What a day!  It was dark, it was cold and there were lines of showers streaming in from the south-west.  How many would show was the big question amongst the early risers?  Maybe there would be some easy points provided that we got our six for a quorum.  As it turned out, everybody who said they would be here last week turned up and, although he was having some doubts about whether to start or not, Trevor was here as well.  Trevor was out having some practice when he rushed in with the news that it was raining again which sent shivers down the spine both actually as well as metaphorically.  Lo and behold, when the first group repaired to the tee, there was nary a cloud to be seen though the wind was blowing and it was bitingly cold.  By the looks of it, the Pro-shop has been doing a roaring trade in winter gloves.  One member was moved to comment that it was a bit like playing in a cross between a washing machine and a tumble dryer though I think that a tumble dryer might have been a bit warmer than it was today.

So, the question now was, would Whitey be able to hang onto his lead or was there anybody in the pack who could run him down and, if so, how far would they have to run to do it.  As it turned out, it looks as if Fred is up there somewhere looking out for his kith and kin (or maybe he is just lurking somewhere around the 17th tee).  So, cold and wind and an unfortunate mishap on the way home from hospital during the week seems to have inspired Chrispy to put his new weaponry to the ultimate test and he came home with a very impressive 41 stableford points from a 72 off the stick for a grand total of 76 points for the event.  A fine round in anybody’s terms.  So, for the second year in a row, the name Priems will be going on the Fred Howe.  Unfortunately for Rob, he wasn’t able to summon up the scores necessary to make it back to back.

It would have to be said that Whitey made a fair fist of it overall but missed out on a share of the top spot by three shots.  Unfortunately, it seems to have taken him about 11 holes to really warm to the task and he was really blitzing it down the home straight with the whip fairly flailing but by that time the horse had bolted and Rod had to settle for second place with a still pretty respectable 73 points for the event.  Things were obviously a bit tense on the 14th after a ‘chunked’ chip led to what might be termed tree abuse but a second chip and a putt still handed him a par so obviously things were going all right.

Bill also seems to have taken a few holes to warm up and he wasn’t able to capitalise as much as he would have liked on the holes that he had strokes on and in the end a couple of gashes and a handful of singletons cost him dearly in the race to the line.  A nice round 70 points for the event was enough to garner third place in the field.  Matt was another one that was right up there with a good chance to take it all but things didn’t quite go to plan and Matt could only manage 30 points today but that was enough to get the points for 4th place, a position that he had to share with his partner in crime (fighting), SOS.  SOS was being spooked by shadows today which was something that wasn’t really expected early on.  While players and gear can be moved, the shade cast by trees is just a bit more problematic.

And, finally, there was Bob.  Nothing spectacular, but consistent across the two weeks and that was enough to slot him into 5th place and keep the points ticking over in both the main Championship and in the Seniors.  Whilst he is well up there in the main event, the new leader, Chrispy, has a fair margin over the main part of the field and a bit of a buffer ahead of Brendon who is desperately trying to think of ways to farm out the children over the next month or so when baby-sitting duties seem to have priority.

The ProPin today was on the 12th and quite a few people made it to the green but who were not able to get their name on the card until Rob managed to get it to 2.79m.  Harry would have liked to make the competition the nearest pitch mark to the pin as his would have been hard to beat.  Unfortunately the run went beyond the qualifying distance.  Rob did manage to make the birdie and that was one of 11 that were carded today.  As a result, there were only a few movements on the Eclectic Table other than those due to handicap changes but Bill, JohnQ, Paul and Whitey were on the list of improvers.

The BallPin was supposed to be on the 15th.  The markers had been given to Trev as a man with a trustworthy look about him.  Obviously, nobody in the group made it onto the green there and so the marker was ‘forgotten’ and had to be ensconced on the 18th as a last resort.  In the end, the ball went to CraigC who still needed a couple of putts to get it into the hole.  Perhaps this is part of his campaign to get his handicap let out since he was heard dropping hints about the handicapper taking pity on him after the round.  Afraid there’s no more to be had, Craig.

