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July 2021
Olympic fire still burns in County champ
LADIES FIRST!
Captain reflects on ‘exhausting’ week
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July 2021
2 ADVERTISING: Sandra Kirton 07771 885757 sandra@yorkshire-golfer.com PUBLISHER: Danny Lockwood
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IN THIS ISSUE ... or read online at www.yorkshiregolfer.net MARATHON MEN Stocksbridge pair play 180 holes and cover 38 miles in 16-hour charity effort p8
MNDA CHARITY Leeds clubs dig deep for Rhinos’ star’s cause p4 SENIOR MOMENT Robert Treweek is the Yorkshire Seniors Champion p5
TOUR TRIUMPHS Professional wins for both Joe Dean and John Parry on the PGA EuroPro Tour p7
HISTORIC CHALLENGE Beverley & ER revives trophy dating back to 1893
... AND WOMEN! Burstwick’s Laura Key comlpetes 24-hour golfing test to raise vital funds p15
10/11
DAN THE MAN Wakefield golfer Dan Bradbury discusses his exciting plans... p13
GO GIRLS! Yorkshire Ladies Captain Maggie Katz recounts her team’s Northern Counties victory to YG’s Chris Stratford p15 GANTON BOUND The final 17-teams
battling to take Wakefield’s Yorkshire Teams title have been settled p17
A WEIGHT PROBLEM? Swing Maestro Tony Howarth on getting back foot/front foot balance right p18
Send your stories and photos to news@yorkshire-golfer.com
3
July 2021
SENIOR LADIES Bet takes Yorkshire title and goes agonisingly close in national final
Once a champion, always a champion By Danny Lockwood
Bet Sworowski after mopping up the prizes at the Yorkshire Ladies Seniors Championship at Oakdale Golf Club, and almost 30 years ago after competing at the Barcelona Olympics
I
f a winning attitude is key to sporting success, then it’s no wonder that the competitive fires are still burning brightly in new Yorkshire Ladies Senior Champion and former Olympian Bet Sworowski. Fresh off beating her Wakefield clubmate Heather Butcher 3&2 in the County Ladies’ final at Oakdale, it was off to Market Rasen for a gruelling week of tournament golf seeking the national title for the 61-yearold. Two days of strokeplay qualifying in which Bet finished second in the over-60s category was followed by a 40-hole day with the knockout round of 16, then a quarter-final against Hallamshire’s Cathy Riley which went down the 22nd hole. Her place in the final against the strokeplay qualifying winner, Sheree Dove-Wilde, was earned by virtue of a 3&2 win over East Berkshire’s Gabi Heuchel. Ultimately, Bet had to settle for the runners-up spot after another dogged battle which went all the way down the 20th, before Dove-Wilde prevailed to take home the Anne Howard Trophy. “I should really have won it on the 15th,” said Bet. “I just could not get the putts to drop – the 6-footers just wouldn’t fall.” The disappointment is perhaps understandable in someone who won seven AAA Championship titles between 1988 and 1991 in the 5,000 and 10,000 metre race-walking events. Qualifying for the Commonwealth Games and European Championships in 1990 at 10k was topped the following season by places in the UK World Cup team for San Jose, California and World Championships in Tokyo. The ultimate, though, and crowning moment of her career, was an
appearance at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. And literally, in the changing rooms after that final appearance, Bet Sworowski hung up her trainers! “I just couldn’t carry on with the injuries – stress fractures in my ankles and legs, knee injuries … I couldn’t afford all the physio!”
B
ut at the age of 31, race-walking’s loss was to prove golf’s gain. Husband Andrew was a golfer, so Bet joined him at Wath Golf Club with the aim of beating his then-21
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handicap. It didn’t take long. Overtaking her brother’s 12-handicap was next, then single figures … and finally one of the most belated and unusual golfing journeys: turning professional! “My son was six and had a good swing, and I saw a European Golf Teachers Federation poster in the pro shop at Wath,” she explained. “If I was going to teach him I had to do it by the book, so I applied.” Qualifying as a single-figure golfer, Bet took a week-long residential course in 2007, later followed
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that up with her Masters certification, and started BYG Academy – Betty’s Young Golfers – at Loxley Driving Range in Sheffield. An accountant by day, she tutored mostly youngsters and women in evenings and at weekends. “It was a tough decision, because I loved competitive golf so much, and with my job and the coaching, I hardly got to play golf.” Also, although son Steven turned out to be a natural, it wasn’t a life choice for him, so eventually Bet gave up her professional status and served a two-year wait to return to the amateur ranks. And what a return it has been. Bet switched clubs to Woodthorpe where the club has a scratch ladies team to try to improve her game and in 2018 she and England Senior international Julie Wheeldon won the national Brenda King Foursomes title, at Brough.
With the introduction of the new WHS handicap system late last year she saw her official mark drop to 0.0 – a scratch golfer! – although at the moment the rapidly fluctuating new system sees her at 1.7. And as for the future? “I did not expect to get there (the Senior Amateur Championship) but I just knuckled down and thought ‘I could do this’.” In the event she was just one hole from national glory. Don’t bet on Bet not to be reappearing in 2022.
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July 2021
4
Rhinos legend Rob inspires Leeds clubs to dig deep for MNDA The plight of Leeds Rhinos rugby league player Rob Burrow, and his well-documented fight against Motor Neurone Disease, has brought the best out of the district’s golf clubs. In the space of a week, Headingley Golf Club’s Captain Tony Cavanagh and his team managed to raise approximately £8,500 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. As Tony reported to fellow Headingley members: “On Thursday we raised around £7,500 in my captain’s charity day where we took something like £1,350 in donations at the halfway house and there was the pretty unique and fantastic prize of a trip to The Masters at Augusta National should anyone
record a hole-in-one at the 10th. “I received so many lovely comments about the quality of the course and a friend of mine, who has played at the likes of Royal Porthcawl, Pennard and Royal Liverpool this year, commented that our greens were the best that he’s played on all year. “Then on Saturday we had some terrible conditions with the weather but it was great to see so many new and old faces from the sanctuary of the gazebo by the 10th tee – and I was overwhelmed with the members’ generosity as we raised over £900 in the big blue bucket.” Tony added: “The charity is one close to mine
Pat bags repeat ace
Keighley Golf Club stalwart Pat Murray is definitely a big fan of the 2nd hole at his home club. The picture on the right was taken five years ago when he aced the par 3. Playing in the club’s July medal on Saturday the 3rd, there was cause for another photo op (left) when he repeated the feat. We think it was all down to his lucky rain jacket...
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and many people’s hearts, particularly with the battle that local legend Rob Burrow is currently facing, and everyone’s money is supporting such a good cause and I cannot thank you enough. “I’d also like to thank my own family who have made the past week so memorable and so relatively straightforward. The charity day was sponsored by the Copier Company, which is run by my two sons, and I was kept company in the buggy bar by my granddaughter Eadie. “On Saturday my wife Pauline, daughter Helen and daughters-in-law, Annabel and Caroline, did all the hard work at the halfway house and were amazed, given the biblical
conditions, that anyone even left their houses let alone played golf and supported such a worthwhile cause. “Thanks to all.”
Meanwhile down the road at Garforth Golf Club, Leeds Rhinos Chief Executive Gary Hetherington was a special guest to receive a
cheque for £6,160 on behalf of the MND Association. Gary is pictured receiving the cheque from Captain Bob Hatch.
