Men's_Monthly_Winter_Stableford_March_#2_2025

Mud, Mayhem, and Medal-Worthy Madness – April’s Midweek Stableford Delivered It All

The second leg of March’s Winter Stableford delivered everything you’d expect from a soggy Hadden Hill midweek comp – from breakout performances and heroic hole-outs to comical collapses and back-nine implosions.

Kevin Carrigan was the man of the moment, blitzing the field with a mammoth 45 Stableford points, leaving his playing partners wondering if they’d accidentally brought putters to a shotgun shootout. With a stellar birdie on the ever-tricky 17th, Kevin not only claimed the overall title and Division 2 win, but also showed that winter golf rewards grit – and a hot short game.

Hot on his heels was Stuart Dobbs, who matched Kevin stroke for stroke until Hole 12, where he registered an emotionally scarring 7. Still, 41 points and second overall is no small feat. David Wiltshire completed the podium with a solid 40, despite starting with a 7 on the first – a hole that evidently refused to show mercy to many, earning itself several “Might need a drink” emojis across the board.

Division 1 saw a thrilling three-way tie at 38 points, ultimately resolved by count back. Steve Rapley, the model of consistency, came out on top with zero blow-ups across all 18 holes – earning himself the “Brick Wall” title. Barry Carter and Wayne Talbot followed closely, both earning silverware for tidy rounds, with Barry’s eagle on the par-4 2nd earning extra bragging rights.

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The leader board logjam from places 4 to 20 resembled a motorway pile-up in fog: 37s and 38s everywhere, and most rounds were peppered with triple bogeys, hero moments, and the occasional eagle. Special shout-out to John Soanes, who somehow eagled the first hole, possibly while still waking up – and then followed it with a wildly mixed round.

Elsewhere, Martin Whitaker went full Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Birdie with 4 birdies to take the “Birdie Barrage” crown, while Rob Hayden was a par-making machine, tallying 11 pars in a round that quietly threatened the leaderboard.

But it wouldn’t be a Hadden Hill comp without chaos. Jack Woolner turned in a scorecard best described as an endurance event, with 7 back-to-back 7+ scores and the dreaded “Blobmeister” award firmly locked up. Ben Goodenough took the “Rollercoaster” award with a 6-point swing between holes, while Lee Binaccioni somehow played 18 shots worse on the back nine than the front – an achievement that will be studied by future generations of course psychologists.

The day’s hardest hole? No contest – Hole 12 claimed multiple victims, averaging 6.0 strokes and four blobs. Conversely, Hole 7 was the field’s best friend, generously dishing out 3.53 average Stableford points.

In total, 50 players braved the drizzle and dodgy ground underfoot. The average score was 33.9 points, proving once again that winter golf at Hadden Hill is as much about mental resilience and strategic eating (mid-round sausage rolls are key) as it is about ball striking.

With short tees and a heavy course, there were no fat mates this week – just determined hackers grinding through the sludge. Spring can’t come soon enough.