridge
Mr. C. Foster, SCR, Bradley Park
Mr. A. McLaughlin, 9, Outlane

9.24am & 2.24pm:
Mr. D. Astin, SCR, Hebden Bridge
Mr. A. Lister, 6, Outlane
Mr. N. Paxman, 8, Meltham

9.32am & 2.32pm:
Mr. M. Blackwood, 16, Hebden Bridge
Mr. B. Cassidy, 15, Outlane
Mr. R. Pearson, 17, Bradley Park

9.40am & 2.40pm:
Mr. O. Barstow, 7, Bradley Park
Mr. A. Williamson, 10, Dewsbury
Mr. G. Holmes, 15, Hebden Bridge

9.48am & 2.48pm:
Mr. G. Ward, 7, Bradley Park
Mr. G. Dunkley, 6, Dewsbury
Mr. P. Newey, 16, (Ind) Fixby

9.56am & 2.56pm:
Mr. J. Booth, 2, Dewsbury
Mr. J. Coverley, SCR, Bradley Park
Mr. C. Whiteley, 4, Meltham

10.04am & 3.04pm:
Mr. M. O'Hara, 9, Bradley Park
Mr. N. P. Hirst, SCR, Dewsbury
Mr. J. Heyes, 6, (Ind) Fixby

10.12am & 3.12pm:
Mr. M. Hanson, 13, Bradley Park
Mr. C. Nuttall, 10, Willow Valley
Mr. P. Sellers, 10, Outlane

10.28am & 3.28pm:
Mr. L. Shepherd, SCR, Willow Valley
Mr. J. Leeman, 7, (Ind) Woodsome
Mr. P. Firth, 10, Bradley Hall

10.36am & 3.36pm:
Mr. K. Pendlebury, 13, Outlane
Mr. S. Quirke, 15, Marsden
Mr. L. Brompton, 11, West End

10.44am & 3.44pm:
Mr. B. Williams, 10, Bradley Hall
Mr. D. Delaney, SCR, Halifax
Mr. E. Doherty, 13, Longley Park

Seniors Off and Running

The Lawrence Batley Seniors are off and running in 2009! The first round of matches commenced on the 17th April with the results featured below.

Woodsome Hall, who have proved virtually unbeatable over recent seasons continued where they left off in 2008 with a comprehensive 8-0 win over Elland in Section D whilst there were other whitewash victories for Marsden, Bradley Hall, Werneth and Ogden.

Section A:
Calverley 6 Wortley 2
Hebden Bridge 0 Marsden 8
Oldham 5 Ryburn 3
West End 4 Silkstone 4

Section B:
Bradley Hall 8 Hanging Heaton 0
Lightcliffe 3 Huddersfield 5
Queensbury 5 Outlane 3
Werneth 8 West Bradford 0

Section C:
Blackley 4 Bradford Moor 4
Dewsbury 3 Low Laithes 5
South Leeds 5 South Bradford 3

Section D:
Branshaw 6 Bradley Park 2
Halifax 8 Meltham 0
Saddleworth 5 Todmorden 3
Woodsome Hall 8 Elland 0

Early league tables can be seen here.

Waller Cup - Round 2!

The second of the two qualifying rounds of the Halifax Bradley Hall 'Waller Cup' was played on Saturday under conditions very unlike the previous week, with a cold easterly wind and low temperatures so much so that the greens staff encountered frost on a couple of greens. The conditions no doubt were responsible for the CSS of 72.

In Division 1, past captain, Martin Bird headed the field with a nett score of 68 and he was closely followed by Union player Martin Cockcroft (pictured) and Dean Alexis, both of whom recorded 69's.

The final place was taken by Nigel Dare, playing only his second round since the end of last season, having shot a nett 72 the previous week.

In Division 2, the qualifiers were Roy Coldwell with a nett 68, Simon Ross 70, John Hellawell 71 and Rob Morgan with 74.

