There is only one way to start this latest newsletter and that is to bring you up to date with the money raised by Russ for his “Big Dive” into the pond on the 7^th. Thanks to Russ’s efforts and the generosity of members and friends, the fantastic amount of £475 was raised for our Prostate Cancer charity fund. We are very grateful to everyone for their donations – and we are particularly grateful to Russ!

A group of Clays members enjoyed a complimentary Away Day at Porthmadog GC on Wednesday, 22^nd May. It was also very gratifying to read the email sent from a representative from Porthmadog Ladies’ Section following their visit to Clays on the same day in which she said that they “had a fantastic day and where all very impressed with the course and the very warm welcome (they) had from all of the staff”.

The Club Social Committee have come up with a pretty full calendar of golfing and/or social events for the next few months. In the immediate future is a quiz evening that will take place at the club following on from the monthly Social Golf on Friday, 28^th June. Members, family and friends are most welcome to attend, regardless of whether they take part in the golf comp.

The next major event of the year is Captains’ Day on Saturday, 13^th July. This will be a shotgun start competition starting at 9.30 a.m. and the sign-up sheet is currently in Reception. Prizes will be awarded following completion of the round with 1^st and 2^nd for Men’s, Ladies and Seniors, as well as Straightest Drive on the 10^th, Nearest the Pin in 2 on the 18^th, “Beat the Pro” on the 5^th and a Ball Sweep for 2s. Refreshments will be available on the course, with any donations going towards the Captains’ charity. In the evening, during which I hope families and friends will also be able to join us, there will be a choice of meal provided by Hayley, a disco, a raffle and fun competitions, again with proceeds going to Prostate Cancer. Prices for the day are £5 for Golf Only, £10 for Evening Only and £12 for both Golf & Evening. Dawn and I would very much appreciate your support for this very important date in our club calendar.

I mentioned above about the raffle that will be taking place during the evening of Captains’ Day. We already have a number of prizes for this but if anyone has a raffle prize that they would like to donate, either for this event or for future ones, they would be most gratefully received.

I suggested in the previous newsletter that we are considering setting up a “200 Club” whereby members pay £1 per month to enter a prize draw in which up to £50 could be won each month. I’ve put a sign-up sheet on the Council noticeboard in the foyer but, unfortunately, to date we have an insufficient number of names to proceed. We’ll leave the sheet up a while longer to see if more people show interest in taking part but it may be the case that the plan doesn’t go ahead.

We have recently received a number of the Prostate Cancer badges to sell on to members. These can be purchased in Reception for a minimum £2 contribution per badge.

I also just thought that I would remind members of the fee for going into the Captains’ Charity Bunker on the 18^th. Our Guide Dog Molly’s photo is on the collection tin so remember to feed Molly 50p if you’re unfortunate enough to be in the sand!

Finally, we are currently in the process of putting together the programme for a very special day later on in the year – our Charity Day in aid of Prostate Cancer which will be held on Sunday 13^th October. Over the next few weeks, we are going to be approaching local businesses to ask if they would be interested in sponsoring holes and/or prizes on the day. We are also looking into the idea of having an overall event sponsor. We would like members who have their own business to have first choice for these. We are still working on the details but if anyone is interested then please let me know. As I say, this is a very important date in our calendar and we very much hope that we will raise a significant amount of money for this extremely worthy cause. Thanks very much in anticipation of your support.

Have a good month’s golf.

Nigel Davies [email protected]

Club Captain

Club News :

Congratulations to the Clays Ping Mixed Team (Jane Evans , Paul Stevenson, Dave Riley, Bev Hood, Christine Evans, Don Wraight) who played Llangollen at Mold GC and won 2-1 in round 2.

Their next round is v St Giles Newtown to be played at Royal St David’s GC, Harlech.

Clays Scratch team drew at home against Old Padeswood 2½  2½  but lost in the Welsh team championships to Padeswood and Buckley at Denbigh.

The Scratch team have a match away at Hawarden on June 25th and then at home against Padeswood and Buckley on July 16th. If anyone would like to be considered for selection, could they please email Paul Lloyd at [email protected]  or call him on 07487848403.

Jane Evans and I won our Purves Cup match away at Denbigh GC and now play Dawn Thompson (Lady Captain) and Chris Jones (Immediate Past Captain) in the next round!

Dave Palferman, our Vice Captain, reports that the Clays DGU Team, resplendent in their new bright yellow polo shirts, gained a hard fought victory at Moss Valley 4½ to 3½. The next match is at home against Wrexham on Sunday 30 June.

The Clays team in the WGU Handicap Team Championship came a respectable 3^rd, missing out on a trip to Celtic Manor by just one point.

The Welsh Seniors’ Greensomes Championship Clays qualifier was held on the 30th May, with Stewart Poole and Damian Atkin the victorious pairing. They will now go on to represent Clays at the national finals to be held at Morlais Golf Club on the 19th September.

A large group of Seniors again enjoyed the annual trip to Devon, where a good time was had by all in spite of the weather! Many thanks to Fred Court for organising the whole trip and also to Don Wraight (Seniors Captain), Neville Bassett and Tony Harcombe for donating their prize money from winning the week’s overall competitions to the Captains’ charity.

The draw for the next round of the Jubilee Plate has been made and Clays have 5 pairs remaining out of the 32. Details can be found on the DGU noticeboard in the foyer.

The Seniors played Old Padeswood winning 5-4 in a tight match and then went on to win 10-0 at Home to Holywell.

Congratulations to our Vice Captain, Dave Palferman, for winning the (delayed) 2018 Clays Past captains and Officers competition. Thanks and best wishes to organiser Paul Williams.

