Category Archives: Club News

You know what they say about Melbourne weather – if you don’t like it, just hang around for five minutes.  Just as we were teeing off from the first, it started to rain and by the time we got to the 3rd there were more than a few thoughts running through what passes for a brain as to whether we really wanted to be there.  Then, it eased off, and eased off and in the end the sun was shining and the greens were ‘dry’ and all was good with the world.  Whether it was the weather forecasts or just the time of the month/year, but there were not many bodies on the ground and if it was not for Keith Delzoppo starting his come-back we wouldn’t have made double figures.  Chrispy was not pleased about the low turn up as he only took on the job for the challenge that it entails and when he doesn’t even have to take his socks off to keep track of the numbers he wonders whether it is all worth it.

One sign of a true champion is that he doesn’t give up and Oliver showed no signs of doing that in the penultimate round of the year, racking up three birdies and two gashes to lead the field home with 38 points.  Given that there were only seven birdies all up for the day, that is a fair percentage.  So, not only did he win but he increased his lead in the championship table to be even more unassailable than before.

Not far behind, with 37 points, were Bill and Harry who both left scoring opportunities begging although Bill was apparently chipping in and sinking putts from all over the place.  Despite the small numbers playing, not everybody was able to be in on the podium positions and the next three were filled by singletons.  Mostyn played to his handicap, Targe was one over and Mehmet was three over. The rest of the field were you know where.

 The Nearest the Pin, was set by Craig on the 7th because that was the green that he put the ball onto and nobody else did so he won the ball.  The double Jackpot ProPin on the 15th went off today when Eddie managed to skull one onto the dance-floor close enough to get on the card.  Pity, a triple jackpot might have been enough to bring a few more out of the wood-work next week.

The big disappointment for the day was the fact that the inside Championship round was abandoned by the management due to the condition of the greens (water – not damage, that’s OK).  People who were having good rounds despite the conditions were a little miffed at either having to try again next week or (for one of the front runners – not one of us) not being able to play next week at all.

Keith claims not to have played since he left a few years back but the driver still seems to be working well and particularly when the greens were under water, he was sinking putts from just about anywhere.  Mehmet reckons the first group should have been counted as a five, though the word slander springs to mind if the reason was to be published.  There was a bit of a private competition on between Chrispy and Craig but as Craig had to get away early to go to a party, he persuaded Mehm to text him a pic of Chrispy’s scorecard.  Cruelled Chrispy’s plan to exaggerate his score when he caught up with Craig.

Next week is the last round for the competition year (ultimate, for those of you who like long words) and this is the occasion for the calcutta on the Vin O’Meara that will be played the following two weeks.  So that the auction can be fairly done and to minimise the book-keeping, we really need to have an idea that you will be playing so if you could advise Gordon or Harry at the earliest opportunity if you will definitely be playing or not.  We would prefer not to have maybes – either a yes or no.  There will also be a BarBQ to ease to pain of forking out your hard-earned as you bid up big for the fancied runners.  Oliver has offered to speak with his favourite butcher so the snags should be top quality.

Also don’t forget that next week and the two rounds of the Vin O’Meara will make up the inaugural (first, for those that like short words) Club Stroke Play Championship.  The placings will be determined by the aggregate nett score for the three rounds from your starting handicap.  So mark it on your calendar and make up a decent field for what should be an interesting event.

Results for Saturday, 23 November 2013
1st Oliver Gross(38) 2nd Harry Boughen(37) 2nd Bill Eastoe(37) 3rd Mostyn Gregg(36) 4th Targe Mifsud(35) 5th Mehmet Akdag(33)

After the weather of the last week, today’s offering could only be described as magnificent.  The course was free of casual water and, other than a couple of (long term) exceptions, the greens were in good nick.  There were a few complaints about the fact that the tees were too far forward (something to do with the inside Club Championship) and the rough was a bit that way in a few places and balls could be a bit hard to find.

All in all, there was no real excuse for not making a score and the person who managed to really make one was Mostyn who carded a +5 and who looks like starting to play to his potential – or has he just been waiting for the moment.  Regardless, he has been dealt with by the handicapper.

