Howling at the full moon was an option overnight, and, as we gathered to tee off once more, it turned a subtle golden red hue as it sank towards the horizon in the west. The sun should have been not far behind given the phase, but it seemed to take an interminable time to force itself above the eastern horizon (read clubhouse hill), and, when it did, a hazy cloud cover kept it to a wan silver disc without a hint of warmth to offer. And so it remained for most of the round, finally casting a shadow with about four holes to go. The weather was fine, the ground was soft, and the greens were still a bit sandy, and, so, seventeen members set out with hopes held high. Those that didn’t go so well looked to the course conditions to explain their hardships, but those that made a better fist of it proved that the course conditions were hardly to blame. Some people did a little better than expected, while some did a little worse than expected. Try to get those Stableford points right, and check the additions and scores on both cards before you hand them in. Signing for the wrong scores, in particular, could cost you dearly.

We have known from Day 1 that Wazza can really smack a ball when he gets onto it, and a bit of control would make a big difference to his scores. Well, it seems that he has been taking some sneaky time off to have lessons, and it looks very much like that investment has really paid off. Maybe some others in the Club should think about taking similar action. With the front nine out of the way, and twenty-three points on the card, there was a slight hint that the wheels might have been getting a bit wobbly, but, things settled down, and he eventually presented to the judges with forty-one on the card. It will be a while before he sees that handicap again! As it turns out, Marc has also been getting some lessons, and he has also been putting in some away games, and the benefits also showed up for him as well. Despite having three gashes on his card, he was able to turn in a score of thirty-nine points to collect the second placing for the day.

It is not clear what has bitten Gordo recently. A mere few weeks ago, he was almost on suicide watch as his game seemed to go from bad to worse. Then, all of a sudden, the game comes back, and he is a changed man. He probably thought he was in with a chance for the top spot with thirty-eight points, but he will just have to settle for third, with a handy first in the Seniors. Pepsi was right up there with Gordo, and he reckons that his game was flattered by his better than average putting. He played a cunning hand on the 17th, leaving his drive just down from the 18th green, a nice full shot over the pond to the green, followed by a couple of putts for his par. It’s not often that the fourth placed player has to break his handicap to get there, but that is what JQ had to do today to secure his spot. JQ did score a Rocket in the Order of Merit as he climbs up the table with more frequent attendance. Raj let the side down by going one over his handicap to secure the fifth spot.

Could JQ have scored better if he hadn’t been embroiled in his semi-final match with Marc, or did he play better because he was involved in a battle royal. There was a stroke to be conceded on every hole, and an extra one on three, which made for some interesting possibilities. Marc won the first hole, to take an early lead, and, by the 6th, that advantage had made it out to three holes. JQ picked up a couple before the turn, and the lead was just one hole as they headed onto the back. The position did not change over the next three holes, although JQ probably thought he had a chance for a win when he made a birdie on the 12th (one of our eight for the day). Marc made his four, and, with two strokes on offer, the hole was settled as another square. JQ won the 14th when Marc sprayed his drive right across the 16th, and took a couple to recover from the rough, to make the match very interesting as he took the lead for the first time. Marc matched JQ’s par on the 17th to bring the game back to square with one hole to go. Despite JQ winning the BallPin on the 18th, and making the par, Marc had to run his first putt up the hill to the top deck and sink a 2m putt to match the par to win the hole and the match one up.

The first BallPin was on the 12th, and Michael was desperate to win at least one of them, as he claims to be completely out of new balls. Unfortunately, his effort here was outdone by Brent, who wants the Treasurer to keep track of the money option to pay his next competition fee, whenever that is. The ProPin was on the 4th, and the result was slightly controversial as SteveG was in the first group, and put his ball to 2.84m. The controversy arose because a greenkeeper was observed shifting the tee markers further back between the first and second groups. However, as it was estimated that the extra length was less than 2m, Steve’s shot would still have been within the required limit, and the prize pool was paid (less Steve’s competition fee, as he left his money on the corner of the round table this morning).

The Birthday Birdie is going to be exhausted this week as he has to get around Ken, Brendon, ChrisV and JQ to wish them all a happy day as they mark another milestone of life.

