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Bottoms up popular and gracious
15 blokes turned up.
It was hot.
Course is “browning-up.”
A bit of fear for next week if the extreme heat comes as predicted and there’s no rain this week.
They were out watering greens while play was on today. Many greens were wet with puddles!
Let’s start from the bottom up.
The eight who missed the points were Prez Priems NAGA 23, Marc 24, Dan 26, Steve G 28, Targe 30, Porks 30 (who didn’t drive the 5th this week, about 20 metres short and didn’t quite drive the 11th either). Also, Gordo 31. Enough said about them.
We especially won’t mention Steve’s 9 points on the back after turning on 19, or Porks being the first man ever to have 3 birdies but still miss the points. He also gets a special mention for banging his drive on the 2nd into a tree and having it rebound to just in front of the ladies tee.
But we can talk about Heath, a mate of Rob’s who put in his second card.
108 off the stick for Heath today (the same as his first card) but the way handicapping works anything over a double bogey gets counted as a double. So Heath’s 8 on the 4th today becomes a 5 etc. Adjusted, the handicapper will give him a 97. His first card 108 converts to 98, so expect Heath to start with a handicap of about 30 after his next card.
Welcome Heath!
Sharing 5th on 32 were two old stagers SoS and Peps – fist pumping for the Championship point after the round (but did it too quickly for me to get the photo).
Peps might have gone one better but suffered the same fate as Porks a few weeks ago on the 3rd. The new Saturday morning groundskeeper seems unable to get himself organised to change the pins before play and insists on doing it while we are playing.
Like Porks, Peps hit a nice shot in close on the 3rd and was thinking birdie before the hole got moved and he found himself with a longer birdie putt.
The groundsman wanted to do the same on the 4th, our NTP Pro Pin hole, and was told in no uncertain terms to cease and desist.
There were a range of discussions in the Proshop after the round about the issue and Peps is going to follow-up during the week. If it happens to me next week (when I hope to back from injury and playing again) I’ll make a citizens arrest using my normal calm never ever angry on the course approach to diplomatic public relations.
PS. The Pro Pin on the 4th has jackpotted again, so three weeks worth of money on offer there next week.
Andrew V is putting his hand up to be the New Old Reliable. Despite his chopped handicap after last week’s win, Andrew was in the points again with 33 and 4th place on his Pat Malone.
His 2 Championship points were enough to sneak him past Porks into the joint lead in the Championship race, joined there by today’s 3rd placegetter.
Matty had 5 points on his card after 6 holes, including a wipe on the 6th. He was seen mumbling away to himself on the 7th tee and his partners wondered if he might need a straight-jacket and some therapeutic intervention.
The “good talking to myself” was a resolve to get his act together and par the rest of the course off the stick. And he did, birdieing the 7th and 14th with just two bogeys to go with 8 pars and the result was 34 points and 3rd place.
Nalin returned to form with 37 points and second place. But for a “touch of the Harrys” – a few putts that shaved the hole and refused to drop, Nalin could well have had 40+ and given our winner a better run for his money.
Along the way Nalin hit a shot that is the third entry for a new annual club trophy I want to donate, Most Remarkable Shot of the Year.
Second entry was Porks driving the green on the 5th last week.
First entry was Heath’s drive on the 9th the week before.
This week it was Nalin’s second on the 3rd.
Put the kettle on and settle in, even without my usual embellishments, it’s not a short story.
Nalin’s drive on the 3rd went so far right (and short) that his playing partners didn’t even bother to offer help him look for it. Nalin hit a provisional from the tee (which he hit well) assuming he wouldn’t find his first one.
But while his playing partners showed no interest what-so-ever in helping him look for the ball, Nalin wandered down the line just in case and sure enough, there it was, in the right rough, but playable about 80 metres from the tee.
The plan was a 7 iron down to the corner and pitch it on from there.
Nalin took his usual big swing and it came out flush. On the TV they might have said “oh he has got a flyer from the rough there” but it was heading dangerously right straight towards the big tree.
He’d hit it well and it had plenty of height and it brushed leaves of the tree then hit a branch with a glancing blow that corrected its line a bit to the left and to the absolute amazement of his partners it finished on the green!
He took three putts of course (but being in the first group he was putting to the “original” pin, not the later moved one). If the pin had been moved earlier, he surely would have made the birdie putt.
Meanwhile that 7 iron is in the book as this year’s most Remarkable Shot so far. That’s the one to beat.
