Everybody reckoned getting married would settle Craig down.  Added to that is the little announcement that he made that he was going to have a baby – well not him exactly – though there were a couple of disparaging comments about his bay-window.  Craig’s response was that he was the ideal weight if he happened to be nine foot four tall.  Obviously he hasn’t embraced the metric system yet either.

Regardless, he had a good day out on the course and carded a pretty fine 76 off the beater to come in to collect the medal by the narrowest of margins with a nett 63.  Three birdies, including two in a row on the 4th and 5th, certainly helped the cause.  Not sure what use of his 9 iron he made today but he is reported to sleep with it because he needs a bit of loft though if the earlier news is any guide he doesn’t need too much help.

Another birdie double on the 13th and 14th by Harry put him into second place along with Mo just one stroke behind Craig on nett 64.  As Clubhouse leaders before Craig came in, Mo and Harry tried not to get too carried away with the possibilities but had done a count-back, just in case.

Damien is trying to rack up as many points as he can over the next couple of weeks as his lad is starting cricket for the summer and Damo is committed to be there and won’t be as regular in attendance as in the past.  Mehm, MalF and Tony  filled the fourth spot and Oliver’s jaunt back to the States for his son’s wedding didn’t do his game much harm and he garnered another point in both species of Championship table.

One of the Matchplay finals was completed today between Targe and Ken for 3rd and 4th place.  In the end it was Ken who prevailed finishing 4 up with 3 to play.  A reasonably conclusive result.  The Championship round between Stefan and Eddie is scheduled for 21 September.

The Nearest the Pin for a ball on the 15th went to Harry who finished about a metre short of the hole.  Another of the seniors, MalF, picked up the ProPin on the 18th.  Both Mal and Harry managed the birdies to bring the total for the day to 13.

The tale of Noodles is something that we all should take to heart.  He managed to hit the incorrect ball on three occasions and there did seem to be a lot of stray balls about on the course.  Admittedly the cut was not set particularly low and the balls could be difficult to find and to see when you did find them.  However, you are allowed to move the ball to identify it as long as you don’t move it more than necessary to do so and it is replaced exactly and the ball is not cleaned in any way or the lie improved.  It also helps to have identifying marks to assist with identification.  And maybe, go see your optometrist.

Dennis was another who had some problems with the long grass and lost a ball that was deemed to be on the fairway but could not be found.  Whitey (aka Wally) managed to pull off a spectacular draughtie on the 17th with the ball appearing to contact the ground behind the tee peg.  He then decided to try his putter following on from his success with it in the three club event and managed to lose the ball as a result.

Mostyn is so pleased with his new light-weight golf shoes that he took one of them off after the game and was passing it around for people to admire.  What wasn’t so impressive was the fact that it was rather on the nose.  Speaking about on the nose, Chrispy had to reach for his gas mask when somebody opened yesterdays lunch by the registration desk.

Although the resurrected Eclectic event will not start until next golfing year, the software development is in progress and for interest the current state of this years results (except for a few sets of cards) has been posted on a link under the competition heading.  The nett score is based on half of your current exact handicap which should help to reduce the number of ties.  Any discussion of the system to be used should be made to the handicapper.

Results for Saturday, 07 September 2013
1st Craig Sharp(63) 2nd Harry Boughen(64) 2nd Mo Sabih(64) 3rd Damien Lee(69) 4th Mehmet Akdag(70) 4th Malcolm Fleming(70) 4th Tony Mifsud(70) 5th Oliver Gross(71)

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There was a bit of rain last night and out of the goodness of their hearts the course management had declared preferred lies although the condition of the course would barely have warranted the concession.  Still, never look a gift horse in the mouth.  The day turned out magnificently, warm for the time of year and sunny with only the slightest of breezes to keep one from over-heating.  The stage appeared to be set for some pretty heavy scoring – of the golfing variety that is.

So convinced was he that it would be a day for big scores, Damo almost couldn’t believe it when his card with +3 came out on the top of the pile.  Still, I’ll bet he won’t knock back the championship points that came along with it.  He still needs a couple of wins to close the gap on Oliver in the standings but he doesn’t need to look over his shoulder as it is getting to be daylight in third place.

