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| Our SOCIETY PACKAGE of the month
comes from Monmouth Golf Club, Monmouthshire |
Monmouth certainly has every justification for its claim to be one of the prettiest courses in Wales and is undoubtedly one that is renowned for the warm welcome offered to its’ guests.
The course stands on high ground above the Town with superb views of the Welsh Hills, Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley. The undulating parkland course, superbly maintained throughout the year, is 5582 yards off the white tees ,5399 off yellow (Par 69, SSS 67) and 5061 yards off the Ladies’red tees (Par 70 SSS70).
Each aptly named hole offers a different challenge and names such as “Cannes Folly”, “Kymin View”, “The Oasis”, “The Struggle”, “Long Haul”, “Devil’s Bunker” and “Last Gasp” give clues to the test in store.
The eighth hole, “ Cresta Run” was recently included in “Britain’s 100 most extraordinary golf holes” which also nominated Monmouth as having the best value green fees in the country.
As you leave the clubhouse you become aware of the tranquillity of the verdant surroundings, mature trees, wild flowers and an abundance of wild life- Deer, Pheasant and Rabbit in particular.
Visit the Monmouth Golf Club - you will not be disappointed!
CLICK HERE for more info... |
Junior Trophy Cabinet Presentation at Holywell Golf Club |
 Pictured handing over the keys for the new Junior Trophy Cabinet at Holywell
Golf Club are Club Captain Alan Williams (left) and Club Chairman Kevin
Carney. The club had for some time now sought to free up space in the
existing trophy cabinet with the purchase of a Junior Cabinet. The money for
the purchase of the cabinet was obtained through a donation made to Kevin by
Akzo Nobel UK Ltd. (formerly Courtaulds) It was then left to last year's
President Ray Lewis to make the necessary enquiries in order to find a
suitable cabinet maker.
An approach was made to David Rowntree of 'Pawswood', based in Llanrhaeadr
who designed and constructed the corner cabinet in oak. The cabinet now
takes pride of place, next to the Junior Honours Board within the clubhouse
and has been admired by members and visitors alike.
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Diamond Celebrations |
 Two long standing members of Old Padeswood golf club celebrated their Diamond wedding anniversary and were welcomed to an impromptu party at the club Pictured are Percy and Glenys Chesters who have been members at the club since it was formed in 1978. |
Anna makes her mark in the USA! |
 Welsh golf junior Anna Carling is making her mark across the water at the Sun Belt Conference Women's Golf Championships in the USA. A member of The Vale Golf Club Junior Academy, and currently an Arkansas State sophomore, Anna won a sudden death playoff to give her college only their second ever individual champion at the league tournament. Carling turned in the second lowest round of her career Wednesday with a 70 and finished with a career-best 215 for all three rounds before winning the playoff on the first hole.
An equally talented hockey player, having played internationally, a few years ago Anna made the decision to dedicate herself to developing her golf – with exceptional results. After joining The Vale Golf Club in 2007, Anna became the first girl to captain the Vale Academy’s Junior team in 2008. In 2009 she won a full scholarship to Arkansas State University in America where she immediately made her mark, being their leading player in her freshman year. This is her second career tournament title after winning the EKU Lady Colonel Classic in 2010.
David Llewellyn, former World Cup winner and Wales National Coach, is one of the Vale’s stellar team of five PGA coaching professionals who are dedicated to nurturing young talent. He has worked closely with Anna since she became a member of the Academy.
David says: “Anna is a phenomenal player and it’s wonderful to see her developing and making her mark over in America. Her success is an accumulation of hard work over time but it’s not just her innate natural talent that makes Anna special, as part of the Academy she is always willing and keen to help other young golfers and is out there setting an excellent example for them. She’s proving that girls are every bit as good as the boys – and sometimes a little better!!” The Vale Golf Club, based at the Vale Resort in Hensol near Cardiff, launched The Vale Academy in 2008 to put a development structure in place for young golfers. |
The VALE is UK's Most Enjoyable Course
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 The Vale Resort in Wales was recognised as the ‘UK’s Most Enjoyable Golf Course’ at a prestigious awards ceremony last night. Chosen by a panel of experts, over fellow finalist The Belfry, The Vale picked up the accolade at the inaugural 59 Club Awards Dinner, established to recognise excellence in golf.