Boys – have you got what it takes? Calling all talented and ambitious young boy golfers across Yorkshire – your county needs you! The Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs’ 2021 Young Talent Identification Day will take place at Sandburn Hall Golf Club on Monday August 9. The day is open to all under 13 boys – those aged 12 or under on January 1, 2021, and with a handicap index of 25.4 or less. Anyone wanting to get involved has until July 31 to apply, via the YUGC website at www.yugc.co.uk The programme is a proven success with an abundance of junior golfers coming through the YUGC programme and going on to represent the County, lift national titles, represent England, make Walker Cup teams and go on to join the professional ranks. Under the guiding eyes of Sandburn Hall Academy lead coach
9 Holes £12.50 • 18 Holes £18 Buggies available: 9 holes £12, 18 holes £18 For more information call: 01924 830156 or visit www.midgleylodgemotel.co.uk Midgley Golf Course, Bar Lane, Midgley, Wakefield, WF4 4JJ
Steve Robinson, Ganton’s Gary Brown and Styrrup Hall’s Craig Fricker, the day will involve a 9-hole stableford competition, plus individual golf skills contests in long game distance and accuracy, chipping, pitching and putting. Prizes will be awarded in each of the categories. Yorkshire Boys Chairman and Captain Phil Woodcock says there are still spaces available and explained the day’s format. “We were able to run the ID day
in 2020 despite Covid, breaking the boys up into smaller groups. We played 9-holes in the morning then three separate one hour sessions after lunch which seemed to work well. “We try to make it a relaxed atmosphere and not to put pressure on the boys. All of our coaches are great with junior golfers and it’s just about seeing how they perform in as relaxed an environment as possible. More details and the application form are on the YUGC website at https://www.yugc.co.uk/boys-id-day/
Heath stars as England lift European title Huddersfield Golf Club’s Charlotte Heath sank the winning putt as England toppled hot favourites Sweden in the European Women’s Team Championship at Royal County Down. Heath, who will be joined at Florida State University this autumn by Wakefield’s Dan Bradbury, was four
down in her match with Maja Stark but stormed to a 2&1 singles win to get England over the line. Four of the Sweden team were ranked in Europe’s top six and they were going for their fourth title in a row. England qualified 5th in the 36-hole strokeplay start to the champi-
onships and faced the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals. Heath and Annabell Fuller won one of the two morning foursomes, and Heath was a singles winner as England progressed, 5-2. They were 2-0 down in their semi-final to Scotland, who had qualified as top seeds in
strokeplay, but took the afternoon singles 4-1 to progress. In the final, Heath and Fuller lost as the morning foursomes ended tied at 1-1. But England were dominant in the singles and when Heath won the penultimate match it assured England of a 52 victory.
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July 2021
YORKSHIRE SENIORS Doncaster’s a happy hunting ground for Moortown man. CHRIS STRATFORD reports
Treweek’s still got the winning habit
M
OORTOWN’S Robert Treweek had not played Doncaster for 35 years when he headed there for the 2021 Yorkshire Seniors’ championship, but he left it the same way as he had before – as a winner. Treweek came from four shots back of first-round leader Gary Catt (Richmond) to win by one shot from Garforth’s Andy King, while Catt slipped to fourth behind Ganstead Park’s Alan Wright. On his only other visit to the South Yorkshire course Treweek won the individual title in the County Team Championship, so his hopes were high – and scores of 7271 justified his optimism. King shot 75-69, Wright 73-73 and Catt 68-78 while Hessle’s Rodney Shimwell took the veterans’ title with rounds of 80-75. Treweek has won many competitions in an illustrious club, union and county career that he revealed got a helping hand from former rugby league star player and coach Roy Francis – despite a young Treweek having broken a window in his former neighbour’s home.
quently replaced by Yorkshire Boys, under-18s. His recent victory at Doncaster earned him a cap at senior level in last month’s match with Northumberland. Becoming Yorkshire seniors champion led to a deluge of congratulatory emails, texts and phone calls, and also – he hopes – made an impression on son Sam, 18, and daughter Molly, 16, who are too young to have been aware of much of his previous golfing success. “I’ve won a few things over the years, but I’ve never had quite as much attention as I’ve had from this one. It’s been amazing,” he said. Treweek was playing in his second Yorkshire Seniors’ Championship having finished four shots shy of the winning mark on his debut at The Oaks last year when he felt his putter let him down. He was undaunted by Catt’s four-shot overnight advantage at Doncaster, commenting: “I didn’t have a problem with that. I genuinely felt I could still win it. I wasn’t fazed by it. I thought, ‘if I shoot 68 and he shoots a 72 or 73, which is still a good score, I will win’. I thought, ‘if he’s
Robert Treweek – Yorkshire Senior Champion, and right, Veteran winner Rodney Shimwell
“My family moved house when I was 14 and I was doing a bit of chipping in the back garden when Roy called me over,” recalled the now 55year-old Treweek. “He said, ‘come on, let’s see what
Golf
you’re like’ and I chipped a few and he said, ‘yeah, that was very good’. “We were right down in the back of his garden and there was a rockery in front of his house. I kept chipping onto the
rockery and they were bouncing off the rocks and one went straight through one of his windows. His wife was on the phone at the time and she was shaking, but great sporting coach that he was, Roy just said, ‘don’t worry, we are insured’!” Francis helped Treweek become a member at Leeds (Cobble Hall) where, before a switch to Moortown in 1988, he put his name on numerous honours boards. He was single figures by the end of his first year and 1-hcap by age 17. For five years he was a regular for Yorkshire Colts – the under-22 level of representative golf that was subse-
The Oaks
done it, I’ll do it’. “It didn’t quite turn out like that, but he obviously had a bit of bad luck on the back nine in the second round, and things fell in my lap, as it were. “On the second day the wind got up and it’s a very sandy course, so it was very bouncy and a 10-15mph wind made it really quite tricky. You had to be right on your game, so my scores were quite alright really. “I didn’t putt particularly well the second round. I didn’t really miss anything, I holed out well, but I didn’t hole anything more than 5ft. But I did have a chip-in on the seventh, which was a really big bonus. “Putting-wise I could have birdied four of the last five, I was eight to 10ft away on perfect greens and you should at least be holing one or two of those. “But I couldn’t read them although I think I was probably getting a bit cautious, a bit tentative. You’re coming down the stretch and you don’t want to race four or five feet past and then miss it coming back, so you tend to dribble it up to the cup a bit and when it’s losing pace it takes the break.”
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Finding a ‘win’ when everything is going awry I t’s shortly after 9pm on Sunday night, July 10th. I switched off the tv five minutes into the second half of England’s nerve-shredding Euro final against Italy. Work to do. Well, if some of those multi-millionaire England players could look like they weren’t overly bothered, why should I? I figure some of those agitated fans – and millions across the nation – expended more energy than one or two players. Does the sainted Harry play with lead boots whose laces are tied together? He certainly falls over a lot for a big lad, and sorry, but I have a broken wheelbarrow that covers the ground faster than him. I’m no fan of modern football but of course I’d love England to win. And no, I’m not going to cheat and check the result before finishing this column. I’m up against a deadline. England were winning 1-0 when I switched off, but their lacklustre rearguard action wasn’t looking to me like it would hold up a full 90 minutes. Penalties anyone...? Whoever wins, it would be nice to think the result is greeted with good grace and humility from victor and vanquished alike – a characteristic I
July 2021
SWINGING WILD...
