CLUB NEWS

The winter league is over for another year, the presentation of trophies and medals for the season was held at Hoggs bar. There was a good gathering and the newly refurbished premises was more than up to the job.

There were many competitions and prizes to be distributed for those who had done well, here are but a few as there are too many to mention in this report.

Singles matchplay champion for 2011….Sam Jenkins. Doubles matchplay champions for 2011….Joel Kennedy & Richard Wright.

The player of the year is no surprise to me, although there were some worthy challengers it had to be….Derick Hynes. Likewise the junior player of the year had a few likely contenders, but if you had seen the amount of times Michael Connor returned to the stage to collect his prizes you would be in no doubt. Junior player of the year….Michael Connor.

A trophy is also presented for Club Man of the year, this is someone whom the Captain feels has contributed to the club and has been an asset throughout the year in one way or another. This year Brendan Morgan is the Captains choice for his efforts in 2011.

As I mentioned before there were many winners and runners-up, applause, congratulations and thanks to all those whose names have not appeared here in this report but have done well and collected prizes for their efforts. Its been a tremendous season and it must be remembered that its down to all the members of our club that we have such vibrant, competitive season, nothing improves your golf more than practice and competition, everyone that takes part in the competitions contributes to the club and it is much appreciated, thank you!

Captains and Presidents day have their own special prize giving on the day, so were not incorporated into the prize night proceedings.

The past 2 weeks a Turkey Trot competition has been held on the run up to Christmas. Last week Mark Gilpin won the turkey with 41 points and Willie McWilliams had 40 points and won the ham. This week Willie McWilliams won with 36 points and gets the turkey he missed out on last week and Walter Beattie had 33 points which won him the ham. Well done fellas, dont eat it all yourselves! Merry Christmas to all…… Course is closed 24th,25th & 26th December, but open through to the New Year !

10/12/11 – Loughgall Golf Club, Winter League – Week 8

Conclusion of Armagh Potato Company sponsored Winter League

After 8 weeks of winter league competition at Loughgall, the finish could have not been any closer. If we remember, Team Willie Turner have always been leading the way through some excellent scoring week after week for the past 7 weeks, infact the only team who has kept in touching distance and stayed anywhere near them was Team Barry Rayner. Barrys team had to finish 5 places ahead of Team Willie to win and to be honest the odds were against this happening as Team Willie have been almost untouchable.

So lets check the final winter league table to see who won and the placings:

1st Team Barry Rayner………59 points…..WINNER

2nd Team Willie Turner………..58 points…..Runners-up

3rd Team Arron Agg……………47

4th Team Kevin McCoy……….45.5

5th Team Cive Currie………….42.5

6th Team Andy Currie…………40

7th Team Brian Nixon………….33

8th Team Stephen Mullen…….31.5

9th Team Sam Jenkins…………31.

The best score on the day was Keith Campbell with 44 points, well done Keith! The best Gross was Wayne Crawfords 74, excellent golf mate.

Team Barry Rayner wins the winter league with Team Willie Turner taking the runners-up spot. Congratulatioms to both teams.

The overall points winner was Sam Jenkins, Sams team may not have scored too well but his own score was not bettered, no individual scored more than Sam.

The overall Gross winner was Johnathan McNabb, half of the winter leagues Gross prizes were won by Johny and the ones he did not win he was only just beaten out of the prize. That really is brilliant consistant scorimg by Sam and Johny, well done fellas.

Apparently this is the 2nd year Barrys team has won the winter league, back to back wins! Im sure Barry would be the first to say its down to the men in the team doing their bit every week. An important fact….Team Barry was one of just 2 teams whose players turned out every week to put in a score for their team. Obviously there was excellent team spirit and good communication between the the winning team, well done fellas!

Talking about team spirit and the never give up mentality, in the final week Team Brian Nixon moved up off the bottom from 9th to 7th position and Team Kevin McCoy moved from 6th to 4th place. Thats the fight needed to do well in competitions because you just never know how well your opponent will perform, do your very best every time you play whatever the circumstances and you will never look back and wished you had tried harder. Remember spirit up, keep trying and enjoy your golf!

Turkey trot is on for this Saturdays competition.

03/12/11 – Loughgall Golf Club, Winter League – Week 7

Week 7 of the Armagh Potato Company sponsored winter league

After 7 weeks of intense competition the league table shows that only one of two teams can win the competition, with just one week remaining the team of Willie Turner is still at the top of the table and has been at the top from week one. In second place and 4 points behind is Team Barry Rayner, close enough to have a chance of winning if they produce their best, but Willies team will be difficult to beat if they continue playing to their current good form.

Winter league table after 7th week:

1st Team Willie Turner…….55 points

2nd Team Barry Rayner…..51

3rd Team Arron Agg……….40

4th Team Andy Currie……..38

5th Team Clive Currie……..37.5

6th Team Kevin McCoy…..36.5

7th Team Sam Jenkins……30

8th Team Stephen Mullen..27.5

9th Team Brian Nixon………27

The winning score this week was that of Peter McBride with 44 points, an excellent score Peter well done. *This score has been amended from the original notification that was posted on the notice board which showed Barry Wallace as the winner with 43 points, apologies to Barry.

Once again we see the name of Johnathan McNabb taking the best Gross score for the week, you are a great asset to your team and its no wonder your team has led the way from week one, well done.

Handicap changes for week 8….J.McNabb-5, S.Pearson-11, W.Turner-15, B.Wallace-15…. sorry fellas but if you keep winning, you will be cut, but its only for the winter league.

This week is the final deciding week of the winter league so go out there and give it your all, if your team does not have a chance of 1st or 2nd there are individual scores to be improved and there are still 2s to be got or even hole in ones if you are very fortunate. Enjoy your golf!

Its coming up to Christmas so for Saturday 10th and 17th of December there will be a Turkey Trot competition, the usual stableford rules will apply unless otherwise stated.

26/11/11 – Loughgall Golf Club, Winter League – Week 6

Well its the sixth week in th Armagh Potato Company sponsored winter league and things are hotting up! Its just aswell cos the weather is a tad on the damp side but its the same for all of us and it wont get much better at this time of year, so its onward and upward.

Willie Turners team is still at the top, closing the gap is Team Barry Rayner with a further 9 points to Team Kevin McCoy in third.

Winter League table after week 6:

1st Team Willie Turner…….46 points

2nd Team Barry Rayner…..45

3rd Team Kevin McCoy…..36

4th Team Clive Currie……..34.5

5th Team Arron Agg………..32

6th Team Andy Currie……..31

7th Team Stephen Mullen..26.5

8th Team Sam Jenkins……25

9th Team Brian Nixon………23

Charlie Johnston had a great round collecting 46 points for his efforts which was the best of the week, well done Charlie. Best Gross score goes to Sam Jenkins with an excellent 74.

Handicap adjustments; Wayne Crawford-9, Alan Magill-10, Barry Rayner-13, Ian gorgeous Gordon-10, James Cunningham-26, David McRoberts-18, Charlie Johnston-18 and Sam Jenkins 10.

So there is a good bit of catching up to be done yet, the finishing line is getting nearer but some good scores will be needed. Its not over til Uncle Festa closes the competition on Sunday 4th December. Its been an excellent winter league so far, make the effort and your team can still achieve, whether its for top spot or to move ahead of the team in front get out there and give it your best. Enjoy your golf!

19/11/11 – Loughgall Golf Club, Winter League – Week 5

It’s week 5 of the Armagh Potato Company sponsored winter league and there are some movements both up and down the league table.

Willie Turners team is sitting at the top but with a reduced lead, after winning each week they have succummed to the inevitable, the very high standard of golf they produced had to take a dip at some stage and this was the week it happened, 5th for the week reduces their lead to just 7 points ahead of Barry Rayners team who came 3rd this week. Seven points is a decent lead to take into week six, so no need to panic just yet Willie. There were other movers in the winter league, namely Kevin McCoys team went up 2 places and unfortunately for Stephen Mullen his team went 2 places the opposite way. Both Andy Currie and Arron Aggs team moved up a place, not surprising considering Arrons team had the two top scores each with 46 points!

Willie Crozier tied with Robert Treanor on 46 points a piece, but Willie takes 1st place on the countback, thats tremendous scoring fellas well done.

The best Gross once again goes to Johnathan McNabb shooting a round of 72, what a golfer…what a guy!

Now for the Winter League table; 1st Team Willie Turner-43 points, 2nd Team Barry Rayner-36, 3rd Team Clive Currie-32.5, 4th Team Kevin McCoy-30, joint 5th Team Andy Currie and Team Arron Agg-27, 7th Team Stephen Mullen-25.5, 8th Team Sam Jenkins-18 and finally Team Brian Nixon with 15 points.

Obviously every team wants to win, the race is on to take top spot and only one team can be the winner, but its equally important for the teams in the lower half of the table to try to move up the table because no one wants to be last. If Brian and Sams team can dig in and produce a few good scores in the last couple of weeks, the bottom of the table could be very tight, watch this space there are moves to be made yet!

Handicap changes for week six; K.Campbell-6, A.Agg-12, I.Magill-14, R.Abbott-17, S.Thompson-20, J.Lyttle-22, R.Treanor-12, W.Crozier-14 and W.Crawford-10.

The next few weeks will prove to be very competitive as we are nearing the finishing post, everyone needs to do their bit for their team, not turning out is not an option, one point may make all the difference but you wont know that until the last ball is holed in the final week. Enjoy your golf!

12/11/11 – Loughgall Golf Club, Winter League – Week 4

Armagh Potato Company Sponsored Winter League

Week 4 of the winter league at Loughgall was again very competitve, however at the halfway stage of the eight week competition its another win for Willie Turners team. Top spot was closely contested but once again Willies Team take maximum points, thats four weeks in a row. Willies winning team have their handicaps cut for next week, so J.McNabb is playing off 6, S.Pearson 12, W.Turner 15 and B.Wallace 16. We shall have to wait and see next week if these cuts put a halt to Team Willie or can they rise to the occasion, the pack is chasing but can they close the gap?

The league table as it stands after 4 weeks;

1st Team Willie Turner-38 points,

2nd Team Barry Rayner-29 points,

3rd Team Clive Currie-26.5 points,

4th Team Andy Currie-23 points,

5th Team Stephen Mullen-22.5 points,

6th Team Kevin McCoy-22 points,

7th Team Arron Agg-18 points,

8th Team Sam Jenkins-16 points,

9th Team Brian Nixon-14 points.

The 10th team has been dropped and those players were randomly drawn out and place into the remaining teams.

The best score this week was Robert Treanor with 43 points, well done Robert a great score. The best Gross score was Johnathan McNabb….again, just 72 shots taken, well done very consistant scoring mate.

Please check the notice board for the most up to date information.

Well done all those that managed to get out and play their round, if you didnt score well this week there is another chance to to do well next week, good luck and good golf.

05/11/11 – Loughgall Golf Club, Winter League – Week 3

Loughgall Golf Club- Winter League, wk 3

After three weeks of winter league competition one team is setting a blistering pace. The team of Willie Turner has proved to be both high scoring and consistant, 3 weeks in a row they have taken maximum points, but each time they win they lose a shot off their handicap. At some point the chasing pack should begin to reduce the growing gap between themselves and Willies team, but not if they keep winning. Well done fellas, we have 5 weeks to catch you or it will be a catfight for second place only.