59 Club’s independent panel of testers was responsible for picking the winner of the award from over 50 courses. After whittling the finalists down to two, The Vale’s Wales National course and the Brabazon at The Belfry, the panel decided that the Welsh course was ultimately their favourite to play in the whole of the UK.
The Vale Resort’s Golf Operations Manager Clive Coombs (pictured with The Vale greenkeepers) says “We are absolutely thrilled with tonight’s win, especially when you look at the standard of the courses that we were up against. At The Vale we are, of course, committed to ensuring that our courses play to the very highest standard, but it has also always been absolutely crucial to us that our members and visitors are able to come and simply enjoy the experience that we offer here - I’m delighted that our efforts have paid off. ”
To celebrate the win, the Vale Resort is offering people the chance to experience the enjoyment of their golf courses for themselves with some exclusive deals. For more information please click here to visit The Vale's Golf NOW webpage! |
Mixed Success for Cradoc Seniors |
 Cradoc Golf Club's Seniors have been very busy with mixed success. In the Preliminary Round of the 2011 South Wales Seniors Classic, Cradoc's A Team beat Builth Wells B Team 2-1 at Penoyre Park. Cradoc's winning pairs were John James & Tom Price by one hole and Tony Payne & John Jones 4&3. The A Team therefore qualify to play in the Cup competition. However Cradoc's B Team, the Cup holders, went down 0-3 at Pontypridd A Team, a tough fixture. The C Team lost 0.5-2.5 at home to Llanishen B Team with Ray Morgan & Roger Thornhill getting a half to avoid a whitewash. The B and C Teams now play in the Bowl competition.
In recent friendly matches the Seniors have had two wins at home, 5-3 against The Monmouthshire GC and 5-2 versus Llandrindod Wells. Seniors Captain Derek Brown won both his matches, 5&4 and 2&1 with Graham Chamberlain and Cyril Teasdale respectively. Graham was also successful winning versus Llandod one up with Len Green. John Nancarrow & Tony James won both their matches 3&2 and 2 up. Other winners against Monmouthshire were Dave Matthews & Steve Pogmore 3&2, Derek Lloyd & John Silk 2&1 and Ken Manning & Roy Alp one up. The other successful pairings against Llandod were Jack Massey & Roger Thornhill 6&5 and Ron Rowsell & Ray Morgan one up. |
Winter Winners! |
 Pictured being presented with the Tony Jelleyman Trophy by Holywell Golf Club Captain Alan Williams are the winners of the Winter League Competition Mark Roberts and Chris Cummins.
Left to right are Mark Roberts, Alan Williams and Chris Cummins. |
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Woodlake Drive-in |
 During the recent Annual General Meeting at Woodlake Park Golf Club the new Club Captain & Lady Captain formally took up their posts. The excellent pre-season weather continued the following day for their ceremonial ‘drive-in’ when a large crowd of members watched the latest Woodlake Lady Captain, Mrs Rene Wood, hit a superb shot down the 18th fairway to start her year. The new Club Captain, Mr Peter Watkins, followed this using the now traditional old wooden club for his drive. On the morning they were also joined by Tim Morgan, the Junior Captain. The day continued with a shotgun start competition that was very well supported by the members of Woodlake Park and produced some excellent scores off the white blocks for the first time this year. In fact Vaughan Thomas playing off a handicap of 4 narrowly missed beating the current course record while carding an impressive 43 points. Sion Monday (10) & Rod Edwards (7) were both close behind on 42 points, while Sam Jenkins (10) scored 41 points to make it a very good day for the lower handicappers. The ladies Section celebrated the start of the new Lady Captain’s year with a Texas Scramble event the following day.
Our picture shows Captains Drive-In, l to r, Tim Morgan (Junior Captain), Rene Wood (Lady Captain) & Peter Watkins (Club Captain) |
Ryder Cup boost to Welsh economy |
 A major and comprehensive Economic Impact Study of The 2010 Ryder Cup at The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales, has found that the economic impact on Wales as Host Nation was £82.4 million.
Thousands of visitors – the total attendance for the week of the match was 244,000 – helped focus the sporting spotlight on Wales as the event attracted global television and media coverage.
The study, which was jointly funded by the major partners involved in the match, took into account the money spent on local travel, on-site spend, off-site spend, any extension to a visitor’s stay (excluding the unexpected extra Monday) and any associated additional spend.
