With the regulations allowing for the Pro Shop to open and for outside catering to recommence within a couple of days, a feeling of normality is returning to Mendip Golf Club.

Despite bitterly cold weather, the fairways have been packed and golfing conditions have been superb, bearing in mind that we are still in early April. The enforced rest that the Course has had has been very beneficial and with the drying winds, the fairways are running and the greens have become quite slick in recent days. The first Men’s competition is being held this weekend and the Ladies and the Seniors have already had one event.

48 ladies played a Bowmaker and with the weather so cold due to the biting northerly wind, the event was split into a nine hole and eighteen hole competition, with the entrants evenly split between the two.

The eighteen hole competition went to the low handicap Team of Marian Speed, Bron Cooper, Jan Fukuyama and Fran Davies, with 78 points. In their round Jan had a hole in one on the eighth hole - well done Jan! In second place were Ladies Captain Anne Collins, Julia Phillips, Sandie Roper and Diane Stanton with 74 points with Chris Atkinson, Hilary Rowdon, Sue Needham and Penny Oliver a further two shots back with 72.

The nine hole event went to Andrea Williams, Caroline Simper, Mary Ainsworth and Nola Russell with 38 points on countback from Lulu Carolan, Anita Butcher, Cora Pavey and Margaret Allen, with Lynn Cox, Allison Rumming, Jean Padfield and Val Dixon third with 37 points.

The first Seniors event was a four man Waltzing Matilda which attracted an amazing 128 entrants which just goes to show the strength of the Seniors’ section. The winning team were Phil Bendall, Stephen Smith, Colin Davies and Andrew Ashman, with 85 points, but only after countback from Chris Bennett, Keith Beasley, Roger Wickett and Alan Evans Jones.

In third place were Mike Curtis, Brian Barton, Kevin Carmody and star of the show, Les Kew, whose personal score made a mockery of his new handicap, with 83 points.

Tony Williams