Here are the latest standings in the Winter League at time of going to press; 1st place team Willie Turner…29 points, 2nd team Barry Rayner…22, 3rd team Clive Currie…21.5, 4th team Andy Currie…21, 5th team Stephen Mullen…19.5, 6th team Arron Agg…17, 7th team Kevin McCoy…16, 8th team Brian Nixon…10, 9th team Sam Jenkins…8 and in 10th place team Neil Walker with 7 points.

The best individual score of the week was Ian(gorgeous)Gordon with 45 points and the best Gross score was Jonny McKnights round of 75, excellent scoring well done.

Please check the notice board for the latest upto date information.

There are a number of players not getting their winter league round of golf played, you have all week to get the round played. When you dont play your round each week your team members are put at a disadvantage, this is very unfair to them and the competition as a whole is less than what it should be. We all have busy lives and commitments, sometimes it is unavoidable, however please make the effort to get it played! Enjoy your golf!

31/10/11 – Loughgall Golf Club, Winter League – Week 2

The weather may change from day to day but the fierce competition remains constant at Loughgall Golf Club, after two weeks of golf Willie Turners team remains in top spot with another win. A win gives Willies team 10 points which means they have a total of 20 and are well and truely setting the pace for others to follow.

In second place we have two teams on the same points, Team Clive Currie and Team Barry Rayner are both on 15 points, there would be great rivalry between these two teams and a fair amount of good natured banter. Arron Aggs team is nicely placed in fourth place with 14 points closely followed by Team Stephen Mullen on 13 points, Andy Curries team are 2 points behind on 11 points.

Although the competition runs over 8 weeks and there is still plenty of time to move up the leader board, the teams on a single figure points total would need to post a few good scores to keep them in the mix, Kevin McCoys team has 8 points, Team Brian Nixon are on 6 points, Team Neil Walker have 4 points and bringing up the rear is team Sam Jenkins on 3 points.

It really helps your teams chances of doing well if all players make sure they find time to get their round played each week, there are 6 players in a team and believe me you definately need to be turning up and making the effort. Four best scores count, you can not expect the same 4 players to produce the goods every week, most players will have one or two poor rounds and thats when all 6 players are needed. Enjoy your golf!

The notice board in the back office may have more upto date information, however this info is correct at time of going to press.

22/10/11 – Loughgall Golf Club, Winter League – Week 1

The weather has turned wet and windy and the temperature is down, thats a sure sign our winter league is underway.

The first week of winter league competition has been played and scores are in, but first a run down of how the competition works this year:

Ten teams of 6 players, only the four best scores count for each team each week, the team with the best score gets maximum points of 10, 2nd best get 9 points ,3rd best 8 points and so on down to 10th position which get 1 point. Each week the new scores will be posted on the notice board and those scores added to the previous weeks score, with any position changes shown on a league table. The competition lasts 8 weeks, each week begins on the Monday and finishes on the Sunday. Make sure your card is filled in correctly and signed by an accompanying member of Loughgall Golf Club, also remember to sign in to the computer before your round and enter your score on return. Green markers are to be used at the tee box.

Team names will be that of the Captain of each team;

1st Willie Turner, 2nd Clive Currie, 3rd Andy Currie, 4th Arron Agg, 5th Barry Rayner, 6th Steven Mullen, 7th Kevin McCoy, 8th Neil Walker, 9th Brian Nixon and 10th Sam Jenkins.

The best individual round of the week goes to Andy Currie scoring 42 points, a superb round of golf considering the conditions, anybody who knows Andy knows this is no fluke, he plays to a high standard on a fairly regular basis, well done Andy great scoring!

The best Gross of the week came from another consistantly high performer, Jonny McNabb going around the course in 74 shots, well done mate (you just pipped me!).

To all those entered in the winter league, your support for the club competitions is much appreciated. Those who would have liked to be in the winter league but just didnt get their name down or entry fee in, there are more competitions to come. Please be swift if you really want to be in the mix of things next time a competition is to be played, delay and you could miss out again. The more in the competition, the better the prize fund and a better more competitive competition, this in turn should improve your golf. It a win win situation.

8/10/11 – Club Stableford – Mervyn’s The Man

A great score of 45 points from Mervyn Todd rounds off an excellent season with a win, for anyone with short memories Mervyn also won Captains Day this year. However if you win you have to accept a cut in handicap too, Mervyn is now down to a 16 handicap and I have no doubt we will see further reductions in the near future. Very well done Mervyn.

Second and 3rd place both had scores of 41 points, Mal Cullen just beating our Captain Davy Coote on the countback.

The best Gross score goes to Johnnie McNabb, going around the course in 76 shots, Johnnie seems to be keeping a low profile of late, he is on the course very early and away before most of us have started our round, good to see him in the prizes!

Section winners are; Ian (gorgeous) Gordon (0-12) with 38 points, Seamus Golding (13-18) also with 38 points and Past Captain Sean McKeever (19-28) with 39 points!

There were 6 players who got a two and they were Aaron Agg, Willie Crozier, Sam Jenkins, David McRoberts, Barry Wallace and last but not least Mervyn Todd.

Very well done to all the prize winners and as i have said before the participation of all that took part is greatly appreciated, its healthy competition and thats what brings the best out of all of us.

As briefly mentioned before our last fixtured competition has been played, but from Monday 10th October the Winter League is underway. Eight weeks in duration and each team consists of 6 players with only the best 4 cards counting for each team. The team having the highest score for the week gets maximum points (if there are 10 teams in the competition max points is 10, second highest score will get 9 points, 3rd 8 points and so). The week begins on the Monday and ends on the Sunday, any day can be played but cards must be signed by your playing partner on the day (a member of Loughgall Golf Club) and posted in the box by the computer (make sure cards are correctly filled in … name, day, date, time, week number, h.cap and signed), enter into the computer as you normally would before going out and on return. The competition is to be played off the green markers! Each week the scores will be updated and posted on the notice board.

Check the notice board to see who is in your team, speak to your designated team captain if you have any problem/querry.

Good luck and enjoy your golf!

Duffers shield, check notice board and play your match pronto!

1/10/11 – Club Stableford – The day belongs to McKnight

Saturdays competition was a club stableford event and although much of the country have been enjoying an Indian summer, that was not the case for Loughgall and the surrounding area (maybe 3 days earlier in the week), however there was little rain to speak of so that counts as a good day in Northern Ireland. A good day indeed for Jonny McKnight, 41 points and 1st place, I`m surprised Jonny has not won more often this year as his golf has been pretty good all season and a more competitive golfer would be hard to find. Well done mate, looks like you could be peaking for the winter league (starts 10th Oct, name and entry fee must be in for this Saturday 8th Oct,).

Second place was Conleth Kerr with 40 points, Con has had a few placings lately and would be another one to watch in the upcoming winter league.

Gross prize goes to Derick Hynes, or Uncle Festa as he is affectionately known by many and never far away from the prizes, his total of 80 shots brought more funds into his bulging coffers. Section winners were Pat Keegan (0-12), Barry Rayner (13-18) and David Mitchell (19-28).

Now for the two`s, only seven this week and they were by Seamus Golding, Alan Magill, Barry Rayner, Kevin McCoy, Lee Stewart, Eugene Scullion an David Mitchell.

Very well done to all the prize winners and thanks to all who took part, your continued support is much appreciated.

A reminder to get your name on the sheet for the winter league (its on the notice board near back office), dont forget and dont delay or you will miss out on a very competitive Winter League.

A last reminder about the Duffers Shield knock-out competition, please check the notice board and arrange to play your matches as soon as possible, if you cant play put your opponent through!

24/9/11 – Noel Conn & Company Chartered Accountants

Glen secures 1st place from stiff competition

Saturday 24th was the Noel Conn & Company stableford competition, once again some good scores were produced. Top score went to Glen Vennard 41 points off a 17 handicap, close behind with the same score was Alan Magill playing off 12 h,cap but unfortunately for Alan, Glen had the better back 9 so won on the countback, well done fellas good scoring.

Third and 4th places went to Sam Duffy and Willie McWilliams respectively, both on 40 points just 1 point short of challenging for 1st place unlucky!

Gross prize went to Keith Campbell shooting a 78, good score mate. Section winners were Wayne Crawford (0-12), Barry Wallace (13-18) and Steve Wall (19-28). Front 9 goes to Sean McKeever and back 9 to Conleth Kerr.

There were two prizes for the juvenile section this week, top score of 43 points goes to Daniel Huey who is in terrific form at the moment, well actually all year. Second place goes to Adam Proctor with a points score of 40, its brilliant to see such talent coming up from our younger players, the future of Loughgall Golf Club.

The Sunday Sweep Play-off Final took place on sunday, this was between Andy Currie, Derick Hynes, Willie Turner and Albert Mulligan. Wayne Crawford had secured his place in the final after playing some great golf all year, but a prior commitment arranged for the very same day allowed the person in fifth spot to take Waynes place, very unfortunate but I suppose thats life…..next year Wayne, cross check before you make any other plans!

Winner of 2011 Sunday Sweep is…..Derick Hynes, scoring 42 points off his new handicap of 10 (that must mean he will be cut again?), beaten runner-up also on 42 points Willie Turner lost on the countback, how unlucky can you get mate. Third place went to Andy Currie on 35 points with Albert Mulligan in fourth on 32 points. Very well done to all the finalists but as I`ve said before there can only be one winner and that winner is Derick (festa) Hynes!

We had two players from Loughgall playing in the St Andrews Challenge competition which took place on Sunday in Scotland, Kevin McCoy and Anthony McElmeel had already played two competitions to get this far and playing the Royal & Ancient is a dream that comes true for just a few people. Well Kevin McCoy went one better and won his handicap section and collects a cup for his efforts. Very well done to both players in representing Loughgall Golf Club and doing so well.

Some points of note; Please put your names on the list if you wish to enter the winter league, check the notice board! Make sure your entry fee is paid before the draw is made otherwise those names who have not paid will not go in the draw. Last time, we had people disappointed they were not in the competition so dont delay!

There are still just a few matches to be played in the Duffers Shield, Check the notice board and get them played….Happy Golfing !
17/9/11 – Novelty 4 Ball Scramble Event

The Scramble competition held on Saturday 17th saw a good turn out considering the bad weather predicted for the weekend.

The rules of this event require each player in the 4 ball to hit their ball off the tee and the position of the best drive is marked, then each player in the 4 ball hits their 2nd shot from within 15cm of the mark but not nearer the pin. This continues with each and every shot, taking the preferred ball position each time with just one score for each hole on the team card. However, each player must have a minimum of 3 of their drives used, their initials marked on the card beside their drives taken. This naturally produces a very high points score compared to regular competitions, but this is meant to be a fun event, something a little different from the norm.

There were many very good scores but the best of the bunch was the 4 ball of Keith Campbell, Barry Wallace, Con Kerr and Seamus Cunningham, they obviously worked very well together as a team and deservedly took 1st place. Second place went to the 4 ball of Dessie Hughes, James O`Hagan, Paddy McElmeel and Paddy`s son Anthony McElmeel, unfortunately there can only be one winning team, but 2nd place isn`t too bad. Well done to both the winning team and the runners-up, unlucky and better luck next time to all that took part in the competition.