The handicap of our winner this week had snuck out to 9.4 before today (which is only one bad round away from going to 10). 9 is probably at least 3 or 4 more than a player of his talent should be on. With so little lead in his saddle bags, Brendon cantered home in the heat with 39 points, easing up towards the finishing post (22/17). And only a very minor handicap adjustment down to 8.
Ever gracious, the up-standing Brendon doing the scores report speech at the presentation noted it was a “popular victory”.
Speaking of graciousness, Heath hit the shot that deserved to win the NTP ball on the 18th but due to a technicality he graciously let the previous closest, Peps, take the prize. Peps graciously accepted the offer. Raj won the NTP “ball” on the 15th.
The field had a total of 8 birdies. I don’t do birthdays. Apologies to who I have missed, which might have included Prez Priems a week or so ago. Belated happy birthday Rob.
Results for Saturday, 24 Jan 2026
1st Brendon Mitchell (39) 2nd Nalin Samaranayake (37) 3rd Matt Hunt (34) 4th Andrew Vogan (33) 5th Andrew Petricola (32) 5th Stephen O’Sullivan (32)
Seniors Results: 1st Matt Hunt (34) 2nd Andrew Vogan (33) 3rd Gordon Hill (31)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 4th Jackpot BallPin No 1 – 15th Rajesh Mahto BallPin No 2 – 18th Andrew Petricola
Scoreboard Pressure
Despite sharing today’s first prize, Wazza looked for a while a bit like Blighty last week at the round after party.
Before regrouping with a big winners smile for the photo, Wazza was looking more than a touch disappointed with his finish over the final two holes that cost him outright victory.
Indeed, if this was a tournament on the telly (and Andrew V and Wazza were in the same group – which they weren’t, Andrew V was in Group 1 and Wazza in Group 3) the leaderboard would have shown Wazza with a six-stroke lead standing on the 17th tee.
Wazza had played well all day, apart from wipes at the 6th and 9th and had clocked 38 points in his first 16 holes, including 3 x 4-pointers.
Having blown away the field to this point, both with his tee-to-green work and on the greens, Wazza’s nearest challenger, Andrew V was on 32 points after the 16th.
After banging another good tee shot down the 17th into what commentator Jack Newton used to call “the Mayor’s office”, Wazza somehow managed to take 7 for a wipe.
Meanwhile Andrew V, who confesses to doing some serious practice on his chipping and pitching lately (there is a rumour of paid professional help involved) floated a beautiful pitch to about 4 feet on the 17th and sunk the putt for a 4-point birdie. Andrew had earlier hit an even better pitch into a foot or so for a birdie on the 11th.
A four shot swing and Wazza’s lead is suddenly two on the 18th tee!
Andrew V then piled on the pressure with solid 3 for 3 par on the last. Wazza, after having a treacherous chip from the back of 18 to the bottom tier pin, managed to sneak it down to about 10 feet.
Perhaps not realising that 2 putts from there would be enough to win outright (the electronic scoreboard behind the 18th wasn’t working again today) Wazza gave the first putt a good run, just missing on the high side and then missed the one on the way back!
The end result, Andrew V and Wazza in joint first on 39 points. Congratulations gents, two great rounds. Not sure for Andrew V, but I think it might have been a PB for Wazza. Guessing it won’t be long before he beats it again.
And for Eclectic fans, as it happens, in a coincidence I bet has never happened before, or ever will in future, Andrew V and Wazza’s joint first scores propelled them to joint first in the eclectic – Wazza’s Eclectic improving from Gross 75 to 71 and Net 55.1 and Andrew V’s went from Gross 71 to 67 and Net 55.1. Gordo is not far behind on 55.5.
Targe like Andrew V also stormed home with 7 points in his last two holes to claim 2nd place on 36 points.
CJ, playing his 1,166th round for the club, had his putt for par on the 18th lip out and came off shaking his head mumbling that absolutely rare never before heard golfing epitaph, “what might have been” (or words to that effect). Earlier on the back 9 a couple of chips had lipped out and ….. we all know the story ….. left a few out there etc. etc.
He was happy enough to bank 3rd placed points in both the general Championship and the much more competitive harder to win Seniors Championship.
Gordo was on fire early with 5 x 3-pointers on the front 9, turning with 21 points. But he could only manage 12 points on the back and a share of 4th place with 33 points.
Porks matched Andrew V with two birdies on the back 9 (these were the only 4 birdies the field could manage). Porks 33 points was good enough for a share of 4th with Gordo, with the 2 Championship points enough to sneak him into his customary first place on the Championship leaderboard.