The study, which was conducted by IFM Sports Marketing Surveys, involved more than 1,250 face-to-face interviews with spectators during the event followed by nearly 3,000 on-line. Fifty Welsh golf clubs also contributed.
The Celtic Manor Resort itself withstood all the elements had to throw at it to provide a wonderful stage for the dramatic conclusion to The 2010 Ryder Cup, fulfilling the bold vision of owner Sir Terry Matthews and enhancing the resort's global reputation. |
Cradoc Celebrations |
 Cradoc Golf Club held their AGM in March in a packed Clubhouse when outgoing Captain David James opened the proceedings by presenting a cheque for £1400 to Brecon Dial-a-Ride representative, former Club Captain Tony Bell.
David went on to report on his year in office with successes both on and off the course. The Men's team had ben undeaten until the final match of the season. The Boathouse Trophy had been retained. The Seniors had won the South Wales Seniors Classic Cup for the fourth time in seven years, this time under Chris Williams' Captaincy.
Chris Regan from Cilgwyn GC had won the Coors Tournament of Champions. Cradoc had had more members joining than leaving. Several improvements had been made in the Clubhouse and on the course. In conclusion he presented the Golden Brick for outstanding service to the Club in 2010 to his Ladies' Captain Fiona Jones (see picture). Local businessman Tony Evans was elected Club Captain for 2011 and was presented with his Club blazer and tie by David James. Brian Evans becomes Vice Captain with Nick Morrell re-elected as Treasurer. Ronnie Cresswell is the new Ladies Captain. Ken Jenkins and Bryan Jones were re-elected to Committee to be joined by newcomer Pat Jones. Rob Evans, son of Tony, is the 2011 Junior Captain.
Dates for Cradoc's Open events and more information - click here. |
BACK IN ACTION AT CRADOC |
CRADOC Golf Club's men were glad to get back to League action in January after rounds were snowed off. As a result the previous leader Mark Pipes lost his unbeaten record and slipped to joint third place with 5 other golfers on 16 points from 3 wins and one loss. The others were Ivan Boreham, John Drain, Steve Edwards, Dave Matthews and Derek Osborne. New leaders are John Bevan and Alec Morgan scoring 18 points from 3 wins and one half. 73 members have so far played one round or more and the next round is planned for Sunday 16th January.
In January 69 golfers welcomed the return of Sunday Stablefords with Rob Cleaves being runaway winner with 40 points playing off 9, seven-eighths of his Club handicap. Mike Hudman was way back on 35 points off 11 in second place and Jeff Price was third on 34 also off 11. The following bunch consisted of 3 players on 33:- Steve Kenchington (5), Terry Eckley (14) and Iain Sampson (7). John Bigley (8) and John Bevan (5) were in seventh and eighth places respectively. The next Winter Stableford is scheduled for Sunday 23rd January.
Plan your visit to Cradoc in 2011 - see their website click here. |
Target Golf in the snow at Holywell |
 With the cancellation of the Annual Cross Country Boxing Day competition at Holywell, due to the snow covered course it was left up to the club Professional to come up ' with a cunning plan' for the members, who had not played for three weeks, to get some golf in over the Christmas period. With the assistance of the greenstaff a 5 hole course was set up, snow being cleared to establish the 'target greens' , with the longest ' holes' measuring 127 yds and the shortest 91 yards. Points being awarded for inner circle 10 , outer circle 5 and on the green 2 points, all their hard work was rewarded by over 40 competitors turning up to compete on the day. Taking the prizes on the day in Div 1 Roger Davies 14 pts., Division 2 Ken Evans with 22 pts. and the Lady Captain Eirian Evans taking Division 3 with 9 pts.
Pictured left to right Liam Reed, Matt Parsley (Pro) Mal Reed (Club Captain) Ray Lewis (Club President) |
Cottrell weathers the fayre! |
 Cottrell Park Golf Club’s Ladies section organised a December Christmas Craft Fayre with all profits donated to the Captains’ charity ‘Friends of Velindre’. Derek Brockway (The Wales Weatherman) officially opened the Christmas Fayre and to signed copies of his three popular books. Cottrell Park and the club captains’ Lorraine Pointon Bell and Stephen Lewis would like to thank Derek for opening the event, the stand holders for presenting a fine display of Christmas wares and the attendees who raised an amazing £1,000 for the chosen charity.
