Mostly Matchplay

Sunday was the next round of our fourball knockout, My partner and I were playing the two girls who had beaten us in the final last year.

 After halving the first with pars, I holed a nice putt for a net birdie to win the 2nd. We halved the 3rd and 4th with net pars before losing the 5 th to a net birdie. we halved the 6th with gross birdies after another nice putt from me, but lost the 5th even though we both had shots, my 2nd finding a bunker and escape running through the green into a hazard, and my partner messing up a chip.
My partner won the 8th wth a net birdie, but we losat he 9th when one of our opponents hold a long birdie putt.
A net birdie for me won the 10th, but we lost the 1tth to a par after I found trees off the tee. We were all square again after a net par from my partner on the 12th and halved the 13th when I holed for a net par.
We lost the 14th to a par after my putt lipped out, but a net birdie from me won the 15th. They went back ahead on the 16th with a par when my 2nd found a bunker then another putt lipped out and my partner fluffed a chip.
The 17th was halved in net pars and then on the 18th they both found the green and I was through the back, I failed to get down in 2 and that was the match lost 2 down.
My partner off 24 played well and I had some very good holes but in the end we were both too erratic.

It was a great match though.

Monday and 16 of the Ellesmere girls went to play at Skipton in their open. The course is set above the town with nice views all around. The course itself undulates with several plateau greens and has several interesting holes particularly on the back nine A small river runs though the course and provides a natural water hazard on several holes on the back nine. On the 14^th and 15^th in particular the river runs right in front of the greens. The 14^th is only 270 yards long from the red tees but is stroke index 2, mainly due to the river which means a very accurate approach is needed to the green and the 15^th is a down hill par 3 with the river running along left hand side and in front of the green. The 17^th is a very short par 3 but its up a steep holl to a very small green, and the 18^th is uphill all the way to the green by the club house.

It was certainly an interesting course to play and my game was as up and down as the course. I did have several good holes but my round was most notable for the stupid mistakes made that had nothing to do with the way I was playing. Firstly following a poor chp that failed to reach the green, I marked my ball on the fringe for the 2^nd time in two weeks and then a few holes later after playing a lovely second shot to just short of a green, I failed to check the ball I was playing was mine and only discovered it wasn't when I went to mark it after a really nice chip, so instead of a short putt for a par I had a 2 shot penalty and then had to play my own ball and of course didint ht half as good a chip!

Our team finished with 78 points nowhere near good enough to get in the prizes but we had the consolation of having the best score of the Ellesmere teams.,

Tuesday saw me back at Ellesmere for another matchplay game, this time in the singles Challenge knockout. I was playng Doreen who beat me in the competition last year and in fact went on to win the competition.

Doreen hit a lovely tee shot on the first and won the hole with a par to my bogey, although I won the 2^nd when I holed a nice put for my par after being through the green with my 2^nd.

Doreen had a shot on the 3^rd and I drove into a bunker and having got out tried to clear the ditch with my 3^rd as Doreen was nicely down near the ditch in 2 but although I hit it well t caught trees and I finished up with a 7 against Doreen's par 5.

We halved the 4^th in bogey 4s, I hit the green with my tee shot but had the full length of the green to putt up and took 3.

I hit 2 nice shots to be just short of the green in 2 and Doreen found a bunker with her 3^rd, chipped on and 2 putts gave me a bogey 5, which was enough to win the hole and get back to all square.

On the 6^th I hit a good drive followed by a lovely 3 wood that landed short but ran up onto the green, Doreen just missed her par and I two putted for a birdie 4 to go 1up.

I hit a decent drive on the 7^th although it went quite a long way right and after Doreen had hit a weak second I hit my 2^nd to the fringe of the green and after Doreen could only put her ball the the ditch from a bad lie, I two putted for a par to win the hole.