On any other day, the talk about Porks big hitting would have been his drive on the 11th that finished a few inches off the green, with his eagle putt very nearly going in. The drive actually clipped the trees on the way through, so Porks maybe over-clubbed there with a Driver.
Earlier on the 5th, Porks and his playing partners didn’t seem worried about teeing off while the group ahead, Targe, CJ, Dan, Kenny were putting out. That was until it came off the club like a rocket.
Targe remained calm over his putt as Porks ball rolled past him to about 10 feet from the back pin. There was a bit of confusion before Dan clarified that it was Porks ball from the tee. Of course he sunk the putt for the eagle 2 and the Eagles Nest.
Harry if you are off your bike yet over there at the Tour Down Under, how many bloody times has Porks won the Eagles Nest? Ditto the other regular culprits Brendon and Peps? There should be an Eagle Tax on those blokes. Maybe an eagle should be added to the list of crimes to buy a round for playing partners?
No eagles for Old Reliable Craig but he was in the points again despite his handicap being 3 strokes less than last week. His 32 points was good enough for 5th placed points in the main championship, but like Gordo, he missed out on the harder to get Seniors points.
Steve, Nalin, Ken and Dan didn’t have their best days.
Steve’s finished with one of unluckiest bounces I have ever seen on the 18th. A good tee shot hit the ground just a bit short of the green on a good line to the front pin and I thought with a good bounce this is going to be very very close.
However, there was a big metallic bang and the ball jumped high in the air and about 30 metres to the right and back down the hill. It had hit a grate that wasn’t sitting flat and the effect was like bouncing off a trampoline in the wrong direction.
One of the stragglers didn’t make it into the 20’s with his score and was a clear NAGA with 18 points. He said he had more shanks than points and CJ confirmed this saying he had never seen a worse case since a time many years ago when Stewie Clark had a bad run with the shanks.
We like to be encouraging here on the blog, rather than name and shame, and so I won’t name names. Let’s just say I hope the good doctor finds some golfing medicine this week and comes back fit and firing next week. I will bet he is in the points next time he plays.
NTPs were Jackpot for Propin money on the 4th. CJ “ball” on the 15th and Porks on 18.
Results for Saturday, 17 Jan 2026
1st Warren Capes (39) 1st Andrew Vogan (39) 2nd Targe Mifsud (36) 3rd Chris Priems (34) 4th Gordon Hill (33) 4th Ryan Porker (33) 5th Craig Cameron (32)
Seniors Results: 1st Andrew Vogan (39) 2nd Targe Mifsud (36) 3rd Chris Priems (34)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 4th Jackpot BallPin No 1 – 15th Chris Priems BallPin No 2 – 18th Ryan Porker
Eagle’s Nest Results: Eagle – 5th Ryan Porker
Beware the injured golfer
When is the last time a bloke with an injured wrist – serious tendonitis – won a tournament as prestigious as the first Ivanhoe club stableford comp of 2026?
I would normally ask Harry this question, but he is AWOL on his annual trip gallivanting in lycra on the bike with his wife in Adelaide.
Answer: 54 years ago – Doug Sanders in the Kemper Open on the US PGA Tour in 1972, knocking off Lee Trevino with a birdie on the last hole.
Kenny hurt his wrist at work and had to keep his swing tempo a bit slower.
There’s an old saying about ‘Beware the injured golfer’, e.g. Tom Kim’s 3rd at the 2023 British Open. Kenny improved 15 shots on his score from last week and calmy two putted the last from long range down the hill to pencil in 40 points for the day, equal best with a bloke on the comeback trail from a different type of medical issue.
As the average club punter knows (and rumour is we have a few average punters in the club) there aren’t too many ‘good things’ first up from a spell.
But you can now write into your form book that Craig Cameron (back for his first game since mid-November after some skin cancer work on his right hand) can sprint out of the gates and win first up, albeit on this occasion in a dead heat with Kenny.
Both scored 40 points, Craig with 21/19 and Kenny 22/18. This reflected a trend, presumably related to the wind getting up as the day went on.
Twelve of today’s fourteen players scored better on the front than the back, including (Blighty 25/14) for 2nd place, Andrew V in 3rd (20/17), Wazza (19/14) and Brendon (18/15) in joint 4th and Nalin (20/11) in 5th.
Bobby with 30 (16/14) was originally announced as 5th but after a handicap and score check Nalin improved from 29 to 31 to snatch 5th from Bobby.
The 5 other cards out of the points in the 20’s were from Rob, Ryan/Porks, Raj, SoS and Marc.
