Category Archives: Club News

Although the event is the Autumn Cup, the weather didn’t feel particularly autumnal.  There were a couple of drops of rain but there was quite a warm northerly(?) blowing that made the inveterate shorts wearers feel quite comfortable and the vest wearers were seen to be stripping them off quite early in the round.

The fact that one(?) green had been scarified and some others partially cored might have had an effect on the scores but nobody really took the course apart although there were a couple of cards that showed a significant contrast between the scores returned for each nine.  The coring of some of the tees has reduced the need for a hammer in the tool-kit more than somewhat.

As for the Stuart Clarke Memorial, there are a number of people not playing the second round for reasons that range from the poor scheduling of the AFL draw to inconsiderate children deciding to get married and any number of things in between.

The scores and tentative groupings for next week are as follows:

Group 1 (Chef Patrol) Rod W (-6), Brendon (-7), Blighty (-7)

Group 2 Bill (-1), Rod G (-2), Mehm (-4), Mike (-6)

Group 3 Noodles (sq), Mo (sq), Damo (-1), Oliver (-1)

Group 4 Ben (+2), Targe (+2), Richard (+1), Pepsi (sq)

Anybody who didn’t play this week will fit in with Group 1 and/or fill another group depending on numbers.

There was one Matchplay match contested today and Dennis managed to hold out SOS for a 3 and 2 victory.  Less than a month now to complete Round 1 so those who haven’t played had better get their running shoes on or withdraw if they can’t/aren’t playing.  There are some reserves who would like their chance.

Good to see Trevor back from his injury though it is still giving him some trouble.  Also a speedy recovery to Craig who has strained his brain (er Achilles) and will be out of circulation for a couple of weeks.

Noodles managed to get one close enough on the 4th to win a ball for the NTP though he didn’t manage the birdie.  He did plod two of the eleven that turned up for the day.  The ProPin was held down by Damo on the 15th with a tad under three metres.

One of the excuses offered for not playing next Saturday came from SOS who will be graduating from the Academy next Friday and it seems that the after party is shaping up to be a bottler (with the emphasis on the bottle).  SOS did invite everybody to come along (for the ceremony, not the afters) except for any hecklers, loud-mouths, yahoos etc – which eliminated just about everybody.  Seriously though, congratulations SOS and we look forward to not seeing you in your uniform any time soon.

Mo managed to leave his ball up a tree and although he played it as it lay he did not emulate the tree-iron shot played on the Pro-circuit recently.  Ben went close to having his ball stay up in the same tree and what is more he had two goes at putting it there.

Bill was spotted on the right side of the 6th fairway and when questioned as to how come, he admitted that it was as a result of a recovery shot from his favoured left side.  Mehm and Bill were playing a Claytons Matchplay and Mehm had gone from a strong position to looking shaky after the 16th.  His attempt to psyche Bill out by offering double or nothing over the last two holes all came to naught with Bill clinching the result with a birdie on the 18th.

There was a case of a club being used for other than its intended purpose when Noodles applied a drop kick and the club came off second best.  There was no report on Noodles condition as a result.  The projection of an iron in the skywards direction after a badly duffed chip had Harry ducking for cover when he realised he had neglected to carry out a JSA before executing the manoeuvre.

Don’t forget that there will be a bar-b-que after next weeks event so bring along your best appetite.

You can definitely tell it is autumn.  There is just that bit of a chill in the air in the morning and the elm trees are starting to drop their leaves on the 9th and 18th greens.  The cricket season is over and the part time golfers are back.  Not least of those today was young Rodney who kept his head down and played more than a few cover drives to score a very creditable 65 net.  His mate Richard was so confident that he was going to take out the medal that he was suggesting that the photo be taken after about four holes.

As it was, it wasn’t a run-away win with Bill falling in just behind with nett 66.  Damo tried to claim that his card had been added up incorrectly and that he shouldn’t lose any handicap but unfortunately correct weight was declared and Damo and Gordon shared third place with 67.  The Mifsud brothers filled the last two point scoring places with Tony being just able to lord it over Targe but not by a very tall margin.

Not sure whether we managed to find the Nearest the Pin marker but Oliver was reported to be the man on the mark to collect two balls.  There was also some confusion over the ProPin after an old result was not crossed off.  The upshot was that Bill was declared the winner and walked away with the cash.  In future, can the tee marshalls or the front group check that the slate is clean before the markers go out.  The birdie count was pretty much normal with 13 between the lot of us with a couple of people scoring consecutive birdies.  Damo has extended his lead on the Championship Table with today’s points so watch out if he can keep up the standard over the next two weeks.

One matchplay result today with Oliver downing Rod G 3 and 2.  Only half of the first round matches have been played so far and only four weeks left to complete.  Better start lining them up fellows.

A big welcome back today to Joe Demir who has finished the job that kept him away for so long.  Joe will be requalifying for his handicap.  Also along, and planning to join us, was T J Demir.  We look forward to seeing both of them over the coming weeks.

Rod W and Richard seem to have had a hard time deciding who was playing with who if the multiple crossings out on the top of Rod’s card was any guide.  Ben and his group were playing skins for $5 per hole and at the end of the round only two people owed $4 each so it must have been a pretty close run thing.  Apparently, Mehm kept using the trees to put his ball back onto the fairway and that gave him an unfair advantage.  Targe also had some concerns with the trees on the 2nd when the ball came straight back and threatened the placement of the ladies tee markers.

Ben also announced that there is a $50 /person deposit required for Murray Downs and it has to be paid by June so as from next week Ben will be walking around with his hand out expecting his palm to be crossed with silver.  He’s not really a gypsy – just looks like one.  In case those going have forgotten, the all up cost is $260 for players, $30 less for non-players.