Division 1:
M.A. Bird 80 - 12 = 68
M.Cockcroft 72 - 3 = 69 (lowest gross)
D.R.Alexis 77 - 8 = 69
N.Dare 83 - 13 = 70
P.J.Skelton 79 - 9 = 70

Division 2:
R.Coldwell 96 - 28 = 68
S.J.Ross 89 - 19 = 70
J.Hellawell 93 - 22 = 71
R.W.Morgan 98 - 24 = 74

Crow Nest and Todmorden Qualify

Crow Nest Park and Todmorden successfully negotiated their way through the southern section of the 7th Division pre-qualifier for the Yorkshire Team Championships.

The four-man team event, where all scores count, was played at Doncaster Town Moor on Thursday where Bonday Golf Club won the event with a total of 302. However, with six places up for grabs to progress to the 7th Division proper both Crow Nest and Todmorden made it through with totals of 308 and 312 respectively.

Ben Adamson (pictured) was the star for the Hove Edge club firing the joint lowest round of the day when posting a two-over par 71. Adamson is the Junior Captain at Crow Nest Park and current HHDUGC Junior Strokeplay champion.

Longley Park just missed out by a shot when they finished in seventh place on a score of 325. It was equally bad news for Halifax and Elland who also failed to qualify.

The 7th Division is due to be played at Hunley Hall this coming Wednesday where Hanging Heaton will also be competing for a place in the 6th Division.

See the full scores.

Law Captures Auchterlonie Spoon

Yorkshire Champs Lands Season Opener!

Richard Law, the current Yorkshire Amateur Champion landed the opening Yorkshire Order of Merit event of the season

The Low Laithes star posted rounds of 69 and 71 to win by a stroke from Sheffield men Scott Campbell (Hallowes) and Steve Brennan (Wheatley).

Full Results

Outlane Balcony Set for Official Opening

Outlane Golf Club will officially open their new balcony on Sunday 7th June following the annual Shotgun Texas Scramble, which also happens to be about three years after their Centenary celebrations. The new structure can be seen above and below.


Meanwhile it has also been a busy month on the golf course at the Slack Lane club. Results from four events already played during April are featured below.

April Medal & Page Trophy Qualifier:
Rabbit Captain Alan Henderson continued his good form with another round which reduced his handicap from 21 to 19.

1st Division:
S.Beeby = 66 nett
N.Sutton = 67 nett
G.Podmore = 68 nett

2nd Division:
A.Henderson = 63 nett
D.Brooke = 63 nett
M.Clark = 67 nett

Good Friday Medal:
Mark Jackson and Gary Bayley won their respective divisions over the new course which has been set up because of the 7th and 8th greens re- construction. The unluckiest player was Jarrad Hazelden who went out of bounds on the first hole but still produced a gross 70.

1st Division:
M.Jackson = 63 nett
C.Hall = 63 nett
T.Mullins = 64 nett
J.Hazelden = 65 nett

2nd Division:
G.Bayley = 61 nett
A.Schofield = 63 nett
J.Preston = 65 nett
P.Anderson = 66 nett

Saturday Spring Medal:
Golf committee man Nigel Crowther and Greens Chairman Martin Cullimore had one point margins to win their divisions on the new course.

1st Division:
N.Crowther = 44 points
G.Podmore = 43 points
B.Cassidy = 42 points
M.Clare = 41 points

2nd Division:
M.Cullimore = 44 points
J.Follows = 43 points
P.Ford = 42 points
S.Brearey = 41 points

Bank Holiday Monday Medal:
Damian Shaw produced a remarkable round of 56 (was 23 handicap now 19) to win by 10 shots in the second division whilst Weatherspoons pub manager Simon McKenzie was buying the drinks with his first division success.

1st Division:
S.McKenzie = 64 nett
D.Swaby = 64 nett
J.Hazelden = 65 nett

2nd Division:
D.Shaw = 56 nett
K.Oliver = 66 nett
G.Jenkinson = 66 nett

Bower Double Helps Yorkshire Power to Victory

Meltham youngster Jamie Bower made a significant contribution in helping guide Yorkshire Boys to victory over the cream of junior golfers from Wales at Fixby last week.