Pepsi managed to score himself a leave pass (or was that  – was able to tear himself away) from young Alexander Mario for long enough to show that his ball striking skills haven’t been affected by fatherhood to put together 69 off the stick for +4.  Pepsi was reported to be ‘shanking’ the ball on a number of occasions so there must have been some magnificent recovery shots played if that was the case.  He also had held out hopes that he might at last win an event this year but had to be satisfied as bridesmaid once again.

Then followed a trio on +3, Achilles, Chrispy and Mehm.  Chrispy has acquired a new putting grip and swears that it is impossible to miss.  He certainly put away some pretty impressive putts during the round.  So much so that he said he felt like Adam Scott even though he didn’t look like him.  Sharpie reckons he looked more like he had eaten him.

Tony and Mo filled the fourth spot on +2 and collected the first of the Seniors points for their effort.  Harry put together a good back nine after a fairly ordinary front to take fifth on +1.

The NTP for a ball was on the 7th and there were a couple of contenders but Craig was the one with his name left on the card at the end of the day.  The ProPin was on the 15th and, quite amazingly, nobody managed to get close enough to inscribe their John Henry on the card so there will be a double jackpot up for grabs next week.  That should bring some of the hungry ones out of the woodwork.  The lack of success in hitting the greens when it counted, didn’t much affect the flow of birdies with twelve being plodded, including three by Pepsi.

It was also a bit of a sad day today as we had to bid farewell to those two loveable yanks, Mo and Mike.  President Gordon made an appropriate valedictory speech and presented them with a small memento to remind them of their stay in Oz and of their Ozzie golfing mates.  Come back and visit sometime, guys.  And no, Chris, you can’t claim Mo’s Championship points!

Also a get well wish to Bob, who is up for some fairly serious surgery and won’t be joining us for a month or two.  Trevor has also been laid up with his back but managed to come along this morning to farewell Mo and Mike.  Hope it comes good soon, Trev.

Mirthful MalA was in form today cracking a few punnies after the game.  He might yet take up Brendon’s request for him to do stand-up for the break-up.  Eddie tried for the green on the 17th and everybody judged it a sure thing but in the end the ball was not to be found.  Just proves you shouldn’t count your pigeons before they’re hatched.

The end of the year is fast approaching and the committee has the break-up function organisation under way.  The perpetual trophies have to be updated, so if you have one in your possession, can you please get it back to Gordon or Ben by next Saturday at the latest.

It seems the most favoured shirt colour might be the blue though there was a late vote for a very fetching pink that Brendon was wearing.  Get your sizes in so the order can be placed.

Results for Saturday, 16 November 2013
1st Mostyn Gregg(+5) 2nd Andrew Petricola(+4) 3rd Brendon Mitchell(+3) 3rd Chris Priems(+3) 4th Mehmet Akdag(+2) 4th Tony Mifsud(+2) 4th Mo Sabih(+2) 5th Harry Boughen(+1)

This is a bit late but better late than never. There were some turn arounds (or should that be turns around?) after the first round but not necessarily in the right direction to take out the top trophy.  In the end it was consistency for Eddie who took the top spot with a couple of squares (not referring to conservative types in the Club) to square the card and top the podium.

Chrispy advanced himself by a fair margin, turning a -4 into a +1 for an overall -3 to take out second place.  However the prize for the turn around of the match went to Mo who leaped from a -7 to a +3 to wrangle a share of third with Bob (-3 and -1) and Oliver (square and -4).

Malteser Tony scared up a -6 and +1 while Jan managed a square and a -6 to take the last two podium positions.

No other details to hand so that’s your lot.

First, there is a need for a bit of news about the Annual Challenge Weekend.  By all accounts a good time was had by all.  As far as the golf went, the best time was had by David and Mo who both managed to gather 60 points for the two rounds.  David was the one to shoulder into the Taupe (?) Jacket after a countback.  It is rumoured that the hallowed cloth is getting a bit the worse for wear and a search is on for a suitable replacement though there are some concerns that a Hugo Boss of a similar standard might come in at a bit more than $10 these days.  Damo and Mehm shared the third placing with 58 points apiece.  Either the course was somewhat tougher than Ivanhoe or the liberal application of beverages took its toll.

