Guernsey’s top women golfers travelled to the Isle of Wight at the weekend for a friendly two-day match play competition against their island ladies.
Despite losing by 10 1/2 games to 4 1/2 the experience the Guernsey squad gained over the weekend was invaluable.
The Guernsey Women’s Golf Development Squad, sponsored by La Grande Mare Hotel, was formed in the spring this year. It has 50 members within three levels of ability by handicap – 0 to 11, 12 to 19 and 20 and over. During the year players have experienced matches at both La Grande Mare and L’Ancresse courses, they have honed their golf skills, worked on their fitness and nutrition as well as the mental aspects of the game.
The Squad’s aim is to grow the talent and ultimately to produce top players who are ready to take on other islands in the Guernsey 2021 NatWest International Island Games and beyond.
The match against the Isle of Wight was arranged to further develop the squad’s match play skills on unfamiliar courses, particularly as this was a year without a women’s inter-insular and golf was not part of the Gibraltar Games.
Saturday’s match was a 10 singles match play off scratch at Sandown and Shanklin Golf Course – a fairly sheltered parkland course where the players were treated to unseasonably sunny calm conditions.
Matches were won by Guernsey’s Bonny Hamilton, Di Stenner and Roch Vaudin and Sally Ingrouille halved resulting in the visitors trailing by 6 1/2 games.
On Sunday the players travelled to the other side of the island to play at Freshwater Golf Course set up high on the chalk cliffs overlooking The Needles. A cooler breezier day the women played 5 four-ball better ball matches resulting in just one point added to the Guernsey score board by the Di Stenner and Sally Ingrouille pair who beat their opponents 3 and 2.
The final result was 4 1/2 to 10 1/5 to the Isle of Wight.
Travelling team manager, Angela Goddard said: “This was our first development squad away match and for some of our players the first time they’d played these courses. It has been a fantastic experience so much so that the Isle of Wight is interested in the concept of our development squad and keen to have a return match in Guernsey next year.”