12/09/2011 – Morgan’s Transport sponsored event

Kevin is the real McCoy

The weekend turned out better weather wise than had been predicted, which really helped the scoring in the Morgan`s Transport sponsored event. We had several scores of 39, 41 and 42 points, but there was a 43 and two players with 44 points! Kevin McCoy was the man of the day narrowly beating Walter Beattie on the count back, excellent scoring and two contenders for golfer of the year I am sure.

Conleth Kerr showing good form had the score of 43 points for 3rd place with Matthew Bown taking 4th spot with 42 points . Another Kerr, Kenny took the Gross with a round of 77, good scoring Ken.

Section winners were Kenneth Todd (0-12), Barry Wallace (13-18) and James Crawford (19-28), front 9 goes to Dennis Glass and the back 9 goes to Raymond Henry.

Best juvenile was Jordan Little scoring 42 points off his 24 handicap, you will be cut for that score Jordan!

There were 11 players who got a two, details will be found on the notice board. Very well done to all those that took part in the competition, especially our prize winners!

Loughgall Ladies had a real boost to their reputation as a young and growing club with a superb win in the Nellie Garrett Cup. Lorraine Abbott and Noreen McCone played in the Irish Ladies Golf Union Foursomes event held at Knock Golf Club and were absolutely delighted to lift the cup and become the first to win a trophy from Loughgall Ladies Golf Club. Thanks to Noreen and Lorraine, Loughgall Ladies are now well and truely on the map and in the process you have now put yourselves in the history books of Loughgall, very well done!

Any ladies who are thinking of taking up golf will find a warm welcome amongst the ladies of Loughgall, the ladies club is only 6 years old and would be keen to attract both new and experienced golfers, the course is excellent and the value for money side of things is hard to beat, you will not be disappointed!

This Saturday the competition will be a Team Scramble event.

05/09/2011 – Presidents Day

12 Handicapper wins Presidents Day with 46 points!

The very first Presidents Day at Loughgall turned out to be a great success, it was well organised and seems to have been enjoyed by all those who took part in the days proceedings. Our President James Hewitt was ever present throughgout the day around the course offering encouragement to those in need. In addition to James`s efforts a hospitality tent was placed between the 10th green and the 12th tee box for the golfers wishing to take nourishment. The chef served high quality steak baps & caramelised onions ,some generous person supplied the beef and it was much appreciated, I think this should happen every Saturday.

Now for the golf…. Derick Hynes was the 12 handicapper who stole the show, 46 points was a tremendous score and to produce the quality of golf that Derick displayed in the very first Presidents Day competition was a dream come true. I played alongside Derick but only now have I realised that I witnessed a little bit of history in the making, Derick is the first name on the cup and you cant take that away from him…. but our handicap convener can most definately take some shots off him. Well done Derick, a great round of golf, enjoy your new handicap!

Second and third place both had 43 points, it took a countback to seperate Colin Jeffers from Walter Beattie, well done Colin and hard luck to Walter. Any other year that score could have been the winner, well played but just unfortunate there was such a high score on the day.

The Gross prize goes to Jonathan Hewitt taking just 73 shots to get around the course, great score Jonathan!

Winner of the longest drive goes to Harry Proctor and nearest the pin at the 15th was won by our very own vice-captain James O`Hagan.

The winner of the juvenile section was Daniel Huey with 44 points, Daniel is the juvenile Captain has been in great form, a few weeks ago Daniel had the best juvenile score on Captains Day, thats a great double and I am sure there is still more to come. Runner-up in this section was Adam Proctor with 43 points. I think the Proctor family had a good day, I would suggest a larger cabinet will be needed very shortly to hold future trophies, well done fellas!

The Ladies competition was a very close run thing, two scores of 38 points was only seperated on the countback which left local girl Angela McCann as winner of the event and Noreen McCone runner-up, a fine score by both ladies, well done!

Winner of the visitors section was Sean McNamarra with John Daly as runner-up. Visitors longest drive was won by Lee Emerson and closest to the pin prize went to Jack McClean. I hope our visitors enjoyed their time spent at Loughgall and maybe they will visit again sometime soon.

The evening festivities were held at Armagh Rugby Club, an enjoyable evening with plenty of good humoured banter, prizes were given speeches were made and stories of the days golf were told and retold. A very special day for several people but especially for our 1st President James Hewitt and our 1st Winner of The Presidents Day Cup Derick Hynes, congratulations on a very successful Presidents Day, we look forward to the next one.

Very well done to all our prize winners, and thanks to everyone that took part, it would not have been the same without you.

Special thanks to all the staff at Loughgall Country Park as usual the course was in great shape and to all those who helped set up and organise the days events.

The next competition is Morgans Transport sponsored event.

29/08/2011 – Charity 2 Ball Scramble competition

Ted and Norman steal the show !

The Charity 2 Ball Scramble competition took place on Saturday, for the best part of the day the weather was fine, allowing some excellent scores to be produced. However there can be only one winnig team on the day and that pairing was Ted Atkinson & Norman Stewart. Ted & Norman were so far ahead of the rest of the field they could have skipped a couple of holes and still won, 59 points and 6 clear of 2nd place, tremendous scoring fellas well done.

Although it was a great winning score praise also goes to the runners up, the father and son pairing of Paddy and Anthony McElmeel, their 53 points led the chasing pack, and there was a large chasing pack with some very good scores hot on their heels. One score of 52 points and six on 51 points ! There is nothing like good competitve competition to raise the standard of our golf, well done to all who took part.

The Wednesday Sweep is officially over, the best 8 scores counted over the 14 week duration and Wiliam McWilliams was the overall winner, runner up was Ian (gorgeous) Gordon. Two very consistent players who deserve their 1st and 2nd place, I have no doubt that they will be able to play just as well of their new handicaps !

This Saturday is another landmark in the history of Loughgall Golf Club, the very first Presidents Day competition, this competition has been eagerly awaited by many and is sure to become a high point in our calendar year. Our very first President James Hewitt has had a great deal of input in the organising of this event and it will be no surprise to those of us who know James to see this Saturday become a resounding success. Reception will be held at Armagh Rugby Club.

22/08/2011 – Glen View Trophies sponsored event

1st place decided after count back

Saturday was the Glen View Trophies sponsored event. Thankfully the weather was good, quite hot at times, but not quite as hot as the competition for 1st place.

Stephen Wilson and Davy McAdam both playing off an 11 handicap came in with excellent scores of 3 over par giving them the same points total off 44, thats five shots clear of 3rd place and the rest of the field.

In this situation the only way to seperate the scores and determine a winner is to count the points acquired on the back 9 holes, the player with the greater points takes the top spot. The winner of the Glen View Trophies sponsored event is Stephen Wilson. Well done Stephen a great score, but hard luck to Davy who came 2nd with the best score of his golfing life. Stephen has his handicap cut to 9 and Davy is down to 10, thats the price of success fella`s.

There were 4 players on the same points score of 39, so using the count back to seperate them 3rd place goes to Paddy McElmeel and 4th is Sam Jenkins. If you follow these reports you will recognise many of these names, Paddy and Sam are no strangers to the limelight and I am sure you will see their names again before the end of the season.

Another familiar name is Paul Lyness, he wins the Gross prize. Section winners are Andy Currie (0-12), Stephen O`Connor (13-18) and Charlie Johnston (19-28). The front 9 goes to the very hip Dessie Hughes and the back 9 is won by Nicholas Salley.

1st place in the juvenile section is big hitting Gareth Strain, well done mate!

There were 14 two`s on Saturday and they went to W.Crawford, M.Cullen, E.Gorman, R.Henry, N,holmes, D,Huey, C.Johnston, J.Lockhart, D.McAdam, B.McAlister, A.McElmeel, P.McElmeel, S.O`Connor and competition winner Stephen Wilson.

The Wednesday sweep was won by Derick (festa) Hynes with Eugene Scullion taking 2nd place, well done to Festa he also managed to get a 2.

Just a reminder… please check the notice board for competitions yet to be completed, get them played asap, there are a number of matches to be played in the Duffers Shield! The list is still on the notice board for those wishing to play in the Presidents Day competition or attend the evening function at Armagh Rugby Club.

This Saturday 27th August is the 2 ball scramble Charity Cup competiton.

15/08/2011 – Trayners Ltd sponsored strokeplay event

Wayne wins the Trayners Ltd sponsored strokeplay event

On Saturday there were a number of very familiar names showing near the top of the leader board, but only one winner and that was Wayne Crawford.

It was a strokeplay competition, which means every stroke counts, you can`t mess up a hole and still show a decent score which is possible playing stableford (points).

Wayne shot a score of 83 off his handicap of 15 (nett 68). Wayne has played some good golf lately, in a couple of months his handicap has been reduced by 3 shots. In this form you could well be a challenger for player of the year, keep it up Wayne !

In second place also with a nett 68 was Andrew Currie playing off a handicap of 8, very unlucky but an excellent round all the same, another man in great form. Brian Nixon jnr came in 3rd with a nett 69 off a 14 h,cap and Johnathan McKnight`s nett 71 gets him 4th place. David Chadwick had the best Gross score of 77 shots, very well done fellas.

Section winners were Davy McAdam (0-12), Nicholas Salley (13-18), Norman Stewart (19-28), the best front 9 goes to Stuart Pearson and best back 9 to Gareth Strain.

Once again Daniel Huey has the best juvenile score, a nett 74 off his 10 handicap, well done Daniel.

The Wednesday Sweep was won by Willie McWilliams with 20 points narrowly beating his good friend Eugene Scullion also on 20 points and its only a rumour that eugene is not speaking to Willie since Wednesday.

The final of the Doubles Competition was played during the week, both pairings had extended unbeaten runs as double partners. Andy Currie/Jason Wilson won the 1st hole, at the 2nd all four players birdied the hole, however after that Joel Kennedy/Richard Wright made steady and relentless progress and the reigning All Ireland doubles champions went on to win 2&1. Kennedy & Wright …. a formidable doubles partnership, thats why they are All Ireland Champions and Club Doubles champions!

The final qualifying competition between Loughgall and Silverwood Golf Clubs took place over the weekend, the winning players go on to play in a competition held at the home of golf, St Andrews in Scotland. There were 5 places to be vied for, Kevin McCoy won through with a score of 41 points to win his handicap section, Anthony McElmeel also won his section to book his place at the Royal & Ancient. Conall Kerr, Gary McNally and Paul Toman from Silverwood G.C. secured the remaining 3 places for the trip to St Andrews. A word of commiseration for Willie Fenton who managed to put together an excellent round of 40 points but was unable to secure his place because of the high standard of golf played on the day, who would have thought 40 points would fall short of the mark, very unlucky Willie.

A couple of pieces of information, James Hewitt has his Presidents Day on the 3rd of September, there is a notice in the back office notice board for those wishing to play the competition and another notice to be signed if you wish to attend the evening function, it should be an excellent occasion, the evening function is to be held at Armagh Rugby Club.

The Duffers Shield Competition, the draw has been made and pinned on the notice board, please make an effort to get your matches played ASAP, there should not be a problem providing you play at your earliest opportunity.

A final thought for you to ponder, we have a lot going for us at Loughgall and its only going to get better, you the members are the club and its greatest asset, your support is much appreciated, but we have the capacity for more members. So dont be shy about letting others know what a great course we have here, we probably have the best value for money course in Northern Ireland, its a gem! The natives are surprisingly friendly too….. (Loughgall Golf Course; 028 38 892900)

This Saturday is a stableford competition sponsored by Glen View Trophies.