Not sure whether there were lots of people dazzled by the unaccustomed brightness out there on the course, but there were a number of errors in allocating the scores today.  There weren’t any impacts on the major placings but there were a couple of shifts in the lower spots.  Please try to get it right – mark your card where you get (extra) strokes – it might remind you and/or your marker and help to get it right.

Anyway, Eddie (Pigeon Stew) came in second but could easily have been demoted if he hadn’t been the solo place holder on +1.  Bobbie, who has been getting his name on the board with some regularity lately, and Mo gathered the third placing with square cards.  There were a raft of people one point further back in 4th place and it was good to see Sinan collect some points on his first outing as a full handicap member of the club.

There was the final round of the matchplay completed today to determine the pair to fight it out in the Grand Final on 21 September.  That event should be a slug-fest between Eddie, who was victorious over Targe 2 and 1, and Stefan, who prevailed over Ken 4 and 2.  Targe and Ken will also compete on the same day to determine the third place getter.

The Nearest the Pin competition for a ball on the 15th went to Noodles who was just a bit outside gimme distance with the pin a fair way back on the green.  It was certainly close enough for him to sink the putt for the birdie.  Pepsi collected the cash for the ProPin on the 12th.  There was a fair swag of birdies today with the total at 14.  Trevor managed to bag on on the 7th after a magnificent tee shot finished pin high a couple of metres from the hole to be calmly rattled in.

As well as the usual birdies there was also something a bit unusual on the cards today, an actual froggie – or was it a toad in the hole.  It wasn’t a natural occurrence as some of our younger members were involved in rescuing it from out in the fairway.  Not sure why it wasn’t with its mates ribbitting away in the billabongs with what seem to be hundreds of others of his kind.  Must be coming up to the mating season with all the noise they were making.

There were quite a number of birdies on the very popular 17th and a couple of those were eagle chances.  Damo was one who was cursing himself for having left it short.  The nest only had one ball so leaving it to fill up a bit is probably a good idea.

Zimmer was beginning to develop a persecution complex after being hit by golf balls twice in the round.  First, it was thanks to Stefan on about the 7th or 8th hole and later it was down to Targe on the 10th/11th.  The one that hit him on the leg raised quite a welt and could easily develop into a bruise.  Do try to take care when you are hitting with people within your range of fire.

Even though Jan ended up in the points, his round was not without its moments.  Before he got to the 3rd green (or even past the 3rd ladies tee) it had cost him dearly with two draughties and a windie.  Time to slow down a bit (the backswing that is) hey Jan.

Targe was disappointed to lose a ball in the long grass on the slopes of the 15th tee though there were quite a few spots around the course where the rough is a bit longer and is good at hiding balls from sight.  Not sure how much influence it had on the matchplay outcome, but it can’t have helped.

Rules Quiz

You’ve all been hanging out for an answer to last weeks conundrum and we have a difference of opinion.  The answer given by the original source was as follows:

“Did he move the ball? As he had addressed the ball Pepsi is deemed to have moved the ball (Rule 18-2b) Penalty one stroke

Did he strike the ball? It is possible to NOT make a stroke even if the clubhead goes beyond the ball but as the clubhead contacted the ball there is insufficient evidence to support a claim that a stroke had not been made (Decision 14/1.5)  the stroke counts and the ball must be played as it lies.  (If Pepsi had NOT contacted the ball and it was agreed he had NOT made a stroke the ball must be replaced to the position from which it rolled.)

Pepsi’s score for the hole is a double bogey 6.”

The answer given by David (the only entry by the way) was slightly different and went as follows:

“The answer to your question is a bogey 5. Although he checked his stroke he followed through and hit the ball. Decision 14.1.5 states that if a player checks his stroke on the downswing but still hits the ball he is considered to have fairly struck the ball. This means that he did not have to replace the ball and his next putt stands. Although you state that the ball moved just prior to the downswing, the fact that he started his downswing would be evidence that he could not possibly have abandoned his stroke until he had started his downswing. In matters like this, the decision goes against the player.”

Careful reading of 18-2b suggests that this is a valid component of the events for consideration and it seems that 6 probably should be the correct answer.

