Diggle Trophy 22nd August
Brian Price (50/48/98/33/65) has left the golfing wilderness and (with grateful thanks to the new extended WHS handicap system ) he has spreadeagled the field with an uncharacteristically consistent display to take the high-handicappers championship that is the Diggle Trophy .
Price has graced our course for many years and has always functioned around the 28 handicap limit until the changes came along which has seen his handicap rise to its current 33 . Brian has always tried to complete a full swing and on some occasions his bravery in doing this is not rewarded which is why he unfortunately tends to register higher scores . Today he opened with a trio of net par 6s 1,2 and 4 spliced with putting himself into immediate early contention with an excellent net eagle par on the deceptively tricky 3rd hole … the rest of his front 9 was rollercoaster with him dropping shots on 5 and 7 with a net birdie 5 on 7 to get him to -1 at the turn , 2 strokes behind leader Paul Hackett .
Brian signalled his intentions with a second superb net eagle 4 on 10 , consolidating this start with regulation scores on 11 and 12 before standing on tee at the deceptively intimidating 13th hole …but would Brian keep his nerve ? Absolutely ! Brian , now joint leader , recorded a net birdie 4 . Unfortunately , a clumsy net bogey 7 on the long 14th gave that hard-earned shot back but he played the long 15th to regulation and now found himself one stroke ahead with the Championship holes to play could he maintain form ? The answer was a superb crucial net eagle 3 on 16 then he cranked up the pressure on his rivals with another gain on 5 which left him 3 strokes clear with just one hole to go . Because of the undeniable frailties that can arise in his game , there is no doubt that he would still have had concerns but he dispelled these with a solid 6 to regulation to finish on a magnificently crafted net 65 to win the first trophy of his Alty career by a stunning 6 strokes . Due reward for Brian’s’ persistence in never giving up on his game and utilising his 33 handicap to the max . His gross 98 was his best round for 4 years .
Jim Fallon ( 42/45/87/16/71) is one of our most consistent higher handicap golfers … this years Watson Trophy winner has had a good season and would’ve been one of the favourites to contend . He started sensationally by recording net birdie 4s on both opening holes then consolidated with a quartet of regulation holes to put himself in second place as he stood on the tricky 7th tee . Fallon was to again show his talent with a superb net birdie 7 to take closer order but had a poor end to his front 9 will reverses on both 8 and 9 to fall to -1 two strokes behind the leader . Jim undeniably found the journey home testing and he played the initial sextet of holes without a gain and he took a sloppy net bogey 5 on the easy 11th and compounded that error with a net bogey 6 on 14 , playing the other holes in regulation to get to the Championship holes +1 and now 4 strokes back . Jim couldn’t improve his score on 16 and 17 , playing both to regulation but stepped up well on the final hole , producing a fine net birdie 4 to get to even par and find himself getting a second placed finish ! A superb effort from him and another voucher to collect in due course !
Tim Dibble (43/46/89/18/71) had seen his game falter in the early stages of the season but in recent weeks he had shown signs of a return to form further evidenced by a good performance today . Like a few members , Dibble found the opening hole tricky and immediately posted a net bogey 6 but regrouped well , playing the next 6 holes blemish-free with his highlights net birdies superbly crafted on holes 3,5 and 7 to put him in definite contention . Inexplicably Tim dropped a stroke to handicap with a sloppy 6 on 8 , his regulation 5 on 18 leaving him in good position at -1 at the turn , 2 strokes behind your scribe (Paul Hackett) .
Dibble maintained his round well , playing the opening quintet of holes on the journey home without blemish with gains achieved courtesy of net birdies on 11 and 13 but unfortunately he found 15 to be a stumbling block , a net bogey 7 seeing him stand on the 16th tee at -2 , just one behind with the Championship holes to play . Tim magnificently scored a net eagle 2 and even though leader Price matched that effort he was still just one behind with two to play . Could he maintain momentum and gain his first individual victory since the 2018 Gellatly ? Sadly not , as Dibble dribbled to a net bogey on 17 then lost second place with a horror net triple bogey 8 on the final hole to finish on net 71 and in only fourth place . He can be very proud of his efforts but will undoubtedly rue the horror finish that spoiled an otherwise excellent challenge .
