Winter Glass (Stapleford 18 holes)

Winner: David Laurence 32 points

Runner up: Charlie Snelling 31 points

Longest Drive: Gary Welch

Nearest the Pin: Charlie Snelling

Nearest the Pin in 2: Dave Gibson

So we have reached the end of the season, and in the end we did quite well.
Our last event was dry again – which is always a bonus. The day started very brightly with the arrival of Ian Whiteley and David Laurence’s trousers – thank you guys for cheering us up – the bar has been raised…….
The trees were looking stunning in their autumn colours 🍁 but it was very difficult to find balls in the fallen leaves – and I don’t think I was the only, grumpy, casualty.
The day was not without incident – Ian Whiteley managed to hit himself in the eye, but fortunately managed to find his contact lens because it was covered in mud. And Colin Bluck tried to take out his playing partners with a runaway trolley and re-design the green in the process! Maybe it’s time to reinstate the Gamesmanship Trophy?…….
The John OGaunt course was playing very long so it was a tough day but the prospect of lunch kept us going. The lunch was excellent, as always, and certainly worth going back for as a November venue, although maybe we should go for the Carthagena course next time? (AGM item?)

We welcomed a new Family Associate member – Vince Reynolds. Hope you enjoyed your first outing with us.
After lunch we presented the Greensomes Trophy to the victors, Jim Moffatt and Charlie Snelling, after a tough final against Liz and Nick Moody. Congratulations to Jim and Charlie. Many thanks to Brian Bamber for running the competition and thank you to all the competitors for playing your matches in time. I believe Brian may be persuaded to run it again next year 🤞😊 so look out for his emails at the beginning of the season. You can of course use the email list above to make your own contacts, but if you would like help finding a partner please let us know. Jill

Winner: Keith Marley 34 points

Runner up: Gary Oliver 33 points

Nearest the Pin in 2: Jill Moffatt

Nearest the Pin in 2: Dave Gibson

Well, the sun shone again on the righteous OUGS members. Yes, I know it got quite windy on the back 9, and a little chilly, but hey it’s nearly November – and everyone agreed we had a glorious day. The course was in really great condition and I think there was general agreement that we should re-visit. However, the ladies were stitched up by the pro in saying that there were no holes giving us a chance at a Longest Drive !?! – you had to get a bus to some of the ladies’ tees. NB for next time……

So, to the results – having decided on 2 Nearest the Pins – those were won by

Dave Gibson on the 9th, and by my good self on the 18th.

The winner of the 18-hole Stableford was Keith Marley with a great score of 34 points.

Runner up was Gary Oliver with 33

Winner: Nick Moody 36 point

Runner up: Dave Laurence 34 points

Texas Scramble: Brian Bamber, Eddie Mason & Gary Oliver 29.7.

Nearest the pin: Liz Moody

Nearest the pin in 2: Ian Whiteley

Dear all,

I think it fair to say a great day was had by all.  The weather was perfect.  The food was excellent and the staff were very accommodating and welcoming.  Many thanks to Nick Moody for making all the arrangements at Buckingham and making my life easy.

After very good bacon rolls etc we started with a 9 hole Texas Scramble played in 3 balls, which everyone seemed to enjoy.  Lunch was delicious sandwiches and very yummy chips – good choice Nick.  We were joined by Tony, Liz, Ron, Colin and David Laurence for the afternoon 18 hole Stableford Spring Cup.   After Woburn my mission for the day was to out-do David’s shorts, so I wore my ‘loudest’ skirt and awaited his arrival with anticipation.  Sadly I paled into insignificance, especially without the colour coordinated shoes, club covers, bag and trolley. 

We did manage drinks on the balcony accompanied by a stunning sunset.

So to the prizes –

The winning team in the Texas Scramble was Brian Bamber, Eddie Mason and Gary Oliver with an impressive score of 29.7. 

Nearest the Pin on the 4th was a stunning shot by Liz Moody, 3 feet from the pin.  And yes she did get the birdie.

Nearest the Pin in 2 on the 13th was apparently chosen with the girls in mind – and was duly won by Ian Whiteley😉.

Runner up on countback over Denzil, with 34 points, was He of the Loud Shorts – David Laurence.

The winner of the Summer Cup, with a fine score of 36 points, was Nick Moody.  Well played Nick.

Congratulations to the prize winners!  