Chrispy was so desperate to score a point that he stripped off (only the shoes and socks) and waded in to play the second ball that found the water on this hole and did manage to score a point in the end.  Well done the photographer for a fine action shot that captured Chrispy’s exemplary style as well as the flight of the ball.  It is also reported than Jan was a bit whiffy on Sunday though not from anything he ate or drank the night before – just kept missing the ball.

At one stage Craig was having a little snooze and some of his so-called friends decided to adorn his visage with a little ‘art-work’.  Even though it was done with a permanent marker, the said adornment disappeared without a trace.  Perhaps there was alcohol exuding from his pores and dissolved it right away.

Now down to the nitty gritty of today’s event.  The weather was not too promising with forecasts of showers and wind and to some degree both eventuated but not enough to dampen the enthusiasm of the twenty or so who braved the early morning cold to vie for the next to last (penultimate for those who like bigger words) Monthly Medal for the year.  There were a few who fancied their chances but none so optimistic as Gordon who calculates that he has a chance of catching Oliver in the Championship Table.  One down, four more to go.  Only trouble is there are only three live rounds left.  Oh well, Gordon’s nett 64 was just enough to disappoint Tony and Mehm who would have had to fight it out in a countback from their second place sharing 65 nett.

Brendon is back and his restructured Achilles seems to be standing him in good stead particularly at one stage of the round where he completed six holes averaging over three points per hole.  Apparently, most of the three birdies that he scored owed more to the other thing rather than class, like skinnied shots hitting the pin and dropping inches from the hole and so forth.  Still three out of the eight birdies scored for the day isn’t to be sneezed at by anyone, no matter how jealous your playing partners are.  Chris managed to keep his feet dry today and teamed up with Mike to fill the next spot with 68 while Harry and Bill rounded out the podium positions with 69.

The Nearest the Pin on the 4th for a ball was washed out by the rain – well the writing on the board was at least – but apparently Gordon was the one who had been there and was awarded a ball as a result.  The ProPin on the 18th was not contended by anyone though some, with a decent kick (bounce), could have had a chance.

There were a couple of visitors in the field today.  Bob Nichols joined us as his regular group were not playing and he might consider joining with us in due course.  Mark Gouldsman also played and shows quite a bit of talent, though he did have a few problems with some of the rough.  Unfortunately, Mark did not join us after the round but he did express an interest in joining us on a regular basis.

Eddies cart managed to finish the round this week although it was blowing a bit of smoke and back-firing from time to time.  Might have to report it to the EPA if it keeps that up – particularly the latter when people are trying to concentrate.  One of Targe’s putts was deemed to be so long that the hole was below the horizon – for him at least.  After the round there appeared to be a card (or two) missing according to the count on Chrispy’s tee sheet until a check showed that, indeed, AndrewB’s was missing, but also that AndrewB was on the tee sheet twice.  No wonder the money didn’t balance.

Brendon put on display, the potential Club shirt colours – green, blue and violet.  The committee would like feed-back on the preferred colour by next week and peoples shirt size by the week after so that an order can be placed to get them before the break-up on 21 December.  Speaking of which, organisation is under way for a slap up Christmas Lunch after the round.  There will also be the AGM and Trophy presentations.

Also, don’t forget that the December Monthly Medal and the two rounds of the Vin O’Meara have been designated as the new Club Stroke Play Championship.  This will be the 2013 Event and will not attract Championship points other than those for the underlying Calendar Events.

Results for Saturday, 09 November 2013
1st Gordon Hill(64) 2nd Mehmet Akdag(65) 2nd Tony Mifsud(65) 3rd Brendon Mitchell(66) 4th Mike Mann(68) 4th Chris Priems(68) 5th Harry Boughen(69) 5th Bill Eastoe(69)