March 2001 Issue No. 14 Captain: Bill Waterhouse
The club has gone global with our own website on the Internet - just tap in www.wernethgolfclub.co.uk on your PC to find us. Set up by our resident computer whiz kid, Paul Egan, it aims to provide up-to-date information on all aspects of the club. The Werneth Wedge will be included - giving our year-old newsletter an international circulation!
The site is still in the experimental stage but the intention is to provide details of the course, result of men's, ladies' and seniors' competitions, forthcoming comps. and social events, contact numbers for the Secretary, the Professional, and the Steward, and other items of general interest.
Said Secretary, John Barlow: “ I can't say for certain that we are the only golf club in the area to have our own website, but we must be among the first.
We still have some revamping to do but, hopefully, it will be popular with members, interest others in playing our course, and perhaps encourage applications for membership.”
New Captain, Bill Waterhouse pledged his desire “to promote maximum enjoyment of every aspect of the club” when he assumed office at the Annual General Meeting. And he appealed for a season of tolerance from those with any complaints about the condition of the course or the way that the club is run. “If you have any problems, please tell us,” he said. “But please don't be aggressive. The impossible is often the untried.”
He paid tribute to the retiring council members, with special reference to former greens' secretary David Bielby for the hundreds of hours he had spent on the course, but who often had been subjected to abuse by members who should know better.
Mr. Waterhouse said there was an abundance of skills and talents within the membership and urged “Don't hide your light under a bushel - support us in any way you can.”
He also said the club had one of the best ladies' sections of any club in the area, whose members were always ready and willing to offer assistance. “Ladies, we thank you in advance,” he said.
Retiring Captain, Peter Griffin said he had thoroughly enjoyed his year and thanked everyone for their support. The highlights, he said, were winning the Grasshoppers Cup while in office and managing to pass on the dreaded wooden spoon to Saddleworth.
He and the Lady Captain - his sister Madge Griffiths - also reached the final of the mixed foursomes, but were defeated by John Barlow and Fiona Dooley. He retired happy in the knowledge that he was passing the captaincy onto capable hands.
Jack Cain, Terry Marner, and retiring competitions' secretary John Andrew were elected to the council.
Atrocious conditions greeted our four -man team when they turned up at North Manchester Golf Club for their first round match in the Mail on Sunday Single Match play knock-out competition.Non-stop rain flooded the course, with greens staff forced to squeegee the winter greens to enable play to take place.
Our men battled bravely to end the day level at two each - Terry Marner and John Yemm winning their matches.
Under the rules of the event, the last players out have to go out again and compete on a sudden death basis if a match is tied. In one of his last duties as captain, Peter Griffin again braved the elements but was finally defeated at the fifth extra hole.
Life member John Whittaker won the annual snooker competition with a hard- fought victory over Roy Last by two frames to one - his third success. Giving 21 shots per frame to his fellow veteran, John got off to a very nervy start, going in-off from his initial break, and making several more costly mistakes before conceding with the score standing at 59 - 29. He levelled the match with a 59-24 victory in the second frame to set up a drama-packed finale.
Roy seemed to be favourite for the title when he lined up the blue while leading - but hit the black instead. John potted the blue but missed a simple pink, which Roy put away with ease to put himself in the lead by 56pts. To 53. He left the black ball on the cush in a seemingly safe position only to see John snatch victory by 60pts to 56 with dramatic cross- table double.
The club's Brazilian mahogany bar is to be refurbished and re-polished during the week commencing Monday, April 2. For the first four days or so, drinks will be served through the hatch in the games room, giving the ladies a unique opportunity to see what goes on in this strictly male preserve.
When the lounge section of the bar is completed, the hatch will be closed and the reverse procedure will apply.
Hopefully, a bar service will always be available.
Famous Grouse will be holding a whisky tasting evening in the clubhouse on Tuesday, April 10 - with a complimentary gin and tonic on arrival. Guests are welcome but attendance will be restricted to 100. A donation of £2 per head to the captain’s charity will be required. And leave your cars at home.
Other notices at the rear of the house, which backs on to the course, ensured that members playing in the Saturday medal were made aware that Tim Selby and his two Danish companions had been freed by their Bangladeshi captors after a month and a day. The three men were said to be in good health but had suffered considerably during their incarceration.
While we rejoice at Tim’s release, we must also pay tribute to the fortitude displayed by his parents, Alf and Margaret, brother Jon, and the rest of the Selby family during their traumatic ordeal.
Welcome home, Tim.
The delight felt by members at the release of Tim Selby was tempered by the sudden death, earlier in the same week, of Phil Dear, at the tragically early age of 52.
He leaves a widow, Kim, two sons, a daughter, and a stepdaughter, to whom we extend our deepest sympathy.
Phil was depot manager for Beer Sellers, of Rochdale, who supply the club with spirits, wine, and soft drinks.
Terry Marner won the first medal competition possible since October, due to adverse weather conditions, on St Patrick’s Day, with a score of 70-10-60 – a remarkable feat in view of the strong, bitterly cold wind which prevailed all day.
Runner-up was John Suttie with 74-11-63.