GM prize-winner's great day out
"With nerves having vanished I had a most enjoyable round and played some of my best golf for a while," Colin Sibthorpe recalls.
Colin Sibthorpe from Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire, did Golfmagic proud when he represented us in the pro-am preceding the Wentworth Senior Masters over the Edinburgh course. He had won the prize in our recent Partnering former Ryder Cup player Peter Townsend, now a respected European Tour course designer, and two other competition winners, he played to his 17 handicap and took home some great memories. He recalls: "The day started with an early 5am wakeup call arriving for a 7am registration and a warm and hospitable welcome, which included a generous pro-am gift pack. Each competitor got a pair of Maui designer sunglasses, Ashworth golf shirt, Srixon balls, a pack of tees and markers, a leather lap-top case and endless literature about the European Seniors Tour." "After breakfast I was given the opportunity to hit a basket of balls on the practice range before meeting my pro and fellow team members Barry Barclay (11 handicap) and ‘Tug’ Wilson (10). The event was a shotgun start with the best two nett stableford scores to count for the team," says Colin, an engineer who plays mostly with the RAF Lyneham Golf Society at Marlborough, Ogbourne Downs, Castle Combe and Wrag Barn. "We started on the 7th, a par-5 and the longest hole on the course. We were all a little nervous but after we all hit good straight drives the tension seemed to disappear. I got off to great start, found the green in regulation and tapped in for par. "With nerves having vanished I had a most enjoyable round and played some of my best golf for a while. I hit all the greens on the par-3s and managed to keep my drives straight and reasonably accurate even off the championship tees. I ended up with 35 stableford points which I was pleased with, considering it was the first time I had played the course. "Afterwards we were treated to a sumptuous buffet lunch, followed by a prize-giving ceremony. We finished 17th which shows the quality of the scoring during the day. I had an excellent day out accompanied by very friendly fellow golfers and the encouraging Peter Townsend, who freely gave us the benefit of his vast knowledge and expertise through out the round." |