think is epitomised in our own sport of golf. It set me to thinking about what constitutes a win. Either Italy or England will end up overjoyed – a 50% win ratio. As much joy as disappointment. But then again, the losers will still be pocketing wages measured in hunudreds-of-thousands of pounds a week. It’s unimaginable for we mere mortals. Indeed, while considering the ‘win’ philosophy, I’d been disappointed earlier in the evening when our own Matt Fitzpatrick ‘lost’ a sud-
Danny Lockwood
My game is modelled on Happy Gilmore’s – without the length, accuracy or success, but a slightly better etiquette... den death play-off in the Scottish Open. Fitz’s consolation prize was a mere €572,000. If Fitz cried himself to sleep on Sunday night I suspect it was because he missed his flight to London to watch the footy with brother Alex, not those half a dozen Sunday putts that wouldn’t drop. In professional golf there may only be one outright victor, but there are a lot of losers with plenty to smile about. For the rest of us – we mere mortals – we have to find our wins in other places, especially where golf is concerned. For the talented (or lucky) few there’s a place on the club honours board; pocketing the voucher from the midweek fiddle, or even the simple price of a pint from a pal. I rolled up belatedly for my club’s monthly medal on Saturday afternoon, playing alongside two members I’d not met before. Dave and Andy were pals, unlikely to appear in any winners’ circles
any time soon (unless they own a racehorse, which with respect didn’t seem likely) and they apologised in advance for any frustrated profanities they were likely to utter. But they were friendly and only mildly mickey-taking when I opened with four straight pars. Four under after four! Which, of course, is when the very average golfer’s worst enemy sneaks up behind him or her ... concentrate, focus, don’t over-hit, just steer this one, what did I do wrong on that last shot, don’t fat this chip – **** I thinned it! Maybe ... etc, etc. We’ve all been there. Dave and Andy were encouraging and I tried my hardest whilst awaiting the inevitable fickle fate of the golf gods. It wasn’t a bad round. I had three more pars and the rest were bogeys – apart from the triple at the 8th and quad at the 17th, thanks to a couple of ‘Adolfs’ (two shots in the bunker) followed by three-putts. So, level par it was, a mid-table finish and two new pals made after four sunny hours in fabulous Yorkshire countryside. They stayed back for a sociable beer, shook hands in farewell and for this bloke at least, that had to be con-
sidered a ‘win’ of a day. In a wider perspective that’s where we have to find our wins. Not in the fleeting glory of silverware, but in the luxury of good enough health to enjoy a sport that caters for all our greater or lesser fallibilities, encourages new friendships, and always gives us something to work towards – improvement. Boy does it give us something to work towards... THERE will be a fabulous Yorkshire representation at Royal St George’s for The Open Championship which will be teeing off as this edition begins to arrive at over 200 golf clubs and facilities in and around the county. It would be wonderful to think a Tyke could follow Danny Willett into a Major championship winner’s circle, but the reality is that most will be simply hoping to make the weekend. Whatever happens, simply being there has to be counted as a major ‘win’ for most of the White Rose representatives. Enjoy it guys, and whatever happens – you’re all winners! PS: Just peeked at my phone for the footy result. Oh dear...
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7
July 2021
PGA EUROPRO TOUR Tykes both break their EuroPro ducks to set Order of Merit pace
Joe Dean, John Parry in the money Joe Dean promised himself “a few beverages” when he got home after landing his first win on the PGA EuroPro Tour. Dean bagged the £12,500 winners cheque at the GLAL.UK Worcestershire Masters at The Vale Golf and Country Club by three shots for his first victory on the PGA EuroPro Tour. The 2015 Amateur champion and England international, went into the last day with a share of the lead at -9 and sealed the deal with a faultless last round of 66 (-6) to leave his challengers in his wake. They included Open Championship-bound Ben Hutchinson of Howley Hall, one of four golfers tied for second place on -12, the others being Tom Sloman, Irishman Dermot McElroy and Sam Locke. Dean kept his composure throughout the closing 18 holes to break his EuroPro duck. In 2018 he won a Challenge Tour qualification by finishing in the tour’s top five, without actually winning. He said: “It was great to get the top five in 2018 especially without winning, but it also leaves a little area of doubt in your mind that are you ever going to cross that line, so to do it now it’s a massive move forwards. “Me and Sam (Locke) were going backward and forwards to start with and then I saw after the first six that Ben Hutchinson had made a few birdies as well. To be honest, I didn’t look at the leaderboard the whole way round. “I saw Dermot (McElroy), the only thing I saw was him holing a birdie putt on 17. I’m so glad I didn’t look at any leaderboards just to keep my mind at rest and focus on my process.”
He put the breakthrough down in large part to his short game. “The putter came back, the short game came back a little bit this week and it was good enough. I might have a few beverages when I get home!” Hutchinson went to The Vale straight from qualifying for The Open but after a somewhat tired opening 73 he shot a quality 64 and final day 67 for his best finish to date. The win left Joe Dean, now attached to Worksop Golf Club, third in the Order of Merit, led by Parry.
THE OPEN Four Yorkshiremen through Final Qualifying
Big Open week ahead for Tykes Hallowes amateur Sam Bairstow was the talk of Final Open Qualifying when he shot a stunning -9 round of 63 at St Anne’s Old Links. It earned him one of just 12 Open Championship spots this week (July 1518) at Royal St George’s – but paired with a 69 still left him a shot back of St Anne’s winner Ben Hutchinson (66, 65). Hallamshire’s Alex Fitzpatrick had been in contention after an opening 65 but fell away with a closing round of 71 to just miss out. Bairstow was the only amateur to progress from the four qualifying venues. The pair are joined by Rotherham’s Jonathan ‘Jigger’ Thomson after he finished second at his new home course of Hollinwell following rounds of 69 and 65 for a -10 total. Thomson, who played on the European Tour three years ago, finished three shots clear of the chasing pack. Meanwhile Wath’s Nick
Poppleton came out on top at West Lancashire after shooting 65, 69. For all four Tykes it will be a maiden Open appearance. Hutchinson told the Yorkshire Post: “It feels awesome to be in The Open and I just want to enjoy it. “What a day! It’s been a dream of mine to play in The Open. It’s awesome. “My cousin (Danny Denison) played back in 2006 and I’m very good friends with Marcus Armitage and he’s playing so it will be good to play a practice round with him. “The more pressure I felt, the better my golf got which was a good feeling. You watch every year and think maybe one year. “This is my fifth year in Final Qualifying and I thought maybe one year I would qualify.” Bairstow went to St Anne’s having competed in The Amateur Championship in Nairn where he had a few weeks of playing links golf. It obviously stood him in
good stead. “It’s going to be amazing to be in The Open at Royal St George’s. I just want to enjoy the experience and whatever happens, happens!” Princes was the fourth club to host both Regional and Final Qualifying. Also making it to Finals at Hollinwell were Chris Hanson, in 5th on Saturday with a -3 69, one shot ahead of Headingley amateur Ben Rhodes. York double champion Tom Pyman also progressed. Sunday saw Pannal’s Tom Curtis, John Parry, and amateurs Darren Coop (Hallowes) and Charlie Thornton (Fulford) progress. At St Anne’s Old Links Daniel Thomas (Ilkley), Bailey Gill (Lindrick), Will Marshall (Heworth), Rob Booth (Outlane) and Mark Pullan all made it to Finals but couldn’t qualify for Royal St George’s. Nick Poppleton was the solo White Rose man making it all the way through at West Lancs.
John Parry won The Cumberwell Park Championship by three shots to claim his maiden PGA EuroPro Tour title and move to the top of the Race to Alcanada standings. The Harrogate Golf Club man started the final day two shots adrift of Calum Fyfe and was soon three back after an early bogey. He bounced back in style with birdies on 5, 6, 10, 11 and 16 to more than make up for the two earlier bogies on his card. Parry has still never missed a cut on this tour and had already started the season with back-to-back top 10s. “It’s fantastic,” he said after receiving the trophy and winners’ cheque. “After the start, I wasn’t too sure how it was gonna go with the weather and everything, it wasn’t a great start but I sort of stuck in and plugged away.” “The year before lockdown, I had a lot of top tens and you do have that nagging feeling that you’ve got to win haven’t you? “There was a nagging thing in the back of my head but I knew I had the ability and the game.” Calum Fyfe (Trinifold Sports) was the leader on the final morning but saw his two shot cushion disappear with three bogies on the front nine. He eventually finishing tied 5th after a final round of 74 (+3). Sam Broadhurst had one of the best rounds of the day with a 66 (-5) to finish tied second with Tom Sloman (Trinifold Sports) and Joe Brooks (Hanbury Manor). Sloman had worked his way into contention and did lead at one stage before dropping a shot
on 16 whilst Brooks was always there or thereabouts until a bogey on 14. There was a top ten finish for Howley Hall’s Ben Hutchinson with a more than reasonable -9 total.
