Four lady golfers from Wortley Golf Club in Sheffield completed 72 holes in 15 hours for the MacMillan Charity last week. The fantastic team effort included Janet Moorhouse (Lady Captain), Alison Stenson, Val Bellamy and Sarah Burke.

At 5am on a Sunday morning four intrepid, nervous, excited golfers stood on the first tee, drivers at the ready. It was the beginning of a 15-hour golf session: 72 holes, pausing only for bacon sandwiches after 27 and pasta at the 54-hole point.

Their training had only taken them to two rounds and so everything beyond that was new. They expected the third round to be the worst and it probably was. Sock and shoe changes made all the difference. Tiredness and aching muscles started to kick in. But they were playing well, the format was stableford with two best scores counting and it was obvious that the first round was them waking up, the second round they were on fire, third getting tired and the last round complete euphoria because they knew they’d cracked it! The scores were: R1 73; R2 86; R3 78 and R4 83. 

Their support teams were absolutely vital: the pro’s swapped their batteries at the start of each round; the Pagoda Posse of ladies ambushed other golfers on the 9^th for drinks, cakes and contributions. The same group made them the butties and chicken pasta to keep their energy levels up. Knowing the bucket collection was made up of notes rather than coins, kept them going round, and round, and round.

As they approached the 11^th green on the final round, people started to come and watch. That was the point that they had to concentrate on their game, after around 15 hours of playing and pretty much having the course to themselves.

More arrived as they came down the 14^th, 15^thand 16^th. There was a past captains event on and men in their Wortley jackets were stood at the 3-par green watching every shot. None of them hit the green, but they all recovered well.

The final hole was the most memorable: the 72^nd. Everyone had circled the green and were taking photos and videos. Every shot was applauded and the smiles on the women's faces said it all, as they ended enjoyed a group hug filled with relief and emotion.

They had done something most men at their club have never achieved and the respect was palpable. The sense of teamwork over such a long period of time; continuous golf, a real challenge for the body and mind, was hugely rewarding. 

But more inspiring than that was the amazing amount of money they raised for Macmillan. Their target was £2,400 but they managed to raise a whopping £3,335 without gift aid!

The scores were:

1st round  - 73
2nd round - 86
3rd round - 78
4th round - 83

Janet the lady captain said, "A fantastic day of team spirit from the 1st to the 72nd hole. A truly worthwhile experience, the golf, the support, and the amazing encouragement shown to us by our members, family and friends."

"A great team effort and we would all do it again in a heartbeat."

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