(This weeks blog brought to you by the assistant assistant handicapper and for the first time utilising ai!) .
A Thrilling Day at Ivanhoe Golf Club: The Saturday Report
What a day at Ivanhoe Golf Club⛳ The day was well-attended with 17 players and two guests. We were happy to welcome Steve’s son, Sam, who is visiting from overseas, and Marc’s good friend, Neil. SOS played with a random guy on Thursday with a South African accent who he thought was a nice chap, turns out it was Sam, but for some reason the connection to Steve didn’t come to light. Despite the threatening clouds, which thankfully held off, the course was in great condition, even with the tricky greens. The left over divots from previous weeks play made for some interesting ball rolls, but it didn’t stop a few players from putting on a clinic.
The Main Event: Marc Phillips’ Masterclass
In what was a matchplay final preview, Marc was paired with porks for their round. After slotting birdies in 2 of the first 3 holes, porks suggested that they should just play the matchplay on the day, which Marc politely declined! Turns out Marc’s fortunes promptly turned around with a dominant performance with an incredible 44 points and a PB score. Marc’s round was highlighted by a moment of brilliance on the 8th hole, where he chipped in from the greenside rough for a spectacular birdie and 5 points. This put him well on his way to securing a commanding victory for the days play. Marc’s friend Neil was no slouch and although he isn’t playing much, he did have the opportunity at a gettable birdie putt on the 2nd which is no mean feat.
The competition for the remaining spots was fierce. Nalin came in a respectable second with 39 points, while Ken continued his excellent form to finish third with 38 points. The logjam for fourth was shared by Ryan , Rob, and Andrew V, all with 36 points, and Peps rounded out the top finishers with 35 points.
With Harry away overseas and Michael away doing something else, porks was threatening to cut Marc’s handicap on potential. Turns out he lost 5 shots anyway so this will make things a bit more interesting for their upcoming match.
Seniors’ Spotlight
The seniors’ division saw Ken take the top spot with his impressive 38 points. Robert and Andrew shared second place, both with 36 points, and Matt finished third with 34 points.
Moments of Magic and Misfortune
The course provided plenty of drama. SOS had a wild ride on the 12th, scudding his tee shot only for it to crash into the flag and settle a mere two meters from the hole. Speaking of the 12th, Ken overshot the green but sank an incredible long, winding downhill putt for his par. He also had a chip-in on the 10th hole.
Porks had his own unique adventures on the cart path, first on the 9th hole where his landed on the path and ended up pin-high next to the green, and again on the 13th where his approach shot bounced off the path onto the green, unfortunately taking a chunk out of his ball. He forgot about the chunk missing and played the next couple of holes with the same ball!
Finally, in a curious sartorial choice, Wazza was spotted on the course sporting a brand new pair of Kookaburra-branded cricket shoes. We can only assume the grip was perfect for those tricky greens!
There were also whispers of a “drafty” by Bobby on the 4th hole—a rumour that was investigated further in the clubhouse afterwards.
Nearest the Pin Results
The ProPin on the 15th proved too difficult for everyone, so the jackpot rolls over. However, we did have a winner on the 4th hole, as Nalin Samaranayake took home the jackpot on BallPin No. 1. Marc Phillips capped off his sensational day by winning BallPin No. 2 on the 18th hole.
What a day! Congratulations to all the winners, and we look forward to another great round of golf next week.
Results for Saturday, 23 Aug 2025
1st Marc Phillips (44) 2nd Nalin Samaranayake (39) 3rd Ken Watson (38) 4th Ryan Porker (36) 4th Robert Priems (36) 4th Andrew Vogan (36) 5th Andrew Petricola (35)
Seniors Results: 1st Ken Watson (38) 2nd Robert Priems (36) 2nd Andrew Vogan (36) 3rd Matt Hunt (34)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 15th Jackpot BallPin No 1 – 4th Nalin Samaranayake BallPin No 2 – 18th Marc Phillips