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July 2021
8
COUNTY TEAMS Men dominate but mixed fortunes for Yorkshire Boys
Winning debut weekend for Wallis Garforth golfer Jake Wallis stepped up to his County Men’s debut in winning style on his home course, on Saturday July 3. He partnered Tom Broxup in the morning foursomes to a 4&2 win over Morgan Blythe and Angus Buchanan as Yorkshire took a 4.5-1.5 lead. There were also wins for Sam Bairstow and Charlie Daughtrey, Dan Bradbury and Charlie Thornton and Lewis Hollingworth and Geroge Mason. Mick Raybould and George Ash grabbed a half in their match, while Max Berrisford and Jack Lampin went down by 1-hole. Wallis was held to a half by Buchanan in the afternoon, but Yorkshire picked up
9.5 of the 12 points on offer to record a convincing 14-4 result. Rotherham’s Daughtrey and Hollingworth were the only singles losers. The following day, Yorkshire Boys ran away with their match against the Northern Federation at Eden Golf Club, taking the honours by an impressive 10.5 to 1.5. It completed an unbeaten weekend for Jake Wallis after his 1.5pts in the previous day’s County Men’s victory over Northumberland. At Eden he partnered Masham’s Ben Brown to a 2&1 morning foursomes win over Dan Wilson (Arcot Hall) and Angus Buchanan (Slaley Hall). In singles play he recorded a 4&2 win over Northumberland’s Harrison Sewell.
Seniors serve up tight win in Northumberland The Yorkshire Senior Men’s team opened the Northern County League season with a thrilling victory against Northumberland at the superb Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Course by a narrow 9.5-8.5 margin. An opening halved match from new Senior Champion Robert Treweek, playing his first match alongside seasoned campaigner Johnny Lawrence, proved crucial as the day played out. Wins by Andy King with Mark Lawson then Gary Cuthbert with Steve Mason and new boys Richard Holt and David Sanby gave Yorkshire a 1pt lead after the morning foursomes. The same pairings went out in the afternoon fourballs. Treweek and Lawrence lost their opener, but Yorkshire won the next three matches. Steve Mason stole the glory with a 30 yard pitch and single putt on the 18th hole with his partner Gary Cuthbert ready to hole out from 8 feet after a delightful bunker shot, to close out a 1-up win. The new players making their first appearances for the county, Richard Holt, David Sanby, Frank Greaves and Paul Kester, performed well but lost in the afternoon. YORKSHIRE Seniors will be aiming to defend their Northern and National Team Championships which were won in 2019 and not competed for last year. The EGU Qualifying event this year is being held at Wearside Golf Club on Tuesday August 31 with the English Finals at Grange Park Golf Club, St Helens on October 6-8.
No Tyke glory in 2021 Amateur It wasn’t a memorable year for Yorkshire golfers in The Amateur Championship staged at Nairn in Scotland. Only Sam Bairstow of Hallowes made it through strokeplay qualifying into the 64-man matchplay. Bairstow progressed through the first three knockout rounds thanks to wins of 2holes over Gegor Tait of Aldeburgh, the same margin against Elm Park’s John Cleary and a late comeback saw him edge Ryan Tatton of
Chelmsford at the 18th. But it was another 1-up margin that saw him go down in the last eight to eventual champion Laird Shepherd of Rye Golf Club. Laird remarkably came from 8-down in the final to lift the title. In qualifying, a second consecutive +3 round of 74 by Fulford’s Charlie Thornton meant he just missed out, while a further shot back were Josh Berry (Doncaster) and Dan Bradbury (Wakefield).
A foursome tie for Rotherham’s Jack Whaley and Fulford’s Sam Norman was the only blip in the morning, and Sam also halved with Buchanan in the Jake Wallis drives off on his Yorkshire Men’s debut singles, while Hull’s Will Storr went down YORKSHIRE Boys fell three shots 2&1 to Barnard Castle’s Nicky Leeshort in their quest to land the Shield. Northern Counties Boys All other results were wins for Championships at Ilkley on July 1. Yorkshire’s George Hanson (Crosland In the end it was only a second Heath), Josh Stephens (Moortown), victory in the competition’s 37-year Spencer Datkiewicz (Ghyll), Luke history for Northumberland, who Thornton (Hessle), Whaley, Brown, progress to the England Boys County Wallis, Tom Pyman (The Oaks), Jake Championship at Coxmoor Golf Club Sowden (The Oaks) and Oakdale’s in August. Michael Robson. They were seen home by individ-
PHOTO COURTESY YUGC ual winner Morgan Blythe of Hexham, their last man out who shot a -4 65 to follow his morning 67, in the competition where it was the best five of six scores to count. Yorkshire closed strongly with the best afternoon gross score of 351 after their morning 359, but they had no one in contention for the individual honours, with Ben Brown and Josh Berry finishing tied 7th on +3.
180-holes and 38 miles in 16 hours! Two golfers at Stocksbridge Golf Club in South Yorkshire completed a marathonbusting 10 rounds of golf in one day on Friday 18 June. Steven Haigh and Jamie South, pictured with the club’s Gents and Ladies Captains Alan Revill and Helen Moffett at the end of the event, completed the 180hole challenge in just under 16 hours. They were raising money for the Captain’s chosen charity, the CardioThoracic Unit at the Sheffield Northern General Hospital’s Chesterman Wing. Alan chose this charity to fund raise for during his year of Captaincy because he underwent heart bypass surgery just over a decade ago. Alan has been so grateful for the care that he received that he even volunteered on the Unit for seven years. This is not the first time the 10-round challenge has been completed. Two years ago, Steven Haigh and Matt Sedgwick managed the feat to raise funds for St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield. Matt would have been repeating the event this time with Steven, but unfortunately his partner was diagnosed with Covid-19 four days before the start. Matt was very frustrated to have to quarantine, but greenkeeper Jamie South willingly stood in for him at late notice. Matt has been instrumental in getting the challenge set up and getting a lot of the money donated so far from a variety of friends and family. Jamie and Steven set off at 4am and completed the challenge by 7.30 pm, running much of the course on every round. That was 2.5 hours quicker than when Matt and Steven undertook the challenge two years ago. The Captain said: “If I had not witnessed it, I wouldn’t have believed it. Not only did they do it, but Jamie even managed a birdie on the 180th hole!” To complete the challenge the pair of them ran over 38 miles and apart from some very short refreshment breaks at the
end of each round, they didn’t stop – apart from a couple of interviews for BBC Radio Sheffield, when Steven even carried on playing one handed so as not to lose any time. Alan summed things up: “Stocksbridge is a small, friendly club and when events like this occur, the members
pull together.” So far, the event has raised close to £1,400. If you would like to add to the sponsorship money raised so far, you can find a Just Giving Page on https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/matthew-sedgwick
County Boys Championships Entries are invited for the County Boys’ Championships which take place at the Sand Moor club in Leeds on Tuesday August 10, with a deadline for applying of July 23rd. Josh Berry and Luke Thornton were the respective winners of the Under 16 and Under 14 titles last year. Players had to be under 14 or 16 on January 1 this year and besides being an amateur member of any club affiliated to the Yorkshire Union, have a handicap index of not more than 14.4 (U16) and 18.4 (U14). The entry fee is £15 per person and boys have to choose which competition they are entering – they can’t enter both. For newcomers to county competitions, players have to register via the website at www.yugc.co.uk and from there they can follow the links to the events.
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July 2021
The Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs
County Members
Yorkshire’s ultimate friendly society IT IS definitely the biggest golf ‘society’ in Yorkshire’s renowned Broad Acres, with more than 2,200 members as of July 2021. Beyond Yorkshire however? Let’s be honest, who cares! The White Rose county is the largest golfing territory in England with the most golf clubs and players and certainly for traditionalists, the White Rose is a badge of honour to be worn or sported with pride. That’s why the White Rose is the centrepiece of everything associated with the YUGC County Members organisation – and the great news is that membership is easily available to any affiliated club member with a WHS handicap.
