Oldham & District Golf League

BROOKDALE’s Pete Buckley became the first player to win multiple ODGL Gold Cup singles matchplay titles when he retained the trophy at Manchester Golf Club.

The +1 handicapper beat Dukinfield's Matt McLeod 2&1 in a hard-fought final at an immaculate Hopwood.

On the front nine, Buckley carded three birdies and a conceded eagle after he drove the 285-yard par-4 seventh to within 12 feet.

But that impressive golf was only enough to stay all square at the turn as McLeod, receiving ten shots, made pars at all five of his shot holes on the front nine - only dropping shots to par at the two par 3s.

That good run included a big escape when McLeod’s second to the par-5 ninth had a 190-yard carry to clear the water hazard and looked destined to get wet but pitched on the bridge and flew into a right-hand bunker.

The pair traded pars at the 10th with Buckley unlucky to see his approach shot spin back from close to the hole and down the MacKenzie slope.

But Buckley then surged into a 3-up lead as McLeod three-putted the 11th and 13th from long distance and also failed to get up and down from the side of the 12th as Buckley coolly drained another 15-foot birdie putt.

That could have been the signal for an early finish but McLeod showed real mettle to win both the par-5 14th and the stroke-two 15th… winning the former with a birdie four and the latter with an excellent nett birdie after a tough chip over a greenside bunker.

McLeod was in trouble off the tee at the long par three 16th but looked like he might get out of it with a half in four when he rolled in a long putt.

Having seen his chip onto the green run beyond the flag, Buckley thought he had missed his putt back for the win exclaiming “that’s too high” only to see the ball swing right to left and dive into the cup.

Buckley was relieved. McLeod crestfallen.

That put Buckley back in the driving seat at 2up with two to play and he was able to secure a half and a handshake at the penultimate hole.

The trophy and prize money for the finalists will be presented at the Brian Atack Trophy Team Championship at Crompton and Royton on Sunday, September 27.

***Club are reminded that the league presentation takes place as part of the Brian Atack Team Tournament which will be played at Crompton and Royton on Sunday, September 27. Four pairs per team.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are currently two vacancies in the A Division – interested clubs should contact ODGL Secretary David Whaley (07764638309).
The League will be pleased to consider friendly matches against teams on a free week to give potential new clubs a taste of better-ball matchplay team matches.

Four-Ball (Better Ball) Match Play: Apply 90% of the difference in Course Handicap.....

Calculation: All four players determine their Course Handicap. The lowest player becomes 0, and others adjust accordingly. Then, 90% of that difference is applied.

* Please ensure that you complete match cards with full names, handicap index, playing handicap and shots allocated - 90per cent of the difference from the lower (please check these as there have been errors on a couple of Cup matchcards)

* Put result of each game indicating which team won each match and the margin of victory.

* It is the Captain’s responsibility to ensure that team members comply with handicap rules – indexes 0-9 A and 8-17 B - and that they have a fully-fledged 20-card handicap with five qualifying cards in the last 12 months.

*Could clubs drawn to host semi-finals please ensure these dates are in the home course diary for catering.

The League was conceived as an opportunity for local golfers to play competitively against other golf clubs in the local area and at the same time develop camaraderie between them. The intention is to enjoy good golf courses with sporting companions in a friendly but competitive atmosphere.

The League was composed of 2 Divisions from the outset but the Cup competition was not introduced until 1980. Initially, the League was based on singles matches in the A Division and the first Secretary was A L Davidson (Saddleworth GC). In those early years, the league was less competitive and League Tables were not produced until the last match of the season had been played! In 1982, Barry Matthews (League Secretary) and Carl Cunnelly (Fixtures Secretary) ran the League on a more organised and formal basis until 2005. In 1991 the end of season Brian Atack Tournament was added to compete for individual and team trophies.

Since 2005, the trio of Saddleworth's John Walsh (Chairman), Ashton's Brendan Kennedy (Secretary) and Werneth's David Whaley (Fixtures secretary) guided the league through an expansion into a four division format with the addition of teams from North Manchester, Blackley, Crompton & Royton and Castle Hawk. The league changed further in 2017 with the introduction of promotion and relegation between the two 'A' divisions and Howard Lawton (North Manchester) took over as League Secretary. In 2023 David Whaley (Saddleworth) assumed the role of League Secretary with Howard Lawton standing down as Treasurer. In October 2025, John Osbaldeston (Crompton & Royton) accepted the role as Honorary Treasurer.