If you play the inside comp and were confused about the results posted for last week’s event then everybody was confused today as we had to play off the white markers for those taking part in the freshly scheduled (inside) Monthly Medal while we battled it out in our Stableford Competition. There was some very welcome rain yesterday and this served to make the course a very different beast to what it was only a couple of days before. There were a couple of sprinkles about just before tee time but they amounted to not much at all and there was no need to reach for wet weather gear of any sort. A pretty good crowd of twenty players turned out on what ended up being a very nice day for a game even if it wasn’t always golf.

However, there was never any doubt about what the Beast was playing today. It was golf, and golf of a very speccy variety. There was one rather anxious moment on the 13th when the first ball ‘might’ have slipped OOB. A provisional ball was struck so identically that Gordon deemed that if you found the one you would be standing on the other. Bill opted to take his chances on having to play six if they both happened to be OOB. As it turned out, both were in and centimetres apart which caused Gordon to ‘bet’ that Bill was just as likely to birdie the hole. The putt pulled up just short of doing just that.

Whitey hasn’t given up cricket just yet but he is apparently going to play with the seniors/veterans or whatever they are called in that other ball game. His advancing years have not affected his ability to play the small ball variety and he left enough out there, particularly on the front nine, to have easily swept the field before him. Pepsi obviously meant business as he was spotted in deep concentration envisioning his shot into the 14th green over the trees from the 16th fairway. One little twig got over-looked in the image and the ball fell short to result in a bogie for the hole.

Reports that Bob was out-driving SOS on a regular basis might have suggested that Bob was having a better day of it than SOS. However, SOS managed to win the day and get himself into 4th place and this despite having been kissed by Enzo when his Italian blood got the better of him when he chipped in. It doesn’t bear repeating what SOS said in response. Noodles and Jason both started out OK but faded a little on the back. On the other hand, Adam managed to make a bit of an improvement on the run home to tie up with the other two for a share of 5th place.

The GOATee marshal is going to have to pull his socks up after he allocated the ProPin to the 15th after it had been a Jackpot on the 4th last week. In the event, there didn’t seem to be too many complaints so perhaps nobody got close on the 4th. Somebody did get close on the 15th when the Beast finished just past pin high and 1.46m from the hole. The first BallPin was on the 12th and it was quite hotly contested with no less than four names on the card. The name at the bottom of the list was Pepsi and he collected a ball for his shot although there was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing about what sort of ball he wanted. The BallPin on the 18th looked like it might have gone begging until JQ smacked one in that looked very good from the tee. It was judged to be dead on line but, in the end, it finished a couple of metres past and still close enough to be worth a ball.

Dennis was a little less than happy with his putting, amongst other things. On the 14th, he putted up from below the hole, the ball reached the hole fully inside the diameter and should have fallen in for all money. Instead it carried around the hole and popped out heading back the way it came. Harry, on the other hand, had the longest putt possible on the green from just on at the back to the hole very close to the front. After carefully reading the significant slope to the allowed for and making a last minor adjustment to the alignment of the ball, Harry set himself for the shot. The ball ran and ran, the slope turned the ball toward the hole, the ball slowed, the curvature increased and finally the ball trickled straight down the fall of the green and dropped into the hole for a birdie. Just one of the twelve that were scored for the day.

Targe didn’t make any progress on his resolution to reduce his handicap today but he did have a modicum of luck when his drive on the 13th headed for the private property on the left. Luckily, the ball hit the OOB post and, conveniently, came back into play. Targe played with Rod and they marked each others card. Both were off the same handicap (both Club and GA) and both ended with the same number of points. There was no collusion involved (reportedly). Joe was back with us today for the first time in a while. He says he is going to grace us with his presence more regularly from now on. Perhaps he should make sure that JQ doesn’t find out that he was used as an aiming point by Joe on one hole today.

Results for Saturday, 11 January 2020
1st Bill Eastoe(39) 2nd Rodney White(37) 3rd Andrew Petricola(35) 4th Stephen O’Sullivan(34) 5th Stephen Butterfield(33) 5th Jason Hopkins(33) 5th Adam King(33)

Seniors Results: 1st Bill Eastoe (39) 2nd Bob McDonald (32) 3rd Rod Grant (31) 3rd Targe Mifsud (31)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin15th Bill Eastoe BallPin No 1 12th Andrew Petricola BallPin No 2 18th John Quinlan

The sun had an ominous red tinge about it as it rose above the horizon and struggled to make its presence felt through the smoke haze that had settled over Melbourne during the rather balmy night. The remains of the northerly air stream pushed the temperature up a bit but it didn’t really have a great deal of conviction about it. Nineteen of Ivanhoe’s finest made it to the tee on time and battled their way into the haze hoping against hope that the promised change would arrive earlier than predicted. The dryness of the course and the air promised plenty of carry and plenty of run but first you have to hit the ball with the face of the club. Ken’s ball was reaching for the Panadol, it had been hit on the head so many times. But, it is surprising how far a ball with plenty of top-spin will run in these conditions.

