Sale Golf Club News - June 2017

Gilkinson and Russell take the titles!

On Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th June, we held our

annual Scratch and Peace tournament. Played

over 36 holes, the Scratch and Peace is one of

the club’s biggest tournaments of the year. A

tournament that is always well supported, this

year 168 players teed it up and battled it out

over the two rounds for the chance to win this

prestigious competition.

Chris Gilkinson and John Russell set the course a

light in the first round with a pair of gross 67’s.

This excellent first round score meant that not

only would Gilkinson top the Scratch

leaderboard, but also the Peace leaderboard

after 18 holes! However, there was still

plenty of good golf still to come in the first

round with Joshua Smith and George Buchan both shooting nett 64s to sit just two shots off the

lead.

The second round proved just as exciting as the

first with Kevin Roberts shooting an impressive

nett 68 to pile the pressure on Gilkinson. A solid

nett 69 from Stephen Rourke also put him right in

the mix of things with a chance to win. Despite

the charge from Roberts and Rourke, Chris

Gilkinson managed to hold on and take the title -

posting a respectable nett 72 for a 134 total to

win the Peace competition by 2.

Scratch golfer John Russell followed up his first

round 67 with a 2 over par 72 to win the Scratch

competition by an impressive 6 shots from Mobi

Rawthore. Well done to both Chris and John!

Mr Captain with the Peace winner Chris Gilkinson.

John Russell receiving the Scratch trophy from Mr Captain.

Ladies taster morning a hit!

On Saturday 10th June we held a free ladies ‘Get into Golf’ taster morning for ladies wanting to give

golf a try in a fun and relaxed environment. Originally we had 14 ladies signed up for the morning,

however due to the poor weather on the day, we had a number of ladies drop out. Despite this, it

was still a great day which was enjoyed by all!

The morning consisted of coffee and biscuits on arrival, coaching with Mike and John on the practice

ground, putting games on the practice and 18th greens before concluding with more coffee and cake

in the clubhouse.

We’ve had a number of ladies from the taster session go on to sign up for a 5 week coaching

programme with Mike and hopefully after this they might even go on to become full members!

A massive thank you must go to all the lady members who attended and made the new ladies feel

very welcome and part of the club. In particularly our Lady Captain who played a key role in the

organising and running of the day.

We will be hosting our next taster session on Saturday 22nd July so if you know of any ladies who

might be interested, please can you spread the word and get them to book in with Mike in the Pro

Shop.

A great day was had by all despite the weather conditions!

Our lady members were on hand to welcome the new ladies to Sale Golf Club.

Club Manager John Jackson with some of the ladies on the practice ground.

Hole in one for our Junior Captain!

Our junior captain Adam Carr got his

first ever hole in one this month on

the short but tricky 17th hole.

14 year old Adam hit a well struck

pitching wedge to the 116 yard par 3

hole, holding his pose while he

watched the ball bounce twice with a

little bit of spin before rolling into the

cup.On seeing the ball roll into the

hole, playing partner Sash Neersoo

and Adam cheered, high fived and

hugged each other in great

celebration. Well done Adam!

Professionals’ initiative helps Manchester Terror Attack victims

Our PGA Professionals Mike Stewart and Peter Mackenzie have been busy fundraising for the victims

of the Manchester Terror attack. Set up in the Pro Shop, members have generously donated to the

cause raising an impressive £180! A big thank you to everyone who donated and well done to Mike

and Peter for setting the fundraising up.

PGA Professionals Pete Mackenzie and Mike Stewart with their ‘Thank You’ letter for raising £180!

Lady Captain congratulates the Junior Captain on his hole in one!

Sale triumph in Mersey Bowl

On Sunday 11th June, Sale captured the Mersey Bowl at the challenging Withington Golf Club.

The Mersey Bowl is a mixed pair’s competition contended between the five Mersey clubs of

Withington, Sale, Northernden, Didsbury and Chorlton.

There were a number of good performances from the Sale team which contributed to the impressive

victory, including Brian and Christine Johnson who won the top individual pair with 39 points.

Another good round came from Derek and Yvonne Chadwick who carded 37 points.

The other top scorers for the Sale team were Martin Ash and Jenni Page with 35 points, Tony Ball

and Sophia Casey with 33 and Lady Captain and Mr Captain who also had 33 points. These results

meant that Sale finished on a total of 177 – 1 point ahead of Withington to take the title!

Congratulations to all involved!

Perfect weather for a garden party!

Madam President hosted a garden party on Sunday 18th June in her and Peter’s wonderful canal side

home in aid of Lady Captain’s chosen charity Alzheimer’s Society. There were in excess of 50 people

who were able to make it on the day including one dog, all of whom had a great time! The party

managed to raise £575 for Alzheimer’s Society which is a massive achievement. Well done to all

involved. To top it off, the weather on the day was perfect with clear blue sky and sun shining all

Mr Captain and Lady Captain pose with the Mersey Bowl with other members of the Sale team.

afternoon! It was great to see so many Sale Golf Club members enjoying plenty of Prosecco and jugs

of delicious iced Pimm’s in the summer sun!

There was a great turnout on the day to support Lady Captain’s chosen charity.

A couple of our lady members enjoying a few glasses of Prosecco in the sunshine.

Vernon delivers again

Long time Sale member Ian Vernon delivered another successful 3 Man Team Open event earlier this

month. Ian, who has been running the event for the last 22 years, gives up his free time each year to

organise the event and ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible. It is much appreciated!

We had plenty of compliments on the condition of the course on the day which was great to hear.

One comment came from a Wilpshere Golf Club member who described the course as a ‘lovely track

in great condition’ on our Facebook page.

The day was well supported with 37 teams taking part from many different golf clubs all over the

North West.

The winners were Bill Williams and Harry Williams of Manchester Golf Club and Steve Pickup of

Burnley Golf Club who came in with an impressive 85 points.

Ladies loving the half way house!

There are many reasons why the Sale Ladies Open has become one of the feature events of the

golfing season for women golfers. We have visitors from Clubs in Cheshire & Lancashire, and from

further afield this year we attracted players from Whittington Heath, Sherwood Forest, Abergele and

Conwy.

There are TWO words that capture the reason why we have a full, quality field year after year. Have

a guess: Lovely course? Great greens? Warm welcome? Prize money? Excellent staff? Without being

parochial and narcissistic, you are right on all counts.

One team on the 1st tee with tournament organiser Ian Vernon and ex President Jack Barrett.

The two words that really send the women crazy are the HALFWAY HOUSE. Filled to the brim with

the most delicious homemade cakes, tea & fresh coffee served in china teacups, Pimms, wine, G&T,

it really is a fantastic display. One visitor from Whittington Heath, Staffs said "This is the best

halfway house in the world !”.

Safe to say, this little brick-built structure, woefully under-utilised, hiding demurely between the

10th green and the 11th tee is a haven of hospitality offering comfort & consolation, applause or

approval in warm and generous measures.

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped on the day. Thanks to the members who so generously

donated raffle & auction prizes. We raised over £900 for Alzheimer's Society.

The winners this year were J Fletcher, S Spencer and B Chattaway from Whittington Heath.

Runners up were D Brayzier, D Stow from High Legh and S Brown from Sandiway

Our ladies were on hand to provide a superb service at the Halfway House.