Chris and Rob were playing together (again) and Rob lined up on the 14th and landed his drive amongst the next group gathered on the 15th tee.  Pin high again but just a smidgen off line after last week’s effort.  Chris, who is noted for his ‘power fade’ managed to hook his severely to who knows where but obviously well out of bounds.  Chris played his provisional and then as they walked down the track, what should be lying at the bottom of the hill but Chris’ distinctive pink ball.  Whether it hit a house or a tree is unclear but Chris reckons that he should have known better than to doubt that when he and trees are involved, something good usually results.

On the 13th, Blighty was on the slope at the back of the green for two.  The lad was on fire, having come in with a very impressive 39 points on the day.  His chip down to the green, not easy off the slope, managed to hit the GUR marker dead centre and the ball dropped dead in the sand.  Still, it could have been worse, it might have missed and run off the other side of the green given the location and that green.

Brendon was out and about with the kids for some sauce art at the bar-be-cue and a bit of putting with the brand new kids set of clubs.  Brendon seemed to be making a reasonable fist of putting with a half metre long putter.  Maybe we’ll see him out on the course with it in the near future.  Not sure what it is with the Club membership at the moment but the vast majority seem to be in the process of moving house, if not for themselves, at least for somebody else.  Blighty and JohnQ were the ones dashing off today for a session of lifting and lugging.

The Birthday Birdie is going to be exhausted this week as he will have to wing his way all the way to Yankee-land if he is going to wish Oliver well for his up-coming special day.

Results for Saturday, 23 July 2016
1st Chris Priems(35, 41, 76) 2nd Rodney White(39, 34, 73) 3rd Bill Eastoe(38, 32, 70) 4th Stephen O’Sullivan(35, 33, 68) 4th Matt Hunt(38, 30, 68) 5th Bob McDonald(34, 32, 66)

Seniors Results: 1st Bill Eastoe (32,38,70) 2nd Bob McDonald (32,34,66) 3rd Andrew Blight (39,25,64)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin 12th Robert Priems BallPin 18th Craig Cameron

The ground staff have obviously been out and about.  A nice new path from the 1st green to the 2nd tee and the new ‘tiger’ tee and water feature is coming along nicely.  The 1st green is likely to be a much more hazardous spot when that comes into play.  Still, it will give a whole new aspect to a hole that rates almost equally as the hardest on the course though there is a rumour that it will also become a par 5 which will compensate a little for the change in aspect and length.  They also shouted themselves a new truckload of sand and spread a layer on the greens which gave a myriad of excuses for missed putts.  The sand made it faster, the sand made it slower, the sand got between the club and the ball, the sand deflected the ball, the sand was wet, the sand dried out.  You name it, the sand caused it, but it never once helped.  Funny that!  But, either it did help or the conditions were not as bad as some would like to believe.  The twenty-one players who made it to the course managed to tally up 17 birdies for the day and more than one of those were only millimetres away from being eagles (or holes-in-one), but more of that later.

In recent times, Whitey has been bemoaning his lack of form but maybe it has just taken a while to shake off the effects of a summer filled with applying the willow to the cherry.  Whatever the reason, he has picked a good event to strike some of the form needed to take out a major.  The scorecard suggests that the further he went, the better he played so if that carries over to next week the rest of the field might not see his heels for dust.

But he doesn’t have the field to himself just yet as there are a couple of likely lads breathing right down his neck and there promises to be some tensions in the leaders group as they strive to wrest the trophy from his grasp.  Matt was unlucky not to be the one to hold the lead after a bit of a brain fade on the 16th that put a big fat zilch on his card from a spot that could easily have netted a doubleton and the lead.  Right next to him is the Beast who also had a very steady round but managed to splotch out on the 12th, the ‘easiest’ hole on the course so another potential leader gone begging.  The big question that is on everybody’s lips is whether Mehmet’s non-winning streak is about to end.  The lad who missed out on the recent coup attempt by putting off his military service could also have grasped the lead if not for the 12th hole where a score could not be recorded.

There’s obviously something very comforting about coming in with a score of 35 points.  Maybe it is because you know that any future handicap pain will be slightly compensated by a bit of a let out on the first round score.  And so it was that Michael, Ryan, Chrispy, Rob and SOS proved to be indivisible at the half way point with a not impossible task of being able to snatch victory from the leader’s grasp.

