Our first qualifying comp of the year, the March Stableford, took place on 12 March with a field of 27 women from 3 Divisions (13 in Div 1; 11 in Div 2; and 3 in Div 3). We had almost 4 seasons in one day with a short, sharp, sleet shower thrown in with the sunshine and grey skies, the warmth and the chill.
The comp went fairly smoothly apart from an odd mix of 2’s and 3’s created by last minute withdrawals and some backing up (slow play?) on the course which we will be keeping an eye on in future comps.
The winners were:
Div 1: 1st Sarah Rees 34 points
2nd Alison Towndrow 30 points (Apologies to others with 30 points!)
Div 2: 1st Ozlem Orgen 33 points
2nd Wendy Goodman 31 points
Div 3: 1st Gaye Illsley 36 points
Just as a reminder, those who are first in Divisions 1 and 2 will get two John Shaw points; and those who are second get 1 John Shaw point.
Carol Agass won the 9 hole Stableford.
Mary Kemal got a 2 on the 13th.
Congratulations to all winners!
Next Wednesday’s competition, 19 March, is the Bisque Salver, a fun and strategic Board competition. Sign up is in 3’s. For the rules, please see IG.
Then on Friday, we have the Women’s Captain v: Vice Captain comp. This is played over 13 holes in pairs as a Greensomes, with handicaps capped at 45. It will be a semi-shotgun start at 8.30 a.m. As the hut will not be open, tea and coffee with biscuits will be served on arrival from about 7.45 a.m. We will have a lunch after – jacket potato with a choice of fillings (£12.50). All Divisions and Academy Year 2 women are encouraged to play. Please sign up for both the the comp (on IG) and the lunch (on the notice board) by Monday. Teams will be drawn on Wednesday afternoon. Umar and I look forward to our friendly battle!
Our last competition in March on 26th is a Medal.
Our golf pro, Nicola Bennett, held a very successful International Women’s Day event on Saturday, 8 March. Members were encouraged to bring friends and family to participate in Nicola’s fun putting and chipping drills. They were good challenges for all. And the sun smiled on lots of happy people, dressed in pink and red, learning how to enjoy golf.
Just a reminder that Nicola will be running four-week courses from the end of March for all women members. Please sign up with her if you are interested.
The end of the month will see the end of our Women’s Winter Scratch ladder so you have until Sunday, 30 March to issue your final challenge for Monday, 31 March. No challenges can be issued on the final day, otherwise it could be total chaos! I will put up a notice to this effect.
I have had a wonderful and positive response to my suggestion of a summer comp for Divisions 3 and 4 so I will be communicating soon with all those who have responded to let you know what we will do. If anyone else is interested, please complete the poll on the BHPGC Women’s App. If you are not on the Whats App group and would like to play, please message me personally to let me know of your interest as soon as possible.
There are still places on the Kings Cross walk with Polly Schlesinger on Monday, 28 April. This is a great opportunity to see the new developments at Kings Cross and hear about the area’s regeneration from a member of the C20 Society. You can sign up on IG and your £18 will be going to the Captain’s Charity, The Nightingale Cancer Support Centre. Please sign up soon. We will be extending this to friends and family if there are still spaces by the end of March.
Don’t forget that the explorer, Vanessa O’Brien, will be speaking on Thursday, 20 March. Tickets are £20 including lunch at 1 p.m. This is an ideal time to experience the excitement of virtual exploration from the comfort of a seat in our restaurant!
And if you are still looking for something to do this Friday night, it’s Comedy Night at the Club from 7.45 p.m. Tickets are just £10 for an evening’s entertainment – and hopefully, a good laugh!
And I know this now seems a long time ago but near the beginning of October last year, we had our Harvest festival. You were all incredibly generous with your food (and toiletries) donations. I have only recently discovered that North Enfield Foodbank acknowledged our donations by sending a certificate and informing us that we delivered to them 81.5 kilos of food! Amazing! Thank you all again for your generosity!
As we start our competitive summer season, here are a few words of wisdom from that wonderful athlete, Jessica Ennis Hill: ‘The only one who can tell you ‘you can’t win’ is you, and you don’t have to listen’.
So keep golfing! You can win!
Alison Towndrow
Women’s Captain