Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all our members. I hope Santa brought you all you asked for and that you didn't eat or drink too much. The Golf Club continues to look like the Mary Celeste with the snows of December causing havoc to the takings of the shop and the bar.

I trust that the new fees for 2011 were a pleasant surprise when they were announced and lets hope it attracts some new members to promote the future well being of the Club and the Sections. The thaw started today ... and long may it continue.

Complex Closed

I was bored and bouncing off the walls so I went on Facebook to see that there was a message from the greenstaff to say that the whole complex was closed today and will be closed tomorrow. So bang goes my bacon sandwich and coffee .....

Snow spoils the Presentation Night

With snow on the ground and the access to Parklands already a bit icy, the prospect of freezing evening temperatures and with more snow forecast left us with the difficult decision to cancel the Presentation Evening. It was very disappointing to have to cancel with all the plans already made and knowing that some members had changed shifts and made transport arrangements to attend, but the chances of an accident was a real prospect and we were aware that many winners and their families would not turn up, thus spoiling the atmosphere for the trophy winners. The Men's and Ladies Chairmen and Captains will now agree another date for this event when hopefully the weather will have improved ... fingers crossed.

Ladies AGM

The Ladies Section held their AGM in the Clubhouse last night and the event was well attended. Reports were given by the officials and committee members and then the Captaincy was transferred from Deborah to Yvonne Welch. We wish Yvonne a successful and rewarding year as Lady Captain. Yvonne announced her Vice-Captain for 2011 as Anne Hope. Congratulations Anne. There were 3 committee members standing for the committee and 3 vacancies so all were re-elected unopposed. Pat Bainbridge stood down from the committee and her role as Junior Liaison Officer and she will be sadly missed.

Open or Closed?

My apologies to any of our members who received mixed messages this weekend about the state of the course but I was one of them. The course was open for 9 holes on Saturday and on Saturday afternoon I was informed was a very good source (who had checked with the Head Greenkeeper) that the best we could hope for was 9 holes to be open. With rain forecast for Saturday night, we cancelled the Men's Competition and anticipated a 9 hole sweep. I don't get out of bed for 9 holes and therefore wandered in at 10.00am (to do some juggling with the trophies prior to Presentation Night), only to find 18 holes open. Beats me ... must have been a drying wind through the night!!!

Presentation Evening

The Club Presentation Evening will be held on Friday, 26th November 2010 in the Clubhouse. Please put this date in your diary.

Spanish Night

Last night was the Spanish Night organised by the Company to celebrate the food and culture of our European partners ... and we had around 50 members and guests who paid the £5 for the tickets and were rewarded with a meal of 2 types of paella ( a fish one and a chicken one), potato omelette (tortilla de patatas) and a tomato dish (patatas bravas?)... washed down by a glass of sangria. There was an impromptu quiz organised by Colin Davison and the evening was crowned with a members draw for £100 which was won by Joyce Bramfitt who shared her good fortune with Betty Bainbridge. Buenas Noches.

Fairway Protection

Last year we protected the fairways in the winter months by 'placing in the first cut of the semi'. There is little doubt that the course benefited from the policy, but some members were unhappy with the method and it has been suggested that mats would be preferable. There are a number of mats available in the entrance way to the golf club, which can be carried by the members to trial this method before any decision is made. Give it a go and put your comments in the box provided. We trialled the mats today .... with the photo showing Mike Wallace on the 6th fairway.

Simon Lane, General Manager, Newcastle Racecourse

The meeting of the Club Committee on Tuesday 19th Oct was attended by Simon Lane from Northern Racing who introduced himself to the Committee and briefly outlined his background and aspirations for the coming 5 years. If you would like to know more about Simon, there is an article on the website nebusiness which you can access by clicking on the following link.

http://www.nebusiness.co.uk/business-news/interviews-with-business-people/2010/08/23/simon-lane-general-manager-newcastle-racecourse-51140-27118686/

The first and hopefully the last

It's 10.00am and the weather outside is sunny and fine ... and I'm sat in the house on the PC when I should be outside playing golf because its Sunday morning!! But today has seen the first competition of the 'winter' season lost to the weather ... the course is closed due to rain!