Another decent drive on the 8^th meant I could ht my 2^nd over the ditch to about 50 yds short of the green, Doreen, who had laid up in 2 the scuffed her 3^rd into the ditch. Doreen hit a nice 5^th after takjing a penalty but I chipped safely onto the green and 2 putted for a par 5 to go 3 up.

A lovely tee shot from Doreen found the green on the 9th and after I failed to get up and down from just off the green she won the hole with a par to pull a hole back.

We both hit poor drives on the 10^th and both failed to find the green in 3 I chipped a little long and then Doreen thinned her chip but had a nice putt and was in for 6, I over bran my putt by a couple of feet but holed for a 6 too and a half.

We were both short of ther ditch in 2 on the 11^th, Doreen hit a lovely pitch to about 8 feet and my pitch was pin high bit 20 feet away, I missed my birdie putt and Dorrens just missed too so we halved the hole with pars.

I hit a lovely drive on the 12^th which finished about 15 feet from the hole, Doreen was short but chipped on but failed to hole her putt for a par, so 2 putts gave my a par and the hole to go back to 3 up.

I was giving a shot on the 13^th but hit a lovely straight drive, Doreen also hit a nice drive but was short in 2, while I hit a nice 5 wood which found the green, Doreen's chip only found a bunker and although she got out I hit my birdie putt right up to the hole side for a tap in par and Doreen missed her putt so I won the hole to go 4 up.

I overshot the green on the 14^th and Doreen found a bunker, I hit a poor chip that ran right though the green then fluff another chip, whereas Doreen came out of the bunker and holed a nice putt for a par to get me back to 3 up.

I hit another lovely long straight drive on the 15^th, Doreen hit a nice drive and a reasonable 2^nd but I ht a nice 3 wood that pitch short right of the green and bounced down and ran onto the green, a first for me as I have never been on this green n 2 shots before. Doreen's 3^rd found a bunker again and she putt her 4^th on the green, but I putted up for a tap in birdie whch won the hole and the match by 4&3.

I really played well with 6 pars and 2 birdies although I still had 3 doubles, Doreen herself had 5 pars but sadly for her she was rather inconsistent. So I was very pleased to win what I expected to be a very tough match.

Thursday was the open at Ellesmere, despite the weather forecast we were lucky with the weather and all players more or less avoided the rain. I played steadily including birdieing the par 15^th for third time in a row. We finished with a decent 84 points but were beaten by 2 87s and an 88. The winners were visitors which was good as out open doesn't get as many entrants from other courses as we would like.

Friday was our first away match in this year's shield and we were playing at Ashton under Lyne. It had been a struggle getting a full team with people dropping out, but fortunately I did have 7 players after lots of phone calling. I was giving just one shot to the lady I was playing against and I lost the first hole, before halving the next 3. I parred the 5^th to get back to all square, but lost the 6^th which was the hole I gave the shot on. I went 2 down after the 7^th where I hit a very long drive but then made a mess of the pitch to the green.

Things started to turn on the 8^th where my opponent hit a wild drive that went way out of bounds and I won the hole with a double bogey, taking 3 putts on a very tricky green. I then got back to all square again after a bogey on the 9^th. A lovely chip after being short of the 10^th off the tee gave me a par and I went 1 up and bogeys on the next 3 holes saw me go to 3 up. I hit the green with my tee shot on the 14^th and opponent, who had hit her tee shot short, put her 2^nd in a bunker right under the lip and more or less unplayable. A good putt from me saw the hole conceded and I was 4 up with 4 to play. Neither of us played the 15^th very well, but she fluffed a chip from the back of the green and a double bogey was enough for me to win the hole and the match by 5&3.

The team match was very close and we were sitting 3-3 with the last pair out playing the last hole. Unfortunately their player won the hole and so we lost the match 4-3. Despite losing the match we did put up a very good showing, Ashton has some tricky par 3s and also some of the greens have lots of little breaks that you just don't see.

I will be back at Ashton in June as we have drawn them in the next round of the Archie Preston Mixed knockout, a repeat of last years quarter final that Ellesmere managed to win.