Bob might have been the last to front up to the registration desk and throw the groupings into chaos but the chipping practice that he was so intent on that he lost track of time must have paid off and he was able to come in at 4th place on his own.  Then there is a bit of a gap to a group of players that will need to work reasonably hard if they want to hoist the silverware next week.  Harry, Noodles and Dennis will have to keep their heads fairly well down to bridge the eight point gap, unless of course they can manage to pull off a Bradbury.  If Dennis can keep up the improvement between his first ten holes (10 points) and his last eight (21 points) then he could very well be the man to do the job.

While on the subject of Dennis, he did manage a draughtie on the 4th and it must have been close to being an airie as the ball reportedly only moved millimetres off the tee.  However the next shot finished less than a metre and a half from the pin but the putt didn’t fall and he missed the unlikeliest of pars, by the barest of margins.  Perhaps it was a hint of the forthcoming change in his fortunes but his second shot on the 8th was heading for the billabong without a doubt when it struck the 100m distance marker dead centre and finished nicely in the middle of the fairway.  The resulting five was one of the few highlights of the first ten holes for Dennis.  Ryan managed a draughtie on the 14th and his second shot was deemed to be brilliant by the group in front however they didn’t realise that it was his second not his first shot.

Rob must have had his driver working well late in the round.  On the 14th, he hit the pin on the second bounce and the ball finished with a good chance at robbing the Eagles Nest which is now pushing on towards double figures again.  Unfortunately, the putt did not drop for him and he had to be satisfied with just the birdie.  If the putt had fallen, not only would he have collected the Nest but he would also have wrenched the lead in the Eclectic table from Brendon.  There were a few moves on that card today including the move onto the card by Paul who played his first competition round with us today.  And, just so you know, the Eclectic Table has been updated after this round so you don’t have to worry all week about whether any changes will show up.  Though it was a bit off line and finished on the teaching range, Rob’s drive on the 16th was also a cracker and shots like that very much suggest that his handicap does not truly reflect his potential.  Still, as the old saying goes – you drive for show and you putt for dough.

Gordo started out well but, by his own admission, he should have been reaching for the Butter Menthols after the 8th when the wheels fell of and he started blowing black smoke as well to gather only 11 points over the next 10 holes.  Harry managed a bit of a draw on the 17th that left him in amongst the shrubbery down by the fence with no sensible relief from the preferred lie rule in force and with no backswing to speak of.  The club pushed up such a heap of leaf litter that Harry was quite convinced that he had merely succeeded in burying the ball rather than extricating it.  The calls of congratulations from the playing partners eventually awoke him to the fact that the ball was actually out on the fairway in quite a good position to attack the green.

SOS managed to score a birdie on the 4th and that was after his ball hit the pin on the hop and went close to falling in for the big Hole in One.  Pepsi was playing in the same group and his ball also finished within gimme distance of the hole and he too scored his birdie.  JohnQ, also in the same group, hit a shot from the tee that barely missed by running across the edge of the hole.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t John’s first shot from the tee but it was indeed remarkable that three people should go so close getting it in off the tee in the one playing group.  And there was no other loot to be had for their efforts.  The BallPin was on the 15th and the marker had stayed in place from the first group to the last when Mehmet the Beast Killer was able to put his name ahead of Bill’s.  The same name appeared on the ProPin at the 18th when Mehm managed to put his tee shot to 27cm to collect the money and a birdie to boot.

A couple of weeks back, Damo was walking up the 9th munching on a sausage roll (or something similar) when a magpie flew at hims and snatched at the food, hitting Damo in the face and knocking the food to the ground where it went under the wheel of his buggy.  Gordo swears that it was the same magpie but this time it was on the 10th and the food in question was a potato cake but the result was remarkably similar with a hit to the face and the food lost.  So, for all you food munchers out there, keep your eyes open (or maybe closed would be safer) particularly, it seems in the vicinity of the club-house where the birds have obviously learned that the pickings are more likely and easy.

Chrispy must be taking an interest in art and particularly the French Impressionists.  On a number of occasions, before, during and after the round, members were onto him about his predilection for that particular favourite of his, Degas.