Lets hope this is just a glitch and not the shape of things to come!

Mr President announces his retirement

It is the end of an era .... a lifetime of support and service to Parklands Golf Club. At the Club Committee Meeting yesterday evening, Danny Hall, our President for the last 16 years, announced his retirement from the position of President of the Golf Club. Danny has served the Club in various capacities for 34 years and is probably the most recognised and is certainly the most respected member of the Golf Club. He has acted as the starter on a Saturday morning for many years, greeting new and old members alike with his encouraging and welcoming manner. Danny's retirement is due to ill health and we all wish him our sincere best wishes during his enforced retirement. He intends to visit the Clubhouse on a regular basis and we look forward to seeing him soon. Good luck Danny!

A week in the golfing life of Rod Armstrong

Rod's week started with the Sunday competition at Parklands in the Handicap Trophy and unfortunately he was nursing a back injury. However he managed a creditable 81-9=72 and a good start to his week.
A 4am start to Monday and a long drive to Oxfordshire and the Frilford Heath Golf Club where Rod was to compete in the final phases of the Volvo Matchplay Championships. Rod won through to this final by entering the matchplay singles and through the months of June to September winning a series of matches in true knock out fashion against competitors from Whitburn, Hobson, Alnmouth and Seaton Carew. Monday was practice round day and accompanied by his brother as caddy, he played 9 holes and walked the back 9. He was tired to say the least after his early start and long drive, but determined to 'give his all' on the day with the winners of this competition going to play in Portugal. As things worked out, it was not to be for Rod. Frilford Heath has 54 holes of Championship standard with the Red course at 6800 yards and lots of thick lush gorse just off the fairway waiting to swallow stray balls. As Rod said "you could see your ball but there was no way to reach it". A long drive back home and time to reflect on what might have been, but Rod confirmed that the experience of the day and the event was worth all the time and effort.
And then to Friday, and Rod attended the Hadrian Golf League Annual Dinner and Presentation Evening at the Assembly Rooms along with a few Men's Committee members including the Captain, Brian King and his Vice Captain Brian Rutherford. The main event of the evening for both Rod and the other Parklands reps was the award of the Challenge Cup Best Net Prize, won at Bedlingtonshire earlier in the season, which went to .... you guessed Rod Armstrong.
Well done Rod ... I hope you have enjoyed the week and well done for being such a great ambassador for Parklands Golf Club.

Scores on the Doors

I am sure that you will be pleased to know and reassured of what you already know, that Lynn and Cheryl have been awarded 4 stars by the visiting inspectors for their hygiene in the kitchens at Parklands. Their score is on the door for all to see. The Scores on the Doors scheme allows members of the public to see the results of the last food hygiene inspection in the form of the hygiene star rating. 4 stars means "very good" and a high standard of compliance with food and safety legislation. The only obstacle in obtaining the 5th and highest rating is the kitchen floor which has the wrong type of surface. So the message is .......... eat with confidence, but not off the floor! Well done ladies ... another bacon sandwich please!

St Andrews Foursomes

The Grand Final of the Peugeot Coronation Foursomes was held on the Eden Course this Monday, with the pairing of Candy Paige-Brown and Isabel Hirst representing Parklands Golf Club in this prestigious competition. This was the first pairing in a national final in living memory (though Danny could still name one occasion). Sunday's practice round was encouraging and the weather on the big day was warm, but very windy with no rain until the last 3 holes. There were 16 national finals pairings and competition was very keen ... Foursomes is the most difficult of formats and both Candy and Isabel were finding it hard to get into a rhythm. The front 9 brought 18 points and a real chance of national glory ... but the back 9 proved more difficult to find the groove and a series of one pointers spoilt the card ... mainly caused by the difficult greens and missed puts. With pars at the 16th and 17th putting 6 points on the card ... and on the green in 2 on the 18th ... it was "just sink the last put for a birdie and 35 points" .... oopps its a 3 put bogey and 33 points to finish. The winning team had 35 points and Candy and Isabel were 7th. But a great try and a really great occasion. The day ended with a prize giving and dinner and a second night in the Old Course Hotel with all the luxury that it brings with it. Well done ladies!

