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Antrobus Golf Club, formed in 1993 on former farmland, sits right in the heart of the county. You would perhaps not expect to find a golf club as you travel down the narrow Fogg Lane, but there is not only an excellent 18 hole course awaiting but also a driving range and a comfortable clubhouse! A veritable oasis.

The fourth Cheshire Golf Life Member outing of the year took us to Antrobus in it's beautiful rural setting on a glorious warm and sunny day. The welcome we received was equally warm and the homely atmosphere of the club was evident to all "Lifers" as they tucked in to the obligatory bacon butty on arrival. A lone heron was spotted on the edge of the lake on the 18th patiently awaiting it's own breakfast as the sun came up.

The Antrobus course, designed by the late Mike Slater, has numerous water hazards and requires careful course management especially in the hard and bouncy conditions we encountered. The excellent greens are generally quite small and therefore require precise approach shots to find the putting surfaces.

The opportunity to add a new venue to a Lifer's list of courses played in the county is a real feature of membership, and many of the 156 'Lifers' who played had not previously visited Antrobus. Their feedback on the course was entirely positive and a number were asking why they'd not played here before.

Alsager players always take the early start times and they do get a move on. The first few group were back in the clubhouse at 11.45.

It was evident that the firm conditions would make local knowledge an even greater factor than usual, so it was not a huge surprise when players from the host club appeared at the head of the leader board. The eventual winners were David Buckley and, making his Lifers debut, Ian Bruce. In second place were Antrobus pair Alan Tyler and Keith Jackman on 42 points

Nearest-the-pin was on the 'signature' 8th hole, a short par 3 which features a large pond between tee and green. Marc Williams got it in to about ten feet to win the prize. A significant number of balls were apparently swallowed up by the pond!

Our thanks to club secretary Jill Cordingley for her excellent organisation and all of the staff at Antrobus who made the Lifers extremely welcome on what was a hugely enjoyable day. We will definitely return soon

Images: Dominic McAllister & Jerry Dixon