Registrations for Numurkah have been a bit slow coming in with lots of people hemming and hawing about whether they can make it or not.  Make up your mind guys and let Gordon and SOS know.

Everybody should feel free to come along next week even if you didn’t play this week.  But if you do decide to come, please let us know so that we can adjust the catering if required.  There will be the usual bar-be-que and I am sure that Rob will bring along the trophy so that we can have a presentation after the final scores have been totted up.  Maybe he will be able to make it back-to-back!

Results for Saturday, 16 July 2016
Leaderboard Round 1: 1st Rodney White(39) 2nd Bill Eastoe(38) 2nd Matt Hunt(38) 2nd Mehmet Akdag(38) 3rd Michael Gourlay(35) 3rd Ryan Porker(35) 3rd Chris Priems(35) 3rd Robert Priems(35) 3rd Stephen O’Sullivan(35) 4th Bob McDonald(34) 5th Harry Boughen(31) 5th Stephen Butterfield(31) 5th Dennis Ward(31)

Seniors Leaderboard: 1st Bill Eastoe (38) 2nd Bob McDonald (34) 3rd Dennis Ward (31) 3rd Harry Boughen (31)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin 18th Mehmet Akdag BallPin 15th Mehmet Akdag

 

It would have been pretty foggy down on the river flats of Ivanhoe if the view from an Eltham bedroom window was any guide.  Still, it seems that the field did get away and a fine lot of fellows it was.  The numbers wouldn’t have been quite so large if it hadn’t been for some ex-members who were in town and decided to chance their arm at Ivanhoe for old times sake.  The names were, and I hope these are correct, Jason Gratton, Derek McDonald and Darren Kernow and some of our longer term members should know them.  They also saw fit to bring along a couple of extras and so we had a field of some twenty players of which 13 were fully fledged members and Paul Jones was along to get in his third card and so he too now qualifies for competition with a very handy handicap of 28.  If past history is any guide then we should be hearing more of Paul in the very near future.  Reports have it that he is in negotiations for some new artillery so it does sound as if he means business.  Welcome to the Club, Paul.

Now, it has been a little while since we have seen Noodles smiling face on the top podium and this is his first for this year.  Maybe he is a bit of a mud-runner although the reports on the course condition suggest that it wasn’t too bad considering the amount and continuity of the rain events that have been passing through.  Maybe some of the drainage works are actually having an effect though the carts are causing more than a little damage to the fairways in some of the wetter spots.  So, a pretty fair result of 39 points for Noodles and from a quick look at the card it could easily have been a few better.

Brendon has obviously gotten a bit skittish with the prospect of Chrispy breathing down his neck in the Championship and he is keen to keep up the point scoring without doing too much damage to his handicap.  And so it was today that he managed to come in second, thereby avoiding a winners penalty, and played to his handicap thereby avoiding any change to his handicap.  In the process he managed to get a birdie on a hole that wasn’t on his eclectic card and he now has the outright lead in that event (again).  There is only one hole on his card without a birdie against it and so improving further is going to be tough with eagles the best chance from now on.  While on the subject of birdies there were a total of 11 for the members today and for some reason, one of the popular holes for that accolade was the first.  The hazards of even getting a par on the first have been mentioned before so maybe the birdies had their effect on scoring as well.

Ryan’s life has been in a bit of chaos just recently with a move of household interfering with all sorts of activities.  Stuff lost in boxes, internet connections not made and so forth.  However, it doesn’t seem to have affected his golf too much as he was able to sneak into third place with a score of 35 points and from the number of singletons on the card, he too could have improved on that without too much difficulty.  It seems that he went very close to having a windie on the 11th but the ball did actually move and so it can only really count as a draughtie.  Perhaps he is just saving himself for the next two weeks.

Targe and Rob managed to come in in 4th place with a total of 34 points which wasn’t a bad feat given that Rob also managed to pull off a draughtie during the round.  Targe was rather pleased that a gentlemen’s agreement allowed to shouts to cancel out otherwise he might have been unable to drive himself home.   And, bringing up the rear in 5th spot was Mehmet and Michael who was one of the ones that birdied the first.  Whether he feels inclined to use that as an excuse or not, he wasn’t that happy with the way that he played after last week’s performance.