Our picture shows Manager Derek Smith with Derek Brockway and Lorraine Pointon-Bell, Lady Captain |
Another great fundraiser at Rhuddlan |
 Our picture shows the Rhuddlan Club Captain Glyn Jones and Lady Captain Clare Sheldon presenting a cheque for over £6,000 to Glenda Molloy from the Welsh Air Ambulance at the Club’s annual dinner dance at the end of November.
The two Captains are Uncle and Niece and both chose the Welsh Air Ambulance as their charities for the year. Well done Rhuddlan for a magnificent year of fundraising |
Hayley Davis wins in Abu Dhabi |
 English champion Hayley Davis scored a three shot victory in the girls’ event in the Abu Dhabi Junior Golf Championship. The 17-year-old from Ferndown, Dorset, led from start to finish and was four-under par for the 54-hole event. She said:
Hayley opened with two sub-par rounds of 70 and 68 to establish a four shot lead with a round to play. She sealed her win with a risk-free final round of 74. Her closest challengers were British champion Kelly Tidy of Royal Birkdale and Amy Boulden of Wales, who shared second place on one-under par. Amy pulled herself up the leaderboard with a final-round of six-under 66 while Kelly consolidated her score with par 72.
Cheshire’s Bronte Law (Bramhall) shared the first round lead with Hayley and was lying second with a round to play. Bronte, who at 15 was the youngest player in the field, eventually finished fourth and said: “I never got the round going. I played some solid golf to the greens and had lip-outs all over the place."
The championship, sponsored by the Daily Telegraph, attracted an initial entry of over 40,000 juniors hoping to qualify for the finals tournament at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The boys’ event was won by Ben Taylor Walton Heath on 13-under par. |
Vale resort sees 50% rise in group golf bookings |
 The Vale Resort in Hensol, near Cardiff, has recorded a 50% leap in group golf bookings in year on year sales. Both men and women looking to experience golf in Wales are being enticed by the Resort’s two courses The Lake and the Wales National. A number of this year’s bookings are also repeat bookings from golfers who played for the first time in 2010.
Golf group bookings placed in 2009 for 2010 were valued at just over £30,000. This year, for the first ten days of October alone, the same bookings have already exceeded over £50,000. The Resort’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Paul Beddoe said: “It is a little early to say that this increase in demand is entirely down to The Ryder Cup, but without doubt it must have a major bearing.
“What is particularly pleasing is the number of enquiries and business placed from specialist golf tour operators from The Midlands and London which, hopefully, signifies an increasing demand for golfers perhaps coming to Wales for the first time.” |
Edwards Chalks Up The Treble |
|  Cradoc Golf Club hosted the Annual Molson Coors Tournament of Champions in September. 52 Club Champions braved an inclement morning to play the first 18 of 36 holes of golf on this fine parkland course. The morning round saw Joe Vickery of Newport Golf Club and Brent O'Neill of Radyr Golf Club ahead on the leaderboard with scores of 71. They were closely followed by Paul McMullen of Caerphilly Golf Club and Jonathan Davidson of Llanwern Golf Club on 72.
The weather for the afternoon round was a little better and after 36 very close holes Brent O'Neill and Christopher Regan of Cilgwyn, who carded, in the challenging conditions, a superb 2 under par 69 for the second 18 holes, were level with scores of 142. After a tense three hole playoff, a superb 20 foot putt on the 18th saw Christopher Regan being crowned Club Champion of Wales.
For Brent O'Neill this was a particular disappointment as he was also runner up in last year's tournament.
Third place went to Joe Vickery with a creditable 143 points and in fourth place was Gareth Bradley from Anglesey Golf Club with 144 points.
Photograph shows Club Captain, David James (left) and Richard David from Molson Coors Brewers celebrating with Club Champion of Wales Christopher Regan - Photo: Richard Bosworth |
Edwards Chalks Up The Treble |
 Windermere's Welsh wonder Simon Edwards admitted there was 'life in the old dog
yet' after winning his third Ryder Cup Wales 2010 Welsh National PGA
Championship.
Edwards, winner in 2002 and 2003, took the title via a play-off after locking
horns at the top of the leaderboard on three-under-par with a determined Gareth
Jones (Sandiway), who fired a best-of-the-week four-under-par 65 to reign in the
overnight leader.
