THE Gloucester Golf Ladies started their Summer Competition last Wednesday, 6 November, after recovering from the Melbourne Cup the day before.

The forecast was for a hot day but the early start and shorter 12-hole competition meant players escaped most of the heat.

None of this prevented Rhonda Nightingale and Pat Burrows from turning in good wins in their division.

Two new women golfers, Liane Markey and Susan Higgins, joined their colleagues for the first time, both ready to enjoy the challenge of learning how to play competition golf in the more relaxed setting of the Summer Competition.

The winners of the day were Rhonda Nightingale in Division 1 with 21 points on a countback from Debbie Sate, and Pat Burrows in Division 2 with a blistering 33 points, a decent score for the usual 18-holes, much less the 12-holes played.

Balls were won by Susan Higgins, 24, Anne Maggs, 23, and Debbie Sate, 21.

The Nearest-to-the-Pins were won on the 4th and 13th holes by Elaine Murray, and on the 6th hole by Susan Higgins, with a sweet shot which came down off the hill, rolled up onto the green and settled less than two metres from the flag.

The Wednesday Women’s Summer Competition, a series of 12-hole Individual Stablefords, will continue throughout the summer months.

By Peter WILDBLOOD