One matter of Rules of Golf came up today, which needs to be clarified. A ball in flight hit another ball lying just short of the green, and knocked the stationary ball onto the green. It does not matter where the incident occurs, the rules require that the stationary ball has to be replaced at the known or best estimate of its original position whether in the General Area or on the green, while the ball in motion takes the rub of the green. Not replacing the stationary ball and playing from the new location incurs a general (two stroke) penalty (Rule 9.6).

Michael saw a ball enter a potentially difficult place to spot, so he left his favourite cleaning rag/handkerchief to mark the spot to do the right thing for the fellow Club member. However, it seems that the relevant ball was not that difficult to find, and the one that Michael had marked was not the one, and, to rub salt into the wound, his ‘marker’ was not noticed and remains where it lay. Harry left himself a short putt on the 18th, and he tapped it in. The ball disappeared into the hole, somehow contacted the pin, and spun out again, which says a fair bit about how his day went. Ken was much happier with his game this week, particularly the fact that he improved his score by ten strokes on just the one hole. However, he was spotted having to walk further from the hole to play his third on the 11th when his second found a tree, dead centre, and the ball finished behind him. For some reason, the question of age came up on occasions today, and Craig was a bit nonplussed when Targe said something that suggested that he might be younger than Craig.

Results for Saturday, 09 Aug 2025
1st Warren Capes (41) 2nd Marc Phillips (39) 3rd Gordon Hill (38) 3rd Andrew Petricola (38) 4th John Quinlan (37) 5th Rajesh Mahto (35)

Seniors Results: 1st Gordon Hill (38) 2nd Craig Cameron (33) 2nd Steven Gervasoni (33) 3rd Ken Watson (31)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 4th Steven Gervasoni BallPin No 1 – 12th Brent Rowley BallPin No 2 – 18th John Quinlan

The confidence was flowing so thickly around the first tee as twenty members and one guest (Nalin’s mate, Colin) prepared to tee off to decide the winner of this year’s Winter Cup that wellington boots were needed. Fred’s lad, CJ, promised the greatest comeback since Lazarus as he slammed one away, and strode off down the hill. At the end of the day, it seems that Lazarus was not inclined to rise from his deathbed on command, as hoped. When Gordo was asked to ensure that there was a photo of the winner for the blog, he reckoned that he would have to send a selfie. JQ had a feeling in his water that he was able to bridge the gap, and quite a few others harboured quiet hopes for a good result, however unexpected. There had been some rain, and more was predicted, and a few eyes were cast fearfully at the threatening cloud cover, but the CBD dome was very effective, and the wet-weather gear remained firmly folded in their pockets. The course was damp, but still firm, and the greens were ‘slow’. At least compared to Heidelberg, according to Whitey, who suffered from a serious case of the ‘shorts’, and, even more frustratingly, only ‘centimetre shorts’, today.

The shout out for the round of the day has to go to Dan, who was a late entrant to the field after Marc had to opt out. Unfortunately, Dan had not played in round one, so his 39 points were to no avail as far as winning the trophy went. That privilege went to Gordo, who played another very steady round on his way to thirty-eight points on the day, and seventy-four overall. His card did include three singletons, but he just about compensated with a four pointer for a birdie on the 8th. His drive required him to take out his one iron to shape a shot around the bend to maybe 5m from the pin to be followed by a very satisfying putt to seal the deal. As the professionals say, only Gordo can hit a one iron!

Raj had his chances, despite taking the whole of the front nine to get warmed up. He started the back nine on a charge, and looked for all money to be well on track to catch, if not to overtake Gordon. Singletons on the last two holes robbed him of the chance to, at least, need a countback, and he had to settle for second place and to cry into his beer and wonder what might have been. JQ started out well enough, but he was not 100% happy with some aspects of his game, at least until the 6th. There, he whacked his third to about 5cm from the hole, missing the eagle by a hair’s breadth, and gratefully accepting the four points for the birdie, just one of our six for the day. Having made the green from the tee on the 7th, he rattled the putt in for another birdie and another four points. His vision of catching the leaders was reinvigorated. The back nine was less kind, and the scattering of singletons on the card makes one wonder what might have been.

