Seven-handicapper breaks Hesketh course record
Every golfer on the planet has a ‘round of my life’ story but it is difficult to imagine anyone has one more remarkable than Lancashire’s Barry Hornsby.
Before playing in Hesketh’s midweek medal today, the 53-year-old seven-handicapper’s best competition score, playing off white tees, was a four-over-par effort at his former club Wilpshire.
Not anymore!
Despite a bogey at the first, the retired fireman proceeded to shoot a course record, seven-under-par 65, which included a hole in one. The previous best was 66.
“To be honest I am more in shock at the hole in one,” said Barry, who only three weeks ago managed just 21 points in a mid-week stableford.
“Recently I have been erratic or brilliant but today I was playing with the past captain Martin Williams and he was a massive help.
“He kept telling me to ‘Come on! Keep going.’ And when we finished he told me straight away I had broken the course record.
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“My first response was ‘have I heck’ but then we went into the professionals shop and the secretary’s office and they were able to confirm it.”
Because of the new handicap system, and the significant difference between playing Hesketh off the white tees rather than the yellows, Barry received nine shots so his nett score was 56. The course is a considerable 6,712 yards and co-hosted the English Amateur Championship four years ago and Amateur Championship in 2011.
Hesketh secretary Martin Edge added: “There are not many moments when you are left speechless, but after Barry informed what he had scored I was left genuinely gobsmacked.
“It was a remarkable round, and a reminder for all golfers that this great game truly is great.
“Congratulations to Barry, and the members are grateful for bottle of whisky he placed on the bar.”
Having spent 25 years as a fireman, he retired three years ago and took up the game again after an eight-year break. He initially joined Chorley before moving to Hesketh 18 months ago.
Before that he had been at Wilpshire for just over 10 years – where he briefly played off six – but added that retirement had brought the added benefit of being “able to do it properly”.
“When I stopped working I started having lessons every month with Gareth Benson at Hillside and I have to say a really good one has been coming. Today everything just clicked. I can’t quite believe it.
“That said it could have been lower. I missed three putts of between three and four feet.”
The day after his 21-pointer in the stableford last month, he won an individual matchplay tie 9&8 and was one under par after 10 holes.
Last week he managed 30 points playing off the yellows and again, today, started modestly with a bogey at the first.
However everything changed with his tee shot at the second although he didn’t see it go in and one of his playing partners even thought it had missed left.
“It started out just right of the hole and I thought ‘flippin’ eck ..that’s going to be close.
“Jerry (Guy) said he thought it had run off on the left hand side but when we got up there Martin said to me: ‘Have a look in the hole’ and I did and there it was.”
Another superb mid iron into the fourth set up his first birdie of the day.
Barry added: “That was a brilliant six iron and that came after two really good shots at the third. It kind of went from there and I didn’t hit a bad shot again until my tee shot at 17. But that went so far left it ended up on the 18th fairway and I was able to get a shot in.”
He got to three under at the eighth where he stuck a pitching wedge to ten feet.
Then at the short par four tenth he thought he had overclubbed his second but the wind got up at just the right time. The ball came to rest six feet away from pin so that made it four under.
When it’s your day…
At the par five 13th he was just short in two and chipped up to two feet and things got really exciting at the next, aka Barry’s nemesis hole. The 14th at Hesketh has killed many good cards down the years but this time he avoided the out of the bounds before choking down on a 9 iron to stunning effect.
“The second at 14 is a blind shot but as we walked to the green, Martin and Jerry almost gave me a guard of honour and clapped me on to the green.”
He was just five feet away and made no mistake with the putt to get to six under.
Then came that wild drive at 17 but he found a way over some trees and left himself a pitch on for his third. Again he got up and down and then Barry admits the nerves really kicked as he played the par five last.
“I had 190 to go for my second and just wanted to hit it 170. Thankfully I absolutely creamed a six iron just where I wanted it. Then I hit my only proper duff of the round. It was the nerves and thinking about what I was about to do. I then two putted for a par.”
As word of his wonder round spread, club captain Roy Sinclair was in the group behind and got a picture with Barry and the history-making card.
Barry added: “Martin (Williams) made the point that it was windy as well. I just hit it that well and it could have been even better. I’ll just have to try and better it next time I play.”