Also don’t forget that Daylight Saving finishes tonight and you have to put your clock back 1 hour – plus change your smoke alarm batteries.  Although the time seems earlier next week, it is really a bit later than this week.

Results for Saturday, 06 April 2013
1st Rodney White(65) 2nd Bill Eastoe(66) 3rd Gordon Hill(67) 3rd Damien Lee(67) 4th Tony Mifsud(68) 5th Targe Mifsud(69)

What a way to finish out Stuart’s Memorial.  The front runners from Week 1 kept their heads down (well most of them) and finished still out in front.  Damo absolutely blitzed the front nine to finish three under the card and 26 points.  He then suffered a relapse (or did he take his foot off?) on the back with a string of one pointers but managed to do enough to head off Mehm and Pepsi to score the major trophy.  Mehm had his chances to challenge with a couple of holes to go when a putt hit a ball marker and deflected from a certain sinker.  He was offered the option to have the marker moved but declined.

Mike also tore the front nine apart to finish with a very creditable 40 points to catapult himself into third place.  No silverware this time Mike, but a new angle on the handicap front with the downward trend continuing.  The rest of the field protected their handicap with Noodles, Mo, Dennis and Bill receiving the rest of the points.

There was obviously a big move on the table with the sixteen points falling into Damo’s lap and this catapulted him into the lead of the Club Championship.  The big question is, can he do it again in a couple of weeks time for the Autumn Cup?  Mike has the lead in the Seniors but there are a few contenders snapping at his heels so there is no place for complacency.

The Nearest the Pin on the 4th went begging this week and for the first time in a long time the ball hole has jackpotted.  The money for the ProPin was not so lucky and fell into the grasping hands of Mo who managed to get within about a metre and a half of the pin on the 15th.  Despite the inaccuracy of everybody on the 4th, the team managed to put together 13 birdies which seems to be pretty close to normal.  Despite a number of people commenting on the speed of the greens and the number of missed putts, they must have been falling in for some.  Noodles put his hand out for the contents of the Eagle’s Nest from last week’s ‘flukey’ (to use Noodle’s terminology) shot and collected five of the best.

Rodger suffered an attack of first tee nerves and barely managed to get past the Ladies markers.  He continued to struggle on the front nine but managed to pull himself together on the back to show some of his old form.  Perhaps it was the emotion of the day and the sprinkling of Hawaiian shirts that clouded his vision.  There was certainly some emotion in the responses at the announcement of the results.

Apologies too, to Mal F for the typo in last weeks post that showed him with only 17 points – it was actually 27 –  and the error has been fixed.

Next week will be the April Monthly Medal.  The two weeks following that will be the David Ford Autumn Cup event which will be Par competition and more double points and silverware up for grabs.  After that there will be only three more weeks (and that includes another Monthly Medal) before the second round of the Matchplay and there aren’t all that many matches in the first round completed yet.

Results for Saturday, 30 March 2013
1st Damien Lee(37/39/76) 2nd Mehmet Akdag(36/37/73) 2nd Andrew Petricola(37/36/73) 3rd Mike Mann(28/40/68) 4th Stephen Butterfield(33/34/67) 4th Mo Sabih(32/35/67) 4th Dennis Tiernan(31/36/67) 5th Bill Eastoe(31/34/65)

C’mon guys, conditions weren’t that bad.  A bit of a breeze maybe.  But nothing to write home about.  Only four people managed to match or beat their handicap and then only by the barest of margins.

Because of the Easter holiday next weekend numbers reporting for duty next week are a bit down on this week but there are several spots free so if any who didn’t play today plan to come, ring the Club and check in.  You won’t be eligible for the main trophy but there will be a bar-b-que afterwards and you will be eligible for that.  It is also loud (hawaiian) shirt day in memory of Stuart so if you don’t have one get down to your nearest Savers – they usually have a fine selection.

The draw (and score) of those playing next week in the main event are as follows:

Group 1: Craig (27), Mal F (27) and Ben (19) – Chef Patrol

Group 2: Targe (29), Rod G (29) and Mike (28)

Group 3: Bill (31), Rod W (31) and Dennis (31)

Group 4: Noodles (33), Rodger (32), Mo (32) and Harry (32)

Group 5: Damo (37), Pepsi(37), Mal A (37) and Mehm (36)

The Nearest the Pin on the 12th scored a ball for Mike to put a little light in his day.  Jan put his pretty darn close on the 18th to pick up the ProPin.  Someone unkindly said it was the only shot he made all day.  He certainly didn’t get the putt and we managed to get 8 birdies.  However, the shot of the day has to go to Noodles.  He decided to ‘go for the green’ on the 17th and managed to put it on the front of the 18th tee.  He then played a ‘blind’ shot over the trees/shrubs/fence, landed it on the green and two bounces into the hole.  The poor old eagle is crying her eyes out having to empty the nest for a shot that the player didn’t even see go in.  Lucky Oliver saw it or we might not have believed it.

Mehm reckons that there might not be anybody turn up next week as he is going to shout everybody a trip to Pebble Beach if the entry that he arranged in tonight’s Lotto Draw  comes in.  Though he does point out that 19 into $25M is only enough to get you into trouble rather than out of it.

Group 5 could be interesting next week with Damo threatening to break Mal A’s driving iron if he keeps hitting it up the middle.  Noodles doesn’t want to play with Harry (or Ken Grist) for similar reasons.  Pepsi could have had the lead to himself if it hadn’t been for three putts on the 12th and a ball in the hazard on the 13th – and he still managed 2 over par.  Targe was spotted disappearing into the long grass on the south side of the 17th – and it wasn’t really all that long!

If you’re not coming next week-end, have an enjoyable Easter and don’t eat too many Hot Cross Buns.  The week after will be the April Monthly Medal and that will be followed by another two week event for the Autumn Cup.