AN HISTORIC CLUB WITH A MAGNIFICENT GEORGIAN PARKLAND SETTING SINCE 1893

If there was a league table ranking families on the basis of accolades accrued at County Armagh Golf Club this season, the Grimley clan would surely have already built an insurmountable lead at its summit.

With brothers Kieran, David and Bernard already knee-deep in honours over recent months — even going toe-to-toe with one another for prizes on occasion — Martin added to the deadly quartet's plentiful 2017 plunder by securing victory in the Sunday stableford competition  on 28 June .

Starting the day playing off a handicap of 16, Martin posted pars at the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 8th before a double bogey at the often troublesome 9th checked his progress slightly.

Nevertheless, that six-over-par front nine provided the All-Ireland Four-Ball Trophy stalwart with a useful platform from which to launch a potentially tournament-triumphing assault on the back nine.


County Armagh's penultimate par 3: the 11th, Shambles.

And, indeed, after a bogey up on the 10th, he did just that, reeling off five pars on the spin before a solid 5, 5, 5 finish negotiated his safe passage to the winners' enclosure — or 'Grimley Zone' as it could aptly be renamed.

Martin's 80-shot and 42-point offering means a handicap reduction to 14, although that is unlikely to perturb a golfer in such fine fettle.

The  Commodores ' 'Easy (Like  Sunday Morning )',  Joni Mitchell 's 'Sunny Sunday', Morrisey's 'Every Day is Like Sunday'. One imagines that these songs must comprise the soundtrack to John Vernon's pre-round warm-up because, after category 1 and overall competition success respectively on Sunday 23 April and Sunday 14 May, the Woodford man donned his Sunday best once again to post 41 points and a runner-up finish here.

A lacklustre opening double bogey was long since forgotten when the fillip of an immediate birdie response lit the touch paper on a scintillating spell of golf. Vernon was four under par for the 13 holes  from the 2nd to the 14th  as more birdies arrived at each of the three par 5s.

A sticky patch where just three points were accrued from the next three holes was ended when John regained his composure to par the 18th and put the seal on yet another fantastic showing that hastens the downward trajectory of a handicap that began the 2017 campaign at 11, currently sits at seven and looks certain to tumble further still.

Mr Consistency Ian Beaddie rattled off 11 pars and seven bogeys in a characteristically fuss-free and classy round that earned him 40 points, first position in category 1 and a new handicap of 10.

Hirsch Cup champion Darren Wilson also racked up 40 points but lost out to Beaddie by virtue of an inferior back nine. In another high quality outing, Wilson's birdie at the 2nd immediately preceded six consecutive pars before double bogeys at the 9th and 15th would necessarily limit his ambitions to second-placed category recognition.

Laurence Corr pocketed the category 2 spoils with a marvellous 40-point scorecard boasting back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th. Corr's gross 81 ensures that he'll tee it up as a 14-handicapper next time out.

Junior Cowdy team captain Paul Kelly was one point adrift of Laurence as he registered pars at the 2nd, 6th, 12th, 14th and 15th on his way to a runner-up berth.

On another day of wonderful scoring, Paul McKeown was the last of four players to declare on 40 points. A terrific morning's work that included back-to-back pars at the 2nd and 3rd and the 11th and 12th granted McKeown the category 3 plaudits.

Notching a par on each nine and displaying much solid golf elsewhere, Noel Cassin nabbed second prize in category 3 with a fine 39-point total that ensures that his handicap is moving in the right direction.

In the Wednesday Open on 31 May, a superb gross 68 for 42 points handed Jarlath McReynolds a deserved victory, while Paul Doyle's brilliantly steady 14 pars, four bogeys and 38 points made him top dog in the seniors' competition.