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Antrobus GC (26.07.26)
What another cracking turnout for the society as we descended on the beautiful Antrobus Golf Club for another day of golfing glory … and misery.
With John absent on his annual pilgrimage to Ireland, no doubt perched somewhere sipping Irish malt whiskey and telling anyone who'd listen that he "could've birdied that," Vice-Captain Peter took the reins for the day. Stepping in alongside him was Mark McNally to lend a helping hand ... although, as you'll soon discover, perhaps he should've been concentrating a little more on his own golf! (I vote Mark stands in every week!)
Antrobus was presented in fantastic condition, with enough water, gullies and strategically placed ditches to make even the best golfers question why they play the sport. Add in the resident geese keeping a watchful eye over proceedings and some classic sideways July rain, it certainly was a challenge!
One of the moments of the day came courtesy of our acting skipper. As Peter parked his trolley, a rogue gust of wind had other ideas and the trolley gathered pace before launching itself into one of the deep side gullies, disappearing into a jungle of nettles, weeds and whatever other forgotten hazards lurked below. Rumour has it nobody has ever seen Peter's legs move so quickly. Thankfully, both golfer and golf bag escaped with only minor bruises to their pride.
Right, onto the prizes!
The NTPs saw some excellent golf on display. Callum (ex member and esteemed guest) claimed the honour on the 2nd, while the 4th remained untouched by the entire society. Jeff, otherwise known as "The Little Fella," claimed the 8th, holing it for a superb two in the process, before deciding one NTP wasn't enough and added the 12th to his collection. Jason rounded things off nicely by taking the honours on the 14th.
The leaderboard was incredibly tight, with third place shared by Chappo and Callum on 32 points, both finishing with 17 points on the back nine. Second place went to the ever-smiling Little Fella himself, Jeff, who also carded 32 points but edged ahead courtesy of a stronger back nine with 19 points. But standing proudly at the top of the leaderboard, after what feels like an eternity waiting for another victory, was yours truly. A steady 35 points was enough to finally get over the line and remind everyone that even a broken clock is right twice a day. Whether this is the start of a glorious return to form or simply a statistical anomaly remains to be seen.
And finally ... Gertie the Goose.
It has to be said, Gertie looked absolutely delighted to be released from the clutches of Chappo after spending the last four weeks hanging by the neck! Phil posted 23 points, with James Oliver and Les both managing 22. However, Mark McNally arrived at the 18th knowing he needed something special to avoid taking home our feathered friend. Unfortunately, even the 4 points scored was only a glimmer of hope and nothing more. With a grand total of 20 points, Mark earned the not-so-coveted honour of taking Gertie home.
A huge thank you to everyone who came along and made it another brilliant day. We now look ahead to the next society outing at Woolton GC on 23rd August.
On last point, a HUGE congratulations to Mike Herzog, who announced he is going to become a Daddy for a second time! Say goodbye to that low handicap, Mike!
For the full album of Antrobus photos, including a significant number of Mark receiving our beloved Goose for some strange reason click here
Ashton In Makerfield GC, 21st June 2026
Eyes of the political world were focused on Ashton In Makerfield on Thursday of this past week, but the sporting world was more interested in the World Cup, or the US Open or the Tennis at Queen's, or holding their breath for the outcome of our latest Society knock at their wonderful Golf Club!
It was a shorts and Ambre Solaire day for the 16 sun worshipping Members who managed to attend on Father's Day, with the mercury hitting 25 degrees, zero wind, and the course being in absolutely brilliant nick as usual.
Scoring was spread across 13 points from the Andy Burnham winner to the Count Binface Goose candidate.
And so, Returning Officer, Captain Sir John Roche MBE, OBE, DSO and always found at the Bar, announced the final scores, in the absence of Vice Captain, Lord Peter Batey, who was otherwise engaged getting totally blotto on a significanth Birthday binge.
In shared 3rd place were the inseparable Daz & Fitzy the Elder on 33 points, in 2nd place was the ever consistent (and Paddy Powers tip for the title this year), Mark Mac with 35 points, but, elected to Parliament to represent the people of Ashton...sorry, bit carried away there, in first place for the first time with the Society (and definitely not the last!) with a perfect Handicap score of 36 points was our Babyfaced Assassin, Dylan Wylie! Well done Dylan!!