08/08/2011 – Captains Day Report

Loughgall Golf Club had the biggest day of the year on Saturday, Captains Day! A tremendous amount of organisation and preparation has been undertaken by many people to produce the polished event that Captains Day has become, a competition that every golfer wants to win.

The course was in fantastic condition, the ground staff really deserve great praise, as do the girls at reception and the work of the course ranger, they make a great team….many thanks!

Our Captain Davy Coote who as been ever present throughout the year at all the competitions had his special day and what a day it turned out to be, the only thing left to chance was mother nature. Yes it was a bit damp at times but it didn`t stop some excellent scores being produced.

Now to the golf…. there can only be one winner, alone and on their todd and that man was Mervyn Todd. His score of 43 points does not tell the whole story, after scoring 18 points on the front 9 he took refreshment at the tent between the 11th and 12th. Stepping onto the 12th tee box which is a par 5, he then took just 2 shots to reach the green, some 546 yards, apparently he was as surprised as anyone else as he has never been there in 2 before, tremendous hitting and especially good on such a damp day. ( I must find out what he took in that tent and buy a bottle.) It was to set the standard for rest of his round ….25 points on the back 9.

Walter Beattie took 2nd place with 42 points, Ross Kelly was 3rd with 41 points also on 41 points was Tom Acheson for 4th place and Jamie Wortley came 5th on 40points with 23 points on the back 9.

Jason Wilson won the Gross prize taking 75 shots, 3 over the course. Front 9 goes to Adam Kerr with 22 points, the back 9 was won by Nigel Magowan on 23 points.

Nearest the pin on the 15th was won by the tenacious Brendan Morgan and the longest drive went to Gareth Strain, the best of several drives well over 300 yards on the 7th fairway.

Brendan Morgan had a good day, his 40 points won him the past captains prize too !

The best junior was Daniel Huey with a brilliant 43 points off an 11 handicap, 2nd was Adam Proctor with a very good score of 41 points, great golf fellas!

Eugene Scullion took the seniors prize with 39 points which is a surprise to many of us because he has been telling people for the past 3 years he is approaching 40, we didn`t really believe him but wouldn`t want to offend the old fella.

The ladies section was won with 32 points by Loraine Abbott, narrowly beaten into 2nd place was Melissa Shortall on the same points.

Wayne Haffey took 1st place amongst the visitors on 35 points, although he is no stranger to our fairways and probably knows the course better than other golfer, well done mate. Tom Calvert won both the longest drive and nearest the pin in the visitors section, very well done !

After all the golf the Captains Day feast was held at The Famous Grouse, various speeches were made including our Captain Davy Coote and Lady Captain Wanda Johns and visiting dignitaries including our Lady Mayor Freda Donnelly. As usually the food was unsurpassed and the company even more so, although there were many moments to remember of the evening I think it is better leave them as fond memories rather than to put it to print, some of those moments just couldn`t be given justice by mere words but i suspect a few stories will be told and retold again and again. A good time was had by all !

Saturday`s competition is sponsored by Trayners Ltd and is a stroke play event.

01/08/2011 – M.G.M Design Stableford Sponsored Competition

Nevilles big score wins the day

Its a week before captains day and Neville Cornett has thrown the gauntlet down with a stableford score of 47 points, to announce his intentions for the big competition this Saturday, a full 4 points clear of his nearest challenger Brian Nixon jnr with 44 points, both men seem to be peaking just at the right time. Was this meticulous planning and attention to detail or just good fortune, we will see who are in the prizes next week, watch this space. Third place goes to Davy McAdam with 42 points and fourth to Dessie Hughes with 41 points, good scoring fellas!

The best Gross score of the day was 75 just 3 over the course and that was Mr Jason Wilson.

Section winners were Stephen Graham (0-12), Paddy McElmeel (13-18) and Sam Duffy (19-28). The front 9 goes to Stephen O`Connor and the back 9 to Alan Magill.

The best juvenile score belonged to Adam Proctor collecting 44 points on his way around the course, an excellent score Adam well done. Not too far behind was Harry McGeary on 41 points and Matthew Bown on 40 points, on any other week those scores may have won the juvenile section, good scoring but unlucky….maybe its meant to be next week?

Surprisingly enough there were only 9 two`s and they went to Keith Campbell, Rodney Clarke, Spencer Lawson, Davy McAdam, Paddy McElmeel, David McRoberts, Eugene Scullion, Jason Wilson and last but not least Stephen Wilson.

Wednesday Sweep was won with 22 points by Alan McCartney who seems to like this competition, with Ian(gorgeous)Gordon on 21 points to take 2nd place,. I must mention Graham Buckley he was desperate to get his name in this report and fortunately enough he got the only two on the day, well done mate.

An update on the club doubles competition, the two semi-finals have been played Jason Wilson/Andy Currie beat Aaron Agg/Willie Turner 3 and 2, unlucky Aaron and Willie, Jason and Andy are the current club doubles champions and are in the final again! The other semi-final was between Joel Kennedy/Richard Wright and Eugene Scullion/Jonathan McKnight, these are 4 highly motivated individuals with high expectations of their own ability. I didnt see the match but I know it went to the last hole and 16 of the 18 holes were won with birdies and some tremendous golf being played throughout the match. Unlucky Jonny and Eugene but there is no disgrace to be beaten by the current All Ireland Doubles Champions, Joel and Richards win puts them through to meet Jason and Andy in the final. This final has Jason and Andy on a 10 match unbeaten run in the club doubles competition over the past 2 years. Joel and Richard are on a 12 match unbeaten run through their pursuit of the All Ireland Doubles crown and the club doubles competition. Well fellas this is going to be some match, the irrestible force against the immovable object! Whatever the result both pairings can be very proud of their achievements but only one team can win. Good luck and good golfing to the four of you.

As you are aware its Davy Coote`s Captains day this Saturday, please check the notice board in the back office for your tee time, if anyone has a problem regarding a tee time please contact Joel Kennedy on …07514266939

25/07/2011 – Rushmere Shopping Centre Sponsored Competition

Wayne excels in the sunshine

Saturday arrived and with it came some of the best weather we have had this summer, good enough to lay out and top up your tan, but for the important business of playing golf! Rushmere shopping centre sponsored the competition and some good scores were posted, but the best score of the day was by Wayne Crawford taking 80 strokes playing off a handicap of 17 which gave him the winning score of nett 63. Well done Wayne you have been playing well all year, you deserve to get your handicap down and give us mere mortals a chance.

A very good 2nd place goes to Robert Treanor with a nett 64 playing off 14, 3rd place was Alan Magill with a nett 66 off 12 and fourth was Sam Jenkins scoring a nett 67 off his 13 handicap. Derick Hynes took the prize for the best Gross score with a 78 off his 13 handicap, another player who is in great form at the moment. Im sure when those players were entering their score in the computer they must have thought they had a decent chance of winning, well done but unlucky this time.

Section prizes go to Clive Currie (0-12), Aaron Agg (13-18) and Spencer Lawson (19-28). Front 9 goes to young Adam Galbraith aand back goes to (ever ready eddie) Eddie Millar.

First place in the juvenile section goes Fionntan Nixon shooting an 88 off 22 h,cap giving him a nett 66, 2nd goes to Harry Mcgeary taking 92 strokes off his 23 h,cap giving him a nett 69, very well done fellas keep it up.

There were 12 two`s and they were Walter Beattie, Davy Coote, Clive Currie, Derick Hynes, Kenny Kerr, Davy McAdam Jack Traynor, Robert Treanor with Eddie Millar and Stuart Pearson getting two 2s.

The Wednesday Sweep was won by Sam Jenkins with 22 points, Sam featured well on Saturday too!. Seamus Golding also got 22 points but beat on the count back, I know there were other players on the same points but didn`t get a placing, its tough but just unlucky.

The Walker Scratch Cup came to a conclusion this week with Stephen Thompson beating Willie Hamilton 4 and 2, well done to both players in getting to the final but there can only be one winner and thats Stephen Thompson!

Congratulations and commiserations go to Kevin Keegan and his Ulster Fourball team for getting to the quarter finals but unfortunately got beat by a good Rosmore side away from home and could not pull it back at Loughgall, an excellent effort fellas, but it will have to be next year for any silverware.

Saturday the 30th will be a sponsored event by M.G.M Design and a stableford format

18/07/2011 – Trustees Sponsored Competition

Alan wins the Trustees Sponsored competition by five clear points!

Alan Mills takes 1st place with a points score of 46 off his 19 h’cap, leaving the field well behind. Second with 41 points was Jonathan McKnight (11) beating Eugene Scullion (10) also on 41 points into 3rd place, Ian Gordon (13) gets 4th spot with his score of 40 points.

Jason Wilson takes the best Gross score with a round of 77 playing off his 6 handicap.

Jamie Wortley gets the 0-12 section, Derick Hynes the 13 -18 section and David Mitchell the 19-28 section. Barry Wallace had the best front 9 and Steve Wall came back from his holiday to take the best back 9.

First prize in the juvenile section goes to last weeks runner-up Fionntan Nixon who is obviously in great form at the moment scoring 38 points off his new handicap of 22, but dont get too used to that handicap Fionntan it will be changing again! Michael Connor (13) also with 38 is narrowly beaten into 2nd place on the count back.

It has to be said the weather played its part at the weekend and it wasn`t the summer conditions we hoped for, but despite that the scores were very good with 14 two`s being carded and they went to Keith Campbell, Michael Connor, Daniel Huey, Dennis Lavery, Paul Lyness, Brendon McCann, David McCrory, Alan Mills, William Stewart, Mervyn Todd also the two jonny`s McKnight and McNabb both had two 2s, Well done to all those mentioned above.

The Wednesday Sweep was won with 22 points by the very same Alan Mills who won this weekend, second was Mal Cullen with 21 points.

An early conclusion to the Walkers Scratch Cup, the final was played between Jason Wilson and Andrew Currie. The two players know each others game very well they are doubles partners this year, after a very close match Jason managed a 2 and 1 victory over Andrew, but I have been assured that they are still on speaking terms.

Junior golf lessons will be available on Thursdays at 7pm, anyone wanting more information contact Vivian Teague on 07775700355.

This Saturdays event is sponsored by Rushmere Shopping Centre and will be a stroke play competition.

11/07/2011 – Bank of Ireland strokeplay competition

Saturdays Bank of Ireland strokeplay competition saw some excellent scores produced, although the weather was mixed those players going out early had the best of the conditions.

The winning score came from Stephen Graham taking 76 shots, with his 12 h,cap he achieved a nett score of 64, Cecil Brownlee took second place with a nett 65 off 18 h,cap, Stephen Thompson was third with his nett 66, also with a nett 66 was Ian Magill taking fourth place.

Jamie Wortley shoots a 78 and once again takes the Gross prize.

Section winners are Jonathon McKnight 0-12, Willie Stewart 13-18 and Wayne Crawford 19-28. Kenny Mitchell had the best front 9 and Brian Teague gets the best back 9.

In the juvenile section Harry Megeary takes 1st place shooting a gross 86 off his 28 h,cap giving him an amazing nett 58, make sure you check your handicap before you play your next competition Harry its going to be considerably less than 28. Second place in the juvenile section goes to Fionntan Nixon with a gross 88, his h,cap of 24 gives him a nett score of 64 which on many a week would be good enough to win, unlucky Fionntan.