The conditions did not seem to suit Ryan and Pres today, as they both faded from their previous week’s form, and had to settle for third place, but still not to be sneezed at from a points point of view. Whitey, on the other hand, turned in an identical score, but he reckons it should have been much better if not for the ‘slow’ greens. Harry improved by a bit, and Steve by quite a bit, to climb into the placings in fourth, while Brendon’s better round got him the last pair of points for the event. Brendon’s iron play from the tee today let him down on several occasions. Particularly on the 18th, where he had signed up for video coverage. His second shot made it to the bottom deck of the green, and his ‘power’ putt up the hill crashed into the pin and dropped into the hole for par. Recovery from adversity was certainly a feature of his play today.

The first BallPin was on the 12th, and Harry was the only one to get his name on the chit. Matt put his name down for the BallPin on the 18th early on, and, although he wasn’t all that close, his was the only name on the chit at the end of the day. The ProPin was set for the 15th, and nobody was able to get within the required 5m of the pin, so there will be a very handsome Jackpot on offer next week, particularly if we can get a similar registration to today.

The barbecue was catered very satisfactorily by SOS, and there were no reports of shortages, despite some expressed concerns about numbers beforehand. It is not clear whether Colin will be joining us on a regular basis, but let’s hope that he will not be put off by being roped into cheffing as a member of the first group off the tee. The tantalising smells of the snags and burgers was certainly inviting as the later groups played out the 18th, and Harry was almost tempted to forego the family lunch that he had in the offing.

Next week, Wazza will be a year older, so the Birthday Birdie says, have a good one mate! Not sure whether Targe had hopes of sticking it to Raj in the fight for the Trophy. But, his cause was not helped as he played the 14th. His tee shot finished on the 16th, and he headed for, and hit, JQ’s ball. Unfortunately, he was beyond hailing range to be saved from the error. A salutary lesson for all. Put a distinctive marking on your ball, and, check before you hit, particularly on a fairway that is not your own. Josh had a bit of a near-miss today when a fore-called stray shot whizzed past his ear. Matt and Wazza ducked on the call, but Josh stood his ground, but, who knows, does ducking help?

Results for Saturday, 26 Jul 2025
1st Gordon Hill (36, 38, 74) 2nd Rajesh Mahto (38, 34, 72) 2nd John Quinlan (34, 38, 72) 3rd Ryan Porker (35, 31, 66) 3rd Robert Priems (34, 32, 66) 3rd Rodney White (33, 33, 66) 4th Harry Boughen (31, 34, 65) 4th Steven Gervasoni (27, 38, 65) 5th Brendon Mitchell (30, 34, 64)

Seniors Results: 1st Gordon Hill (36,38,74) 2nd Robert Priems (34,32,66) 2nd Rodney White (33,33,66) 3rd Harry Boughen (31,34,65) 3rd Steven Gervasoni (27,38,65)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 15th Jackpot BallPin No 1 – 12th Harry Boughen BallPin No 2 – 18th Matt Hunt

Who will it be? Who will it be? Who will have the wisdom? Let it be! (with apologies to Lennon and McCartney). The leader board is pretty crowded, with only ten points (or so) from the leader to the tail-end Charlies. Anything could happen, and probably will. The first group were not too tardy, and they remembered where the nearest the pin markers were to go. The weather was fairly benign to start with, but, as the morning progressed, the wind picked up and took on a particularly gusty and swirling character. At times, the wind could be at your back and the flag could be standing at right angles to your line. Possibly based on individual performances, there were early predictions that playing to your handicap might be a bridge too far.

Raj stepped up to the first, and smashed one, just about out of sight, giving rise to the suggestion that he was targetting the top of the Order of Merit again (not updated yet, slight glitch). Despite the impressive start, the front nine was not particularly kind, with a couple of gashes knocking a hole in the total at the turn. However, he must have revelled in the swirly conditions that developed, as he absolutely demolished the back nine, just two over the card and twenty-three points. The thirty-five off the stick was a PB for the nine. Well done, Raj! Targe also got a good one away from the first tee, giving rise to the suggestion that he might be in for a good one today. And, a good one he did have! The card did include four singletons, so an even better result was not too far out of reach.

