Victory for Ian Batty at Sudbrook Moor Golf Club

Ian Batty started his golf career as a young Yorkshire lad when his golfing dad bought him a half set of clubs for Christmas.

Fifty years on, Ian currently plays from an index hovering between two and four and has spent his whole lifetime in the golf industry as a greenkeeper.

Now working part-time, Ian is delighted to have extra time to spend playing and has particularly made an impact on the Sudbrook Moor Senior trophy archives.

He has amassed numerous titles over recent seasons and three more were accumulated this year after playing consistently excellent golf.

Ian has a great record of matchplay successes with the inter-club senior and main club fixtures over recent summers.

Ray Snell, past senior captain, created the Senior Golfer of the Year Series in 2006 and it has been played as a monthly medal ever since.

An Order of Merit is created annually as an accumulation of points for each player’s ranking, derived from the monthly nett results sheet.

Only a player's best six scores count towards the title of Senior Golfer of the Year and the prestigious 'award for excellence' this year went to Ian who was a very deserving new champion.

In 2024, a total of 66 seniors entered this monthly series leading to a championship, including past title winners Nigel Corby, Sue Watson, David Guy, Steve Davis, Jim Carr and Steve Squires.

Top 10 finishers: Ian Batty 31, Andy Dunderdale 28, Mike Carelton 26, Graham Mackinder 20 (c/b), Nigel Corby 20, Bryan Heydinger 20, Andrew Wain 19, Paul Johnson 18, Yvonne Geach 17, Simon Gray 17.