Today’s problem goes as follows.  Harry tees off on the 14th and the ball sails straight for the water hazard but looks as if it might just make the other side.  As he walks to the area he notices players on the 16th searching in the area and when he gets there he asks whether they have seen his ball.  As it turns out Whitey had picked it up assuming it had been abandoned and indicates the spot (inside the hazard) where it had been lying.  Harry places the ball on the spot indicated and decides to play the ball where it lies.  Taking all precautions about grounding his club, Harry swings and shanks the ball fiercely and it flies out at right angles and strikes his buggy and ricochets back into the hazard. Harry recovers the ball and takes a drop according the the lateral water hazard rules.  What is the count for the stroke Harry is about to take?

Results for Saturday, 31 August 2013
1st Damien Lee(+3) 2nd Ed Kloprogge(+1) 3rd Bob McDonald(□) 3rd Mo Sabih(□) 4th Harry Boughen(-1) 4th Sinan Cekuc(-1) 4th Gordon Hill(-1) 4th Jan Siemon(-1) 4th Stephen O’Sullivan(-1) 5th Malcolm Adey(-2) 5th Mostyn Gregg(-2) 5th Targe Mifsud(-2)

 

Was it or wasn’t it a Challenge?  Thanks Brendon.

Some would say yes and some would say no.  Would thirty points win or would people play better with limited artillery?  In the scheme of things, it seems there was probably a bit of both.

For the front runners, at least, the front nine was the easier to manage and our eventual winner PC SOS went around the turn with 22 points under his belt.  Did his confidence get the better of him or was the back really that much tougher? The final total of 36 points managed to pip RodW, who also had a pretty good front nine, at the post with 35 points.

SOS reckons leaving the driver at home kept him out of a lot of trouble.  He tried for the green on the 17th and was convinced he had found the hazard, then complained that he didn’t have a club to pitch to the green, put it inside a couple of metres and settled for a birdie.

Speaking of birdies, there were eight plodded today, probably all carded by those who chose to take a putter in their complement of clubs.  Not a huge number less than normal.  One person who did take one and made very good use of it was RodW who packed a vintage weapon that he probably used for 40 out of his 80 odd shots even to the extent of using it off the tee.  On the 6th, he managed a bogie and used the putter for five of the shots and that included a gettable putt for his par.

Mo and Craig came in next with complementary cards, 14 out/19 in vs 19 out/14 in.  Craig got a bit cranky with a lapse of form on the 11th and gave the ball a good solid whack with the putter when he ran out of points and was asked if he needed his six iron to get it back to the green – and you know how far Craig can hit a six iron.  Zimmer thought he had a share of third but couldn’t read his own writing and so was relegated to a share of 4th place with Eddie who seemed to run out of puff about three holes from home.  Pigeons would end up in the stew-pot if they did that!

Last on the podium, but not least, was Noodles who played what could be described as a balanced round.

There was movement on the Championship table and all point getters made ground on the leaders, probably because neither of the two front runners played today.  Senior points went to Mo, Eddie and Harry but that also made little impression on the leader.  The ProPin on the 18th was a contest between Chrispy and Zimmer with the young fella coming out victorious – and that was after Chris twice measured the distance to the wrong ball.  However Chris’s shot on the 4th was undefeated for him to collect a ball to add to the 57 that he carries around in his bag.

There was one player who really lost it today.  No, not his temper – the head off his club.  Playing out of some long grass on the 13th, Dick was quite pleased to see the ball heading in the direction of the green – not quite so pleased to see the head of his club doing likewise.  Still he managed to get a bogie on the hole and finished the round with only two clubs in his bag.  Not sure whether the rules would have allowed him to grab another from his car as he went past but he resolutely pressed on and faced a fairly tricky shot to the green on the 14th from the middle of the 16th fairway with only a 5 iron to work with.  He managed a bogie on that as well.

Chrispy opted to use his driver for putting and was fairly blitzing it early on including a monster on the 8th but the wheels fell off a bit from then on and he finished not quite so convinced that it had been a good idea not to bring a putter.

There was quite a bit of discussion about the Limited Club Challenge and how it might be played in future.  One topic was to either make a putter compulsory or to ban the putter to make a slightly more level playing field.  Another was to allow different handicap ranges to use different numbers of clubs.  All food for thought and something the Committee will have to consider when finalising the Program for next year.