The BallPin this week was on the 18th and Brendon, as usual, used his little measuring device to get the distance millimetre perfect (without the slope of course) but his shot was just a little off and he could only get it within a ‘foot’ or so (still hasn’t completely converted to metric it seems) but that was enough to collect the ball and to break Rob’s heart.  Brendon and Rob were deeply engrossed in their semi-final matchplay round and the match had been nip and tuck for the whole round with the largest margin 2 points very early in the round and each had their turn at being up and down.  So it was all square after the 17th and with a stroke on the 18th Rob must have been a good chance to at least square the match and take it to a chip off.  Needless to say, Brendon got the birdie and Rob needed the par to come home even.  Unfortunately, the putt refused to drop and the match went to Brendon 1 up.

Brendon’s laser was obviously on the spot today as he also managed to put it close on the ProPin hole 15th to collect the loot for today and to reclaim the dosh from that old reprobate Jack Potts from last week’s non-event.  It seems that baby-sitting duties will keep Brendon off the course for the next couple of weeks which will be a good opportunity to catch up some points with the Winter Cup occupying the attention of members over the next two weeks.

‘Tis the season to be movin’.  Gordon got the keys to his new house and had to give the golf a miss to help with the relocating.  He’d have been happy to leave it to his wife and a man in a van but the problem was that he had to be the man in a van.

The birthday birdie has a wish for one of our (very) occasional members who has now moved pretty much permanently out of town, so if Graham is listening, don’t celebrate too hard mate.

Brendon (is there anyone else in the Club?) has signed up for DryJuly which is a very worthy fund-raising effort.  Probably explains why he didn’t enforce the draughtie shouts today but he wonders whether anybody would like to offer their support in a financial way.  You can do so by following this link Support Brendon and he will be eternally grateful particularly if he doesn’t go troppo after a month on the dry.  But watch out when he gets back on it.

Simon will be away with a road show for a couple of weeks but Targe has a supply of the Club shirts and has the list for cap orders.  So, if you want to look as good as Brendon bring along your cash and put in your orders and maybe you too can get to the Matchplay Finals.

Results for Saturday, 09 July 2016
1st Stephen Butterfield(39) 2nd Brendon Mitchell(36) 3rd Ryan Porker(35) 4th Targe Mifsud(34) 4th Robert Priems(34) 5th Mehmet Akdag(33) 5th Michael Gourlay(33)

Seniors Results: 1st Targe Mifsud (34) 2nd Bill Eastoe (31) 2nd Simon Powell (31) 3rd Bob McDonald (29)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin 15th Brendon Mitchell BallPin 18th Brendon Mitchell

There were obviously a few clouds around but the sun was clearly bright enough to warrant the use of sun-glasses and one member was moved to describe the conditions as gorgeous.  So, that is probably why 19 people (18 members and a probationer) were able to get themselves out and about to compete for the July Monthly Medal.  Well, it could have been a competition if it hadn’t been for a couple of spoilsports who did their level best to make it a no contest.

Now, we have heard a lot about frozen shoulders and the impact that this condition can have on your golf game.  One reported effect is to force you to slow down and to take a shorter backswing.  If that is the secret of Michael’s recent form, then maybe there are a couple of other members who could take a salutary lesson from his recent success.  Another round equalling the par rating of the course for a nett score of 65 was enough to get the Medal for Michael by a comfortable margin.  What also needs to be taken into account is the fact that the course was quite wet and soft and the round was played from the back markers so, all in all, a remarkably good round.

The new artillery gracing Chrispy’s bag must be just about broken in by this and this is evidenced by his position on the second podium this week.  His round brought him home with a nett score of 67 and there were a couple of spots where there was room for improvement.  The points have proved useful and Chrispy is now getting within sniffing distance of the Championship lead.  If the clubs keep up the good work, we could very well have a contest on our hands in very short order.

Damo was with us again and, but for a bit of a slow start with a couple of double bogies early on, he could easily also have challenged for the main prize.  As it was, his 69 was enough to get him third spot on the day.  He had to share the spot with Noodles who also might have done better if not for a fat lady on the second.  And that had nothing to do with his on-line dating activities – or did it?

