John Smith holds his nerve
on the last day to win the
Tour Championship

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Peter Meadowcroft wins three
successive Tour Days to record
 a memorable achievement

What a memorable few days we had on our 15th Annual Tour to Hallmark Welcombe Golf Club in Stratford. After a disappointing summer we were blessed by magnificent weather and  presented  with a course that offered breathtaking views over the rolling hills with the backdrop of a magnificent hotel.  The course was in a spectacular setting with all the holes providing their own individual challenges. Despite playing the course three times, in as many days, we never tired of the joys and frustrations that the course had to offer. Some say, it was perhaps our best ever Tour - format for the golf was close to being spot on - facilities in the Hotel excellent - weather glorious, yes, it was delightful.

At the end of a tiring three days it was John Smith, playing off an handicap of 21, who came out on top to win the Tour Stableford Championship and take the silverware home. On the opening day he won the Daily Cup with a score of 32 points from 95 strokes along with the first days Longest Drive competition.  On the second day he again returned a score card with 32 points finishing in third place behind the days winner with 39 points. It all came down to the last day with just two points separating the top two - John and Andrew Abell - both with realistic chances of claiming the coveted prize of the Tour Championship. At the end of the third round the two players came in with 30 points which maintained John’s advantage of just 2 points over Andrew to take the top prize and to give him a good reason to have a grin like the proverbial Cheshire cat when it was announced that he had won. John’s round had as many twists and turns as a helter - skelter ride and the finish was just as breathless. Coming down the last hole John found himself amongst the small saplings, which was followed by striking a cracking recovery shot. His third shot eventually found the edge of some shrubbery, some fifty yards from the pin and no easy shot on offer.  At this point, there was no doubt that a blob on the hole was a certainty, and yours truly, had more or less penciled that in on the card. It has to be said the next shot deservedly won him the Title. With no real room for a back swing he managed to get the ball from  the side of the shrubbery. onto the green, over bunkers and finish some two feet from the pin for an easy par and three points. Amazing - with a huge smile it was time for a roll-up - job done!. Throughout the round John played with patience, occasional “Smithy” expletives were heard, not uncommon,  but by the time we  reached the next hole all was forgotten. Yep, John held his nerve well and to his credit took on some very difficult shots.  With all the adrenalin flowing, it was very clear that he wanted to win  - or was it the beer rather than the adrenalin that was flowing from the night before - either way, the boy did well. Congratulations John.

However, another great performance on the Tour belonged to Peter Meadowcroft, playing off an handicap of 23, he enjoyed a magnificent three days of golf winning each of our Tour Days. It was an amazing accomplishment - one that has never been done before - and one that may never be repeated. On our opening day Peter won by a three point margin, on the second day this winning margin was increased by a further four points which gave him a twelve point lead over his nearest challenger going into our last day. Peter remained calm and raced away on the final day to claim 36 points and edge out  his brother Richard on count-back,  to win a third successive day. This last day was a close call with both players having recorded the same score on the back nine but Peter clinched his win with the better score over the last three holes. The only disappointment for Peter was that he was not eligible to take home the silverware as he had not managed to play the three qualifying games this year. Nevertheless, using his handicap with such consistency, this  performance  will sit in the Society Records for some time to come. Congratulations Peter - very well deserved.

In the Strokeplay Competition it was Mark Steele who took the Trophy home with just 273 strokes over the three days. This score was bettered by Phil Smith by 7 strokes but unfortunately, just like Peter, he did not qualify to take the Trophy. There were some great shots hit by various players to claim all the Nearest the Pin and longest Drive Trophies all of which are recorded in the tables below.

We raised £120 from the raffle plus a further £34 from the Auction which will be donated towards Cancer Research / Douglas Macmillan Hospice. A worthy charity. Even though Stan Malpass was not able to be with us, he sent along a bottle for the auction and a raffle book. The fines raised a further £25 and then the Tour Tote and Football Cards organised by Mark helped to boost our Society Funds to the tune of £126. All of you need to take a pat on the back for firstly donating the prizes and then again digging deep to raise the money. Many of you donated prizes and your time and effort to make this weekend memorable.Well done guys.

We had many classic moments - perhaps a favourite was the matter of Andrew’s breakfast on our final day when our Spanish sounding waitress commented to Andrew on the non arrival of his breakfast, For those of us who saw their  facial expressions, it was simply a classic moment and would have graced any episode of Fawlty Towers.

The presentation of the “Top PIG Moaner and non-trophy winner” to Joe Matthews was also a good moment to savour. Joe having won an extra Society Day earlier in the year and had no trophy awarded, continuously bleated for several weeks that it did  not seem fair that a Trophy was not awarded to mark his achievement in winning a Society Day. Mark to the rescue…scoured the E-bay site and came up with Joe’s Trophy , suitably engraved - it actually looked like Joe as well!! - which made it even more amusing. However, later in the evening  “Scallop Gate” was to follow. There is no doubt that Phil Smith will always read the small print on any future menu when we are on Tour! All night long, long into the early hours, all we could hear was Phil moaning about his £2 EACH scallops. Must become a very good contender for the next award - “£2 a bloody scallop” ringed in our ears all evening.

Many of you donated prizes and your time and effort to make this weekend memorable. There is no need to acknowledge individuals for their contribution as we expressed our thanks at the presentation at the end of the Tour. In the future our days at the Menzies Golf Resort and our time in Stratford will long be remembered. Cheers guys, we all had a great  few days.