The following players had a 2 and will recieve a voucher, Edwin Atkinson, Seamus Golding, Ian Gordon, Patrick Keegan, Dennis Lavery, Paul Lyness, Nigel McCorry, Stephen Thompson, Barry Wallace and Jamie Wortley with Karl Judt and David McRoberts both having two 2s!

Well done to all those players entering the competition but especially to the prize winners, just remember ….the more you play the luckier you get!

Results of the Wednesday Sweep, William McWilliams takes 1st spot with Wayne Crawford getting 2nd place, Mal Cullen and Stuart Pearson both get 2s.

This Saturday the 16th of July the Trustees sponsored competition is on and hopefully the weather will be good to us, the good weather always increases the competition entries and just makes it more enjoyable …..Happy Golfing !

04/07/2011 – 4 Club Challenge

Saturdays competition was the 4 Club Challenge, basically this means only 4 clubs are carried in the golf bag and golfers have to be a bit more inventive in their shot making.

Best score of the day went to Nigel McCorry with an excellent 42 points off a 15 handicap. Second, third and fourth went to Wayne Crawford, Willie Young and Alan Magill respectively. Johnny McNabb had the best Gross score of 85, section winners were Keith Campbell 0-12, Eamon Gorman 13-18 and Dennis Glass 19-28. The front 9 goes to Stuart Pearson and the back 9 to Mark Gilpin. The best juvenile on the day was Rhys Aughey, well done to Rhys and all the prize winners. Four golfers got a 2 and they were Nigel McCorry, Walter Beattie, Willie Young and for Johnny McNabb one just was`nt enough he had a brace.

The Wednesday Sweep saw Ian Gordon 1st and Stuart Pearson 2nd both with 21 points, Stuart losing out to Ian on the count back.

Graham Buckleys Junior Cowdy team went to Downpatrick but came away disappointed despite their best efforts. A 3-1 win to the home side was enough to put our team out of the competition, unlucky fellas.

A couple of reminders! Those players involved in the knockout competitions should be aware of time constraints imposed and ensure matches are played before the due dates. Where problems occur players should notify the competition administrator Barry Rayner as early as possible, otherwise matches not played in time my have to be forfeited.

Anyone intending to play in the Captains Day competition should make a point of adding their name to the sheet recently put up on the notice board.

This Saturday is the Bank of Ireland sponsored strokeplay competition, usually a good turnout.

27/06/2011 – Past Captains Cup

This weeks winner of the Past Captains Cup was William Turner with an excellent nett 64 playing off 19 hcap, two shots better than anyone else on the day. Its Willies birthday this week as well so instead of giving him a present the club are taking two shots off his handicap, happy birthday mate and welcome to middle age.

The next best score was Nicholas Salley with a nett 66, third goes to Sam Jenkins and forth to Eamon Gorman both on nett 68, Sam having the better back 9 takes the higher position ,well done gentlemen.

The best gross score was 77 carded by Jamie Wortley, who is likely to be seen quite a lot in these reports along with a number of young golfers showing great promise and without doubt are the future of Loughgall Golf Club.

The best front nine goes to the very competitve Barry Rayner and the best back nine goes to the ever present Aaron Agg. Mr John Currie wins a voucher for the 0-12 section, Wayne Crawford wins his voucher for the13-18 group and William Stewart wins a voucher for the 19-28 section.

Six players got a voucher for the 2s, they were Graham Buckley, Adam Galbraith, Dessie Hughes, Derick Hynes, Alan Magill and last but not least Nicholas Salley.

In the juvenile section 1st prize goes to Matthew Bown with a great score of nett 66 off his 23 handicap, very closely followed by Michael Connor with 67 off 14 hcap, both Matthew and Michael becoming familiar names to anyone reading these reports.

Due to situations out of our control the 4 Club event did not get played last week but will be played this week, apologies to anyone who did`nt see the website but only read last weeks report, the details were correct at the time of going to press.

Anthony McElmeel won the Wednesday sweep with 21 points with Derick Hynes 2nd with 19 points, two players got 2s…Ian Gordon and Alan McCartney.

Not so good news this week regarding our teams representing Loughgall, the Sam Rutherford team went out of the competition to Rockmount after giving a good account of themselves but just not good enough on the day. The Holt Sheild team were playing at Cairndhu and word is that the coastal course and a very strong Cairndhu team blew them away, however the match was played in good spirit and we wish them the best in their advancement in the competition. Unlucky Loughgall, there is always next year.

Remember the 4 Club event is this Saturday !

20/06/2011 – Edenderry Team Scramble

The Edenderry team scramble was held on Saturday and the weather was kind to us and some golfers made the most of it. No handicaps involved in this competition, the player with best score counted at each hole. Top team on the day came in with a great score of 59 and they were, Paul Lyness, Stephen Mullen, Noel Holmes and Kenny Kerr.

In with a score of 62 and second place were J.Hewitt, B.MacCallister, G.Strain and J.Ohagan. Third place went to the team of J.Currie, A.Parr, J.Wilson and R.Wright with a score of 64. Very well done all of you.

A special mention to Aaron Agg who had a hole in one at the 15th. Unfortunately there seems to have been a network problem about this time because no one recieved any word of where we were to meet Aaron to celebrate his skill and good fortune?

The Holt Sheild team played Larne and won 3-2, with a few new faces brought into the side and some excellent perfomances, one of the best displays of golf on the day was young Derick Hynes playing off 14 against a 7 handicapper and had his match won at the 14th hole.

Unfortunately the Rossmore team got beat at Tandragee 3.5-0.5, the score over the two legs proved to be very close but Tandragee deservedly go through to the next round, good luck Tandragee!

The winner of the Wednesday Sweep was Alan McCartney with 21 points, closely followed by Harry Clougher with 20 points.

This Saturday we see a change to the fixture list, instead of the Past Captains Cup we have the Four Club Novelty event, this is because the 12th hole is expected to be closed. The Past Captains Cup will be played the following Saturday 2nd July.

Well done to all who took part in last weeks competitions, if you didn’t do too well there is always another chance next week.

13/06/2011 – Salt Marine strokeplay competition and other competition results

A very successful weekend for Loughgall Golf Club. We had several teams playing in competitions, Ulster Fourball, Rossmore and Sam Rutherford were played on Sunday in non stop rain all at home in loughgall.

Kevin Keegan captained his Ulster fourball team to an excellent 5-0 first leg win over Galgorm. John Currie captained his Rossmore team to a 3-1 win over Tandragee in the 1st leg and John Allen captained and played in the Sam Rutherford against Rockmount to gain a 6 hole advantage to be taken to the 2nd leg away from home. I dont remember seeing such an action packed sunday of golf, very competitive yet all the matches were played with tremendous goodwill and good humour.

On friday the juniors played away to Rosmore in the Ronan Rafferty and won 11.5 to 8.5, thats a great result away from home.

A match played last weekend that missed the press was the Junior Cowdy side captained by Graham Buckley, some players got cut for playing well in the Saturday competition which made them ineligible, a last moment replacement was our own club captain Davy Coote who stepped in and done a great job winning his match and helped to grab vital points which saw the overall match shared 2 points a piece against a strong Downpatrick side.

Now to the results of the Salt Marine strokeplay competition, Richard Wright always a fierce competitor is the competition winner with a very good nett 66 off his 11 handicap. Steve Wall (19) with a very good back 9 and a nett 67 took 2nd after a 4 way count back, 3rd goes to Barry Wallace (18), 4th is Stephen Graham (13), all on nett 67. Another nett 67 gets Davy McAdam (12) the 0-12 section win, Sam Jenkins (13) with a nett 70 takes 13-18 section and Kenny Nesbitt (20) gets the 19-28 section with a nett 71.

Front 9 goes to Walter Beattie, back 9 to Leslie Lyttle and the familiar name of Paul Lyness takes the gross, no stranger to this prize.

Michael Connor takes the juvenile 1st prize for his round, a great score of nett 65 off his 15 handicap, you`re not off 15 any more !

There were 12 two`s this week and they go to Harry Clougher, Malachy Cullen, Stephen Graham, Paul Lyness, Anthony McElmeel, Sean McKeever, Alan Parr, with Daniel Huey and Barry Wallace both getting two 2s, Mr B.McGuigan from Armagh golf club also get a two.

We have had a tremendous week of golf, well done to all who have taken part both players and supporters, this saturdays event is the Edenderry Golf Society sponsored team scramble. I didn’t expect my relatively new golf shoes to be letting in water in June, lets hope for the return of summer conditions.

06/06/2011 – St Andrews Qualifier

The eagerly awaited St Andrews Qualifier took place on Saturday, this competition always brings a good turnout and with it some good scores aswell. Best score of the day was Willie Fenton with a superb 45 points, although Willie will no longer be playing off a 19 handicap I am sure we will see his name near the top of the leader board again this season. Alan Magill (13 h,cap) was runner-up with a score of 43 points which any other week could have been the winning score.

Best gross score goes to Jason Wilson with 38 very good points off his 6 handicap, although somewhat despondant with his form of late the 5 minutes with the pro moments before tee off obviously done the trick !

Anthony McElmeel (22) had the best score in the 19-28 section with 41 points, Kevin McCoy (17) also scored 41 to take the 13-18 section and Jonathan McKnight (12) claimed the 0-12 section with 40 points, all very good scores.

The best score in the juvenile section was Matthew Bown with an excellent 40 points off his 24 handicap, 2nd place goes to Daniel Huey (11), also with 40 points but beaten on the count back.

There were a number of 2s achieved on the day and these were by Edwin Atkinson, Graham Buckley, Wayne Crawford, Daniel Huey, Derick Hynes, Alan Magill, Stephen Mullan, Charlie Johnston (2) and last but not least Joel Kennedy (2).

Kevin Keegans, Ulster fourball team had a great result against Mourne with a 3.5 to 6.5 victory and now look forward to playing Galgorm in the next round.

The Rossmore team captained by John Currie also go through after a very close match which required extra holes to be played before getting the victory over a good Omagh team, Tandragee are to be played in the next round.

The course is looking in great shape and the work of the ground staff is much appreciated, as are the friendly faces to be found at reception.

Saturday 11th June is a stroke event sponsored by Salt Marine. Just a reminder to those in singles and doubles competitions….get your matches played on time.

Once again members are thanked for their participation, especially those that represent our club at the various events around the country and spread the word of what Loughgall Golf Club is all about and the welcome other golfers can expect to find when visiting our course or playing our teams.

30/05/2011 – Nutts Corner Oval Stroke Competition

The competition held on Saturday 28th May was ‘Nutts Corner Oval’ (stroke) and as usual the weather was a major player on the day, only 9 players with a nett score below par 72.

Leader of the pack was David McCrory playing off a 10 handicap going around in 75 shots, 2nd Noel Holmes (11) with 78, 3rd Davy McAdam (13) with 80 and 4th Stuart Pearson (14) with an 81.

Section winners were Patrick Keegan (0-12), David McRoberts (13-19) and Charlie Johnston (19-28).

Best front 9 score went to Sam Jenkins and the best back 9 goes to Stephen O`Connor. Best juvenile score was by Michael Connor (15) in 85 strokes.

McNabb grabs the gross prize, Johnathan also managed to acquire two 2s in the process.