SOS put in a pretty steady round with no major blemishes and stepped up on his own to collect a couple of points.  JohnQ is back in the country (only just) and could easily have been jet-lagged to come in with 73.  Interestingly, he also met up with the fat lady on the 2nd.  Must be something about that hole.  Targe managed to squeeze onto the podium alongside John.

The BallPin today was on the 12th and it was up to our first card prospective member Matty Chrimes to get it closer than all the rest to add a ball to his collection.  A bit of a Chrime really!  As a result, his first card has a birdie on it (pity it won’t count for the eclectic).  Not a bad way to welcome a new member.  While on the subject of birdies, there were only 9 carded for the day and at least three of those were down to Michael.  There weren’t a lot on movements on the Eclectic table but we now have a tie for first between Brendon and Rob with still a bit of a gap to second place.  Still, there is a little way to go yet before the end of the year.

The ProPin was on the 18th and it seems that the closest contender was that mysterious member Jack Potts.  As he is never around to collect, the committee has little option but to instruct the Treasurer to add the funds to the pool for next week.  Given the other events on the day, there was always some chance that Jobson Growth might have won the day.

At long last, the Birthday Birdie has got something to get out of his nest for.  Pepsi will be loosening up his tonsils for a big celebration this week and, although we haven’t seen him of late, Mick McDonald will pass another milestone as well.

In other news from the course, there was some concern that balls might have gone missing in action.  It does seem that there were quite a few that did get lost, particularly from one group.  It’s a bit hard to believe but Chrispy, Rob, Simon and Damo are reported to have lost at least one ball on nearly every hole.  Michael and Joe were particulary concerned about the intentions of a kookaburra on one of the greens (8th?) when they found him eyeing off their balls – or so they thought.  In fact, he was more interested in the worms traversing the green but he was also content to pose for the camera as well.

Now, we all know that ‘global warming’ is knocking the climate into a cocked hat but things must really be going wrong if we are getting reports of magpie swooping in early July.  But maybe, all is not what it seems.  The tale seems to involve Damo and a sausage roll and the exact sequence of events is a bit cryptic.  The upshot is that the Deniers can rest easy, for a while at least, as the maggies haven’t started nesting just yet.  Not too sure about a certain football team though.

 

There were no reports passed on about draughties for this round.  If you are thinking of having one during the next month, then it might be an idea to execute it while you are playing with Brendon.  He seems to have signed up for Dry July and it would the ultimate irony if he had to knock back the opportunity to benefit from the misfortunes of another Club member.

Simon has done a great job with the acquisition of the new batch of Club shirts and they are now available for the very competitive price of $20.  He has also negotiated for caps in a matching design to be available for $12 and these will be provided on an order basis.  So, get your orders in to Simon.  To give you an idea of what you are in for, Chrispresident stepped up to the plate and agreed to provide an extra glimpse of how good you could look in the club gear.  Not that Michael doesn’t look good as well.  For good measure, here’s a peep at the cap in more detail.

As announced previously, an extension of time was granted for the completion of the Matchplay Semi-finals.  JohnQ and Laurie and Brendon and Rob have to play their matches this coming week or come to an agreement on the result and advise the outcome.

The Annual Challenge at Numurkah is also in need of some attention by members.  Last year’s event was voted to be an excellent opportunity for some golf and fellowship (not necessarily in that order) and there will be plenty of competitions to play for during the two days of play.  Gordon is taking the registrations and monies can be transferred or handed over at the earliest opportunity so that numbers can be finalised.  Gordon will promulgate further details in due course.

Results for Saturday, 02 July 2016

1st Michael Gourlay(65) 2nd Chris Priems(67) 3rd Stephen Butterfield(69) 3rd Damien Lee(69) 4th Stephen O’Sullivan(70) 5th Targe Mifsud(73) 5th John Quinlan(73)

Seniors Results: 1st Targe Mifsud (73) 2nd Bill Eastoe (74) 2nd Dennis Ward (74) 3rd Gordon Hill (75)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin 18th Jackpot BallPin 12th Matty Chrimes

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