Men's Chairman's Day Sunday 22nd August

With a large entry and the promise of an unusual format (a 2 ball Texas scramble), the tee was busy from 6.50am with members and guests clamouring for an early tee off. Apparently there was a football match on the TV and there was a rumour going around that the score would be 6-0. Kenny had made the theme for the day matadors or toreadors, with Debbie and Kenny dressing up to play the roles ... there were no volunteers to play the bull, but we were rewarded at the end of the 9th with very welcome beefburgers. The weather stayed kind and the competition was fierce for a very impressive prize table. The 'bookies' had made Karl Mossom and Sean Renwick as favourites and they were not far wrong when they came in second with a net score of 58.5. But they were beaten to the trophy and first place with a very impressive 57.25 by our very own Vice Captain, Brian Rutherford and the Club Champion, Ronnie Dixon. Thanks for a grand day Kenny and congratulations to all the prize winners on the day. Other photos are available on www.pics-by-geoff.photos.us.com/c1888243.html

TR Percy Winners - Photos

The recent success by our intrepid ladies who conquered both the weather and the opposition in their superb TR Percy Final is recorded for posterity on a few photographs on the photo website ... so if you would like to see the Lady Captain collecting the cup along with a few snaps of the team (a little wet) and the caddies ... please click on the following link ..... www.pics-by-geoff.photos.us.com/c1888023.html

Who has just joined the 'Hole in One' Club?

So who is the latest member of the 'Hole in One' Club? It's Anne Hope who achieved her spectacular feat at Bedlingtonshire Golf Club (our third success at that venue in as many days) in a mixed open event on Sunday. Playing the par 3, 6th hole (168 yards from the red tees), Anne did what we all dream of and holed out with her well struck tee shot. Although she and hubbie, Graham finished with a creditable 40 points they were squeezed out of the prizes, but this did not take the gloss off this superb occasion. Congratulations Anne.

Success for Rod Armstrong

The Hadrian League Challenge Cup (formerly the Troldahl Cup) was held at Bedlingtonshire Golf Club on Saturday 14th August. Parklands was represented by two players who had qualified in a Club Competition in June (The Cancer Research Trophy) Rod Armstrong who was best nett and Karl Mossom who was best gross.

The Challenge Cup is awarded to the best combined team result from all the clubs represented on the day and there are individual trophies for the best gross and best nett..... and it was Rod who played a stormer with a 82-9=73 to win the individual best nett trophy, much to his delight. A super win for Parklands and a trophy for us to collect when we go to the Annual Dinner and Presentation evening in October. Well done Rod ... a good days work!!

TR Percy Winners

The Ladies Team had a magnificent win at Bedlingtonshire Golf Club on Friday 13th when they won the final of the TR Percy Knock Out Competition, beating Matfen ladies 5 and 2 on a day that was wall to wall rain.

This is a great achievement for the team, for the Ladies Section and for Parklands. I do not have the details yet, but watch this space for more news of the match. Well done to all involved!!

Past Captains Dinner

The annual golf match and dinner was held on Sunday 8th August at the Club and we followed the traditional format of the ladies vs the gents in matchplay with the ladies receiving 4 courtesy shots. There were 12 matched pairs and the competition was keenly contested by some and less keenly by others. The match was followed by a dinner with our spouses and guests and 32 sat down to dine. As immediate past captains the organising of the event was down to Maureen Jenkins and moi. The dinner went well ... and we raised £90 for the Alzheimer charity. .... and the result ... another win for the ladies ... c'est la vie.