L
ove our own golf clubs as much as we all do, there’s always something thrilling about teeing it up on a brand new landscape, with unknown delights – or otherwise! – awaiting over the next few hours. With over 180 affiliated clubs, the Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs is the biggest in England. It would take the ultimately dedicated golfer to be able to tick every single one of those ‘played it’ boxes. One element of the YUGC’s many and varied services provided to Yorkshire golfers is the County Members Association. As the Association’s Honorary Secretary, Martin Greaves points out that there are two distinct elements to the YUGC – the County championships and teams, which focus on elite golf, and serving the needs of all clubs and golfers, at all levels, there is the County Card facility and the County Members Association. “It’s £40 for lifetime membership and 10 times a year we play courses in the county – for just £18,” he said. “People make friendships amongst clubs from Saltburn to Sheffield, and it’s a hugely
positive element of what we do. That’s why we have over 2,000 active members.” Any member of any club affiliated to the YUGC may become a County Member simply by applying online along with that one-off life membership fee of £40. Once subscribed, members can peruse the annual fixture list of some of the county’s most prestigious courses and decide which they, and similarly inclined friends, want to apply to play. Once a member they then receive a County Members’ Yearbook. They are also entitled to purchase and wear the Association tie and knitwear, examples of which can be seen below this article. The YUGC website has a dedicated ‘shopping’ section. Once someone has become a County Member they can apply to enter any of the 10 competitions run by the Association each year, with Seniors events restricted to players over 55 years of age on the day of the competition. Handicaps are capped at 26, so higher handicap golfers can enter, but will be subject
2021 Pike Hills Seniors event winners John Masiak and Martin Robinson to the cap. All competitions are Fourball Better Ball stablefords, so golfers enter as a pair – not necessarily from the same club – which means the events are great social events and new acquaintances are regularly made. Prizes are presented, usually by the
Wear the White Rose with pride
County President, to the top five scores of the day. John Masiak, the 2017 Captain of Pike Hills Golf Club, and a former captain of Aldwark Manor, recalls joining the County Members’ scheme about 20 years ago when he switched his membership to The Oaks. “We all like to play new and different courses,” said John. “Especially when you get the opportunity to play some really prestigious courses. “And golf is such a great social sport – it’s really nice to meet and make new golf companions. “It’s fantastic value, just a one-off fee and then you get discounted green fees to play some great courses.” It’s not quite all about the social side for John however. The opening Seniors County Members day of 2021 was at his home club. “I wasn’t supposed to be playing, but I was called up when someone had to drop out,” he explained. “I stepped up to play with Martin Robinson and I guess we just happened to have a really good day.” A ‘really good day’ is a modest way of saying that John and Martin came home with 49 points, or -13, to lift the day’s honours by a handsome three points. “It’s nice to play against different golfers,” John added, “but you still compete as best you can!” The County Members has its own dedicated section on the Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs’ website which can be found at www.yugc.co.uk.
2021 COUNTY MEMBERS MEETINGS
The dedicated County Members section of the Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs website features a section carrying a range of clothing and accessories sporting the White Rose and group name. Members just order what they require and pick their goods up at the next County Members meeting, of which 10 are staged from Spring to Autumn.
Keep up with what’s happening on the county scene by visiting www.yugc.co.uk
July 2021
10
Yorkshire Golfer publisher DANNY LOCKWOOD reports on a piece of authentic golfing history...
T
he European Championship football trophy didn’t quite manage ‘coming home’ at Wembley – but a trophy that goes back further will soon be coming home to Beverley’s historic Westwood. Teams of golfers from around the county are welcome to try getting their hands on what is believed to be the oldest trophy in Yorkshire golf – Beverley and East Riding Golf Club’s positively ancient Challenge Cup, which was first played for in 1893. At the county’s oldest inland course founded in 1889, the first winners of the 4-ball tournament were the gentlemen of Fixby – Huddersfield GC. Gents by the names of AL Woodhead, FE Woodhead, AE Learoyd, and F Lumsden with an aggregate score of 372. The home club, Beverley, won it the following year courtesy of Rev JF Pease, HJ Whittle, Mr Captain Maunsell and E Hodgson with a 363. Indeed Beverley are the current holders courtesy of the winning team of G Ash, FB Walters, A Oxtoby and RP Cherry, although it was quite a while ago – in 1970, a full 51 years ago! It was only in 2015 when former head professional Stewart Fraser and club manager Richard Reynolds were doing a stock-take of the club’s trophy cabinet that they realised they had such a gem on their hands. Teams of four, all amateurs and from the same club with a handicap index limit of 23 (men) and 21.9 (ladies) are invited to compete for a first prize of £600 for the winners and a total prize fund of over £1700, and of course their names on the historic Challenge Cup. All scores count and play is off the yellow/red tees. Entry is £30 per player, which includes bacon butty and a hot drink on arrival and a post-round BBQ. Head professional Paul Gibson, who is the East Riding under 18s coach and who joined Beverley last October, is eagerly anticipating the day. “I’ve had a great welcome from everyone here at Beverley and I think we’re all
Beverley takes on historic challenge
New(ish) Beverley Head Professional Paul Gibson, and the impressive and ancient Challenge Cup – back up for grabs after more than 50 years excited to give the Challenge Cup the comeback it deserves,” he said. “I think it’s fair to say we have a clubhouse and a course unlike anything most golfers have ever experienced, so there’s a treat in store for anyone coming along to play for the first time.” The fact that the Westwood is common land with a rich history – including the presence of grazing cows – means Beverley has a few local rules which add hugely to the experience. Paul first played at the Sutton Park municipal course in Hull but grew up as a golfer and qualified with the PGA at Hainsworth Park, going on to work as a teaching pro at Hornsea Golf Club, before joining Beverley. “I’m loving it,” said Paul. “The members have been really receptive, I have a great team in the shop and we’re part of the Snainton group which is another
bonus. As a pro you’re used to being considered a weather forecaster among other things, but I can go one further and say that I’m an occasional cattle-herder!” Anyone wanting to join in the fun on Friday August 13 can sign up via the website at www.beverleygolfclub.co.uk
If you like your tee-shots scenic but daunting, the downhill par-3 6th is right up your street. But don’t worry – there’s plenty of room to bail out either side of the green!
July 2021
11 The Black Mill and Beverley Minster are familiar backdrops for visitors to Beverley & East Riding Golf Club – as are some of the summer residents sometimes to be happened upon!
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everley’s historic golf club shares the glorious Westwood with many resident guests and visitors from all over the country but still maintains some of the best greens you will find anywhere. Whilst cows graze the pastureland during summer months, there’s little incentive for them to wander onto putting surfaces as well prepared as head greenkeeper Neil
Burnley keeps them. And Neil knows a thing or two about golf, besides preparing an excellent course – the multiple club champion is currently playing off +3. It’s quite something when the greens staff have to give the club professional shots! Despite the age of the club the historic tradition of herds of Jerseys, Friesians and Aberdeen Anguses meandering
BEVERLEY & EAST RIDING GOLF CLUB
ANTI-MILL, WESTWOOD, BEVERLEY HU17 8RG TEL: 01482 868757 www.beverleygolfclub.co.uk YELLOW TEES
across the Westwood pre-dates the advent of golf on the land. The Pasture Act of 1836 gave Freemen of the town the right to elect Pasture Masters each March, a tradition which endures today. It is they who issue the licences for cattle keepers to bring their herds to the land. The men and women of Beverley & East Riding Golf Club work in tandem with the Pasture Masters to ensure everyone’s requirements are met. When the club wants to make course alterations the Pasture Masters are first port of call, but it is a cordial relationship of mutual respect and usefulness. The two groups share the responsibility of making sure the rolling pastures meet the needs of golfers, cattlemen and leisureseeking local residents alike. The members’ club lies on the edge of the pretty market town and in the lee of the Yorkshire Wolds – still considered one of the county’s bestkept secrets, for those of us familiar with the area. Thankfully the grazing on the fairways is pretty thin and thus somewhat unappetising, but the four-legged residents do have to get from A to B and if a golfer’s ball does encounter an occasional ‘bovine deposit’ then, like the cow that left it, he or she also gets relief. In order to protect the greens from wandering or inquisitive cows, quite unobtrusive fencing around every one is present to protect those areas. Again, relief is offered should the fence impede your shot, stance or swing, and in the event of your ball making contact, you have the choice to play from where you end up or
take a free drop and try again. Certainly when I played one long iron approach was fortuitously diverted all the way up the green and was gratefully accepted. I actually became oblivious very quickly to the fences. Also ubiquitous to visitors are views of the historic Beverley Minster both from the golf course and – uniquely I suspect – from the clubhouse roof. Today’s facility is built around the original Anti-Mill building, another testament to the working history of the course and its location. Chalk from the pasture was quarried to pave the town’s streets, and used to make lime in local kilns. The Black Mill is another landmark which quickly becomes familiar to visitors. The Westwood is more of a heathland than a wood, despite its name, but it does lie to the west of Beverley and is an ancient area of common land, as popular today with walkers,
horse riders and horse fanciers (the race course is on the same expanse of land) as it is the devoted members of the golf club. The course itself is a pretty and characterful test which winds in and around, up and down the Westwood’s gentle vales, gullies, expanses of gorse – and even the occasional bomb crater, courtesy of inconsiderate German visitors in the 1940s. It is often praised for its links-style character and indeed imagination is a must on some approaches. It drains exceptionally well because of its chalk bedrock, which together with Neil Burnley’s expertise means that not many clubs will lose fewer days to the weather than Beverley. The course itself lies inside the two main roads that traverse the Westwood – Broadgate and the A1174 – while a smaller lane, Newbald Road, bisects it. Only the par 3
18th is sited on the clubhouse side of Broadgate. Undulating greens can be both above and below you while bunkering is sparse around the greens and absent from the fairways. An interesting feature of the course is the ‘Tan Gallop’, a still discernible track which long pre-dates the golf course, when Beverley was a popular stabling town for the racing fraternity. Waste product from the local leather tanning industry was used to surface a track which encircles the Westwood, but which is no longer used. There is not a huge amount of yardage difference between the competition and yellow tees, but where there is – like the 2nd, 9th, 10th, 14th and 17th, it makes already testing golf holes a real challenge. With just a solitary par 5 going out and coming home, but five short holes – all distinct in character – Beverley and East Riding comes in at a par of 69.