Heath, a guest of Rob’s, is on his way to joining as a member and put in his first card today. Breaking 50 on the front 9 (just) with two pars showed that like many a new member, Heath can play. And yes punters, you heard it here first, watch for him in the points Early Doors when he gets his handicap.
On the 8th Brendon was in awe as Heath smashed a drive that skirted the trees on the right and did a power draw back into the fairway.
On the 9th tee, Heath hit a drive that Brendon reckons is a once in a lifetime, never seen before shot at Ivanhoe.
Like the 8th, another big connect starting well right with a draw in mind. Only this time it collected a tree absolutely flush and went flying back over everybody’s heads to behind the 8th green.
Put a camera behind the 9th tee with a video and offer $5,000 to repeat that and your money would be safe. I reckon Peps is the only other big drawing member with a chance.
Bobby also hit some shots of the day, including a chip-in from behind the 18th green to the bottom tier pin, for a neat birdie 2 for 5 points to finish his round.
Earlier he had played a blinder of a second shot onto the green from the jungle sized rough just ahead and left of the 15th tee. Only problem – standing over the putt and realising it wasn’t his ball. A wipe on the scorecard there for Bobby.
If Blighty is reading this far down the blog, he will be pleased I have spared him the pain of reliving his finish – a four putt 6 and wipe on the 18th.
Two putts there and he wins outright. Three putts and he makes it a triple dead heat for first and I get to rave again about the 1956 Hotham Handicap and post another copy of that famous photo finish.
I was going to work in ‘doing a reverse Bradbury’ to the blog headline to describe Blighty’s performance, but I know from bitter experience the emotional pain of playing well and then finishing less than perfectly, so Blighty I hope you appreciate I left the pain until down here (nobody reads this far down).
Other notes from the day:
If you see the pin at the back of the third green and hit your shot as planned to the back of the green, thinking birdie, perhaps check if the new groundsman is loitering and ready to change the pin to the front of the green before you get up there! FFS.
Porks took three to get down to the new front pin and was still shaking his head about it after the round. On behalf of Porks and the club, I passed on the information to Chris in the Pro-shop who said to apologise to Porks and he will do his best to make sure it never happens again.
If you are two blokes playing down the 6th in a cart and Rob is teeing off on the 2nd, don’t loiter in the cart anywhere near where a low pull hook will go straight at you and hit the cart like a bullet. At least they were watching Rob hit, so they knew what was coming, even though it all happened too quick for them to do anything other than flail about in fear like a couple of slapstick movie actors. Luckily no injuries other than a dent to cart and ball.
Porks won the ball on 18 with a shot to 2.54 metres and made the putt, one of 6 birdies for the day. He knocked off an unlucky Craig there (3.36 metres) but Craig won the ball on the 12th.
PS. The Porks ball on 18 was a jackpot – Porks/SoS did you remember that? Rob won the jackpot Propin on the 15th with a stellar shot to 2.84 metres (but missed the putt).
Hope you have stayed healthy over there in the Barossa this week CJ. Perhaps wave to Harry and his wife on their bikes on your way back.
Finally, a reminder to Register for the Match Play.
It’s one of our big ‘double points’ majors, but you gotta register to be considered for the elite starting field of 16.
Go to the Event Registration tab on the website and Match Play Registration is third drop down if you like following your web structure. Or hit boxed link from near top of webpage. Do it now, it will help get Harry off my back.
Speaking Harry, I reckon his blog heading last week was his cleverest ever. It may never be beaten. Nice 38 Double D photo too! Keep scrolling and reading below if you missed it.
Cheers, Michael G
Results for Saturday, 10 Jan 2026
1st Craig Cameron (40) 1st Ken Watson (40) 2nd Andrew Blight (39) 3rd Andrew Vogan (37) 4th Warren Capes (33) 4th Brendon Mitchell (33) 5th Nalin Samaranayake (31)
Seniors Results: 1st Craig Cameron (40) 1st Ken Watson (40) 2nd Andrew Blight (39) 3rd Andrew Vogan (37)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 15th Robert Priems BallPin No 1 – 12th Craig Cameron BallPin No 2 – 18th Ryan Porker
Pepsi can, this Man go on 03 January 2026.
First round of 2026. For most of the dozen members who turned out today. Whitey owned up to having a sneaky one (round of golf, that is) yesterday, but the rest of the field set out to break their New Year Resolutions, one way or another. SteveG is doing his Dry July in January, but had to resist the temptation posed by having to buy beers for his efforts on the second. The ground staff were a bit late getting out with the blowers, so there was a fair bit of litter on some of the greens, with a bit of dew from the watering early on before the morning warmed up. The greening of the course continues, but they do spray herbicide as well, so those that put their fags down on the tee, might do well to rethink the practice. The effects of the recent rains have subsided and, with the right trajectory, a fair bit of run is available. Pepsi made good use of run on the fifth as his drive ran past Harry at pace to come to a stop about 30m short of the green.