Bower (pictured) teamed up with D Hawksworth from Hollins Hall to win by an impressive 7&5 in his morning foursomes game and then just edged a close match against his Welsh opponent, J Bush, in the afternoon singles when he triumphed on the final green. His double victory helped Yorkshire seal a comfortable 12.5 - 5.5 victory.

Yorkshire led 4.5 - 1.5 after the morning contest and despite a rally from Wales Boys in the middle order of the individual ties the result was never in doubt.

See the full score-sheet.

Crow Nest Charity Fun

Crow Nest Park Golf Club held a Charity fun day recently where all monies raised went to their Captains Charity, Overgate Hospice.

A great turnout of 40 Golfers, with all five Captains taking part, helped raise an impressive £230. The day comprised of a 4-person team texas scramble and was organised by Vice Captain, Glyn Owen, along with Ladies Captain Helen Pearson.

The winners of the competition were Micheal Ashton, Steve Yendley, Ruth Wilson and Harry Mowl.

Aldridge and Hanson Strike... Again

Sharp-shooting Chris Hanson fired an almost flawless round when he teamed up with his older brother, Richard, to bag the Pro-Am section of the latest Huddersfield, Halifax & District Golf Alliance meeting at Willow Valley yesterday. The sibling partnership scored a tremendous 43 points over the testing championship course at the Clifton complex to take top honours.

Following victory in the previous Alliance meeting at Meltham last month the young tour professional made it two successive triumphs as the Crosland Heath pair came in one point ahead of Bradley Park's Chris Foster and his amateur partner Oliver Bairstow. The highlight for Foster coming at the 131 yard sixth hole when he made a superb hole-in-one with his trusty 8-iron - the ball pitched just in front of the pin and rolled out into the cup for his first ace as a professional!

Hanson Jnr (pictured above with Young and Branch) made a fast start with a couple of birdies early on and added a further five latter in the round with his only blemish to par coming at the ninth hole. Meanwhile Hanson Snr weighed in with an excellent birdie two of his own on the long, uphill par 3 fourth hole.

Willow Valley players Peter Young and George Branch finished in third spot a point back from Foster and Bairstow. Peter a professional who is relatively new to the area has agreed to act as the Alliance's representative at Willow Valley which will help maintain the good relationship the H.H.D.G.A already has with the club.

Hanson, who is hitting form at just the right time with both Challenge and EuroPro Tour events around the corner, is pleased with his game. He said, "I am playing nicely and really looking forward to some of the big events coming up."

Meanwhile the Am-Am competition was won with 39 points by category one player Clive Mcfadzean and 13-handicapper Keith Aldridge, both representing Halifax Bradley Hall Golf Club.

It was the first outing of the year for Aldridge (61) but the victory made it two wins out of his last two appearances, the previous success coming at Crosland Heath back in 2008 when he also partnered Mcfadzean.

The retired Town Planning consultant has now been playing at the Holywell Green course for over a decade. In 2004 he was Rabbits Captain and for the past few years was also the competition coordinator for the Halifax, Huddersfield Rabbits Golf Association. He resigned from the post this year following his handicap reduction to 12 at the end of last season.

Mcfadzean runs his own Fire Protection business based at Greetland, in Halifax and has good form in Alliance meetings capturing two events last year.

The winning duo, who fought off 58 other pairs, made an average start reaching the turn with only 17 points - level with their playing partners from Meltham, Simon Davis and Paul Ellis, who pushed them all the way. However, things quickly sprang to life on the back-nine when Aldridge racked up a marvelous 16 points in just five holes including two consecutive nett eagles and two nett birdies to pull the Halifax pair ahead. Despite dropping points on inward stretch Mcfadzean steadied the ship by finishing the same way he started, with two solid gross pars.

Two members of the Willow Valley Junior team that represented England earlier this year, Lewis Howell and Tom Brancker, finished as runners-up on the same 39 points whilst another home partnership, Nigel Richardson and Chris Nuttall, took third place also missing out on top spot via a card play-off.