There were nine other players with 2s these were M.Connor, D.Coote, S.Graham, S.Jenkins, P.Lyness, S.McCaughley, B.Morgan, D.Nixon and last but certainly not least E.Scullion

The Wednesday Sweep was won by Graham Buckley with 22 points, closely followed by James O`Hagan on 21 points.

Saturday 4th June is the St Andrews Qualifier, always a hotly contested event with a high turnout.

Continued thanks and appreciation to all participating members and team members for your support and enthusiasm, good luck in your competitions.

23/05/2011 – 123 Best Ball (Team Event)

Loughgall held the ‘123 best ball’ team event on Saturday and despite the weather threatening to dampen spirits a good turn out battled their way around the course. Best score of the day went to Graham Buckley, Willie Fenton, Ian Gordon and Raymond Henry with a score of 86. Second were the three man team of Eamon Gorman, Stephen O`Conner and Nicholas Sally with 83, unfortunately they probably paid the price for not having a fourth man, but a very good score all the same.

The Wednesday Sweep was won by Derick Hynes with an excellent 23 points, second was Harry Clougher with 19 points.

This Saturday the 28th its back to our more usual non team event with the Nutts Corner Oval sponsered competition (stroke).

Club singles and doubles competitions have been drawn and are on the notice board, please take note of your opponents and ensure you make contact asap … play matches before date deadlines !

I would just like to remind members that the Sunday sweep is also running each week and your support is appreciated.

Thank you to all participating members and well done to this weeks winners.

16/05/2011 – Granville Food Care Sponsored Stroke Competition

The Granville Food Care sponsored stroke competition at loughgall last week was won by 11 handicapper John Currie with one of those rounds that most of us can only dream about. At the start of Johns round one of his playing partners asked him why he was playing with an old brass putter to which John replied my other one didn`t float to well after all the three putts I have had lately. Well the old brass putter turned into a magic putter for John as he continually holed putt after putt for a total of seven birdies to shot 1 under par 71 for a score of 60 nett to win by five strokes for the biggest win margin of the season so far.

Second place went to David Coote with a great score of 65 nett. David has been playing well of late and has managed to now lose four shots of his handicap this last few weeks. Jamie Wortley took third spot with a fine score of 66 nett of his 11 handicap. Fourth prize was won by Barry Rayner with a fine score of 68 nett.

The 0-12 section prize went to Leslie Lyttle with a score of 70 nett. Stuart Pearson took the 13-18 section also with a score of 70 nett and the 19-28 section prize went to Samuel Duffy with a great score of 69 nett. The front 9 went to Andrew Currie with a fine score of 35 nett and Kevin McCoy took the back 9 with a fantastic score of 30.5 nett. The gross prize went to Eugene Scullion and the Juvenile winner was Michael Conner with a score of 74 nett.

Congratulations to Brian McGuigan who managed to get a hole-in-one at the 15th hole. There were only seven “2”s recorded at the weekend with Jackson Ruddock getting a pair. The other “2”s came from Seamus Cunningham, Leslie Lyttle, Barry Rayner, Jamie Wortley and Willy Young.

The Wednesday sweep was won by Dennis Glass with a score of 23 pts and William Turner came second with 21 pts. Next week`s competition is a 123 Best Ball (team event).

09/05/2011 – Noel Conn & Company Sponsored Apple Blossom Open

Loughgall golf course was in wonderful condition on Saturday for the annual Noel Conn & Company Sponsored Apple Blossom Open. The winner on the day after a count back was Brendan Morgan with 41 pts. Brendan was very pleased with this win as it was his first ever in a Saturday competition. The runners-up spot went our club vice captain James O`Hagan also with 41 pts. Third place went to Alan Mills with a good round of golf scoring 40 pts.

The 0-12 section prize went to Pat Keegan with a score of 39 pts off his 12 handicap. A very happy Sam Jenkins won the 13-18 section also with 39 pts and the 19-28 section went to David Coote with a score of 38 pts.

The gross prize was won by Keith Campbell. In the juvenile section young Rhys Aughey took first place with a fantastic score of 43 pts off his 23 handicap and will be pleased to be playing of 21 for next week. The runner-up in the juvenile competition was Daniel Huey with 39 pts off his 12 handicap.

In the ladies competition Noreen McCone took first place with a great score of 43 pts. The 2nd spot was won by Fiona Martin with 39 pts.

The players who scored a “2” on the day were Clive Currie, Adrian Faulkner, Daniel Huey, Joel Kennedy, Ian Magill, Brian McGuigan, Brendan Morgan, Dessie Nixson, Brian Nixson, Eugene Scullion, William Turner and Stephen Wilson.

Next week’s competition is sponsored by Granville Food Care and is a stroke play event.

Members please note that the Wednesday Sweep sponsored by Hewitt Meats, that Is played over nine holes only, is now up and running and is played of the green markers. Last week`s winner was David Glass and the runner-up was Derick Hynes.

02/05/2011 – Keegans Bar Sponsored Stroke Competition

Last weekend’s Keegan’s Bar sponsored stroke play event attracted another good field. The winning player was one of the clubs past captain`s Eamon Gorman who hardly won anything this past few seasons, rediscovered his winning formula as he fired an impressive score of 65 nett to leave the rest of the field trailing behind by a whopping four shots. Second place went to Stuart Pearson with a score of 69 nett off his 15 handicap. Stuart pushed Alan Mills into third spot due to a better back nine, as they both shot the same score. Fourth place went to Graham Buckley with a score of 70 nett off his 17 handicap.

The 0-12 section prize went to Jamie Wortley with a score of 70 nett. David McRoberts took the 13-18 section with a score of 72 nett and the 19-28 section was won by club captain David Coote with a score of 71 nett off his 23 handicap.

Young Michael Conner shot a score of 71 nett to win the juvenile competition and the gross prize was won by Kenny Kerr. The clubs past captains continued to do well last week with Brendan Morgan taking the front nine prize with a score of 34.5 nett and the inform Kevin Keegan winning his second prize in as many weeks winning the back nine prize with a great score of 29.5 nett.

Six lucky golfers managed a “2” on Saturday for a good share in the pot. Whane Crawford, Eamon Gorman, Sean McKeever, Stuart Pearson, Christopher Wilson, and Jason Wilson.

Next week`s competition Saturday 7th May is The Apple Blossom Open. Our main sponsor on the day is Noel Conn & Company Chartered Accountants. (£500 worth of prizes to be won on the day). Entry fee for this competition is £10 for members which includes a meal after your game in the Marquee. Visitors £20 plus meal. Visitors looking to take part should ring Cecil for a tee time (07802446664). All competitors talking part must have score cards returned by 6.30pm. Presentation and photos will be held at 7.30pm at the club.

Members are reminded that this is the last week for entrees into this year`s singles and doubles competitions. Only players with entry fees paid up will be entered into this years draw`s.

25/04/2011 – Hoggs Bar Sponsored Stableford Competition

The Hogg’s Bar sponsored stableford competition played at Loughgall on Saturday attracted another excellent entry and was played blistering sunshine. The winner was Malachy Cullen who turned in a vintage performance scoring 43 pts off his 18 handicap. Malachy scored 21 pts going out and an excellent 22 pts coming home. In second place was club captain David Coote who scored 41 pts off his 24 handicap. Third spot went to Adrian Faulkner with another good round of golf scoring 40 pts. Back in the prizes this week was Kevin Keegan with a score of 40 pts which earned him fourth place.

The 0-12 section prize was won by Stephen Graham with 37 pts off his 12 handicap. Jonathan Lockhart took the 13-18 section with 38 pts and the 19-28 section prize was won by William Stewart with a great score of 39 pts off his 24 handicap. Nigel McCorry took the front nine prize with 20 pts and the back nine prize went to Anthony Ball with a score of 22 pts.

This week’s juvenile winner with a whooping 44 pts off his 12 handicap is current Junior player of the year Adam Kerr. Adam will be pleased to know he will be playing off ten for next week`s competition. The Gross prize was won by Paul Lyness.

Fourteen “2”s were recorded on Saturday with Jamie Wortley getting a pair of them. The other “2”s came from John Currie, Stephen Graham, Adam Kerr, Kenny Kerr, Jonathan Lockhart, Daniel Magill, Nigel McCorry, Stephen Mills, Stephen Mullen, Stephen O`Conner, Gareth Strain and Stephen Thompson.

The Holt Shield team was in action at the weekend and lost by 3-2 away to Larne. Loughgall`s wins came from team captain Jason Wilson 2-1 and the rookie of the team Jonathan McKnight who played some great golf winning his match 3 and 2.

Next week`s event is sponsored by Keegan`s Bar Armagh and will be a stroke play competition.

18/04/2011 – Linkni.com Web Design Sponsored Stroke Competition

The Linkni.com Web Design sponsored stroke competition was played in fantastic weather on Saturday which was reflected in the scoring. The winner with a fine score of 67 nett was 20 handicapper Charlie Johnston. Second spot went to Jonathan Hewitt who went round the course in 75 strokes for a score of 68 nett off his 7 handicap. Jonathan McKnight was third with a score of 69 nett and in fourth place was Jamie Wortley also with a fine score of 69 nett of his 11 handicap.

The 0-12 section prize went to Richard Wright with a score of 71 nett. Adrian Faulkner took the 13-18 section with a score of 72 nett and the 19-28 section was won by Mark Gilpin with another good score of 70 nett off his 20 handicap.

The gross prize was won by Paul Lyness and the Juvenile winner this weekend with a fabulous score of 65 nett was young Rhys Aughey who will be happy to hear that he has reduced his handicap by two full shots for next weekend’s competition.

There were only eight two`s at the weekend. They were Graham Buckley, Willy Fenton, Joel Kennedy, Steve McCauley, Jonathan McNabb, Stephen Mullen, Nicholas Salley and Jason Wilson.

Next week`s event is sponsored by Hogg`s Bar and will be a stableford competition.

In the Ulster Cup Clive Currie`s team exited this year’s competition after a thrilling match against Sleive Russell. After losing the away match 5-2 Clive’s team needed 5.5 points to win. They certainly put in a gallant effort winning the game on the day by a score line of 4.5 to 2.5. Loughgall`s point scorers were Stephen Crowe winning the first game 5 and 4. Noel Holmes halved the second match. Eugene Scullion sunk a great putt on the 18th green for a birdie to win his game by one hole. Derrick Hynes gave his opponent a lesson in golf winning his game by a score line of 6 and 4. And Keith Campbell won his game one up. Clive would like to thank Club Captain David Coote for his much appreciated support during the two matches.

11/04/2011 – Coote Concrete Products Ltd Sponsored Stableford

The Coote Concrete Products Ltd sponsored event on Saturday attracted another good entry. The winner was Brian Nixson Jr with a score of 42 pts off his 15 handicap. Brian has been playing well of late, winning last week’s Sunday Sweep. Second place went to Steven Graham with a fine score of 39 pts off his 13 handicap. Third spot was won by another very consistent performer over the last few weeks Noel Holmes who also had a score of 39 pts. In fourth place was Willy Young with a good round scoring 38 pts off his 16 handicap.

The gross prize was won by David Chadwick and Michael Conner had the best juvenile score with 40 pts off his 17 handicap. The front nine prize was won by Kevin McCoy with 20 pts and Robert Treanor took the back nine prize with a fantastic score of 22 pts. The 0-12 section went to 10 handicapper Harry Clougher with 37 pts. Barry Rayner won the 13-18 section with 38 pts and the 19-28 section prize went to Neville Cornett with 36 pts.