Lady Chairman's Day

Saturday 7th August was Lady Chairman's Day organised and run by Pat Mattinson. A large field of members and guests were greeted and treated with goodies at the first tee, and obligatory photograph, more treats at the gazebo at the 9th and then afternoon tea in the clubhouse at the end of the round. The weather was variable with some cold gusts of wind, heavy rain showers and some warming sunshine ... a typical English August day. There were lots of prizes consisting of Belleek Pottery and a full prize list is visible on the Parklands website for the rest of the week. The overall winner was the bandit Teresa Boyle with a 102-32=70, followed by Lynn Taylor 94-23=71 and Sam Malone 91-19=72.

In the Pond

Whilst playing golf yesterday, I went to look for my playing partner's ball (not mine ... honestly) which had inexplicably shot off the tee on the 3rd hole and into the pond. There was little chance of finding it because the pond is choked with weeds at the moment, like many of the water hazards on the course. However, I was impressed that the water lilies are flowering and I could not resist taking this photo on my mobile .... a pastoral scene or what?

Foursomes Success

The foursomes pairing of Candy Brown and Isabel Hirst were representing Parklands at the Area Final of the 2010 Peugeot LGU Coronation Foursomes event held at Hexham Golf Club on Wednesday, 28th July. Candy and Isabel had won the local qualification earlier in the season at the club event at Parklands. With 70 pairings in the final from as far and wide as Workington to West Surrey and playing the dreaded foursomes format at Hexham (always a testing course) they carded a creditable 39 points. Later in the day they were called back to attend the presentation and to be told they had won the event and qualified for the Grand Final to be played at the Eden Course at St Andrews in September. The Grand Final also entitles them to 2 nights accommodation in the Old Course Hotel and travel expenses. They will of course be accompanied by two caddies ... Barry Hirst and me ... Well done ladies!!

Captain's Day - and the winner was?

First of all, a big thanks from Brian King to all the members who turned up to play on Captain's Day, over 140 and the largest number of members to play in recent times. We had a dry day (weather that is) and the day produced some great scores to claim the £1300+ of prizes on offer. The full results are available on the Parklands web site ... but congratulations here go to our winner ... Rod Armstrong who can be seen here receiving his prizes from Brian and Joan. 2nd was Robert Hope who tied on 42 points with Rod, but lost on count back. 3rd was David Quinn also on 42 points. 4th was Richard Newman on 41 points. Thanks for a great day Brian.

Birthday Girl - Dorothy

Our birthday wishes go to Dorothy Hutchins. We never ask a lady her age, but in this case there is an obvious hint since the cards say 80 years old or is it 80 years young? Dorothy had a tea party with many of the ladies from the golf club today along with a cake and a bouquet of flowers to accompany the celebration. Well done Dorothy and many more to come .....

Lady Captain's Day

Saturday was Lady Captain's Day, Deborah's Day ... and Deborah did the Ladies proud. The day was a little windy with some threatening rain clouds skirting the course, but the players who turned out to support their Captain on her big day stayed dry ... on the outside that is!! With a putting competition to start the proceedings, it was off to the first tee for a goody bag, drinks and sweeties ... and a compulsory photo on the 1st tee box. see link .... www.pics-by-geoff.photos.us.com/c1873043.html
Then 18 holes of stableford golf, with a stop at the 9th for refreshments, then back to the 19th for afternoon tea (or in some cases something a little stronger) and the prize giving. This years prize theme was clocks ... so the winners will always be on time. The winner on the day was Sam Malone who tied with Joan King on 37 points, winning on count back. All the prize winners are listed on the Parklands web site. Well done Debs ... a great day for all concerned.

Club Champions 2010

Sunday was the Finals Day of the Club Championship and although it was a dry and mainly sunny day, the weather was dominated by very strong winds which shook the trees, flapped the trouser legs and accentuated any spin on the ball into exaggerated movements in the air.

