manchester
golf club
SUNDAY 15TH MAY 2016
FIRST TEE: 10:00AM
winner
steve bradshaw
On a lovely Sunny day, we headed off to Manchester Golf Club for our first ever visit of this heathland/moorland/parkland mix.
A tricky undulating course with quite a few blind shots required a player to be accurate from the tee and tidy on approach and around the greens. This is Steve's forte as he plotted himself cleverly around the 18 holes and putted on the greens with unnerving accuracy. It could be argued that the course was designed for him, but he still has to perform and he did that with aplomb. A well deserved 2nd victory of the 2016 season goes to Steve Bradshaw with a superb knock of 39 Stableford points. |
review of the day
A lovely sunny day in Manchester - its not often those words can be strung together in a sentence. However, the weather God's were on our side for our debut visit to Manchester Golf Club.
A lovely course that meanders through the natural landscape and contours of the land presented a tricky test of golf for the society. A mixture of heathland, parkland and moorland, the course offers something a little bit different and is extremely pleasant on the eye. No two holes look similar and it certainly contains no 'up and down' holes with each one presenting a new challenge. A reasonably tough walk on the legs with lots of undulations - and in turn blind and semi blind tee shots, Manchester Golf Club is certainly a course that requires accuracy and an array of shots.
There are several stand out holes that can be argued by various people [probably depending on how successfully you played them] and the overall condition of the course was good with well kept fairways and definition was very good. The greens for our visit were a little disappointing - but we can probably put that down to the course [like most] being 8-10 weeks behind the normal green keeping schedule due to record braking rainfall through the winter. However, they did play havoc with a few players who simply could adjust to their inconsistent speed and bobbling roll. However, the general consensus was that it should be a course that Bunkers re-visit to try again as the layout was that good.
Scoring was pretty solid across the board and with the bottom placed players finishing on 24 points, its probably the tightest bunch of members [scoring wise] for quite a while. Peter Woolley was unlucky enough to loose his "Wall of Shame" virginity on a card play off with what would usually be a mid table score.
Having seen how the course played, and how it was designed, there was probably only ever going to be one winner on the day - Mr Dependable, Steve Bradshaw. "Accuracy" is his middle name and with a putting stroke that rivals Jordan Spieth it was hard to argue with his superb 39 point haul.
John Standley was unlucky not to take top spot and according to playing partners 'threw away' his chance of a first Bunkers win with some 'iffy putting'. But still a very good score of 38 points to take 2nd place from Dan Alexander who was firing on all cylinders again and must be catching the eye of the Handicap Secretary with his consistency [as well as his crisp irons and driving].
Recent drops in handicap for The Captain, Steve Evans and the Chairman, Andy Roper saw them slip down the table after recent solid scoring as they struggled to acclimatise to their new handicaps as well as the course.
Other notable rounds include another 36 pointer from Pete Bilson who has already dropped in handicapping considerably this season and Stu Seddon who rounded off a very solid performance taking the nearest the pin in two with a beautiful shot leaving him less than 2 feet from the hole.
All in all, a very enjoyable day at a new course for the group and one which will probably divide a little bit of opinion - depending on how people played on the day. Undoubtedly though, a venue that would deserve a second inspection and if the greens were found in better order - we could see it being a frequent club for Bunkers to visit annually.
A lovely course that meanders through the natural landscape and contours of the land presented a tricky test of golf for the society. A mixture of heathland, parkland and moorland, the course offers something a little bit different and is extremely pleasant on the eye. No two holes look similar and it certainly contains no 'up and down' holes with each one presenting a new challenge. A reasonably tough walk on the legs with lots of undulations - and in turn blind and semi blind tee shots, Manchester Golf Club is certainly a course that requires accuracy and an array of shots.
There are several stand out holes that can be argued by various people [probably depending on how successfully you played them] and the overall condition of the course was good with well kept fairways and definition was very good. The greens for our visit were a little disappointing - but we can probably put that down to the course [like most] being 8-10 weeks behind the normal green keeping schedule due to record braking rainfall through the winter. However, they did play havoc with a few players who simply could adjust to their inconsistent speed and bobbling roll. However, the general consensus was that it should be a course that Bunkers re-visit to try again as the layout was that good.
Scoring was pretty solid across the board and with the bottom placed players finishing on 24 points, its probably the tightest bunch of members [scoring wise] for quite a while. Peter Woolley was unlucky enough to loose his "Wall of Shame" virginity on a card play off with what would usually be a mid table score.