Eleven players managed to get a “2” on Saturday and they were Walter Beattie, Harry Clougher, Stephen Crowe, Dennis Glass, Derick Hynes, Paul Lyness, Eugene Scullion, Robert Treanor, Jason Wilson, Richard Wright and Willy Young.

Next week’s event is sponsored by Linkni.com Web Design and will be a stroke play competition.

Sunday sweep results- 3/04/11, 1st Brian Nixson 43 pts. 2nd William Turner 41 pts. 10/04/11, 1st Andrew Currie 39 pts, 2nd Wayne Hamilton 37 pts.

The Ulster Cup team travelled to Slieve Russell golf club on Sunday and lost the game 5 games to 2. The winners for Loughgall were Noel Holmes who won his game 5-4 and club Captain`s Day winner Walter Beattie who won his match 3-1. The return game tees of this Saturday at 2pm and team captain Clive Currie would like to see members coming along to support his team.

There was plenty to cheer about last week when Loughgall began their defence of the All Ireland Mail Fourball Trophy which they won in County Wicklow last year. Representing Loughgall in this year’s event is Andrew Currie and John Allen who had a dramatic win over Portadown golf club winning the match in a sudden death playoff. This win was just how Wright and Kennedy started off on their way to success last year, maybe lighting will strike twice!!!.

04/04/2011 – PGA Tankard Qualifier

The PGA Tankard qualifier played at Loughgall on Saturday attracted a good entry due to the improving weather. The winner with a fine score of 63 nett was 18 handicapper David McRoberts. David went out in 33 nett and returned home with a fantastic winning score of 30 nett to take first place. Second spot went to Ian Gordon with a very good score of 65 nett off his 13 handicap. Steve Wall was third due to a better back 6 count back with a fine score of 67 nett over Pat Keegan who had to settle for fourth position also with a 67 nett score. The gross prize was won by young Jonathan Hewitt who shot a score of 3 over par 75 off his 7 handicap. In the juvenile section Michael Conner gets his first win of the new season with a fine score of 68 nett off his 17 handicap.

The 0-12 section went to Noel Holmes with a score of 71 nett. The 13-18 section went to Barry Wallace who came in with a very good score of 68 nett off his 17 handicap. William McWilliams lifted yet another 19-28 section prize with a score of 69 nett of his 20 handicap. The front nine prize goes to William Turner with a score of 34 nett and Brian Nixon took the back nine prize with a great score of 29.50 nett.

Only eight happy players recorded a “2” on Saturday and they were Neal Breen, Cecil Brownlee, Harry Clougher, John Currie, Adam Kerr, Mervin Todd, William Turner and Richard Wright who will all enjoy a nice lift from the “2”s pot.

Next Saturdays competition is sponsored by Coote Concrete Products Ltd and will be a stableford event. The Sunday sweep is also now up and running and will be played right through the summer.

28/03/2011 – Famous Grouse Restaurant Sponsored Stableford

There was an excellent entry for the Famous Grouse Restaurant sponsored stableford at the weekend and the fantastic weather conditions meant there was some great scoring.

Four players shot an excellent 42 pts, David Glass, Seamus Golding, Steve Wall and Noel Holmes. David took the honours after a count back. David playing off a 23 h/cap shot 18 pts on his opening nine and 24 pts for his closing nine holes to win the first sponsored competition of the new season. The runners-up spot went to Seamus who shot 21 pts on both his outward and inward nine. Third place went to Steve Wall who also managed to score 21 pts on either nine but lost out to Seamus after a back six count back. Noel Holmes playing off an 11 handicap had to settle for fourth for his excellent score of 42 pts scoring 24 pts on the much harder front and 18 pts on the back nine.

The Gross prize on the day was won by Jason Wilson with an excellent 73 shots. Jason’s round of 73 was not an easy one as he had to remove his socks and shoes, then stand in two feet of water at the 18th pond to play his third shot that was sitting on a clump of lose weed on top of the water and after an almighty splash his ball landed safely on the green for a par finish. The Juvenile winner on Saturday was young Michael Conner with a very good score of 40 pts off his 22 handicap.

The 0-12 section was won by Stephen Crowe with a score of 39 pts. Alan Magill took the 13-18 section prize also with a score of 39 points of his 13 handicap. The 19-28 section prize went to a very happy Brian Adair with a very good score of 40 playing off his 22 handicap. Ben McAlister Moving up this year from the juvenile section won his first prize as an adult, taking front nine prize on count back from Ross Kelly with a great score of 22 pts off his 14 handicap. Nigel Magowan took the back nine with another good score of 23 pts off his 24 handicap.

There was 13 “2”s recorded at the weekend with Kenny Kerr getting three of them. Kenny`s “2”s came at the 5th, 11th and 15th holes. Stephen Mullan at the 3rd, Rodney Clark and David McAdam at the 5th, Brian Adair, Clive Currie and Jason Wilson at the 11th, and Neal Breen, Alan Magill and Jonathan McKnight all at the 15th hole.

Next week’s competition is the PGA Tankard and is a stroke play event. Next Sunday also see`s the return of the Sunday sweep.

21/03/2011 – Captains Drive Shotgun Start 2011

New Loughgall club captain David Coote got the new season underway with his captains drive last Saturday before the members took to the course for the team event. This was a great fun event with each team picking the best drive then playing their second shots from that position.

The winners of the competition were the captains quartet of David Coote, Brendan Morgan, Kenny Nesbitt and Mervin Todd with an excellent score of 105 pts. In second spot due to their better back nine were Derrick Hynes, Andrew Currie, Stephen Brown and Derrick Wallace with 103 pts.

The semi-finals of the Sunday team challenge cup were played to a finish at the weekend with Seamus Cunningham’s the “Fresh Men” turning in a vintage performance against last year’s winners the “Holt Shield Team” booking their place in the final with a convincing 7 pts to 5 pts win.

Results=Foursomes-Seamus Cunningham and Seamus Golding beat Paul Lyness and Stephen Mullen 3 pts to nil. Fourball=Barry Wallace and Con Kerr tied their game with Jason Wilson and Keith Campbell 1.5 each. Singles=Paddy McElmeel beat Stephen Wilson 2.5 pts to 0.5 pts. William McWilliams lost 3 pts to nil against Andrew Currie.

The second semi-final was a corker of a game that saw the “Holt Shield Select” team narrowly beat Walter Beattie`s “Edenderry Golf Society” in a sudden death shootout after both teams had tied the game with six points each. The two players involved in the last singles game had to go back up the first hole to decide which team went through to the final that saw Kenny Todd hold his nerve to record a par 4 against Edenderrys Alan Parr in what was the game of the tournament so far.

Results=Foursomes-Stephen Graham and Jonathan Lockhart beat Philip Morrow and Norman Weir 3 pts to nil. Fourball=Walter Beattie and Willy Young lost to Noel Holmes and Alan McCartney 2 pts to 1 pt. Singles=Raymond Henry lost to Harry Clougher 2 pts to 1 pt. Alan Parr lost to Kenny Todd 2 pts to 1 pt.

Next Saturdays competition is sponsored by the Famous Grouse Restaurant and will be a stableford event.

15/03/2011 – New Season Starts At Loughgall

The new golfing season gets under way at loughgall golf club this Saturday morning with a good turnout expected for the Captains Drive which will be a shotgun start Team event. This is a tournament where, traditionally, the new Club Captain David Coote will be ceremoniously welcomed to his new role. Starting time for this event will be 8.30 am sharp for everyone. Members are reminded to be early as they will have to make their way to the starters hut to check in before being given a designated tee box from which to start the competition.

The winner of the last stableford event was Alan McCartney with a great score of 42 pts of his 14 handicap. The runners-up spot went to 9 handicapper Stephen Mullan with 40 pts. Third place was won by Harry Clougher also with 40 pts of his 10 handicap and the gross prize was won by David Chadwick. The front and back nine prizes were won with fantastic scores of 23 pts by Malachy Cullen and William Stewart of their respective handicaps of 18 and 24.

There was a big surprise in the final match in group 2 of the Team Challenge Sunday Cup, as Clive Curries “Ulster Cup team” lost out on a place in the semi-finals by just a half point. On the day Clive’s team went down 6.5 to 5.5 against Stephen McCann’s “King Cobras”. The other group match saw Seamus Cunningham`s “Fresh Men” grab their place in the semi-final place with a well earned 6 pts against the “Holt Shield Select”.

The semi-finals get under way on Sunday morning with Jason Wilson`s Holt Shield team up against Seamus Cunningham’s Fresh Men, who if they can use their shots wisely will have every chance of causing an upset it this one. The other semi-final game will see Walter Beattie`s Edenderry Golf Society team go head to head with the Holt Shield Select team in a game to close to call.

28/02/2011 – Club Stableford Event

The club stableford competition played last weekend at loughgall was won by the inform John Lawther with 44 pts off his 24 handicap. Due to his better back nine score of 23 pts Barry Rayner took second place with a total of 42 pts. Just edged into third spot was 14 handicapper Stuart Pearson also with 23 pts on his back nine for a total of 42 pts. The front nine prize was won by our outgoing captain Brendan Morgan with a fantastic score of 24 pts of his 15 handicap. The back nine prize went to Alan Magill with another good score of 23 pts. The gross prize was won by Jason Wilson.

Only four players scored a “2” on Saturday with Seamus Golding at the 3rd, Eugene Scullion at the 5th, Jason Wilson at the 13th and Barry Wallace at the 15th hole.

There was plenty of drama on Sunday as all eight teams where in action competing for the Team Challenge Cup.

Shot of the day undoubtedly went to Jonathan McKnight who became the second player to get a magical (HOLE IN ONE) in this year’s team challenge tournament.

The “Holt Shield Team” who won this event last year booked there place in the semi-finals with an unstoppable display of golf against “The Captains Team” winning the game with a 10.5 to 1.5 shoreline. The other team to progress out of group one is the “Edenderry Golf Society” who were pushed all the way but still managed to get the five points they needed to qualify when they lost to Barry Rayners “Team 2 Beat” by 5 pts to 7 pts.

The teams in group two finished their second group matches with “The Holt Shield Select” now sitting comfortably at the top of the group after a resounding 9 pts to 3 pts win against the “king Cobras”. The other game in the group saw Clive Curries “Ulster Cup Team” get a much needed 7 pt to 5 pt win over “The Fresh Men” to leave this group wide open for the last days matches.

Group 1	Played	Points

Hold Shield Team	3	23.5
Edenderry	3	19.5
Team 2 Beat	3	17.5
The Captains Team	3	11.5

Group 2

Holt Shield Select	2	7.5
Ulster Cup Team	2	6.5
Fresh Men	2	5.5
King Cobras	2	4.5

21/02/2011 – Club Stableford Event

The club stableford competition at loughgall was played in what only could be described as great fun for the members, as the course had to shortened due to the heavy rain last week much to the amusement of the 18 plus handicappers.

Taking advantage of the shortened course and winner of the competition was 18 handicapper William Turner. William on the day left his golf cap at home and replaced it with a Mexican Sombrero scoring a record breaking 49 pts for his first win of the season.

Second spot went to William McWilliams who scored 47 pts off his 20 handicap. William scored 23 pts and 24 pts for his respective nines. Cecil Brownlee took third place from Jonathan McKnight and John Lawther all with 43 pts due to his better back nine score of 23 pts.