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July 2021
TENNESSEE HERO Wakefield’s award-winning DAN BRADBURY talks to YG’s Danny Lockwood
Dan’s the man with a plan... Y
ou’ve got to love it when a plan comes together. And so far, Wakefield golfer Dan Bradbury is a man with a plan that’s going just sweetly, thank you very much. The former Yorkshire Boys captain is home for the summer, after a record-breaking four-year stint at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee. Record breaking? Dan didn’t just re-write the Railsplitters’ record books (all US colleges have nicknames), he tore them to shreds and made them start again. And it won’t need editing or updating for a while. Quite a while. The most winning golfer in LMU history (nine titles – a win every five comps), all-time low scoring records, taking the college to new heights in their NCAA Div II history, all-star honours, a Jack Nicklaus award nomination …. the plaudits go on and on. Such as there have been minor disappointments, a Walker Cup place would have been nice, but Dan can rationalise that. After all, it was a risk of the plan. When he sought a collegiate career his ProDream Agency advisor Lorne Kelly pointed him in the direction of the Division II schools – he would get better, more lucrative offers – rather than join the huge pack of ambitious golfers chasing Division I places. Not only did it yield four fantastic years of golf, a double honours degree in sports and business management, but in August he turns the next page, starting at one of the USA’s elite sports colleges, with the Seminoles of Florida State. And Dan only chose FSU over an array of other top 10 colleges eager to recruit the proven winner – Florida (the alma mater of Yorkshire-born Joe Pagdin), Pepperdine, Oklahoma, Louisville, Arizona... Another let-down – more a matter of unavoidable timings – was missing his graduation ceremony from LMU, always a big day in the life of American college graduates. Along with Welsh golfer Luke Harries, Dan was in tournament action at the Regional Championships. His teammates threw a ‘joke’ party for them the night before. But as has been the case for a long time, the golf business had to come first.
“I
loved Tennessee, the people are very chilled out and relaxed,” he said. “Our university was in the middle of nowhere. Ten minutes to the nearest supermarket and probably 45 minutes to the nearest town. “I was told before I went out, there are three things you can do at Uni, you can enjoy yourself, you can study and you can play golf. And if you try to do all three you’ll fail, but if you focus on two of them you’ll do all right. “And where I was I didn’t really
ing at LMU, if I won I would come down five places, but if I came third I’d go up 30 places. “That’s just the nature of the events I was in and there was nothing I could do, so I just got on with it. When I go back to Florida I should break into the top 100 and hopefully the top 50 and that’s the main aim, because the top 50 qualify for the US Amateur the year after. “If I get into that I’ll probably turn pro afterwards, and if not I’ll probably come back here and play a couple of events like The Amateur Championship and then turn pro after that. We’ll see when the time comes. “I’ve had a conversation about the next Walker Cup but that’s in twoand-a-half years because of Covid so it’s a long time to wait.”
A
ROLL OF HONOURS 2021 Academic All-American 2021 South Atlantic Conference Male Athlete of the Year 2020 SAC Golfer of the Year 2020 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Finalist 2020 Patriot All-America Invitational Runner-up 2018-20 All-South Atlantic Conference Honors 2019-20 NCAA DII PING All-American Honors 2018 SAC Freshman Golfer of the Year SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll get chance too much chance to ‘enjoy’ myself in regard to going out and partying and things! But I managed to enjoy myself with my golf.” One of the goals as he starts a Masters degree in sports management is to establish himself in the world top 100. As he explained: “I have
set myself a few goals for next year. In terms of long term and turning pro, I’ve not really thought too much. “I need to get myself back in the top 100 in the world. I got into it around Christmas time, but the standard of the events I’ve been play-
Send us your news, events and photos to: news@yorkshire-golfer.net
s part of the English men’s set-up Dan has had a week’s coaching at Woodhall Spa, but the European Team Championships were a victim of Covid and he may not get to play in The Brabazon due to his scheduled return to Florida. In the meantime he’s been happy contributing points towards both the Leeds Inter District team and Yorkshire in the recent county thrashing of Northumberland – who ironically had only just beaten the White Rose men to the Northern Regional team title. Such as he enjoys a casual knock round Woodthorpe with dad Richard, the old man is taking some beating right now – because Dan was a ‘modest’ +1 when he started at LMU but is now a +5.9 handicap. “I have to give him a shot a hole,” he explained. “Dad gets 11 shots round Wakefield and I have to give seven.” So, who picks up the wins, generally? “It depends which version of dad shows up!” he laughed. Dan has just one year of US college eligibility remaining, but he wants to get his Masters half done and, if he ever does need a Plan B, it will be there to finish. “The best thing for me was that I knew that if I didn’t get the offer I wanted for the scholarship I needed, I could always just come home. It was going to be great to find somewhere, but if I didn’t it wasn’t the end of the world. “Florida State probably wasn’t the best offer scholarship-wise but it was clearly the best offer opportunitywise. It was something I really couldn’t turn down.” And as for Tallahassee-based Florida State being a bit livelier than LMU, it’s doubtful he’ll be too distracted. “I’ll be one of the older ones there – I might be past all that, I’m getting on a bit. Early nights for a golfer, with a lot of early starts!” So, not just a plan, but two feet firmly on the ground too.
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Home sweet home for Otley victors Home advantage could have been crucial as Mike Ward and Clive Hall landed the YUGC County Members glory at Otley. The pair, seen receiving their prize from YUGC President Cameron Thompson, came in with 44pts to edge out the Garforth pair of Alan Garbutt and Stuart Nicholls, who were tied by Paul and Alan Burgin from Phoenix
Golf Club. A further shot back were Pete Hull and John Britton (Hessle), Trevor Oliver and David Dewhirst (Baildon) and Doncaster Town Moor’s Ian Bentley and David Stocks. The County Members day at Garforth on Thursday July 1 was dominated by what must have felt like an invading party from Saltburn! Alan Taylor (Saltburn-by-
July 2021
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Aye aye, skipper! Some 200 Woodsome Hall members took part in their Captain’s Weekend on June 19 and 20. The 36-hole winner was 75-year-old 20handicapper David Hilton who showed the youngsters the way home with nett rounds of 64 and 73 for a 137 total. That was enough to hold off 3-handicapper Graham Cox whose 71, 69 rounds left him on 140. Captain Richard Hirst is pictured with the winner.
