Golspie duo in festive first at Brora contest
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TWO Golspie club members marked their return to the North Golf Alliance circuit this season with a first place in the three-ball-better-ball Christmas fixture at Brora last Sunday.
Alastair Bell (9) and Tim Featherstone (12) linked up with Tain’s Richard Hamblin (17) to achieve a seven under par nett 49, winning by a shot from Durness pair Alastair Morrison (15), an apprentice green keeper on the Brora course, Stephen Mackay (13) joined by local member Robert MacDonald (5).
Two birdie two’s by Hamblin and Featherstone over the eight-hole inward stretch of Brora’s 15-hole winter course brought the winners’ inward half down to 23 after an outward 26.
Hamlin, in receipt of a stroke at the inward cut-in hole played to the 11th green holed out from off the green for gross three, nett two, which set the trio on their way. It was quickly followed by a nett birdie from Bell at the next hole.
Hamblin again came into the frame with gross four, nett three, at the penultimate hole.
On the final green they all had birdie opportunities. After Bell and Hamblin both missed it was Featherstone’s last effort from three feet that dropped into the hole for another birdie that put the winning tinsel on their card.
The Durness/Brora trio also managed two birdie two’s on the inward half, but could only get to 24 for the last eight holes to add to their outward 26 and second place bottles of champagne. The winners received a bottle of Brora Golf Club’s exclusive malt whisky.
It was a credit to the Brora green keeping staff and volunteers that the event went ahead after they turned out on Saturday to clear debris dumped by the storm waves that ravaged Sutherland’s east coast over the previous 24 hours.
A storm surge up the burn at the fifth hole swept away a footbridge, but the tractor bridge remained and the ninth green that was covered in debris was not in use on Sunday.
In contrast, Sunday’s play was drenched in perfect winter sun which enticed the next three-best-ball scores of 51. Two of them came from Tain teams.
Munro and Billy Ferries and Ali Melville had halves of 25 and 26 which rewarded them with Christmas puddings. Club mates Sean Sutherland, Raymond Lockie and Mike Sangster were fifth with halves of 24 and 27.
Brora’s Tony Gill and Mike Howells might have crept up the prize list had they had a full complement, but their third player, club captain Ken Lorimer, was forced to withdraw with a sick bug. The pair had to make do with a fourth place on the count back.
The individual fixtures resume at Reay Golf Club on January 20.
Results: Three-ball-better-ball net scores – 49 A Bell (Golspie), T Featherstone (Golspie), R Hamlin (Tain) (26/23). 50 R MacDonald (Brora), A Morrison (Durness), S Mackay (Durness) (26/24). 51 M Ferries, B Ferries, A Melville (Tain) (26/25), T Gill, M Howells (Brora) (26/25), S Sutherland, R Lockie M Sangster (Tain) (24/27).