A very successful Club Invitation Day was held on 22^nd June, with members and guests from 12 different local clubs enjoying the course and catering facilities. Many thanks to Russ Adamson for his organisation of the day. Graham Davidson Clarke & Bruce Edwards won the main prize, with Paul Stevenson winning Nearest the Pin and Ant McAllister winning Nearest the Pin in 2. 2s were recorded by Paul Stevenson (2^nd), Jane Evans (12^th) and an excellent two 2s by Iwan Bonds (5^th and 12^th). It was gratifying to receive many compliments on behalf of the club from the visitors, particularly with reference to the improvements on the course in the last couple of years. Many thanks to Mark and all of his greenkeeping staff.

Club Results :

Congratulations to those members listed below on their recent golfing success. 

Quarterly Medal :

1^st        Patrick Whelan            2^nd        Iwan Bonds 

Club June Medal :

Division  1 :

1^st        Iwan Bonds                2^nd        Stephen Hart

Division 2 :

1^st        Clive Davies               2^nd        Andrew Jones

Division 3 :

1^st        Patrick Whelan            2^nd        Harold Hughes 

Ladies Midweek Stableford Qualifier :

1^st        Beverley Hood            2^nd        Pauline Peacock 

Seniors June Medal :

Division 1 :

1^st          Reg Peacock                2^nd      Alan Barnsdale

Division 2 :

1^st           Harold Hughes            2^nd    Michael Healey

Thursday 6^th June : 9 Hole Qualifier:

1^st            Michael Griffiths        2^nd    Derek Lyon

Tom and Kathleen Jones Cup :

1^st        Andrew Jones                2^nd    Frank Rodenhurst

Powells Jewellers Trophy :

1^st        Julie Hanmer Price          2^nd    Dawn Thompson 

Seniors Memorial Trophy :

1^st        Neville Bassett                 2^nd   Stewart Poole 

Test Your Knowledge of the Rules of Golf : (Answer in next newsletter)

Player B’s ball was lying badly. B was deliberating what action to take when player A, his marker, said: “You have no shot at all. If I were you, I would declare the ball unplayable.” What is the ruling?

1. a) A is penalised two strokes for giving advice and, if B follows that advice, he too will incur a two stroke penalty.
2. b) A gave B information on the Rules and, hence, no penalty is incurred by either player.
3. c) As A’s suggestion could have influenced B “in determining his play”, it constituted advice and A is penalised two strokes. B is not penalised.

Answer to last month’s question :

A player plays her second shot, searches for her ball briefly and then announces she will go back and play a provisional ball. She drops and plays a second ball from where she played her previous stroke. The player then continues searching for her original ball and finds it within three minutes of when she first started

searching for it. What is the ruling?

1. a) The player may choose whether to continue with the original ball or the provisional ball.
2. b) The player must continue with the original ball.
3. c) The player must continue with the provisional ball. 

The original 13 rules of golf  from 1744 …

1. You must Tee your Ball within a Club’s length of the Hole.
2. Your Tee must be upon the Ground.
3. You are not to change the Ball which you Strike off the Tee.
4. You are not to remove Stones, Bones or any Break Club, for the sake of playing your Ball, except upon the fair Green and that only within a Club’s length of your Ball.
5. If your Ball comes among watter, or any wattery filth, you are at liberty to take out your Ball & bringing it behind the hazard and Teeing it, you may play it with any Club and allow your Adversary a Stroke for so getting out your Ball.
6. If your Balls be found anywhere touching one another, You are to lift the first Ball, till you play the last.
7. At “Holling”, you are to play your Ball honestly for the Hole, and not to play upon your Adversary’s Ball, not lying in your way to the Hole.
8. If you should lose your Ball, by it’s being taken up, or any other way, you are to go back to the Spot, where you struck last, & drop another Ball, And allow your adversary a Stroke for the misfortune.
9. No man at Holling his Ball, is to be allowed, to mark his way to the Hole with his Club, or anything else.
10. If a Ball be stopp’d by any Person, Horse, Dog or anything else, the Ball so stop’d must be play’d where it lyes.
11. If you draw your Club in Order to Strike, & proceed so far in the Stroke as to be Accounted a Stroke.
12. He whose Ball lyes farthest from the Hole is obliged to play first.
13. Neither Trench, Ditch or Dyke, made for the preservation of the Links, nor the Scholar’s Holes, or the Soldier’s Lines, Shall be accounted a Hazard; But the Ball is to be taken out teed /and play’d with any Iron Club. 

Dates for Your Diary : 

25^th June              Seniors v Henlle (Home) 

27^th June              Ladies Away Day @ Hawkstone Park 

28^th June              Social Golf followed by  Quiz Evening 

30^th June              DGU Team v Wrexham (Home)                 Ladies v St. Deiniol (Away) 

3^rd July                  Ladies Midweek Stableford Qualifier 

4^th July                  Seniors Medal 

6^th July                  Club/WG Monthly Medal 

7^th July                  DGU Captain’s Day @ Clays 

8^th July                  Ladies v Henllys (Away) 

9^th July                  Seniors v Aldersey Green (Home) 

10^th July               Club/WG Midweek Medal 

13^th July :   Captains’ Day               (golf + evening meal + disco)

14^th July               Ladies v Caernarfon (Away) 

16^th July               Seniors/Vets Trophy 

17^th July               Ladies Fan Jones Trophy 

20^th July               Clays Fun Day & BBQ 

23^rd July               Seniors 2-Day Challenge (Day 1) 

25^th July               Seniors 2-Day Challenge (Day 2) 

26^th July               Ladies v Henllys (Home) 

27^th July               Club/Ladies Championship Day 1 

28^th July               Club/Ladies Championship Day 2