In his acceptance speech Mcfadzean praised Aldridge for his sterling efforts that brought them through on the day with Keith reciprocating the gratitude regarding the advice on club selection, putting lines and the overall encouragement received from Clive throughout the round. The win for the Bradley Hall pair means The Halifax club have now won two out of the last three Am-Am Alliance competitions.

In the photo above are Am-Am prize-winners; Keith Aldridge (Far Right), Clive McFadzean (Second Right), Lewis Howell (Far Left), Tom Brancker (Second Left) and Nigel Richardson (Centre).

It was a memorable day too for the deadly accurate Adam Crum from Dewsbury who capitalised on the ace from Foster by cleaning up in the popular nearest-the-pin prizes. The two-handicap golfer, who works in the pro-shop under the stewardship of Nigel Hirst at The Pinnacle club, was the closest amateur on both the sixth (6' 1") and 16th holes (10' 1") - Foster being ineligible to take the prize as he is a professional.

Alliance Organiser, James Washington, stated "The large entry yesterday displays that people want to come and test themselves against this championship layout, coupled with the excellent condition of the course and the wonderful hospitality it always makes for an excellent event." Washinton added, "The Alliance would also like to inform all member clubs that juniors are more than welcome in any of their events as long as they meet the requirements of the competition."

Although Hebden Bridge's David Astin did not figure at the top of yesterday's leaderboard he became the Alliance's first Order of Merit winner. Victories early on in the season, where he won three out of the first four events, giving him the title. Hanson's win moves him into second place above Tom Wild.

See the full results.

The re-arranged texas scramble, due to be played at Meltham next Tuesday, will now not take place. A clash of dates with a Yorkshire PGA event on the East Coast at Bridlington would have reduced the number of professionals in the field so a decision was made by Alliance chiefs to cancel the competition. However, the Alliance will reschedule the event into next seasons fixtures as it was originally very well supported before the weather required the event to be called off earlier in the season.

However the traditional end-of-season Page Trophy is all set to be held at Dewsbury on Thursday 30th April whilst an event at Ryburn, already cancelled twice due to bad weather, is planned for Wednesday 13th May. The individual Page Trophy is proving and extremely popular and anyone wishing to play should enter through their club representative asap.

Waller Cup Qualifiers

The first of two qualifying rounds of the Waller Cup was played at Bradley Hall yesterday. Conditions more akin to mid summer with virtually no wind and warm temperatures resulted in the course playing to it's standard scratch of 70. Four places from the two divisions (0-15 and 16-28) were 'up for grabs' by the field of 154 golfers.

In Division 1, the qualifiers were Chris Mather (9 hcp) who lead the entire field with a nett score of 65 but he was closely followed by John Woodhouse with 66, Chris Southern (6) who had the lowest gross score of 73 and Gary Shuttleworth (11), both with nett 67's and edging out Mike Riley (10) and Richard Dubaj (11) also on 67 and Brian Court (15) with a 68.

In Division 2, big hitting left-hander, Rob Holroyd (17) was a clear winner with his nett score of 68 and the three remaining qualifiers were Peter Elsworth (17) with a 70 and Keith Wright (19) and Eidon Roberts (21) both shooting 71's and edging out Steve Barlow (18) also on 71.

The second round of the competition will be played this coming Saturday when the remaining qualifiers will be determined.

Big Field for Willow Valley Test

A huge 58 pairs will contest the forthcoming Huddersfield, Halifax & District Golf Alliance at Willow Valley next Tuesday.

Amongst the field there will be 16 professionals competing in the Pro-Am section and with five representing the host venue a home winner could be on the cards. Lee Shepherd is out in the second group and partnering D Bentley will no doubt start as one of the favourites.

Head professional and general manager of the Clifton Complex, Julian Haworth, playing with J Newton will be keen to impress over his own course whilst another player amongst the paid ranks at Willow Valley, P Young, will kick-off proceedings at 8:00am when he partners M Lord in the opening game. Darren Rands and Wayne Pendlebury make up the Willow Valley quintet.

