Cirencester Golf Club

Seniors’ section

December Stableford

JOHN APPLEBY made it two wins in the last three seniors’ stablefords on Wednesday as he continued to finish the season with a flourish, writes Danny Hall.

John, also the Seniors’ Champion for 2019, shot an excellent 39 points to reduce his handicap from six to five – and he clinched the pot on countback with that rarest of birds, a three on the closing 18th hole.

On a day when the mid and late starters among the field of almost 90 had to deal with some nasty squally showers, Eamonn Cuthbert almost repeated his victory in the similar August event, again leading home Division Two (for second place overall) with his 39 points. This earned Eamonn a further handicap cut to 21.

Evergreen Jack Bastow (39pts) matched his podium finish in a full club stableford last month with third place, and Dave Allen maintained his excellent recent run when completing the quartet of players to sign for 39 points, which earned him fourth spot.

Just four birdie twos were recorded: Eric Varcoe and David Neale on the 2nd; Dave Collett and Charles Reed on the 13th.

RESULTS

Division One: John Appleby 39 points (off 6), Dave Allen 39 (17), Steve Sweet 38 (15), David Murray 38 (16), Howard Jones 37 (14).

Division Two: Eamonn Cuthbert 39 points (off 22), Jack Bastow 39 (25), Terry Mason 38 (19), David Lowbridge 37 (22), Aadel Nasrat 36 (24).

Gloucester & Somerset PGA

CIRENCESTER head pro Ed Goodwin has enjoyed fine results in his two latest outings on the Gloucester & Somerset PGA circuit.

In the PGA medal at Worlebury Golf Club near Weston-super-Mare, he missed top spot by just a shot, his four-under-par score of 66 being beaten only by David Dixon, who had narrowly failed to regain his playing rights for the European Tour recently.

Mark Plummer, who is also officially attached to Cirencester, finished fourth with his round of 68.

Seven days later, at the annual Howards Motor Group Pairs Championship, Goodwin again finished runner-up, with Dixon once more his nemesis.

Dixon spurned the opportunity of an expensive trip Down Under to play in a Tour event and his late entry with Worlebury pro Roy Baker resulted in a round of seven-under-par 63 over the Channel course at Burnham & Berrow

It was a scramble format on the front nine and better ball on the back nine.

Ed, a multiple winner of this event, teamed up with West Region PGA captain Giuseppe Licata and finished just one shot back in joint-second place on 64.

Bigga Golf Day

HEAD greenkeeper – and former A-team player – Richard Louisson came out of semi-retirement to show he can still play the game well at the Bigga Annual Christmas Golf Day held at Cirencester.

Richard’s monster tee shot to the approach of the fourth green won him the longest drive of the day in a 40-strong field of greenkeepers.

More pleasing, still, for our man with very green fingers were the positive comments he received from his peers about the condition of the course – and also the food and drink on offer.