Having seen how the course played, and how it was designed, there was probably only ever going to be one winner on the day - Mr Dependable, Steve Bradshaw. "Accuracy" is his middle name and with a putting stroke that rivals Jordan Spieth it was hard to argue with his superb 39 point haul.
John Standley was unlucky not to take top spot and according to playing partners 'threw away' his chance of a first Bunkers win with some 'iffy putting'. But still a very good score of 38 points to take 2nd place from Dan Alexander who was firing on all cylinders again and must be catching the eye of the Handicap Secretary with his consistency [as well as his crisp irons and driving].
Recent drops in handicap for The Captain, Steve Evans and the Chairman, Andy Roper saw them slip down the table after recent solid scoring as they struggled to acclimatise to their new handicaps as well as the course.
Other notable rounds include another 36 pointer from Pete Bilson who has already dropped in handicapping considerably this season and Stu Seddon who rounded off a very solid performance taking the nearest the pin in two with a beautiful shot leaving him less than 2 feet from the hole.
All in all, a very enjoyable day at a new course for the group and one which will probably divide a little bit of opinion - depending on how people played on the day. Undoubtedly though, a venue that would deserve a second inspection and if the greens were found in better order - we could see it being a frequent club for Bunkers to visit annually.
photographs
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event info
Format: Stableford Singles
Handicaps: Players will play off FULL handicaps. [Except new members who are 3/4 handicap]
Groups: Will be drawn on the day of play
Tee: Players will play off the yellow tees.
Mini Comps: There will be TWO nearest the pins and 1 nearest the pin in 2 shots. [Will be added below prior to play]
Prizes: Will be for 1st, 2nd & 3rd
Other information: The Captain v President, Order of Merit & Wall of Shame will be in play.
Handicaps: Players will play off FULL handicaps. [Except new members who are 3/4 handicap]
Groups: Will be drawn on the day of play
Tee: Players will play off the yellow tees.
Mini Comps: There will be TWO nearest the pins and 1 nearest the pin in 2 shots. [Will be added below prior to play]
Prizes: Will be for 1st, 2nd & 3rd
Other information: The Captain v President, Order of Merit & Wall of Shame will be in play.
club info
Club Website: www.mangc.co.uk
Currently voted 12th best course in Lancashire, Manchester Golf Club is renowned for having some of the finest final holes anywhere in the North of England.
Set in over 240 acres or in metric terms one square kilometre the course is predominantly moorland in character but with heathland and parkland features – when you play this course you will find yourself surrounded by scenic, rural views.
At The Manchester the challenge of championship golf meets superb and varied conference facilities and function rooms, all beautifully located just 20 minutes from City Centre Manchester and very close to major motorway links.
Founded in 1882 this is a golf club where tradition is treasured but at the same time its forward looking and optimistic membership provides just about everything required to satisfy the modern day golfer.
Players from all over the globe have appeared at Manchester Golf Club, largely in PGA European Tour Qualifiers. Amongst the household names have been Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke to name but two.
Currently voted 12th best course in Lancashire, Manchester Golf Club is renowned for having some of the finest final holes anywhere in the North of England.
Set in over 240 acres or in metric terms one square kilometre the course is predominantly moorland in character but with heathland and parkland features – when you play this course you will find yourself surrounded by scenic, rural views.
At The Manchester the challenge of championship golf meets superb and varied conference facilities and function rooms, all beautifully located just 20 minutes from City Centre Manchester and very close to major motorway links.
Founded in 1882 this is a golf club where tradition is treasured but at the same time its forward looking and optimistic membership provides just about everything required to satisfy the modern day golfer.
Players from all over the globe have appeared at Manchester Golf Club, largely in PGA European Tour Qualifiers. Amongst the household names have been Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke to name but two.
course info
You can see more information on the club on the links below:
DIRECTIONS
Manchester Golf Club
Hopwood Cottage, Rochdale Road, Middleton M24 6QP - Tel: 0161 643 3202
The club is 45 minutes drive from Skelmersdale and 50 minutes drive from Liverpool and is just off junction 19 of the M62.
CLICK HERE FOR MAP
Hopwood Cottage, Rochdale Road, Middleton M24 6QP - Tel: 0161 643 3202
The club is 45 minutes drive from Skelmersdale and 50 minutes drive from Liverpool and is just off junction 19 of the M62.
CLICK HERE FOR MAP