news@yorkshire-golfer.com
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15
July 2021
YORKSHIRE LADIES Victorious Captain MAGGIE KATZ talks to Yorkshire Golfer’s Chris Stratford
Attention to detail secret to success
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APTAIN Maggie Katz ended Northern Counties Match Week exhausted but elated as Yorkshire produced a clean sweep at Alnmouth to retain their title. The effort put into the squad’s preparations bore maximum dividends as all five of their opponents were beaten, Lancashire, Northumberland and Cumbria all 6-3, Cheshire 6.5-2.5 and Durham 7.5-1.5. “All the work that we did in the winter, when we concentrated on chipping and putting, and the work we did on foursomes pairings paid off,” said Katz. “In training whenever we went out on the course we always tried foursomes pairings, even if it was only for nine holes,” she went on. “The week was brilliant, absolutely brilliant.” Although coaching sessions were restricted due to COVID,
Katz says there was plenty of time devoted to honing shots “from 50, 75 and 100 yards in”. A scratch match against Ganton’s finest, including former British ladies champion Emma Brown, helped solidify the ideas for potential pairings while coach Lysa Jones combed through rivals’ results to assess both their foursomes combinations and in what order they were used. It was such attention to detail, allied to excellent golf from Yorkshire immediately the starting pistol was fired, that put them on course to overall triumph. The defeat of fierce rivals Lancashire on day one was crucial with the Red Rose ultimately finishing runners-up after winning all their remaining matches. White Rose champion Nicola Slater (Lindrick) led the way for Katz’s team with six wins and a tie as she
Attagirls ... the successful Yorkshire Ladies. Photo courtesy HANNAH HOLDEN played in all but one of the 10 match sessions. She and Woodsome Hall’s Lily Hirst teamed up to gain three victories in their four matches in the foursomes. Hirst also amassed six wins and there were five each from Debs Henery (Hickleton), Melissa Wood (Woodsome Hall) and Hannah Holden (Huddersfield). Rudding Park’s Evie Cooke won all three matches in which she featured. “It was one of my best weeks ever,” continued Katz.
“You look at the trophy and see Yorkshire have won it a large number of times and you do feel sorry for the people that haven’t managed it, and some past captains who have maybe missed out by a half. “I was so lucky because it was so comfortable.” Eventually, maybe, but she admitted to sleeping poorly at the start of the week before Yorkshire’s excellent mixture of experience and rising young talent kept winning to ease her difficulties in getting to sleep. “There are loads of young-
sters who are sort of snapping at the heels of our experienced players,” said Katz. “It is great that someone like Nicola Slater, who is my champion this year, will still take time out and sit down to give tips on the greens and things like that. “All the experienced players do that and it really works for us because the senior players become mentors and that’s great.” Huddersfield’s Rachel Taylor, Mia Eales-Smith (Lindrick), Beth Norton (The
Oaks) and Amy Staveley (Ganton) also made valuable contributions to point Yorkshire towards a place in the English finals at Denham, in Buckinghamshire, in September. Results: Day 1: Lancashire 3, Yorkshire 6 Day 2: Northumberland 3, Yorkshire 6 Day 3: Cumbria 3, Yorkshire 6 Day 4: Yorkshire 6.5, Cheshire 2.5 Day 5: Durham 1.5, Yorkshire 7.5
Marathon woman Laura completes 148-holes! On Friday 11th June at 5pm Burstwick’s very own Laura Key hit her first tee shot in her charity golf challenge for Dove House Hospice. Despite looking all chipper and fresh, Laura knew that the day ahead would be a very, very tough one indeed – she had set herself a target of playing 24 hours of continuous golf in order to raise money for this fantastic local cause. Previous to this event, Laura had done another golf challenge in 2016 where she played 100 holes of golf in a day – which was a great effort, but to her it wasn’t difficult enough! “I have a lot more in the tank” were the words that came out of her mouth after
completing her century. Most people would not even make it to their 100th hole in a single day, but Laura wanted more! So here was the plan: start at 5pm Friday, play golf all through the night (with light-up golf balls and glow sticks on flags and doglegs) and the following day to 5pm on Saturday. Each round would be completed with a different partner playing alongside her. No buggies. No caddies. She allowed herself a small comfort break of around 10 minutes between a few of the rounds to fuel herself up and continue ploughing on. She even had a few outfit changes! Fast forward 24 hours later, and Laura was walking (not
crawling!) up hole 18, completing her 148th hole, and watching the clock pass 5pm as she got onto the green to putt out and complete her mammoth mission. A gathering of family and friends were at the 18th green to greet her as she struggled to hold the tears back after a grueling day of hard, hard graft. Laura walked around 40 miles in total, hit over 700 shots, and her smart watch recorded over 70,000 steps! That is some going! So far she has raised over £1,700 for Captain’s Charity, Dove House Hospice, and is hoping that with one last push she can get to the £2,000 mark.
July 2021
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YORKSHIRE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS Wakefield to defend title at Ganton
Cookridge Hall lead charge for glory The team from Cookridge Hall were red-hot in topping the field of clubs heading to the Yorkshire Union Team Championship day at Ganton on July 21. They were four shots off the pace after round one of the Division 2 shoot-out at Bingley St Ives on July 7, but a stunning cumulative second round score of 208 left them at +1 for the 36 holes and five shots ahead of Hallowes. Waterton Park were a shot further back in third. Joining those clubs in the Division One title hunt were Wath (+9), Wheatley (+10) and Shipley (+13) for whom Max Berrisford won the individual prize on the day, shooting 6-under. Max had taken the same honours in the Division 3 Championship. Cookridge’s Bailey Hall and George Ash of Hallowes chased him home on -4. Wakefield Golf Club will be defending their title against the following 17 clubs: Abbeydale, Bingley St Ives, Cleckheaton & District, Cookridge Hall, Fulford, Hallamshire, Hallowes, Hornsea, Huddersfield, Middlesbrough, Pannal, Phoenix, Rotherham, Shipley, Waterton Park, Wath and Wheatley
Cookridge’s Nathan Ali receives the Division 2 trophy from YUGC President Cameron Thompson
The 3rd Division of the YUGC Team Championship held at Knaresborough Golf Club was won by Waterton Park, their second win of the season after taking the Division 5 title at Northcliffe. Waterton won with a score of 454 – 3 shots clear of Garforth in 2nd with Northcliffe Golf Club in 3rd place with a score of 465. Gordon Owen led the way for them with rounds of 72 and 77 for third place overall in the gross scoring, which was topped by Shipley’s Max Berrisford (right). Joining them in qualifying for the 2nd Division Championship were
Moor Allerton, Selby and Shipley. The winning team of Gordon Owen, Jack Owen and Tom Hirst are seen with the YUGC President and Knaresborough Captain Keith Dobson.
Pair of runners-up spots give Brown OoM lead The 2020protour started July at Woodthorpe, the home of Wakefield Golf Club. A single bogey was more than balanced by six birdies and an eagle for Longridge pro Mark Young in landing the winner’s cheque. Young was 6-under for the
front nine and stayed composed on his way back in, his final -7 round of 65 being two strokes better than his nearest challenger, Romanby’s Dan Brown who was bagging his second successive runnners-up spot, enough to give him the lead in the Ordoer of Merit.
There was a procession of challengers respective shots back, led by Josh Fagan (Cleveland), Fixby’s Nick Marsh, leading lady golfer Holly Morgan, Jack Trewhitt (Ramside Hall) and Martin Brown of Pike Hills on evenpar.
Leading amateur was Malton & Norton’s Marcus Brigham on +1, ahead of Ben Brown (Masham), Ben Rhodes (Headingley) and home golfer Ewan Bromley. The last tour stop of June saw European Tour veteran Graeme Storm lift the £1770
winning purse at Rockliffe Hall. Storm finished on -4 after bagging four birdies and an eagle, against two bogeys. He finished two clear of Romanby’s Dan Brown and Rob Harris (Blankney Golf Club). A shot further back were tour founder Chris Hanson, Jack Clarkson (Lancaster), Joe Heraty of Moor Allerton and Ben Hallam (Wychwood Park). In the amateur division Crosland Heath’s George Hanson shot an excellent -2 round of 70, with Stephen Jopson (Carlisle) a shot back and Malton & Norton’s Marcus Brigham in third on level par. The tour was due to stop at Stockport on Monday July 12, then Bradford (19th) and Worksop (26th). The 2020protour then returns to ‘home’ turf in Yorkshire for all of August, consecutively at Sand Moor (9th), Kilnwick Percy (16th), Northcliffe (23rd) and finally at Low Laithes (30th).