The morning matches included the Men's Senior Handicap Trophy and the Ladies Bronze Championship Finals, both played over 18 holes. In the Seniors final, Keith Simpson and Terry Cooper contested a close contest with both players making some excellent shots in the windy conditions. However, the match came to a conclusion on the 17th with Keith triumphing 3 and 1.

In the Ladies Bronze, the Lady Captain, Deborah Welch was playing Terri Hallows, an excellent match player who often punches above her weight. This was a very close match throughout which was only decided on the 18th when Terri, playing her second shot from a divot hole, chipped through the green to give Deborah a win on the 18th. Congratulations and well played Debs.

The Men's and Ladies Championships were played over 36 holes and both matches nearly went the distance. In the Ladies, Gill Davison in her first final was challenging Alyssa Balding a previous champion. In the morning session, the match score moved as expected with Alyssa taking a comfortable lead of 4 up at lunch. However, things changed on the afternoon and Gill made serious dents in Alyssa lead which was 6 holes at one point and this was cut back to 2. Alyssa finally got her golfing brain together, but not before Gill had missed a few putts to win holes that could have tied the match. The match finished on the 17th with a super win for Alyssa Badling. Well done and congratulations.

The Men's final was between Graeme Hewitt and Ronnie Dixon. Graeme has been Club Champion in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999 whereas this was Ronnie's first final. This was an enthralling battle from the off with a tight morning round. Ronnie was 3 up after the 15th only to lose 3 holes on the trot, as Graeme called on all his experience to go to lunch 1 up. The afternoon round again produced some gripping golf, always played in the most laudable of sporting manner. The match finished on the 36th hole when Ronnie, teeing off 1 up, held his nerves together and won the match and the Championship. Well done and thanks guys for a great final.

Captain's Day Entry - 25th July

If you had already put your name down to play on Captain's Day, please note that the entry sheet has been stolen and you need to re-enter by next Sunday 18th July to ensure that you are in the draw.
You can enter by putting your name on the replacement entry sheet in the locker room or by email to parklands_golf@btinternet.com.
Please pass this message to all the members who might have been on the original entry sheet.

Vandalism and Theft

For the second time in a week we have experienced an act of vandalism in the Men's locker room at the Club. Last week it was obscenities written across a notice. Today, sometime this afternoon, someone stole the entry sheet for Captain's Day. This is an attack on everyone of the 80+ members who had entered their name on the sheet and it will inconvenience every potential entrant. If the culprit is identified, I will personally ensure that they receive a life time ban from the Parklands and ensure that their name is published to every golf club secretary in the area. This is an attack on every member of the club. If anyone witnessed anything out of the ordinary in the vicinity of the Men's locker room this afternoon, please come forward and report it.

Rules of Golf - Did you know?

The white stakes (or any other object) which define the out of bounds are FIXED. Improving the position of the ball by moving anything fixed is a breach of Rule 13-2 (Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play). So you must never remove a white stake even if you are still in bounds and the stake interferes with your stroke.

The penalty for Breach of Rule is : Match Play - Loss of Hole, Stroke Play - Two Strokes.

Even removing the stake and replacing it before you play the stroke incurs the same penalty. I wonder how often this rule has been broken in ignorance - so hands off.

Club Championship Quarters and Semis

Saturday, 3rd July brought the quarter and semi finals of the Club Championships for both the Men and the Ladies and also the quarter finals for the Seniors Handicap Trophy. In the morning matches the draw brought together the brothers Ricky and Steven Jamieson, with Ricky prevailing. The other winners were Graeme Hewitt who beat Tommy Mitchell, Craig Wilson who beat Karl Mossom and Ronnie Dixon who beat. In the Ladies there were wins for Alyssa Balding over Pat Bainbridge, Samantha Taylor who beat Maureen Jenkins, Candy Paige who beat Terri Hallows and Gill Davison who beat Samantha Malone. In the Seniors there were wins for Brian Rutherford, Keith Simpson, Terry Cooper and Graham Hope. In the afternoon semi finals, Graeme Hewitt had a win over Ricky Jamieson and in the Ladies there were wins for Alyssa Balding and Gill Davison. It was a lovely sunny day though the wind picked up in the afternoon. The support was meagre to say the least ... I hope it is better for the Finals next Sunday. Our Champions deserve it.

