Record numbers turn out for good golfing cause

The club were delighted that a record 124 players took to the course to support the event this year.

Club captain Norman Lee planned it as a Texas scramble, and with perfect weather and course conditions the scores were remarkable. Congratulations to the winning team of Stanley Riseborough, Tom Riseborough, Rob Kissell and Charles Mackendrick with a nett score of 55.3.

Second with a nett 55.4 were Marcus Embleton, Gary Embleton, Dave Grover and Mark Bingham. Third with 57.8 were Mike Garrigan, Ron Stevens, Brian Meloy and Graeme Whitehead.

Seniors’ captain Chris Hickling did the scoreboard and Norman Horton checked the cards. Matt Kirby, the club pro, handed out the golf balls and badges and collected the entry fees.

More than £1,500 was raised for the Prostrate Cause last year in these two events and we would like to get a close as possible again to that figure.

Bognor seniors played their last match of the season against Singing Hills, also known as The Huntsmen. It’s their furthest away fixture and after a long trip, Bognor just edged it 4½-3½ in a very entertaining match with three pairs halving their games.

Results: Terry Kuhler & Bob Lee lost 2 down, Jim Stephenson & Andy Isitt won 2&1, Steve King & David Turner won 1 up, Richard Perry & Roger Selway won 6&5, Sean Francis & Mike Matthews halved, Mike Watts & Richard Kaemena halved, Ken Catt & Clive Millett halved, John Chapman & Dave Chalmers lost 5&4.

Bognor seniors had a good season compared to the past few years, winning 13, halving seven and losing 14 matches.

Highlight was their first double over Worthing and the low point was the two heavy defeats to Waterlooville.

Bognor lost only two home matches, but won only one away game but they did halve five away matches.

The 2018 season begins in March with a stern test once again versus Waterlooville.

David Turner, Bognor’s first match manager, did an excellent job in the new role and Bognor look forward to 2018, particularly with new matches against Lee-on-the-Solent and West Hove.

COWDRAY PARK

Some 45 Cowdray ladies played in the waltz competition on a cool day. The competition is played in teams of three with one score to count on the first hole, two scores on the second and three scores on the third. This continues throughout the round.

The winning team with an amazing score of 77 points was Jill Parry, Jo Fife and Vicky Lush.

Second were Anne Chuter, Carolyn Scott, Catherine Staples with 70; third Heather Pearce, Mary Sexton, Sonia Burden on 69 and fourth Myrna Heustice, Kate O’Kelly and Caroline Haynes with 66.

Work has started on reconstructing the 13th tee, making the playing surface much bigger as well as levelling it out and ensuring it drains freely.

A chipper has also been tidying up the low limbs of trees around the course and has been put to good use turning the copper beech trees that were felled at the back of the 13th tee into wood chips.

Meanwhile, the Cowdray junior golf championship was reinstated this year following a five-year gap under the leadership of PGA pro Matt Watson.

Many junior members competed in the 18-hole medal competition in late October.

Harry Callow won the championship and Zach Hauffe was the winner of the handicap prize.

CHRIS MCDONNELL COLUMN

What an exciting month it’s been for former Golf At Goodwood ambassador Justin Rose. The Englishman has propelled himself into second place in the Race To Dubai Order of Merit, ready for the finale in Dubai, which starts today (November 16).

He has had back-to-back victories in winning the WGC-HSBC Champions in China and the Turkish Airlines Open in Turkey. Both events earned him a whopping 2.4 million euros, which has closed a gap to Order of Merit Leader Tommy Fleetwood by 200,000 euros.

The Race to Dubai Tournament at Jumeirah Golf Estates is going to be a thrilling week and one to keep an eye on.

It’s great to see two English players head the European Tour Order of Merit, and with four English players in the top six, it shows you just how strong golf is in England at present.

I think one of the contributing factors for the huge amount of success is the players feeding off each other – as they say, success breeds success.

Fleetwood, Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Ross Fisher and many others are all competing to be England’s leading golfer. This competitive environment itself is a huge contributor to each individual success; obviously the work they do individually is a big factor, but without that collective, competitive environment they wouldn’t reach the same heights at an international level.

At the Golf At Goodwood Academy, it is all about fostering that same group environment as we believe that learning together is more beneficial than someone learning and doing everything by themselves. It is also far more fun that way, which is especially poignant when younger players are starting out.

With our junior golf camps, weekly coaching, weekly junior leagues and junior competitions, we are building a natural pathway for development.

In 2017 we have witnessed some incredible evidence this approach is paying off, as our talented group of juniors has occupied the top places in both the under-13 and under-15 league tables in the Sussex County Order of Merit this year, with some remarkable achievements along the way.

For more information on getting your child into golf, or finding out what the Academy has to offer, please visit goodwood.com

- CHRIS McDONNELL