Five monthly stableford competitions in Ross Golf Club’s winter programme provide men members with the incentive to compete for the Club’s first major event in 2016 when the Annual Barnfield Trophy takes place on Saturday, March 5th. Played off the club’s shortened yellow course, the top 12 performers from each monthly competition qualify and the 5th and final Winter stableford event played in testing conditions witnessed 93 players taking part. 11 handicapper Peter Bennett, with 41 points, proved to be the day’s top performer with a fine round which included 11 pars and 2 birdies and means that he will be a 10 handicapper when he takes part on March 5th.

Otherwise it was two of the Club’s younger players who took the eye and most notably 11 year old Jordan Hughes, whose 40 points score, playing off a 26 handicap, meant that his name topped the final score-sheet for players in handicap Division 2. This was a day to remember for Jordan who only became a Junior member of the Ross Club a few weeks ago and this was just his second appearance in an adult competition so he will take a reduced 25 handicap with him into the Final. Jordan, a pupil at John Kyrle High School & Academy joins the Ross Club’s Juniors Development Group in the care of Head Professional Tim Hall and his ’School of Golf’. Jordan has already tasted success in events within the Club’s Juniors team and now he can look forward to a ’continuous improvement’ programme of skills and processes aiming to make him ‘the Best that he can Be’.

A Ross member who has benefited considerably through the Club’s School of Golf has been former Ross Juniors Captain 19 years old Niall Powell, now sporting a 2.3 handicap who also carded a 40 points score. Apart from a double-bogey blemish at the 2nd hole, Niall with 5 birdies, completed both sets of 9 holes in 1 under gross par which resulted in his handicap moving to 2.0.

In handicap Division 1, the six qualifiers were Michael Williams 39 points, Colin Bennion 38 points and Peter Lawrence, Harvey Hancock, and Nigel Montague who had 37 points and Simon Mills who had 36 points. From handicap Division 2 the members who join Jordan Hughes in the Final are Colin Price and Adrian Hope with 39 points each, Stephen Gregory and Norman Lodge who both scored 36 points and Brian Cartwright who scored 35 points.