Well done Sam

Well done Samantha Malone. You can hold your head high after your performance in the national finals of the EWGA Grand Medal Final held at Worcestershire Golf Club on 26th June 2010. Sam played really well to qualify for this competition at both the Club and at the Regional finals. She then returned a score of nett 79 and finished in the top half of the results in the national final, a most laudable achievement.

Seniors PGA Championship at Slaley Hall

So what can we do on a sunny Saturday when its Plate Day and the Park will be full of racegoers and car parking and access will be a nightmare? ... well it was an easy choice with day 3 of the PGA Seniors Championship on at Slaley Hall ... so we went off to see the likes of Sam Torrance, Barry Lane, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle ... a great day .... and to prove we were there ... a snapshot from Sky Sports .... no cameras please !!

County Champion

Our congratulations got to Nicky Maddison who was crowned County Champion this weekend at Westerhope. Nicky, a former member at Parklands, won the tournament which was played over four days (match play phase) from Wednesday to Saturday. In the 36 hole final, Nicky and Kris Gray were all square after 18 holes, with Nicky coming out on top winning 2 up. A tremendous achievement Nicky ... well done.

Hole in One

Our congratulations go to Kenny Shepherd for his magnificent achievement of a 'Hole in One' on the 166 yard 8th hole at Parklands in the Men's Competition this Sunday. The competition was the Cancer Research Trophy and Kenny took a 7 wood from the tee and had that wonderful moment that we all dream of .... as his ball rolled across the green and into the hole. Kenny's first hole in one after 28 years of trying .... well done Kenny.

New Course Record

For the second time in a month we have a new course record and this time it was in the second round of the Club Championship and the player with the magic touch was Karl Mossom.

Karl had a busy weekend. He represented the Club in the County First Division Championships at Close House on the Saturday, playing 36 holes on the day. Then on the Sunday, feeling a bit tired, he had a magnificent 66 to break the course record by 2 shots. Well done Karl ... and well deserved. His 66-2=64 was enough to win the competition and ensure Karl qualified for the Club Championship knock out phase in no1 position.

Parklands Mixed Open

The Mixed Open took place last Bank Holiday Monday and 30 pairs competed for a good prize fund on a day when the sun shone and the course was in superb condition. There was some competitive golf played on the day .... Candy and I were defending champions and despite a good performance (bar the 16th) we had 41 points which gave us 3rd position. We were pipped for 2nd on a count back by Alyssa Balding, recently returned from her year in America, and Neil Henderson playing off +2. A superb, polished round of golf by this pairing, but the winners won by a point. The pairing of Neil Armstrong and Shelley Webb returned 42 points. A great performance. Shelley had a wonderful weekend all round winning the Ladies Comp on the Saturday as well. Watch this space for news of her handicap tumbling ....Mac Murphy and Maureen Jenkins were 4th with 40 points and 5th were Dave Pringle and Terri Hallows .... Well done to all the competitors and prize winners.Thanks also to Kath Morpeth who organised the event and ensured the day went so smoothly. We also raised £64 from the raffle ... thanks to all who bought tickets on the day.

New Course Record

Congratulations to Craig Wilson who broke the course record on Sunday, with a magnificent 68. This is a great achievement for Craig, a home grown Parklands player, who is now playing off a handicap of 4. His achievement came in the Mattinson Trophy competition ..... and you know you are playing well when you get a 2 at the 10th .... yes the 10th, it doesn't come much better than that. Craig was pipped at the post with Ben Goldie, a junior member, shooting 74-11=63. Well done Ben .... we're expecting great things.