The pressure of leading out the field, and having to remember the NTP markers obviously weighed on Gordo’s mind, and he started off fairly slowly. Once he had passed the 4th, and had successfully cleared the first NTP hurdle, he obviously relaxed, and his driver started working well, and continued to do so for the rest of the round. So much so that there was not a score under two for the rest of the round, and third place was his. Pepsi would have been fairly happy with his front nine, despite a couple of bogies, that limited him to just nineteen points for the half. A couple more to start the back would have been a disappointment, but the scoring picked up smartly from there. That is, until the last, where an uncharacteristic double undoubtedly wiped the smile from his face. Porks played a pair of three over the card in his round, with a triple on the 16th really taking the shine off an excellent back nine. SOS suffered a bit of a slump half way through the front, but the back was a completely different story. Other than perhaps the 17th where he ‘went for the green’ despite the wind in play. From just off the green, he chipped across, needing to chip on and two putt for a point saving five. Coulda, shoulda!

In the excitement of sorting the cards, Prez almost got over-looked in the announcements, but he was not to be over-looked, and complained bitterly. Sorry, Prez! JQ’s mood was a bit up and down as the day progressed, and his game and luck oscillated between good and ordinary. As an example, a good drive on the 11th was followed by a good pitch that found a ‘twig’ that dropped the ball virtually at the base of the tree. The follow up pitch found the green and rolled just past the hole, missing by a whisker, leaving just a putt for a par. So, a four point turn-around is all that is required for this leading list of members. And, the rest of the field is not too far behind. Next Saturday could/should be moving day!

There were two balls to play for on the 4th, and Marc put in an early claim for the pair. Unfortunately for Marc, JQ managed to finish closer to the hole, even though he did not really see where the shot had gone. You don’t have to post pictures on Instagram! The pin on the 18th was just at the foot of the slope on the bottom deck, which might have contributed to the close fought contest for the ball on offer here. AndrewV put in the first claim from just over 12m, which means it must have been barely on the green, in whichever direction. CJ was obviously closer, but he was no match for Stan, whose shot to 6m was enough to take our day, but we will have to wait and see if he held on for the inside comp. Stan’s short game was apparently OK, as he was credited with one chip in and one putt in from off the green, as well as his 6m putt here for his birdie, and one of the six that the eighteen of us could score on the day. The ProPin was on the 12th, and getting close enough to the pin was difficult with a fair old cross-wind in play. Harry had a go, but his little fade took him just a bit too far to the right. Craig, however, was right on the money, and caused some oohing and aahing as the ball rolled past the hole to the tune of 4.465m. We won’t say how many putts he took, but he finished with a four for the hole.

On the 11th, Whitey put his drive into the trees on the right, and was about 100m out from the green. The brought out his legendary putter which he used to put the ball onto the green about 2m from the hole, much to the amazement of a couple of our newer members. SteveG was thought to have been abducted by aliens as they played the 6th hole. Last seen as they left the tee, he was nowhere to be seen as the rest of the group gathered on the green preparing to putt. Eventually, he was spotted jumping up and down and waving his arms from the other side of the turkey’s nest dam on the 1st fairway. Needless to say, he did not end up in a scoring situation from that sort of location. Marc’s game oscillated between pretty good to pretty awful, according to his group, leading to the suggestion that he might qualify as Young Unreliable.

Make sure that everybody planning to play next week registers so that we can get the catering right. Doesn’t matter if you didn’t play this week, everybody is welcome, and you could win yourself some cash or a ball, or two. If you don’t register, and you turn up, there might not be a sausage or burger for you. And, we would hate that to happen!

Results for Saturday, 19 Jul 2025
Leaderboard Round 1: 1st Rajesh Mahto (38) 2nd Targe Mifsud (37) 3rd Gordon Hill (36) 4th Andrew Petricola (35) 4th Ryan Porker (35) 4th Stephen O’Sullivan (35) 5th Robert Priems (34) 5th John Quinlan (34)

Seniors Leaderboard: 1st Targe Mifsud (37) 2nd Gordon Hill (36) 3rd Robert Priems (34)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 12th Craig Cameron BallPin No 1 – 4th John Quinlan BallPin No 2 – 18th Stan Blackshaw

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