Aldeburgh win prestigious Environment award as course of the year

FLEMPTON WINNERS: David Roope (left) and Tim Daniels of Haverhill who won the Suffolk Winter Alliance better ball prize with 44 points. Photograph: CONTRIBUTED (Image: Archant)

They heard the news at a ceremony hosted by STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute) and the Royal and Ancient at Harrogate.

Ecology consultant and judge Rowan Rumball said: “Creating what many thought to be impossible, an almost perfect blend of course and ecology to the point where it is hard to tell where one begins and another stops has all been done without sacrificing the playability of the course.

“Huge congratulations to the winners and finalists of this year’s awards. We have been amazed by the work that golf clubs and greenkeepers are doing for the ecological and environmental wellbeing of their courses and within the local community.”

Ipswich Golf Club had also been on a short list of five for this award together with Minchinhampton, Notts Golf Club (Hollinwell) and St Andrew’s Links.

Last year Aldeburgh were also on the short list for this award which went to Carnoustie.

Aldeburgh course manager Mark Broughton and Ipswich course manager Neil Sherman were short listed for Environmental Greenkeeper of the Year, an award won by Phil Stain (Notts GC, Hollinwell).

Part of Aldeburgh’s prize is for Mark Broughton to visit Portugal on a European golf and Environment trip.

Among the patrons of the event were Ransomes Jacobsen.

Aldeburgh look forward to hosting the Jacques Leglise Trophy, the match between the under 18 boys of Europe and those of Great Britain and Ireland on August 30 and 31.

IT WAS freezing at Flempton for the Suffolk Winter Alliance meeting that attracted 48 players including two professionals.

The greens were rock-solid but that did not prevent Stowmarket-based professional Sam Forgan from returning a score of one under par 69. Mark Farrow of Diss, the only other professional in the field, had a round of 75.

The better ball winners were Tim Daniels and David Roope of Haverhill with 44 points. John Williams (Stoke by Nayland) and Bill Paton (Ipswich) were runners-up with 41. Third place went to Mark Farrow and Adrian Mitson of Diss with 40.

The next better ball Alliance event is scheduled for Southwold on Sunday.

Other scores: 39: R Davies and D Yates, M Mansfield and S Rex, S Forgan and B Forgan.

38: L Osborn and T Etheridge, C Whyatt and P Markey, T Lyons and P Sullivan, D Cunningham and A Cunningham.

37: C Leys and R Deasy, T Carter and A Soby, G Scott and A Spittle.

36: A Brown and B Aldous, M Toon and C Leathers, C Briggs and P McClennan.

35: N Salmon and M Parkinson, S Brown and O O’Donovan, I Benson and R Bland.

34: P Flannigan and S Kidby.

32: M Fox and C Halil.

29: S Lockwood and H Wordley.

25: P Walters and W Darling.

No return: M Verhelst and B Lever.

MILES Collins won the January Winter ProAm at Thetford. His round of 72 was two better than Sam Forgan and Paul Maddy.

His level-par card included five birdies, which were offset by three bogeys and a double-bogey. To add to his success he partnered his father, Gerald, to win the ProAm with 44 points.

“It was good to play on decent greens,” he said afterwards.

Jamie Moul and Louis Freeman were second in the Pro Am with 43, followed by Forgan and Matt Lockwood with 40.

The next Winter ProAm is on Thursday, February 7.

SUFFOLK Ladies have various changes to their officers following their annual meeting at Kesgrave.

The county secretary is now Di Hegarty (Felixstowe Ferry) as successor to Di Cunningham.

As previously announced Vicki Inglis is county captain following in the footsteps of Vanessa Bell, a hard act to follow.

Lizzie Johnson of Newton Green is the new England Golf representative. She takes over from Rebecca O’Hara.

Annette Llewellyn (Felixstowe Ferry) is the Handicap adviser, a post previously held by Eunice Gray.

Alice Barlow (Hintlesham), winner of the Nigel Birrell Trophy for her outstanding form in 2018, is now the junior organizer.

Georgia Parker (Bury St Edmunds) won the Eva Harris Shield and is the new junior captain. Last year she was selected England Golf Under 18 East trials squad.

Sophie Kubitzek (Bury St Edmunds) won the Junior Improver prize having reduced her handicap from 33 to 16.

Key dates and venues for the coming season include: May 10, 11 and 12: County stroke-play and match-play Championships (main and senior) at Ipswich Golf Club. Alice Barlow will be defending the Churchman Challenge Cup and Vanessa Bell will hope to retain the Woodbridge Challenge Bowl (stroke-play). The senior champion is Vicki Hunt (Ipswich).

East County Week starts at Aspley Guise in Bedfordshire between June 17 and 21. The course was opened in 1914 over nine holes. It became 18 holes in 1974. It is parkland with a par 72 off the ladies’ red tees and par 71 off the men’s tees.

The Suffolk Girls’ Championship will be at Halesworth on June 8.

THE PGA Europro Tour opens over the Palmerston course at Brocket Hall on May 22. The following week they will be at Harleyford Golf Club in Marlow.

Events at Donnington Grove, Cumberwell Park, Dudsbury, Linden Hall, Portal Hotel and the Aviemore Resort will all be played before the end of July.

Rookery Park’s Calvin Sherwood, a regular member of Suffolk’s Anglian League team last year, will be attending the qualifiers in April.

Paul Waring of Felixstowe Ferry was one of the early entries at Studley Wood near Oxford together with Alasdair Plumb of Chelmsford. Both will be playing as amateurs.

David Woodhead of Hessle (near Hull) had a spell at Newton Green as a junior. He is entered at Linden Hall near Morpeth.

Other venues for the first stage are Caversham Heath, Macdonald Portal Hotel, Macdonald Cardrona Hotel and Donnington Grove (Newbury). There is no qualifier at Stoke by Nayland this year.

The final stage will, as usual, be at Frilford Heath on both the Red and Blue courses between April 16 to 18.