Davison Cup Match - Men's Team

Report from the Men's Captain, Brian King ..... Parklands men's team run of good results continued on Saturday with a home win against Alnwick in the Davison Cup.The match was a close contest played in cold windy conditions. The first win was by courtesy of Ricky Jamieson who took a lead early in the match which he gradually built upon winning 5 and 4 and during the match played what could be the shot of the season. On the sixth a wild tee shot assisted by the strong northerly wind ended to the right of the 15th green, Ricky proceeded to play a shot over the trees onto the sixth green to approx 8 feet from the pin. Ronnie Dixon was going along steadily to lead 2 up after seven only to see the match back to level. He persevered however, winning the match 3 and 2. Gavin Jobe playing his first team match after rejoining Parklands went two down early in the game , he battled to back to square the match on the 12th only to see his opponent sink a long put on the 13th to go one up. Both players missed the green on the fourteenth Gavin leaving himself very little landing area between the bunker and the pin in attempting a delicate pitch. He saw his ball fall short of the green into the bunker and go back to 2 down eventually loosing the match 2 and 1. Karl Mossom played Dan Swordy both players having similar handicaps and the match was all square until the 14th where Karl put his ball in the pond to go one down. However, he fought back winning the final three holes to finish 2 up. Graeme Hewitt had a very difficult match against an accomplished opponent going two down before fighting back and squaring the match on the eighteenth. The final result was 31/2 - 11/2 in Parklands favour, an excellent team result.

Well Done Sam Malone

Congratulations to Sam Malone for her super perfomance on Thursday, 6th May when she played at the Crompton and Royton Golf Club in Lancashire which was the regional final (North) for the EWGA (English Women's Golf Association) Medal Finals. Sam qualified for this event being one of the 100 players returning the lowest nett four aggregate scores over the Ladies Medal comps in 2009 within the Northern Region. On the day, Sam shot a 95 - 23 = 72 for a net par to finish 3rd overall. Her reward is a place in the National Grand Final to be played at the Worcestershire Golf Club on Saturday, 26th June. Good luck Sam and well played.

Men's Team Win against Tyneside

From the Captain, Brian King .....The men's team had another good result in the first Hadrian League match of the season, at home to Tyneside. After nine holes Parklands were in front in 4 matches with one all square, but on the back nine things changed with Daniel Trotter 2 up after nine then level through 17 before going on to win on the eighteenth. Ronnie Dixon had a close match, and was all square at the 17th tee, Ronnie won the 17th to go 1up but then put his tee shot into the woods on 18 and the match finished all square. Daren Rushtom also arrived at the 17th tee all square after being up for most of the match he lost on 17 but a good win on 18 resulted in the match finishing all square.Craig Wilson had a tough first league game against 15 year old Sam Robinson who played some excellent golf on the front nine to turn 2 up a lead he held to the finish winning 2-1 despite a battling performance from Craig. Karl Mossom played steady golf he took an early lead winning his match 3-2, Karl was unhappy with his long game, but his ability around the greens was enough to give him his win. Graham Hewitt started his match with a very uncharacteristic drive, but he soon put this behind him (not literally) and finished the match winning 4-2. The overall result was Parklands 8 Tyneside 4. Well done guys ... a winning start.
The next team match is at Parklands on Saturday when the team play Alnwick G. C. in the first round of the Davison Cup, the first tee 11:00 a.m. This is followed by an away match at Stocksfield on Tuesday.

Fancy a Night Out.

The Ladies Section have organised an evening of entertainment at the Club on Friday 14th May. The evening is for men and women and consists of a 3 course meal with half a bottle of wine per person, music and floor show (Ophelia Balls the North East Drag Queen Artist), and table magic. All this for £20 per head. The tables are the large circular ones from the Racecourse banqueting and they seat 10 persons. So come on your own, bring your partner or even make up a table of family and friends. See any member of the Ladies Committee for tickets or buy from behind the bar.

Turf

For those of us wondering when the 8th tee box will be finished and we can start teeing off from the grass and not the carpet .... then this sight will be welcome. Its a delivery of turf I snapped today and looking at the quantity, it will more than finish the 8th. A bit of water, a bit of sun and hopefully we will be on the big new tees very soon.