A Rules Question

On a par four hole (say the 14th), player Pepsi has a short par putt and at the point where the back swing ends and the down swing starts the ball moved. Mentally Pepsi aborted his swing but was unable to stop the club head nudging the moving ball a couple of inches. He then played the ball as it lies and sank the putt. What is his score for the hole?
a)     Bogey 5
b)     Double bogey 6
c)     Disaster 7

If you would like to answer this question, e-mail Harry with your answer and the reason for thinking so – preferably without referring to your rule book.  No prizes but you might rate a mention.  The answer will be published next week.

Results for Saturday, 24 August 2013
1st Stephen O’Sullivan(36) 2nd Rodney White(35) 3rd Mo Sabih(33) 3rd Craig Sharp(33) 4th Kazim Akdag(32) 4th Ed Kloprogge(32) 5th Stephen Butterfield(31)

What was it that put everybody off?  The field was down, the carpark and fairways were empty, the roads were quiet.  Either it was the threat of more wind and rain or it was the Richmond/Carlton match at the G.  The windy weather has certainly taken its toll on some of the trees on the course, particularly down beside the 11th where a branch from one tree has effectively debranched another.  Needless to say, the roped off danger zone seemed to be rather attractive for golf balls.

Only eighteen members graced the fairways of ‘Royal’ Ivanhoe and the golf played seems to have ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous.  At the sublime end was Mr Reliable, Oliver, who is defying the handicapper and is starting to get out to a very comfortable margin the both Championship tables.  He’s either got to snap an Achilles or somebody has to do some serious winning if it isn’t going to be daylight second.

Bob was struggling to keep up with the cracking pace set by the first group in the field (after the second hole that is) but it must have focussed his mind to post a very creditable score.  Priemsy was hitting some very Chrispe shots into the green to give himself birdie chances though a lot of them did manage to flutter away.

Stefan came in next to post a +2 that was helped no end by an Eagle on the 17th.  That’s two in a row so the Big Bird is absolutely devastated and could only very reluctantly give away a single egg.  Zimmer and Tony rounded out the point getters for this week so not a huge number of points given away.

The Nearest the Pin on the 12th was gathered by Mo while Snags collected the ProPin on the 15th with a result that wasn’t all that close to the hole but within the  5m limit.  The inaccurate shooting also kept the number of birdies down to 9.

It wasn’t Damo’s day today.  Not only did he reckon his golf was crap, he got back to his car and found that it was crap(ped on) as well.  Not sure whether he glared any bird down out of the trees but he was obviously in a hurry to get home to get the missus to wash the car if the departure from the carpark was any guide.

Another one who figured he must have walked on a Chinaman’s grave was Harry, who managed to pull off a windy on the 9th.  At least it was on the fairway and it wasn’t a draughtie as well.  Chrispy was a bit concerned on the draughtie front when his drive on the second found the trees and headed back in the direction of the ladies markers. Fortunately (or not depending on your point of view) it stopped short of the danger zone.

The Club Meeting after the round was well attended and resulted in some extensive discussion particularly in relation to the proposed changes to the handicapping system.  The consensus was to take some more time to consider options before ratifying a decision one way or the other.

Other items of immediate interest were motions to run a trial of drive length/accuracy on the 8th.  Some of the fine detail still needs to be worked out.  It was also decided to reintroduce the Eclectic Competition from the start of next year.  There will also be a Club Handicap Championship event run over the three stroke rounds concurrent with the December Monthly Medal and the Vin O’Meara.  It was also agreed that we should trial an Orange Ball Event as a way of introducing some more social activities/ novelty events.  A move to give a ball each week as an Encouragement Award was narrowly defeated.

It was also decided that, with immediate effect the Competition Fee will increase to $5.  This is the first increase for some years and recognises the fact that the cost and number of the balls distributed each week has increased.

Before the new Program for 2014 is set, the running of the Matchplay will be reviewed and streamlined to shorten the time that it takes and consideration will be given to a second Matchplay Event in the schedule.

Results for Saturday, 17 August 2013
1st Oliver Gross(+5) 2nd Bob McDonald(+3) 2nd Chris Priems(+3) 3rd Stefan Belevski(+2) 4th Kazim Akdag(□) 5th Tony Mifsud(-1)