Read on for a report by our ace reporter on the 19th on the first outing to Edmondstown Golf Club...

The Bective Golf Society got off to a great start last Saturday in the superb surroundings of Edmondstown Golf Club.

Not only did all 5 teams take to the field but all players actually turned up in plenty of time for the 4.07 pm kick off!! Is this a first for Bective & perhaps a reflection of the new management & club ethos that prevails in the club at present?! I certainly hope so.

The first team, ably led by Johnny Vaughan and including Hilary Magrath and Andy Fitzpatrick, teed off superbly and set the standard for the rest of the teams.

Not to be outdone by Johnny's 'cracker' of a drive, Team Captain for team No. 2, Gavin Doherty (followed by Jenny Gracey & Niamh McKenna) blasted a truly magnificent drive (for him anyway) past even JV's effort. What a start!

Ever competitive Ronan Cullen, Captain of team No. 3 replied with probably the best first drive of the day and his team (Mike Hensey & Orlagh Ryan) seemed to be inspired by his example and replied in kind.

Given sibling rivalry is keenest of all, brother Declan then stood up to the mark and let loose with a cannon - just a tad wide of the mark but team member no. 2 Colm Holohan played his part ably backed up by Linda Conway.

The 'tail-end charlies', Joe Doyle's team (including Rhona McGloughlin and myself), brought up the rear and nearly lost ourselves in the gloaming after finishing the 11th hole. We..ahem..went & played the 1st hole again by mistake instead of walking on around the club house to the par five 12th! We only discovered our error when we couldn't find the next hole, the par 3, nearest the pin 13th. By then poor Rhona had thought she had sunk a truly spectacular 40ft putt for birdie. Alas, all was in vain as the hole didn't count!! It was still a spectacular putt though!

As the tail-enders were heading for the 13th, Johnny Vaughan's team had just completed the long, 140 metre, par three 17th hole and we were greeted with the news that Hilary had just aced the hole!! Disbelieving him, I related 'the joke' to the rest of the team, Joe & Rhona, who agreed that JV must have been 'taking the Mick'.

Meanwhile numerous birdies later and with the tail-enders finishing in the pitch dark at 9.10 pm (we did play 19 holes after all & got best value for money), all safely arrived back in the clubhouse for nosh and presentation of prizes.

To my great surprise, and in fact that of everyone involved, Hilary had in fact scored a HOLE IN ONE, AN ACE on the hardest par 3 on the course! Great excitement ensued when all realised that drinks were on Hilary!

Edmondstown Club Captain, Michael Byrne, personally congratulated Hilary on behalf of the club & made a brief speech.

To her mortification (but no little pleasure) the whole bar, including all the blazered members of the Metropolitan Cup teams who were competing that day just ahead of the BGS, namely Edmonstown & the K Club, stood as one and proceeded to render a standing ovation to our Acer. (I'd like, at this point, to add that (far) behind every great woman is a man...).

Presentation of prizes followed and the scoring was remarkably close.

Not surprisingly, Johnny Vaughan's team won on a net score of 52 points (that Ace kinda helped) followed closely by Ronan's team on 53.

Gavin's team scored 55 & Declan's 58 followed by the tail-end Charlies who continued to live up to that name on 60.

Ronan was severely disappointed not only at being pipped to the winning post by a solitary point but also by missing out on the nearest the pin when his wonderful 9 iron pitch to the par three, 110 metre hole, finished 25 ft 5 inches from the flag and was only bested by my own valiant effort by a mere 8ft!

It was a surprise that, given the earlier excellent standard of driving, nobody managed to win the long drive competition. JV had scribbled down "Off the fairway but only just" on the sheet but that, I'm afraid, didn't pass muster! Sorry JV!

A truly enjoyable and memorable day for all concerned, not just the Acer.

I hope everyone will turn out again for the next outing planned for the 24th July at Tulfarris (to be confirmed).

Finally, a hearty thank you to all who played on Saturday and contributed to such an enjoyable Bective sporting occasion.

Hope to see you all again soon on the golf course & maybe even a few more will join us.

Mal Magrath
 

The proposed dates for the last outing for 2010 is:

   ⊗ Saturday 28th or Sunday 29th August (Singles Stableford Competition).

The Bective Beatty Bandama Cup will also be back on the agenda and must be won once again this year.

If you are interested in playing in any (or all) of the outings or have any suggestions or comments please email Mal Magrath.

PLEASE CLEARLY INDICATE IN YOUR REPLY EMAIL THE DATES ON WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE TO PLAY.

A deposit of €20 will be required before the event to secure your place.

Events will be limited to the first 15 entries (i.e. 5 x 3 balls).

Guests are very welcome to attend any of the events, but only members of the tennis club are eligible to compete for the BBBC Perpetual Trophy in August. (We will have a separate prize for guests depending on numbers).