Meanwhile David Astin will be hoping to secure top spot in the Order of Merit when he teams up with his usual partner from Hedben Bridge, Andy Cryer. Astin's nearest challengers, Tom Wild and Chris Hanson, both play and will be aiming to close the gap on a course which notoriously provides a stern test for golfers of all abilities.

Full start-sheet.

Easter Offer at Willow Valley

Willow Valley Golf are offering an Easter Special for golfers who book online.

A 2-Ball can play at the Brighouse course on Good Friday (10th April) and/or
Easter Monday (13th April) for just £24.50 per person. This saves a combined £27 off the standard green-fee.

The offer can only be redeemed by booking through the online booking portal using promotional code "EASTER1" at www.wvgc.co.uk

This promotion is also limited to the first 20 bookings, on a first-come, first-served basis, so don't delay!

Examiner Matchplay Knockout

Fancy winning a FREE 8-day golfing holiday to Spain? That is the prize one lucky golfer will receive by taking part in and then winning the Hanson Travel sponsored Examiner Matchplay Knockout Tournament.

The popular competition, now in it's sixth year, takes the form of an individual matchplay event and is open to male and female golfers with an official club handicap who are over the age of 18.

A draw will be made shortly after the closing date of the 11th April 2009 with the first round to be played over 2-legs on a home and away basis. Subsequent rounds are contested over 18 holes on a mutually agreeable date with the first named player taking home advantage. The cost of entry has been held at just £20.

The event climaxes to a 'Grand Final' in September when the semi-final and final will be played at Meltham Golf Club. The overall winner can then take his/her free place on the week-long 2009 Examiner Oversea's Challenge on the Costa Blanca.

More information about the tournament can be found here or click for an entry-form. Hurry though as all entries must be received by this Saturday.

New Balcony for Outlane

A new balcony is currently being erected at Outlane Golf Club. Work has now started and the club expect it will be a great asset to the club in the future.

Bob Hazelden, Junior Organiser at the club and pictured in the above photo said, "Let’s hope this summer it will be put to good use so that we can sit out with a nice drink and enjoy the views and watch the players coming in to complete their round."

The Rainbow has Arrived - Official

An historical decision by CONGU (The Council Of National Golf Unions) could possibly change the way that golf is played in the future.

The Rainbow Concept, a new way of playing Mixed Golf (Ladies and Men to play together on the same course with a common set of tees,) conceived by Todmorden Golf Club, was presented to CONGU for their approval. The CONGU decision was that the Rainbow should proceed, with their best wishes.

A Rainbow Course is a composite course, created from nine holes from a Ladies Course (red tees), and nine holes from the Men’s courses (white or yellow). Ladies and Men play the course together, from the same tees, but with separate SSS’s. Many golfers believe that the Rainbow Concept follows the fact and spirit of the R&A Golf Rules closer than the existing current method of playing Mixed Golf, whereby ladies and men play on different courses. The Rainbow Course on Todmorden Golf Club is for a trial for one year.

There was also a bonus on CONGU's judgement. Obviously CONGU believes that Rainbows will become popular and will be followed by other Golf Clubs; (in fact, some Clubs are already planning to create their own Rainbow). Part of the great attraction of the Rainbow Concept is that because it draws upon existing holes and tees, a new Rainbow Course can be created without Capital Costs and without additional Maintenance Costs.

The other CONGU decision was that only one Rainbow Course would be allowed per club. When a Club creates a new Rainbow Course, it will also mean that for the first time, Ladies have a second course to play on, not just their only one course, their Red.

The approval of The Rainbow Concept means that, for the first time, Ladies and Men can play in a Competition with, and against each other, on the same course and on common tees which are usually exclusive to one specific gender.

Creator Roger Wornell said, "We believe this decision justifies the word 'Historic' and counters those critics who claim that Golf is the last bastion of male chauvinism, and that Golf Unions are living in the previous Century."

More information is available at www.rainbowgolfcourse.co.uk