The day's NTPs were won by Ginormous Jeff Burgess and Grandad Colin Newall, with the third being missed by all, but proceeds will get thrown into the Captain's Prize Fund, so everyone wins, and claiming the Skipper's Prize for the best Front 9 score with 19 points, was J Squared, Jason Jones.
And finally, in a momentous moment in the Society's long, long history, Gorgeous Gertie was presented to Mr John Chapman for the first time ever, to the loudest cheer ever, for his magnificent return of 23 points!
For the full album of Ashton photos, including quite a few of John Chappo unsurprisingly click here
Oswestry GC, 31st May 2026
What a fantastic event and turnout for our second swing of the season at the Oswestry GC.
With Al, our trusty scribe, unable to attend this one, I (Col) have stepped into his unmatchable golf shoes to bring you this week's tales, traumas and triumphs.
The course was in immaculate condition, tree-lined to perfection for those who like a hook and a slice, challenging uphill par 3s that tested both club selection and cardiovascular fitness, and with greens as pure as a freshly poured pint! The weather was also kind, providing enough cloud cover to protect those of a follicly-challenged nature, while still allowing enough sunshine to expose the robustness of yours truly's exceptionally white legs. What a pleasure it was to play.
Similar to our opening knock at Chester, the scoring was remarkably competitive. A huge thanks to everyone for taking care with the cards (no errors) - my wife was slightly disappointed that I was done so quickly!
So, onto the results from the day, presented by our Vice Captain, Peter Batey, alongside our skipper, John Roche.
Taking third place was Daz White with an excellent 36 points. Second place went to Dylan Wylie, also with 36 points, but he edged ahead on countback thanks to a superb 22 points on the back nine. However, standing proudly atop the leaderboard was our very own man in red, Vice Captain Peter Batey. A magnificent 38 points, despite including three scrubs along the way, was enough to claim top spot and the winner's honours.
The NTP’s produced some fine golf throughout the day. Daz claimed the 4th, and not content with that, promptly holed it for a two as well, earning himself a lovely shiny set of balls. The 9th was won courtesy of Gary Chappo’s silky 6-iron, while Chris Sullivan claimed bragging rights on the 17th. The 12th, however, remained untouched by the entire society. I'm sure Stevo will be celebrating this outcome with immense pleasure as he gets the honour of returning the £25 back into the kitty at the next event. The Captain's Pick was the Easy Six, which Daz apparently found extremely easy, racking up 14 points and comfortably bagging even more prize money.
And finally, Gertie, our beloved Goose. As if it wasn't entertaining enough at Chester, Steve Hudson and Alex Stewart fancied another Goose-off. There was a brief moment of panic from Karl Taylor, who carded 23 points but thankfully for Karl, and fortunately for Steve, the countback calculator confirmed that Alex was the rightful owner of Gertie with 22 points.
A huge thank you to everyone who attended and helped make it another cracking day. We now look ahead to Ashton in three weeks' time. Hopefully we'll see as many of you there as possible. Your stand-in scribe, Col.
For the full album of Oswestry photos click here
Chester GC, 26th April 2026
Here we go again!! As the footie Season draws to a close, our flog Season got underway proper like, with lots of new clobber and equipment on show at lovely Chester GC (that's Golf Catwalk...) in very decent sunny, light breezy conditions from our record 27 strong gang. A brilliant turnout, and in front of one of our legendary founders and all round good guy, the one and only Mr. Kevin Woods as well.
Scoring was reasonable for a first knock of the year for most, with just 16 points spanning first to Goose on the day.
And so, the final scores were announced by our shiny new Vice Captain Mr Peter Batey with prizes given out by our equally shiny new Skipper, Mr. John Roche.
In shared 2nd place were Mark 'JJ' Lewis and Daz White (I use Ariel meself) on 33 points! But, in first place with a score of 35 points was the Society's lowest Handicapped player, the quite brilliant Robbie Henderson. Well done Robbie, you could become the Society's first ever plus Handcapper if this carries on!!
The day's NTPs were won by big Alex Stewart, Morris Dancing Toddy Hodson and Society newbie, and looking as young as Snooker's Stan Moodie, 14 year old Dylan Wylie, who also won the Captain's prize, scoring 13 points on the Random 6 Handicap holes.
And finally, after an extra long examination by VAR between the 2 lowest submissions, Gertie Goose was 'presented' to Steve Hudson, courtesy of his 19 points, but he still held his head up high, good on you Steve!
For the full album of Chester photos click here
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