Monthly Archives: December 2017

There was movement at the station for the word had got about that there was a big event about to get under way.  But, the rain was tumbling down and the course management was toying with closing the course but the radar looked as if there was going to be a bit of a break.  However, after a certain amount of lobbying and general discussion, it was decided that it would not be wise to proceed with the first round of the Vin O’Meara but that, for those that wished to brave the conditions, there would be a normal Club Stableford Event.  The Vin O’Meara was postponed for a week which will mean that the second round will now coincide with the Champion of Champions event on break-up day, 16 December.  For those who scratched themselves because they couldn’t play on the scheduled days but who can now play both days and who wish to be included, there will be a silent email auction for the Calcutta later in the week.  Anybody who needs to scratch because of the rescheduling, please advise so that the Calcutta money can be scratched as well.  There will be more correspondence on this shortly.

Anyway, after all of the to-ing and fro-ing there were 14 people who put up their money to test themselves against the conditions.  Only twelve actually made it to the course when Mehm and Stef pulled the plug without striking a blow in anger and the Club thanks them very much for their donation.  As the showers came and went during the round there were a couple of vacillators who went close to calling it a day.  Chrispy was one but he stuck it out for fear of being branded a wimp and Porks was the other though it was suggested that it was the company rather than the weather that was putting him off.

But, despite the rainy conditions and the water-logged greens there were actually some pretty reasonable scores put together.  First cabs off the rank drew from opposite ends of the age and handicap scale with Dale and Ed sharing the honour with a total of 36 points.  Dale was so bluffed by the water on the greens that he used his wedge rather than the putter on some of the longer shots on the green.  The strategy went close to paying off a couple of times when the ball had the accuracy but just too much pace to take the cup.  Reports on Ed’s strategy were sparse but he obviously relished the conditions if his score on the front nine is any guide.

Targe did not need his water-wings today although there was a warning to both him and John to be careful around the puddles out there.  Targe was pretty pleased with his five pars today as a good start to the Eclectic and with one up on the 13th that is one hole that it might be difficult to improve.  He wasn’t alone with getting an early start in the Eclectic with 7 birdies for the day.

Harry wonders whether he should have taken a page out of Dale’s book and used the wedge on a couple of greens when the putts pulled up short of the mark due to the water load.  Still, he wasn’t embarrassed to sign for 34 points and to stand on the podium beside JohnQ.  Brendon also had a bit of strife with judging the weight of putts through the water and he was a bit unlucky to finish with his score of 33.  Ryan survived playing with Targe and Blighty although he and Targe narrowly avoided being taken out by Blighty with a massive shank on the 6th tee.  A strategically placed buggy saved the day apparently.  Thirty two points was enough for Damo to collect the last point on offer and to get his Championship quest off to a start, if not a flying one.

There was a bit of a controversy in that everybody paid $5 as a comp fee but there were no nearest the pin markers put out.  Now, there was some suggestion that the money would be jackpot to next week and it was necessary to show some sort of a result to satisfy the system requirements.  So, maybe there will be a jackpot pool for next week or maybe it will be a donation to consolidated revenue.

One of Damo’s putts was something to behold.  As it headed on its way towards the hole, it struck some sort of impediment on the green, executed a double back-flip with pike before continuing on its merry way and finishing within gimme distance of the hole..  Brendon was beset by problems with the hand-brake in the later stages of the round.  No, he wasn’t running dead to protect his handicap, his wife was stranded in the shopping centre unable to release the hand-brake on the car and she had a ballet lesson to get to.  And everybody thought it was Brendon having the ballet lessons.  There was a thought that MattN was going to apply the hand-brake when he took out his driver on the 11th.  Nothing unusual about that you might say but this was from the fairway, not the tee.

There was a Committee meeting today and there were a couple of decisions taken relating to scheduling.  Because of the importance of the Major events to the Club, it is now in the Committee’s discretion to reschedule a round of an event if it is not sensible that it be played on the scheduled date due to the weather conditions or the condition of the course.  Preferably this should be done without impinging on Monthly Medals or other significant events.  Also, in future, the field for the Stuart Clarke Champion of Champions field will be filled by the winners of the specified events that are completed in the period of the Competition year.  This means that the winners of the upcoming Vin O’Meara and the in-progress Stroke Play Championship will participate in the 2018 Champion of Champions field.

Results for Saturday, 02 December 2017
1st Ed Kloprogge(36) 1st Dale Webb(36) 2nd Targe Mifsud(35) 3rd Harry Boughen(34) 3rd John Quinlan(34) 4th Brendon Mitchell(33) 4th Ryan Porker(33) 5th Damien Lee(32)

Seniors Results: 1st Ed Kloprogge (36) 2nd Targe Mifsud (35) 3rd Harry Boughen (34)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin No 1 12th Jackpot ProPin No 2 18th Jackpot BallPin 4th Jackpot