The duo then tackled the 18th hole at Royal St David's three times before
Edwards finally sunk the winning putt. |
Ladies Winning In Style At Cottrell Park |
 Thursday the 19th August started dry as Cottrell Park ladies with their guests from other clubs, went out to play on the Mackintosh course in a Team Stableford with best 2 scores out of 3 to count. There was the usual welcome at the halfway house with cakes, savouries and Pimms to help the ladies on their way. Unfortunately as the day progressed the weather changed and became very unpleasant by mid afternoon with torrential rain, some of the afternoon ladies who had the worst of the weather did not manage to complete the competition and were thoroughly soaked.
The prize giving followed by the Ladies’ Captain Lorraine Pointon Bell. First team prize went to Toots Plant with her guests Sally Ward (Rolls of Monmouth) and Moyra Hamond (St Pierre) with 83 points. Second team Liz Overton with guests Pat Cinus and Maria Driscoll (Glamorganshire) 80 points and third Jan Cosby with guests Jill Davies (Coed-y-Mwstwr) and Alison Lewis (Pyle and Kenfig) 79 points. Nearest the pin was won by Moyra Hamond and the longest drive 0-27 handicap, Helen Little (Cottrell Park) and 28-36 handicap Barbara Watts (Brynhill). |
More success for The Vale |
 The Vale Golf Club is celebrating another win after promising talent Lewys Bishop clinched the Senior Division and County Junior Championship. The Vale, based at the Vale Resort in Hensol near Cardiff, launched The Vale Academy three years ago, further establishing the Resort’s reputation for nurturing talent at grassroots level.
And 16-year-old Radyr boy Lewis, who took the Senior Division and the Junior Championship, has been a member of the Club for six years and of the Academy since it opened. At the event on July 7th Lewys overcame testing weather conditions and scored a 73, the low round of the day, which gave him a Championship-winning total of 149. This was one shot better than runner-up Alex Baker (also a Vale player) who followed his 76 with a 74 for 150. Ryan Thomas, another Academy member completed a Vale ‘clean sweep’ two shots further back on 152 (78 / 74) at the event held at Rhondda Golf Club, which celebrated 100 years last month. |
Winning ways at Cradoc |
 Gareth Powell retained the Cradoc Golf Club Championship Trophy with excellent rounds of 72 and 73 in July, totalling 145 gross, just 3 over par for his two rounds. He was well ahead of two golfers vying for the runner's up spot:- Rob Evans (79 + 78) and Padam Gurung (77 + 80). The nett score winner over 36 holes was Derek Osborne, heading three golfers on nett 143, in company with Mike Hudman and Wayne Gittoes. The nett score winner over 18 holes in the morning was Wayne carding 76 -8=68 ahead of Mike 81-12=69 and Gareth 72-2=70. Gareth received the Championship Trophy ( inaugurated in 1969) from Club Captain David James. Our picture shows Gareth (left) receiving the trophy from captain David James. |
Ladies’ Success at Woodlake Park |
 THE Ladies Section at Woodlake Park organised a highly successful and popular Ladies’ Open Day in July, with beautiful weather and a course in excellent condition.
This team competition, based on the best two scores out of three, produced some notable scores as the ladies battled for the generous voucher prizes. Unusually, the winning team consisted of players who were members of different clubs. Scoring a grand total of 79 points Jan Robins (Woodlake Park), Kath Gwatkins (Llanwern) and Jackey Hayes (Raglan Parc) ensured a comfortable victory by four points. Pictured: the Woodlake Ladies’ Open Winners 2010 (l – r) Kath Gwatkins, Jacky Hayes and Jan Robins. |
Jill to be President |
 The Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) has announce that Jill Edwards MBE has accepted the invitation to become the next President of the LGU and its subsidiary, LGU Championships Limited. The current President, Maureen Lockett, retires at the agm in February 2011, when Jill’s term of office will commence. Chairman of the LGU in 1998, Jill brings a wealth of golf knowledge and experience to the role of President. A keen golfer since joining Llanishen Golf Club, Wales, at the age of 13, she played to a high standard, winning the Welsh Girls’ Championship in two successive years and representing her country as a player and Captain on many occasions. She has an enviable record at club level as well, and in 1969 was club champion concurrently at four different golf clubs! She served as President of both the WLGU and Glamorgan Ladies’ County Golf Association, while her outstanding contribution to golf in Wales was recognised in 2006, when she was awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. |
Busy times at Cradoc |
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