Our very own Amen Corner

To the golfers who get confused with marker posts ... this scene must look like a nightmare. This is the corner where the ditch on the 7th exits the course, next to the new bridge and yes, we have all 4 colours on display in one snapshot. The blue of the 150 yard marker posts, the white - out of bound posts behind the ditch, the red - lateral water of the new ditch and the yellow - water hazard for the ditch crossing the fairway. Knock your ball into this and you won't know what to play until you find it.

The Mail on Sunday Classic

In the third round of the Mail on Sunday Classic, the Parklands team had a tough away draw with a match against Bedlingtonshire last Saturday. This was a repeat fixture of our first round match last year when we were beaten 3-2. However, the team of Graeme Hewitt, Ronnie Dixon, John Smiles, Ian Davidson and Ricky Jamieson performed magnificently. Bedlingtonshire fielded a strong, low handicap team and yet the Parklands team had a relatively comfortable win 4-1. A tremendous performance guys and well done to you all. The reward was a home draw in the 4th round against Dunstanburgh. ...... Bring them on !!!

The Daily Mail Foursomes

Geordie Faulder and Ronnie Dixon played their second round match against a pair from Blyth Golf Club, at Blyth on Saturday. In a very evenly fought and close match, where neither side were ever more than 1 up throughout the match, the Parklands pairing won on the 18th. Well done guys, a great win.

The County Foursomes

A report from the Captain, Brian King ...... "The Parklands Men's section were represented in the County Foursomes by the team of Graeme Hewitt and Ronnie Dixon in the competition played on Saturday at Newbiggin GC. In the morning round, Parklands were drawn against Dunstanburgh and in what should have been a very tough match, (playing a links based team on a links course), Parklands triumphed winning 5 and 4. We were through to the next round. Following a break for lunch, the afternoon match was played against Morpeth, who were represented by the brothers Craig and Mark Penny, both + handicap players. In a very close match, Parklands lost on the 18th. Well played Graeme and Ronnie ... a superb battling performance."

18 holes - and they are all open

At last ... with a week of dry weather and warmer temperatures, we finally had 18 holes opened for the first time for the Ladies competition today .... The 16th is still very wet, but we are not complaining .... its golf on a full length course.

The wet wet course

................. So what does several inches of rain over a 2 day period look like on the course?.... well look at the photos and make other plans for the Easter holidays .... photos courtesy of the greenkeepers.

Rain, rain, rain

When will it stop? When will those halcyon days of dry fairways return?

The Captain's Drive In

With the weather trying hard to intervene, it was really nice to see 60+ members turn out to support their Captains at the traditional start to the season and the Captain's Drive In on Saturday morning. The weather had left the course sodden, but we managed to open 9 holes. Brian King saw his drive ricochet back from the trees alongside the range and Deborah Welch clipped hers down the middle. The winners of the bottles for estimating the length of the Captains drives were Graham Hope and Denise Swindlehurst. Well done to you both. The Drive In was followed by a 9 hole Texas scramble competition, which was won by Davy York, D Quinn, Pat Mattinson and Lynda Holt. The Captains raised £184 split between their respective charities. Well done to everyone concerned. The photographs will appear here if anyone would like to send me one via email please.

Pie Peas and Chips

Last Thursday we had the second of our member's nights which consisted of a meal, members draw, bingo and some disco music ... another bargain evening for £5. The evening was well attended with around 60 people sitting down to dine. The meal was a mince pie (home cooked) with mushy peas, lashings of chips and gravy .... thanks Lynn and Cheryl. The winning member was not in the room to collect his £70 so the sum rolls forward to the next event and is increased to £80. The bingo was 5 games and after the first game, the caller, Richard, who volunteered with one arm up his back, was replaced by Jacqie who doubled up the cards to speed the evening on ... another success overall and David and the caterers are open to 'themed' suggestions for the next few events.