This put him in a good position to chip onto the green, close enough to the pin to sink it easily for a birdie. This was one of four that he made for the day on his way to matching the card on the front and to cheesing himself off with a five over on the back. Still, seventy-three off the beater, and a net 65, is pretty good going, and it was a good enough score for a comfortable win of the January Monthly Medal. Although there were some missed putts, Pepsi also had his fair share of sinkings from off the green. He wasn’t alone in that regard. Matt claimed that he missed the birdie putt on the first because he doesn’t like getting birdie on the first, unless it is for the Eclectic. So, he had to wait until the 8th before he chipped/putted one in from just off the back of the green. He pretty much repeated the performance on the 17th to help us to nine birdies for the day, and to help himself to second place with his net score of sixty-seven. He also missed some putts by a hair’s breadth and ‘should have done better’.
Harry was reasonably happy with how things were going for the first four holes. A triple on the 5th wasn’t the happiest result, but the ‘front nine jinx’ bit hard on the 6th. A nice looking approach shot found the lip of the bunker. The first stayed in. The second finished in the long, just short of the penalty area. Two shots to get on the green, and a couple of putts brought a result into double figures. All hope seemed gone. However, a near PB (38) on the back nine restored some respectability, and he was very pleased to line up for third place. CJ is carefully planning his campaign for the year, and has settled on the clubs that he is going to carry for the rest of the season. Minnie Driver is in (the club, not the actress). Driver is out. And five wood is in. To a suggestion for a seven wood – Meehhh! Anyhow, CJ welcomed the fourth placing. SteveG and Gordo took a bit of chiacking about getting a point for net 73, although Gordo did comment a couple of times during the round that a particular hole had cost him the Medal. Like the 11th, where it took him five shots and four trees to get onto the green.
The first BallPin was set on the 4th, and the back tee setting made it an interesting hole for the event. Not trouble for Gordo, though he didn’t hold out great hopes for it to last. However, his pessimism was unwarranted, and he collected the prize on offer. The BallPin on the 18th shouldn’t have been beyond range, so maybe it was accuracy that was wanting today. There were claims of being ‘just off’, but near enough is not good enough, so there will be a jackpot on offer next week. The ProPin on the 15th also did not attract any bidders, and Jack will hold the pot until next week.
Harry’s tee shot on the 3rd was gauged as marginal as far as out of bounds went, and his provisional was clearly OK. The first was good, but the second left the corner tree to be contended with. An attempt at a low ‘pitch’ and run went rather higher than plan, and into the tree where it deflected from a handy branch, and finished on the edge of the green. The putt barely missed what would have been a totally unexpected par. SOS was hunting around for his ball when he spied a nice, new-looking, ProV1. Faster than a speeding bullet, he picked it up only to notice that it was labelled ‘Wazza’, a ball that had been abandoned a couple of holes back. In all honesty, he had to return it to its former owner. Raj was pretty happy with how he was travelling, at least until the 17th. His first tee shot went bye-byes into the river, and the second went close to repeating the performance, but finished in the rough along the fence. A couple to get out, a couple to get on, and a couple to get in knocked a fair hole in his ambitions.
The size of Kenny’s mangoes came for a fair amount of discussion, with all sorts of inappropriate comparisons being made and demonstrated. CJ reckoned he couldn’t take too many, as he is heading off to Adelaide on the train tomorrow, though he does have to practice his mea culpas to get back in the good books. For a while there, it looked as if Ken was going to have to relinquish his role as Mango Man, but, thanks to the good offices of the grower, his role will continue, and the whole field was able to stagger off loaded to the gunwales with fine looking fruit. There were so many on offer that Ken had to requisition help to carry them from his vehicle.
Results for Saturday, 03 Jan 2026
1st Andrew Petricola (65) 2nd Matt Hunt (67) 3rd Harry Boughen (70) 4th Chris Priems (71) 5th Steven Gervasoni (73) 5th Gordon Hill (73)
Seniors Results: 1st Matt Hunt (67) 2nd Harry Boughen (70) 3rd Chris Priems (71)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 15th Jackpot BallPin No 1 – 4th Gordon Hill BallPin No 2 – 18th Jackpot