Jill

Winner: Jim Moffatt 39 points

Runner up: Colin Bluck 31 points

Longest Drive: Dave Gibson

Nearest the pin: Andrew Thomas

I think it’s fair to say we all had a great day on Friday.  The weather gods were kind to us, The Duchess was looking fantastic and Woburn gave us a very warm welcome, including Fred the starter and a ball spotter on the 1st hole.  There were the inevitable familiar ‘clonks’ resounding round the course as people found the trees and I believe a fair amount of balls lost in the ferns and bracken, especially mine.

Our thanks to Woburn members Ian Hillman and Steve Moore for joining us – their company was greatly enjoyed by OUGS members.

The sun was shining on the patio as we gathered for drinks after golf, including Carol’s first Woburn GnT,  and the now legendary meal of Woburn sausage and mash followed by fruit crumble and custard was served in the Alex Hay Room.

Only OUGS members are eligible to win the trophy, but Steve Moore received special mention, and a sleeve of balls, for a great score of 38 points.  Well played Steve.

The Longest Drive on the 5th, a massive 270 yards, was won by Dave Gibson.

Nearest the Pin on the 16th, and it was very very near, was won by The Welsh Bloke – Andrew Thomas.

The runner up with 31 points on count-back (sorry Andrew T that count-back wasn’t mentioned) was Colin Bluck.

And the winner, with a handicap-crippling 39 points, was your Chair and Handicap Sec – Jim Moffatt – a very happy winner as Jessica was Jim’s long standing tennis and badminton partner.

Winner, The john Boulton Rosebowl:  Colin Bluck 173 (89 & 84)

Runner up: Jim Moffatt 179 ( 86 & 93)

Winner, Newbould Plate: Dave Laurence 63 points

Runner up: Ian Whiteley 60 points

Winner, The Massey Cup: Ian Estick 34 points

Runner up: Pete Whittaker 33 points

Winner, The Associate Cup: Brian Bamber 33 points

Runner up: Eddie Mason 31 points

Winner, The Ladies Trophy: Carol Jones 28 points

Runner up: Dawn Gibson 23 points

Longest Drive: Colin Bluck

Nearest the Pin: Dave Laurence

Dear all,

Well the first and most important thing to say is that it didn’t rain!

Thank you to all who came to Studley Wood last Friday – an early start for those brave enough to attempt 36 holes.

We were warmly welcomed and well looked after by the staff and the food was excellent.  The course was very challenging, not least because it was being prepared for  Studley Wood’s  own Championship the following morning.  So the rough was too thick to find your ball, and the greens were being ‘ironed’ as we played and were so fast they made Woburn look slow.   I thought one of the ground staff was a little over-enthusiastic in throwing Ian W’s ball out of the way but apart from that, and the pro’s choice of hole for the NPin2, there were no complaints.  Most people seemed keen to return (but not for 36 holes.)

We welcomed a new member – Debbie Bomyer from the OU – and we hope this will be the first of many days out with us.

Given the difficult conditions there were some very good scores.   So, the results –

Our Champion Golfer and winner of The John Boulton Rosebowl was Colin Bluck with a scratch score of 173 (89 and 84) over 36 holes.

Runner up was Jim Moffatt close on his heels with 179 (86 and 93)

The Newbould Plate – 36 holes Stableford – was won by David Laurence with 63 points.

Runner up was Ian Whiteley with 60 points.

The Massey Cup – 18 holes Stableford – was won by Ian Estick with 34 points.

Runner up was Peter Whittaker with 33 points.

The Associate Cup – 18 holes Stableford – was won by Brian Bamber with 33 points (c/b)

Runner up was Eddie Mason with 31 points (c/b)

The Ladies’ Trophy – 18 holes Stableford – was won by Carol Jones with 28 points.

Runner up was Dawn Gibbs with 23 points.

The Longest Drive was won by  Colin Bluck.

Nearest the Pin was won by David Laurence.

In spite of having some very good golfers in our midst no one got near the Nearest the Pin in 2 and I suspect Studley Wood’s pro is still chuckling for stitching us up.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you all for making it a fun day.

Jill

Winner,   Gary Elliot-Ciragottis    33 points             

Runner up: Jim Moffatt 30 points

 Texas Scramble: Gary, Tony, Tim & David

Longest Drive: Liz Moody

Nearest the Pin: Gary Elliot-Ciragottis

Dear all,

Well, it would have been hard to imagine weather worse than at Silverstone, but we managed it!!  So well done to all you hardy souls, and especially to those who managed to drag themselves out again after lunch.