American lifts Senior Amateur at Ganton Ganton Golf Club hosted the R&A’S Senior Amateur Championship which was won by American Gene Elliott on Friday July 10. Elliott finished on +6 after 72 holes on the tough Ganton layout, prevailing by one shot over David Holland from Castlerock. Hessle’s Andrew Woodhead finished tied 4th on +11, with Wike Ridge’s Stephen East a further shot back alongside Rotherham’s Richard Jones. In the Women’s Senior Amateur Championship at Ashridge Golf Club, Richmond’s Karen Jobling was the highest placed Yorkshire golfer, finishing in a tie for 13th place. MALTON & NORTON Golf Club will host the England Girls’ Championship from Tuesday July 20-22. With the final lifting of Covid restrictions, fans and supporters are welcome to the event.
High Gosforth Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 5HT | 0191 236 2498 | E:admin@thengc.co.uk | W: www.thengc.co.uk
2 minutes from the A1, ideal for a game in the area or a stop off travelling North or South The Harry Colt & James Braid designed heathland course was established in 1898 to provide a challenging test of golf. Renowned for its firm, fast greens and strategic bunkering, the Club has hosted many major championships over the years recently including Open Championship Regional Qualifying. From the simple looking but often tricky first hole uniquely the course plays both inside and outside Newcastle Racecourse. The undulating greens combined with closely mown run off areas provide a stern test of the short game and though the course can be testing from the medal tees for even the low handicap golfer, it is a pleasure to play all year round
whatever your handicap. Whether you are just finishing your round or about to go out there is always a warm welcome in the elegant clubhouse. Guests will find a traditional feel with a modern outlook on making everyone welcome. We have excellent practice facilities including a range with a ball dispenser. Whether you are visiting the area, travelling North to Scotland or travelling South back home to Yorkshire, we are perfectly situated to break your journey and play one of the premier courses in the North. To book, please call Julie on: 0191 236 2498 or email: admin@thengc.co.uk
FEATURES Championship Course for all abilities Premier Golf Club Elegant clubhouse with stunning views Excellent practice range Fantastic greens Brittania Grand Hotel 100 yards Travelodge 200 yards
SPECIAL OFFER
NORTHUMBERLAND GOLF CLUB 4 BALL £50 pp Inc: Coffee, bacon sandwich and a basket of range balls each
Please contact Julie on 0191 236 2498 to book a Tee Time or email admin@thengc.co.uk and quote YG2021 Offer expires 31/12/21
Subject to availability weekdays and Sundays
July 2021
18
TONY HOWARTH, Academy Director at Scarthingwell Golf Academy
Have you got a ‘weight’ problem...? Does your lower body work correctly during your swing? One of the most difficult things about golf is that because the golf ball is sitting on the ground, the logical thing to do is hit up on it to try to help the ball into the air. The minute that thought influences a golfer’s swing, the player will invariably fall onto the back foot to try to hit up on the golf ball. One of the most important things to learn after a correct setup is how to hit down on the golf ball and to learn to overcome the natural instinct of trying to help the ball into the air. Also, most golfers strive for distance and accuracy on longer shots and for pinpoint control on approach shots to the green. Without a controlled weight shift throughout the swing, you cannot achieve any of these objectives on a consistent basis. A controlled weight shift allows you to have better control of the club and deliver it squarely to the ball, ensuring accuracy and generating the clubhead speed necessary to maximize power. Weight transfer during the swing is the key to good ball striking, power and accuracy. At the address position, your weight should feel evenly balanced across both feet. On the backswing, you shift the majority of weight to your back foot and on the downswing you should finish with most of your weight on your front foot. This allows your body to turn fully on the follow through and allows you to finish in a strong, balanced position. Incorrect weight shift leads to most of your weight on your back foot at the finish of your follow-through. This tends to lead to a lack of power and wayward shots.
set-up
back swing
back foot
front foot
Here is the correct sequence of manoeuvres: ADDRESS: Equal weight on both feet. TOP OF THE BACKSWING: Approximately 60-70% of your weight should be on your back foot. FOLLOW-THROUGH: The majority of your weight should now have shifted to your front foot.
TONY HOWARTH, 2004 Sinclair Award Winner, Academy Director and Golf and Marketing Manager at Scarthingwell Golf Course, has over 25 years PGA experience and has taught all levels of golfers. This experience ranges from European Tour, Ladies European Tour and County players through to club golfers and complete beginners. Tony has appeared as guest speaker at many events including the Junior Golf Partnership seminar held at the Belfry, as Key Note Speaker at the inaugural Golf Careers Convention at the University of Northumbria, guest speaker at the UK Golf Show, the Turkish Golf
Federation 1st Annual Coaching Conference and most recently at the GolfEurope Show in Augsburg, Germany. In his role as SNAG Master Trainer, Tony works with International Golf Development implementing first touch coaching and development programmes across the world including Europe, Africa and Asia. Tony’s simplistic style of coaching has been his road to success and he has become known as an expert not just on the golf swing but especially on the short game and putting.
Scarthingwell Golf Course
GREEN FEE OFFER £20 PER PERSON Monday-Friday
£25 PER PERSON Saturday-Sunday To book telephone reception
01937 557878
For details on our 2021 MEMBERSHIP OFFERS contact TONY HOWARTH
01937 557878
Scarthingwell Lane, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, LS24 9PF T: 01937 557878 tony.howarth@scarthingwellgolfcourse.co.uk www.scarthingwellgolfcourse.co.uk @GolfPick
ScarthingwellGolfCourse
One of Yorkshire's Friendliest Golfing Venues
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE TO SAY... “I was excited about playing a course with a reputation for a friendly atmosphere. It did not disappoint – I was met with a very professional and cheerful welcome.” “York is blessed with some really good courses and you can put this one right up near the top!” “Thanks again for another great day’s golfing, yet again the course was in immaculate condition.”
East Coast Golf Passport FLAMBOROUGH HEAD
Lighthouse Road, Flamborough t: 01262 850333 www.flamboroughheadgolfclub.co.uk
BRIDLINGTON GOLF CLUB
Belvedere Road, Bridlington t: 01262 606367 www.bridlingtongolfclub.co.uk
HORNSEA GOLF CLUB Rolston Road, Hornsea t: 01964 534989 www.hornseagolfclub.co.uk
FILEY GOLF CLUB
West Avenue, Filey t: 01723 513293 www.fileygolfclub.com
THE BRIDLINGTON LINKS
Flamborough Road, Bridlington t: 01262 401584 www.bridlington-links.co.uk
SCARBOROUGH SOUTH CLIFF Deepdale Avenue, Scarborough t: 01723 360522 www.southcliffgolfclub.com
Bridlington and the surrounding coastline proudly boasts six of Yorkshire’s finest golf courses all located within a short distance of each other, offering golfers of all abilities an excellent test of golf on six very different and contrasting courses Working together the six participating golf clubs continue to offer the hugely popular East Coast Golf Passport scheme which offers visitors to the area the opportunity to play at the courses and enjoy savings on the normal Green Fees of up to 50%.
How to apply for this great deal? Simple, just contact the office at Bridlington Golf Club, tel. 01262 606367 seven days a week or e-mail enquiries@bridlingtongolfclub.co.uk and let us take care of the arrangements for yo u . * *
The Special reduced cost of your passport is:
£63* for 3 rounds of golf! £80* for 4 rounds of golf! £95* for 5 rounds of golf!
ENJOY EXCELLENT SAVINGS! Passport prices includes weekends & bank holidays
www.golfcoastpassport.co.uk
*Terms and conditions apply **Dates subject to availability ***Offer is not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.
The Belvedere Hotel
In conjunction with the East Coast Golf Passport
Three Day Golf Break £165 Inc. 3 rounds of golf & 2 nights b&b
Four Day Golf Break £230 Inc. 4 rounds of golf & 3 nights b&b
Five Day Golf Break £295 Inc. 5 rounds of golf & 4 nights b&b
Please contact us on 01262 606367 e: info@belvederehotelandgolf.co.uk
www.belvederehotelandgolf.co.uk