Glorious sunshine and a course in superb condition attracted 162 golfers from all over the West of Scotland to Helensburgh Lions Club’s annual charity golf day at Helensburgh Golf Club.

Fifty-four teams competed in a keenly-fought tournament, played to a three-ball better ball format on fabulous greens that many described as the best they had played on this year.

Local team ‘Black Bob Kennedy’ won the day over a visiting group from Cawdor Golf Club on the countback after both teams posted a remarkable 50 points.

The Helensburgh team comprised Don Griffin and father and son Calum and Scott Kennedy, who also won the Geoff Brewster Quaich, awarded to the best team of all Helensburgh Golf Club members.

The visiting Cawdor team, ‘Northern Vans’, were Tony Carragan, Colin Hart and David Houston

Hard on their heels with 49 points, ‘Bab’s Babes’ – June Haggarty, Katy Rogers and Linda Moffat, a team of ladies from Helensburgh Golf Club, took third prize.

They beat the ‘Golf Buddies’ who also had 49 points on countback. This team was made up of Jim McKenzie, Phil English and Graeme Proud.

Three teams scored 48 points, with a countback placing ‘The Jam Tarts’ – Alan Latham, David Russell and Stewart Coutts – in fifth place, and the East Kilbride Golf Club trio of George Ather, Angus Bell and Keith Craig, playing under the ‘Stewart Independent Financial’ banner, taking sixth, meaning the local team of Dougie Singleton, John Gallagher and Robert Dunbar just missed out on the prizes.

The ladies’ prize was won by ‘Bab’s Babes’ and second prize went to a team comprising of Maria Carling, Fiona Chalmers and Carol Bews.

Par three ‘nearest the pin’ prizes were won by John Clancy at the ninth hole, Alex Higgins at the 11th and Willie Miller at the 16th, while Helensburgh’s Jack Miles claimed the prize on the third hole.

Helensburgh big hitters Douglas Willoughby and Graeme Proud scooped the ‘longest drive’ prizes on the eighth and 18th respectively, while the prize for the highest aggregate score on the par three holes was won by the ‘Last Minute Booking’ team of Carol Bell, Anita McLaren and Grace Martin.

The day was a fantastic success for the Lions Club and raised £3,085 for their charity fund, which spends more than 90 per cent of its money locally.

Club president Mel Newton thanked the organisers, course and catering staff, sponsors and players at the prize-giving ceremony.

the golf club captain, management committee and members for their ongoing support and the bar and catering staff for their hard work on the day.

He congratulated Robert Bacon and his team on the outstanding presentation of the course and thanked the club professional Fraser Hall for his help.

Mel commented that many of the day’s sponsors had been generously supporting the event for over twenty years and thanked all the players for attending and making it such an enjoyable and worthwhile day.