We welcomed a guest, Martin Upton, who is OU staff and we hope he will consider joining the society. 

In spite of our good intentions not to have 4balls in a Texas Scramble, the numbers conspired against us, and although we tweaked the minimum number of drives, a 4ball was victorious- Gary EC, Tony C, Tim D and David L.    Well done team, Tim – we owe you a bottle of wine.

Lunch was very nice – ‘sandwiches and chips’ turned out to be hot paninis with a choice of fillings, and excellent yummy chips. 

After such unpleasant conditions our hearts sank when we came in to find the bar closed and no drinks to cheer us up.  However, the manager took pity on such a sorry looking bunch and re-opened the bar.  Despite the weather there were some decent scores in the 18 hole Stableford, with your Chair Jim Moffatt runner up on 30 points, and Gary EC the winner on 33 points.  Congratulations to them.  The Nearest the Pin was won by Gary EC, and the Longest Drive was won by Liz Moody – go girl!

Many thanks to Dave Emburey for making all the arrangements with Staverton.  Sadly, Dave injured his shoulder, so after doing all the work, he was unable to join us.  We missed you Dave.

Jill

Winner, Dave Laurence 34 points

Runner up: Jim Moffatt 30 points

Longest Drive: Tim Delaney

Nearest the Pin: Dave Embruey

So we have reached the end of the season, and in the end we did quite well.
Our last event was dry again – which is always a bonus. The day started very brightly with the arrival of Ian Whiteley and David Laurence’s trousers – thank you guys for cheering us up – the bar has been raised…….
The trees were looking stunning in their autumn colours 🍁 but it was very difficult to find balls in the fallen leaves – and I don’t think I was the only, grumpy, casualty.
The day was not without incident – Ian Whiteley managed to hit himself in the eye, but fortunately managed to find his contact lens because it was covered in mud. And Colin Bluck tried to take out his playing partners with a runaway trolley and re-design the green in the process! Maybe it’s time to reinstate the Gamesmanship Trophy?…….
The John OGaunt course was playing very long so it was a tough day but the prospect of lunch kept us going. The lunch was excellent, as always, and certainly worth going back for as a November venue, although maybe we should go for the Carthagena course next time? (AGM item?)

We welcomed a new Family Associate member – Vince Reynolds. Hope you enjoyed your first outing with us.
After lunch we presented the Greensomes Trophy to the victors, Jim Moffatt and Charlie Snelling, after a tough final against Liz and Nick Moody. Congratulations to Jim and Charlie. Many thanks to Brian Bamber for running the competition and thank you to all the competitors for playing your matches in time. I believe Brian may be persuaded to run it again next year 🤞😊 so look out for his emails at the beginning of the season. You can of course use the email list above to make your own contacts, but if you would like help finding a partner please let us know. Jill

Winner: Ben Lennon 36 points           

Runner up: Eddie Mason 31 points

Longest Drive: Judy Armitt

Nearest the Pin: Andrew Thomas

Dear all,

We have our first event under our belt!

It was really great to see you, and to see so many of you, at Three Locks.  I hope you appreciated the weather I organised for you. 

Thanks for your understanding, and compliance, with the Covid restrictions.  We were rather unceremoniously hustled along with our bacon butties and coffee rather than being able to sit and socialise after the 6th hole, but it was clear the course was busy and it wasn’t an option to cause a backup on the rest of the course.  I hope you agree that we more than made up for it after the golf, with drinks on the patio in the sunshine.

We welcomed two new members.  Peter Whittaker who joined at the end of last season, and Ben Lennon.  Peter is ex staff; Ben is current OU staff.  I’m sorry there was not the usual opportunity to ‘meet and greet’ the new members, but hopefully as Covid restrictions ease, we will be able to go back to our usual format of meeting with bacon butties before the golf, and having lunch afterwards.

think it’s fair to say that most of us found the course challenging, especially trying to get the ball to stop on the greens – well I certainly did.

So, to the results –

Nearest the Pin was ‘the Welsh bloke’ aka Andrew Thomas

Longest Drive (with just the tinsiest forward tee) was Judy Armitt

Jill

The Runner up with 31 points was Eddie Mason.

And our new member, Ben Lennon, showed us how to do it with 36 points playing off 10 (but not for long!!).

Congratulations to both.

My apologies to Ben that I was unable to collect the glass in time for Friday, and my thanks to Ian Whiteley for offering his half-empty plastic beer glass as a substitute – very thoughtful 🤣