Banbridge Golf Club - Review of the Season

It was a year tinged with sadness as the club flag was lowered to half-mast on ten occasions due to the deaths of members and past members of the club.

The weather was superb for the playing of golf and the course itself is undergoing tremendous improvements.

The outstanding team success was the retaining of the Senior Cowdy Cup. Full marks also to the juveniles for winning the Ava and Mahaffey Shields.

There follows a list of all the winners. If your name occurs, give yourself a pat on the back.

JANUARY

1st- Merton McDowell wins the first sweep of the year on New Year’s Day.

2nd- Peck Reavey, past captain and past president, died.

6th- Kieran McGreevey won the first Sunday Sweep. His winning score of nett 27.5 was not beaten all year.

11th- Robert Houston, an esteemed member, died.

19th- Will Dickson won the Saturday Sweep with 34 points, the best 12 holes score of the year.

FEBRUARY

16th- David Thompson set a new record for the 13 holes course, 38 points.

MARCH

16th- Walter Smyth won the first 18 holes competition of the season.

17th- On this date in 1913, the first game of golf was played over the Huntly Road course. The captain, Declan Dooher, and the Lady captain, Robina McCandless, dressed in period costume to celebrate the occasion.

APRIL

1st- Mel Hylands won the April Bank Holiday Medal.

6th- Adrian McAvoy won the Bill McMaster Memorial with 47 points, the equivalent of a nett 58.

13th- Brendan Berry (nett 61) and Luke Woods (gross 72) led the qualifiers in the Haughton Smyth Cup.

27th- Neil Comiskey won the IPGA Tankard with 46 points, a nett 59.

MAY

4th- Neville Kerr had a hole-in-one.

4th- Dominic Quinn’s Pierce Purcell team qualified at Portadown.

6th- Glen Buchanan won the May Bank Holiday Medal.

19th- The GUI Mixed Foursomes team qualified at Spa.

19th- The Rossmore Cup team defeated Nuremore.

23rd- The Sam Rutherford Cup team beat Rockmount by 2 holes.

23rd- Banbridge beat Donaghadee in the B&D by one point.

24th- Banbridge beat Clover Hill in the Junior Cowdy Cup by 2 holes.

24th- The Pierce Purcell team beat Warrenpoint at Portadown.

24th- Brendan Meade and Marianne Nelson won the Club Mixed Foursomes.

25th- Ryan Simpson won the Mary Peters Sports Trust competition.

26th- The Senior Cup team failed to qualify at Rossmore.

27th- Damian Weir won the May Bank Holiday Medal.

29th- Laurence Bramall died suddenly.

29th- The Veterans Cup team are knocked out by Ardglass.

31st- Malone knock Banbridge out of the Fred Daly Cup.

JUNE

1st- James Bryson wins the T.B. Wallace Cup with a nett 57.

3rd- GUI Mixed Foursomes team beat Spa at Downpatrick.

4th- Sheila English wins the Ladies Centenary competition.

5th- Philip Mallon wins the Centenary Seniors with 44 points.

5th- Dylan Cowan and Jamie Thompson win the Centenary Juvenile competitions.

6th- Paul Downey, Luke Woods, Mark McCoy and Callum McCandless win the Centenary team event.

7th- Fionulla Crossey and Sean McGreevey win the Centenary Mixed Foursomes.

8th- David Thompson wins the Centenary Stableford with a nett 59.

16th- Warrenpoint knock Banbridge out of the Barton Shield at Tandragee.

24th- Balmoral beat Banbridge in the B&D at the first extra hole.

28th- Joe and Alana Glass win the Lady Captain’s Mixed Foursomes.

29th- Yvonne Galloway wins the Lady Captain’s Prize..

JULY

4th- The Senior Cowdy team defeated Spa.

5th- Banbridge lost to Armagh in the quarter final of the Pierce Purcell at Loughgall.

8th- Colin Wilton was one of the leading qualifiers in the North of Ireland Championship at Portrush.

10th- The club was stunned with the news of the death of Trevor Woods.

13th- Jim Lennon won the Coburn Cup.

17th- Thomas McKibben had a hole-in-one.

20th- Roy Rankin won the Fred Daly Memorial.

27th- Norman McCullough, a long-time member of the club, died.

27th- Banbridge lost to Kilkeel in the quarter final of the Junior Cowdy Cup.

27th- Ken Stevenson and Andrew Quinn both had holes-in-one.

28th- Banbridge beat Ashfield in the quarter final of the Sam Rutherford Cup.

29th- Gary Hazley wins the Captain’s Sweep.

AUGUST

2nd- Eamon and Yvonne Galloway win the Captain’s Mixed Foursomes.

3rd- Cathal McAnarney wins the Captain’s Prize.

4th- Bruce McCandless wins the biggest 2’s rollover of the year.

5th- Banbridge juveniles win the Ava Shield at Clandeboye.

7th- Chrissy Burns, Rory McNiff, Mark Cowan and Josh Lockhart were the main prizewinners on Juvenile Captain’s day..

11th- Banbridge beat Rossmore in the quarter final of the Senior Cowdy Cup.

21st- The Banbridge “A” team won the Mahaffey Shield.

23rd- Banbridge reach the Sam Rutherford Cup final after defeating Lisburn.

30th- The Gentlemen defeated the Ladies in the Horseshoe by 2 holes up.

31st- Andrew Quinn, Patrick Magennis, Tom Fee and John Molloy won the Scratch Cups.

SEPTEMBER

6th- Cecil Wilson ha d a hole-in-one.

9th- Rory Leonard won the Ulster Mid-Amateur Open Championship at Lurgan.

11th- Joe Whiteside won the John Ervine Memorial Cup at Slieve Russell.

14th- Luke Woods shot a gross 64 which included a hole-in-one.

15th- Banbridge beat Dungannon in the semi-final of the Senior Cowdy Cup.

21st- Jonathan Burns won the top prize on Champion’s Day.

24th- Neil Comiskey won the IPGA Tankard final at Dunmurry.

25th- Sherwin Curran beat Cameron Morton 1 up in the Matchplay final.

26th- Joe Glass won the PIGS President’s Day.

26th- Luke Woods defeated Rory Madeley in the Haughton Smyth Cup Final 1 up.

28th- Tommy Gillespie and Shane Rooney won the President’s Prize.

29th- Banbridge won the Senior Cowdy Cup, defeating County Armagh in the final.

OCTOBER

5th- Clifford Thompson had a hole-in-one.

6th- Tandragee beat Banbridge in the Sam Rutherford Cup final by 3 holes.

7th- Rory Madeley and Megan Whan won the Mixed Foursomes Matchplay.

NOVEMBER

Paul Downey was crowned the 2013 ‘Golfer of the Year.’

DECEMBER

Team1, captained by Philip Strong, won the Winter League.

1st- John Doran became the first 4-time winner of the Sunday Sweep.