The front nine prize was won by 24 handicapper John Lawther with 24 pts and the back nine prize went to young Rhys Aughey with 24 pts also of his 24 handicap.

The gross prize went to Stephen Mullen with a one over round of 73.

There was eleven “2”s on Saturday with Seamus Golding getting two of them at the 11th and 15th holes. Brendan Morgan at the 2nd, Neil Armstrong at the 3rd, Charlie Johnston at the 11th, Aaron Agg at the 13th and Jason Wilson, Jackson Ruddock, William McWilliams and William (Sombrero) Turner all at the 15th hole.

There was joy for the “Edenderry Team” at the weekend in the Sunday Team Challenge Cup when they inflicted a crushing defeat on group one leaders “The captains Team” virtually knocking them out of this year’s tournament in one blow with a 9 pts to 3 pts victory. Results=Foursomes-Steve Graham and Leslie Lyttle beat Jonathan McKnight and David McCrory 2 pts to 1 pt. Fourball-Billy Young and Raymond Henry beat John Allen and Brendan Morgan 2.5 pts to 0.5 pt. Singles-Alan Parr beat Richard Wright 2 pts to 1 pt and Ross Kelly beat Joel Kennedy 2.5 pts to 0.5 pt.

The other match in group one was a much tighter affair with “Team 2 Beat” narrowly losing to “The Holt Shield Team” 5.5 pts to 6.5 pts mainly down to Keith Johnston’s great display in his singles match picking up all three points. Results=Foursomes-David McAdam and Alan Ball beat Stephen Wilson and Andrew Currie 2 pts to 1 pt. Fourball-Steve Wall and Robert Treanor shared the 3 pts with Stephen Mullen and Paul Lyness. Singles- Derick Hynes lost 0 pts to 3 pts against Keith Johnston and Aaron Agg beat Jason Wilson 2 pts to 1 pt.

Group 1	Played	Points

Edenderry	2	14.5
Hold Shield Team	2	13
Team 2 Beat	2	10.5
The Captains Team	2	10

Group 2

Holt Shield Select	1	7.5
Fresh Men	1	6.5
King Cobras	1	5.5
Ulster Cup Team	1	4.5

14/02/2011 – Club Stableford Event

The winner of the club stableford at loughgall on Saturday was won by our incoming captain David Coote with a super score of 46 pts off his 24 handicap. David scored 20 pts on his front nine and an excellent 26 pts on his back nine to win by three points. In the top two for the second time this month was 16 handicapper Adrian Faulkner with another top class score of 43 pts. Third place went to 24 handicapper Neville Cornett with a great score of 42 pts.

The gross prize went to David Chadwick who went round the course in level par off his 6 handicap. The front nine prize was won by Robert Treanor with 21 pts. Stuart Pearson took the back nine prize also with a score of 21 pts.

Only four players got a “2” on Saturday with Jonny McNabb getting two of them. Jonny got his brace at the 3rd and 13th holes. David Coote and David Chadwick got theirs at the 13th, and John Currie managed a great chip in at the par four 14th for his “2”.

There was high drama all the way in the Sunday Team Challenge Cup with the teams in group one completing their first games. In the first match the “Edenderry” men had last year’s winners the “Holt Shield Team” on the rocks early on with Alan Parr and Ross Kelly beating Keith Johnston and Jason Wilson 2pts to 1pt in the opening foursomes match. In the fourball game “Edenderry” extended their lead when Jonny Lockhart and Stephen Graham beating Jarlath McKeever and Stephen Wilson 2.5pts to 0.5 to give their team a 4.5 to 1.5 lead, but the Holt Shields Stephen Mullen and Andrew Currie ran away with 2.5 to 0.5 wins in the singles matches against Graham Buckley and Leslie Little.

The other match in group one saw Barry`s Rayner`s winter league winning team go head to head with the Captain’s team in a corker of a match. Club captain Brendan Morgan and his partner John Allen won their foursomes game on the 18th green by 2.5 pts to 0.5 against their opponents Derick Hynes and Barry Rayner. In the fourball game the captain`s Wright and Kennedy found themselves 3 down after 12 holes against David McAdam and Alan Magill before mounting a great comeback winning the remaining holes for a 2pts to 1 win. In the singles Jonathan McKnight and his opponent Robert Treanor shared the pts 1.5 to 1.5 as the captain`s Eugene Scullion stole the show on the par three`s in back nine going birdie on the 11th , birdie on the 13th and a (hole in one) at the 15th and still lost the game to Ian Gordon by 2 pts to 1 pt.

Group 1	Played	Points

The Captains Team	1	7
Hold Shield Team	1	6.5
Edenderry	1	5.5
Team 2 Beat	1	5

Group 2

Holt Shield Select	1	7.5
Fresh Men	1	6.5
King Cobras	1	5.5
Ulster Cup Team	1	4.5

07/02/2011 – Club Stableford Event

The club stableford played at Loughgall on Saturday was played in mixed conditions, with the early starters getting the better of the weather. The winner was Robert Treanor who managed to score 42 pts off his 13 handicap. Second place went to Jonny McNabb who shot 39 pts off his 6 handicap. Third spot was won by 24 handicapper John Lawther also with 39 pts. The front nine was won by Derick Hynes with 22 pts and the back nine prize went to Joel Kennedy with 21 pts. Daniel Huey won the juvenile prize with 38 pts while the best gross score went to Andrew Currie. Only five lucky players managed a “2” at the weekend with Kevin McCoy and Eddie Millar getting theirs at the 3rd hole. Dave Chadwick and Pat Keegan scored at the 11th, while event winner Robert Treanor got his at the 13th hole.

The Club Team Challenge Cup got under way on Sunday with “The Holt Shield Select Team” producing a shock result in group 2 against the much fancied “ Ulster Cup Team”. This was even more of a shock as the holt shields Philip Morrow had to withdraw at the last minute leaving his team a man down. But this set back just seemed raise the games of his team mates who went on to win the match 7.5 to 4.5. In the foursomes, Harry Clougher and Alan McCartney drew with the Ulster cups Clive Currie and Ted Atkinson. In the fourball, Norman Weir went down 3.0 to Jackson Ruddock and Drew Magee. The holt shields Neil Walker and Noel Holmes dominated the singles matches winning both games 3 to 0 against Keith Campbell and Stephen Crowe.

The other game in group 2 was a much tighter affair with “The Fresh Men” narrowly beating Stephen McCann’s “King Cobras” by 6.5 to 5.5 to leave both teams in a good position in the group. In the foursomes the fresh men’s Con Kerr and William McWilliams beat Mark Gilpin and Adrian Falkner 2.5 to 0.5. The fourball match saw Seamus Cunningham and Dessie Hughes half the front 9 and back 9 with the king cobras Stephen McCann and Karl Duke for 1.5 pts each. The fresh men’s Seamus Golding won his singles match 2.5 to 0.5 against Adam Galbraith and the cobras William Turner produced a great display in his singles game beating Paddy McElmeel for three much needed points.

Next Saturdays event is a club stableford while Sunday will see the Club Team Challenge Cup continue with the Captains Team v Team 2 beat and the Holt Shield A Team v Edenderry golf society.

29/01/2011 – Club Stableford Events

The club stableford played at loughgall on Saturday was played in cold conditions, however this did not put some players off. Adrian Faulkner playing 16 returned a fantastic score 43 pts to win the event. Second place went to William McWilliams with another fine score of 42 pts off his 20 handicap. Jonathan McKnight finished his round of with a birdie at the 18th hole for a score of 41 pts to take 3rd spot from his own doubles partner Eugene Scullion who also scored 41 pts.

The front nine prize was won by 21 handicapper Stephen Brown with great score of 23 pts. Charlie Johnston took the back nine prize with fine score of 22 pts. The gross prize was won by Jonathan McNabb with a score of 74 off his 6 handicap.

Only three players managed a “2” on Saturday. John Currie at the 3rd hole. Stuart Pearson at the 5th hole and Charlie Johnston managed his at the 15th hole.

Results for 22/01/2011

Winner-Stuart Pearson 39 pts. Runner-up Desmond Hughes 37 pts.

The draw for the Sunday Team Challenge cup was made last week. With such an interest in this eagerly awaited tournament it was no surprise to see so many of the team captains and players present for the draw such is the rivalry between the teams.

Group One sees Captains Day winner Walter Beattie`s “Edenderry Golf Society” team go head to head with the “Holt Shield Team” who won the event last year. With both teams full of competition winners from last season this encounter should be very interesting indeed. The other match in group one is the very confidently named “Team 2 Beat” who are mostly made up of the champion winning winter league team. They take on the “Captains Team” and will need to be on top of their game in this match.

In group two dark horses the “King Cobras” captained by Stephen McCann will have a cracking game against the vintage “Fresh Men” with both trying to get plenty of points on the board before they meet the club teams in their next games. No quarter will be given in the next match in group two as the “Ulster Cup Team” take on the “Holt Shield Select Team” were even a birdie might not guarantee winning the hole.

15/01/2011 – 2011 Stableford Events

Entries are now starting to pick up again for the Loughgall Saturday club stableford events and the terrific condition of the course meant there was some good scores returned. The first competition of the year on new year’s day was won by 21 handicapper Stephen Thompson with a fantastic score of 43 pts. The runner-up prize went to the high handicap scratch cup winner Richard Abbott with 41pts off his 17 handicap.

The result for 08/01/11 was won by Clive Currie with 36 pts of his 10 handicap and the runner-up spot went to William McWilliams who has been playing some great golf of late with 35 pts.

The result for 15/01/11 was won by 13 handicapper Alan Magill with 36 pts. The runner-up was Seamus Golding with 35pts off his new 14 handicap.

The best golf matches are the ones that keep you on your toes with excitement from the first hole tee shot to sinking your final putt on the 18th green. This is one of the many reasons the Ryder Cup is such a popular event, every hole played matters more than holes played in a normal event. It’s this type of excitement that will be seen and enjoyed at Loughgall by everyone talking part in this year’s Club Team Challenge Sunday Cup with its new format that sees eight teams going head to head playing a mixture of fourball, foursomes and singles in group matches before they can progress into the semi-final knock-out stages of the competition.

This year’s team entries are now closed and the eight teams contesting this year’s Challenge Cup are the current holders of the competition the “Holt Shield Team” captained by Jason Wilson. Such is the popularity of this team Jason had to enter a second team called the “Holt Shield Select” to accommodate everyone. One of the favourites to win this year’s cup is Clive Curries “Ulster cup Select Team”.

The dark horses this year most be Seamus Cunningham’s team amply named “The Fresh Men” who have a world of experience on their side and the rest of the team captains will want to avoid this lot in the group stages. Next team up is mostly made up of Barry Rayner`s winter league champion wining team but by being called “The Team 2 Beat” might be setting themselves up for an early exit.

The next team bidding for this year’s title is “The King Cobras” and are a very useful team made up of a varied range of handicaps captained by Stephen McCann and should be worth watching out for. The final entrant of the competition is “The Captains Team” and with the club player of the year and the All Ireland Mail Fourball champions in his side Club Captain Brendan Morgan will be out to give the rest of the team captains a run for their money. The open draw for this event will take place this Saturday at 2pm and all team captains are invited.

Reminder to members that this year’s Annual General Meeting will be held in Killmore community hall on Tuesday 22 February at 7.45pm.

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