Special Mentions …
Peter Yates (44/47/91/20/71) was having only his fourth outing on the weekend white tee competitions and was in great form having emerged as the best player in the Uber-competitive Vets circuit which plays every Tuesday and Friday , a circuit which has seen him win trophies , away days and his Vets handicap now down to 8 . Given that his weekend official handicap allots him 20 strokes he was rightly considered a strong contender today . Peter started confidently, playing the tricky opening three holes to handicap with little alarm . He then began to show his ability and put together a run of THREE consecutive net birdies which saw him standing on the 7th tee top of the leaderboard at -3 in early control . Inexplicably he dropped shots on 7 and 9 to get to the turn two strokes behind playing partner Paul Hackett . His journey home was a rollercoaster affair with his highlights of a net eagle 3 on 11 and net birdie 3 on 16 tempered with net double bogeys on 15 and 18 , a poor finish which caused him to drop back to a disappointing fourth place . His gross 91 was his best ever white tee round at Altrincham so much to be hopeful in the last weeks of the summer season .
Andrew Wood (48/42/90/18/72) is not a regular player but undoubtedly has abilities evidenced by his RoylesChallemge2017 performance with Danny Miller . Today he had a rollercoaster front 9 and a horror net quad bogey 9 on 2 , net double bogey 7 on 5 and net bogey 6 on 6 was countered by superb net birdies on 4,7 and 9 which left him down the field on +4 , 7 strokes behind the leader at the turn . Wood , having started rebuilding momentum from 7 , consolidated that move on the journey home playing 10 to regulation then carding a magnificent net eagle 3 on 11 . Although he suffered a setback with reverses on 12 and 14 , his gains on 13,15 and 16 contributed to a superb -3 back 9 to finish on +1 and in fifth place .
Paul Hackett (42/52/94/20/74) is your observer and generally briefly features on these hallowed pages given his limited ability . Today his inclusion was thought apt because of the 42 strokes he played to lead at the turn which represented his best start to a round at the course for several years . . Hackett has long regarded the Diggle as THE competition to define the ’Champion high-handicap golfer of the year and as such thinks of it as his most important comp of the year . He had started with a rare and welcome net birdie 4 on the opening hole but then succumbed to a net double bogey 7 on 2 to halt momentum . Further frustrations were in evidence on his failure to convert good opportunities on 3 and 4 but he was definitely’in the zone’ with a marvellous run of 4 gains in 5 holes (fuelled by his efforts to keep pace with playing partner Vets hotshot Peter Yates) got him to the turn at -3 and in the lead at his favourite event where he had been victorious in 2018 . But could Hackett maintain his challenge ? Sadly and heartbreakingly not , as a poor tee shot and poor bunker play immediately lost him 2 strokes to handicap on 10 , a putting fiasco on 11 cost him another stroke to put him back to level and in disarray . Hackett tried to refocus and stand up to the might of our hardest hole and regrouped superbly to craft a net birdie 6 to take him back to -1.Could he battle back into strong contention as he stood on the 13th tee ? Tragically not as Paul utilised his driver to caress the ball high and handsome as it arced its way onto the green but the ball just caught the water soaked bunker just 10 feet from the flag . Although granted a free drop , the shot was too difficult for his skill set and he carded a net double bogey 6 then compounded that error by dropping another two strokes to handicap with a 7 on 14 courtesy of a poor tee shot. Although he regrouped playing the tough 15th to handicap , another reverse of 16 dropped him further down the field , rising back up to 8th place only courtesy of a superb last hole net birdie 4 which meant a net 74 finish .
Defending Champion Watch …
Pete Higgins sadly was unable to defend his title due to work commitments.
Gross Watch …
Jim Fallon (87) was ‘best gross in show’ today … much respect to him .
MORE TO FOLLOW …
