Golf: Herons' Reach captain's charity boost; Alastair Taylor's tip of the week

It is unusual for a married couple to fill the roles of captain and lady concurrently, and especially unusual for their term as captains to last so long.

Appointed in 2019, the couple to did not hand the captaincy over after their first year due to Covid.

And last year it was agreed they would stay on for a further 12 months until everything settled down again.

However, they didn’t allow the reduction in golf stop their fundraising and used the lockdown to raise money by other means.

Steve and some friends undertook a 94-mile coast-to-coast walk along Hadrian's Wall.

It helped to boost the total raised for Trinity Hospice and the cheque was gratefully received on behalf of the hospice by Linzi Warburton and Michelle Lonican.

Steve and Louise are now looking forward to a rest as they hand over to this year's captains Duncan Whitehead and Anita McAleese.

Pat Evans took the silver spoon as overall winner of the Lady Captain’s first qualifier at Fairhaven GC.

Pat, who plays off 17, was the division one winner with a score of 74.

Division two winner Helen Miller had the same score, while Cherry Hibbert won in division three (76).

Overall winner off the Men’s Captain’s first qualifier was 16-handicapper Harvey Rowley with a 71.

Other results were as follows.

Division One: 1. Andrew Adshead 72, 2. Richard Hull 72

Division Two: 1. Mike Franklin 73; 2. Andy Jakeman 74

Division Three: 1. Jonathan R Smith 71; 2. Wayne Richardson 72.

Winner of the nine-hole stableford was Angela Greenhalgh with 21 points.

This week's top golf trip from Alastair Taylor, teaching professional at Herons' Reach, can help you to hit the ball longer as you get older...

Many golfers feel that as they get older they won't hit the ball as far as they lose flexibility in their body.

While the physical limitations may be true, players can also become more restricted in their movement by trying to gain more control in their swing.

To hit the ball longer, one area to improve is the length of the backswing.

Many golfers keep their feet planted during the backswing and try to maintain the flex in their trail leg.

This reduces the amount of hip and shoulder turn, resulting in a shorter backswing.

Next time you practice or play, allow your trail leg to straighten slightly and even allow your lead heel to come off the ground.

You will be amazed how much further back you can swing the club, allowing more time for the club to accelerate in the downswing.

This will result in longer shots and will maybe make you feel like you’ve turned the clock back a little.

You can email Ali at [email protected] or find more free tips on his YouTube channel AliTaylorGolf.