Read all about it! Chichester ladies win in newspaper contest

The team of Rachel Greenland, Kathy Donohoe, Jennifer Sherwood, Caroline Hawkes (captain) and Helen Ball travelled to Goodwood’s Park course on a sunny day but it was bitterly cold and very windy.

Meanwhile, Chichester ladies got 2015 off to a flying start with a strokeplay Florida Texas scramble.

In teams of three, everybody drives off and the best ball position is chosen for the next shot. If your ball is picked you cannot take the next shot but once on the green, putting is taken in turns. Ten per cent of the combined handicap is deducted from the final score.

Val Edwards, Jeannie Blackman, Gill Fielding and Wendy Jeffery came top with 80.04 pts with Caroline Hawkes, Terry Payne and Maria Mills second with 81.2, followed by Heddie Straw, Sue Ward and Lyn Santer on 81.4.

A small group played a hidden-partners pairs competition where you find out who your scoring partner is after the game. Yvonne Dunkley and Val Swain just beat Helen Ball and Pauline Beale by 45 points to 42.

A bowmaker competition on the Tower course saw the best two scores count out of three. A long way ahead in first place with 74 points were Angela Perkins, Dot Collyer and Janet Leonard. Second with 66 were Barbara Hastewell, Jackie Heard and Trish Robertson; third on countback with 64 were Lesley Hance, Sue Ward and Wendy Jeffery.

Lesley Hance excelled by winning two out of the four nearest the pins and Sue Ward won one.

A Saturday competition involved counting putts and Stableford. Fiona Walsh won the putting with an impressive 33 putts while Jackie Heard with 29 points won the Stableford from Fiona Walsh and Keeley Poole.

A three-sixes Stableford on the Tower course provided the challenge of playing three different formats in one round. In pairs the first six holes were four-ball better-ball, best score to count, followed by six holes of foursomes and then six of greensomes.

In the higher-handicap group, Trish Robertson and Janet Leonard came in with an excellent 40 points ahead of Jane Buckley and Lesley Hance with 37. Third were Margaret Boon and Jackie Heard with 34.

The lower-handicap group was won with 45 points by Kathy Donohoe and Jennifer Sherwood. Kathy’s putter could do no wrong. Second went to Sue Ward and Fiona Walsh with 39 and third were Caroline Hawkes and Heddie Straw with 35.

A Stableford bisque competition was won with 37 points by Jackie Heard, followed by Jennifer Sherwood on 33 and Lisa Mitchelmore on 32.

BOGNOR

The ladies and members of Bognor Golf Club helped raise £2,000 for the lady captain’s chosen charity, The Migraine Trust.

It is a small trust that relies wholly on charity and which supports sufferers of a debilitating and painful neurological condition which affects more than eight million people in the UK.

The trust’s representative, Holly Lyons, received the cheque from Nicki Vincent, who was lady captain in 2014.

Bognor ladies played a three-clubs-and-a-putter Stableford.

Results – Silver: 1 Chris Puddicombe 37pts; 2 Nicola Holton 33; 3 Wendy Johnson 30. Bronze A: 1 Berit Smallcorn 31; 2 Sue Sidebotham 28; 3 Denise Duquemin 26. Bronze B: 1 Margaret Delves 30; 2 Kim Mercer 29. Bronze C: 1 Vanessa Cole 29; 2 Jackie Chamberlain 27.

COWDRAY PARK

Cowdray Park travelled to Guildford for their latest match in the Surrey and West Sussex Winter League on the back of of a superb 4-0 home win over reigning champions Hankley Common.

They returned home with an excellent 3½-½ win under their belts and moved up to second place in the table with 18.5 points from their eight matches.

The four games were not as one-sided as the overall result would suggest as they all went to at least the 17th hole.

On the same day, Puttenham moved up to third spot, with 17.5 points from seven matches following a 4-0 home win over Hankley Common. Puttenham have a home match against bottom side Farnham before Cowdray Park return to action next Monday, when they entertain Hindhead. On March 2 Cowdray travel to Puttenham for a match crucial to both sides.

Results (Cowdray Park names first): Phil Harrison & Mark Upton beat Paul O’Keefe & Brian Kimberley 1up; John Doran & John Newman beat Paul Boyle & Kevin Mander 2&1; Paul Owen & Graham Thompson beat Keith Hack & Graham Finney 2&1; David Tilley & David Balfour halved with Alan Gadge & Terry Nibbs.

Cowdray Park held their monthly medal on one of the coldest days of the year, exacerbated by a fierce north-westerly wind, making life uncomfortable for the 80 players.

The effect on the scoring can be best judged by an increase in the competition scratch score to 71.

In division one, Chris Strudwick shook off his winter blues to return a nett 69, winning the division by two shots from retiring club captain Sean Gallagher, who recorded the division’s lowest gross score.

Scott Evans, in division two, posted the day’s lowest overall gross score and a nett score of 64 to win the division by six shots and earn a handicap reduction to 11.

It was deja-vu in division three when, for the second month running, Chris Hutchings won the section, this time with a nett 66, proving how much his game has improved courtesy of lessons from club pro Tim Allen since joining the club in mid-2014.

Not only has his handicap routinely reduced to 17, but, under the exceptional circumstances rule, he has been penalised a further two shots, meaning his handicap has reduced in 2015 from 20 to 15.

Leading nett scores: Div 1: 69 Chris Strudwick; 71 (countback) Sean Gallagher, James Varnes, Chris Dormer, Rod Brown: 72 (cb) Howard Kasey, Guy Goodens, Les Marjoram. Div 2: 64 Scott Evans; 70 Bill Birnie; 71 Steve Lucking; 72 (cb) Steven West, Tony Petras, Martin Donohue; 73(cb) Dave Coombes, Adam Exall, David Tilley, Harvey Terry. Div 3: 66 Chris Hutchings; 70 Tony Trussler; 71(cb) Mick Taylor, Tony Tabner; 73 (cb) Ken Wilson, Roger Powell.

LITTLEHAMPTON

The cold but generally dry weather has enabled golfers to get in plenty of play at Littlehampton GC.

Long-time member Doug Hill produced a fine round in the seniors’ Howard Agar Stableford, built largely on a superb front nine of 23 points when the 15 handicapper managed six pars and three bogeys.

Hill carded a solid back nine which left him out in front with 42 points. One point back in second place was John Ludlow, with new member Jan De Vries third on countback with his 39 points.

In the gents’ section’s midweek Stableford, 13-handicapper Ron Grant continued his recent form, earning him a handicap reduction courtesy of scoring 42 Stableford points to win the competition by two from Mike Schools, with former club captain Ian Kite third with 38 points.

The club enjoyed the rarely-played flag competition in which players place a flag on the course at the point when their allocation of handicap strokes are used up.

In division two, Dave Wells proved a popular winner after getting within four feet of the 18th hole to pip runner-up Martin Dean. In division one, Ian Kite got to the green on the first extra hole but was beaten by a magnificent effort from Sean Farnes, who holed out on the first, second time around.

Club Captain Mike King said: “At the start of a new season it is great to see members taking on fresh challenges. And with the realistic

expectation of continuing improvements to the course following on from our autumn work, I have been very pleased to welcome several new members who have joined our club during the past few weeks.”