The Rules Committee is still trying to decide whether our winner had assistance during the round. Whether he wore his glove out or just forgot it, Targe did a deal with SOS to exchange a new glove for a drink after the game. Whether it was the new glove or the high standard of his short game, Targe rocked in with a 93 off the stick for a net score of 67 to add to his growing collection of medals and points in both Championship events. And he got just a little bit further on his resolution to restore his pre-accident handicap with the only handicap cut of the day. Not fast enough, I hear some people say.

Jason sprinted around the course with the first group and created a little angst when it was thought that the cards from the group had not been left for perusal. As it turned out, they crossed over with the last group outside the clubhouse and left the cards in the tender care of Enzo. The rapid pace did not do the scoring any harm and a handy 68 was the result. Not to be out-done and, to keep his points collection going without harming his handicap, Porks acquired the same net result for second place.

Matt was another of the sprinters and he was probably leading the pack in his urge to get back on the job (at work, that is). His 69 was matched by Bob who decided to play with a green ball that was found on the 10th. Despite several attempts to lose it, it just didn’t want to be lost again and it didn’t do Bob’s scoring any harm. For a while, Dennis was Club-house leader and he was probably bemoaning a number of double bogies that didn’t help his front nine score. The rumour that he took advantage of his marker’s blurred vision is thought to be untrue.

Keith started off by sinking a pretty lengthy putt on the first to snag himself a par. After that, Keith decided that he needed some short putting practice and left himself with any number of 50mm putts, mostly from just past the hole. Who knows what the 70 could have turned into otherwise. Noodles claimed to have missed a lot of putts (again) but with only three double bogies in the round maybe it was the pars and birdies that he was missing. Despite carding four triple bogies, Daniel still managed to slot himself into fifth place alongside Noodles to round out the podium ranks for the day.

The first BallPin was on the 12th and Adam drifted one in with a bit of left to right to finish pretty handily placed. Although the marker pin did look closer, it was still worth a check but, unfortunately he was unable to tip out Brent who was a mere putter length from the hole. He made the birdie, which was one of eleven for the day. The second BallPin was on the 18th and again Adam put his ball onto the green. Unfortunately, he didn’t think to mark it and it was left to Noodles to collect the ball for a shot that was reported to be barely on the green. The ProPin was set on the 4th and Gordon was disappointed to find that his ball finished 5.02m from the hole and so the pool will Jackpot to next week.

Trevor was back with us today after a bit of a break as a result of his accident in London. In order to be sure that he was ready to play, he took a session with the Pro during the seek to get some tips on protecting his ankle. It must have done some good as he scored the longest drive in his group on the 6th. Which probably reduced the ‘pain’ of the two draughties that he scored elsewhere. He wasn’t alone on the draughtie parade, as Keith also managed one as well.

Gordon had a bit of a trip to get back from Tathra over the last couple of days but he did manage to turn up today. He did, however, express a view that bowls was looking pretty good as an alternative to golf. In particular, being 20cm off the green for two and finishing with a six did not go down too well. Noodles has been called a ‘choker’ from time to time but today he really did choke – on a fly. SOS seems to have inside information on what else Noodles has had down his throat when he expressed surprise that he would choke on something so small.

The Birthday Birdie has just one call to make this week and that will be to pass on wishes to Dennis in a few days time.

Results for Saturday, 04 January 2020
1st Targe Mifsud(67) 2nd Jason Hopkins(68) 2nd Ryan Porker(68) 3rd Matt Hunt(69) 3rd Bob McDonald(69) 3rd Dennis Ward(69) 4th Keith Delzoppo(70) 5th Stephen Butterfield(71) 5th Daniel O’Rourke(71)

Seniors Results: 1st Targe Mifsud (67) 2nd Bob McDonald (69) 2nd Dennis Ward (69) 3rd Keith Delzoppo (70)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin4th Jackpot BallPin No 1 12th Brent Rowley BallPin No 2 18th Stephen Butterfield

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The effects of Club Breakup, work Christmas parties, family Christmas parties, Christmas Day and miscellaneous celebrations in between seems to have conspired to limit the number of members attending to fourteen. Although, there was a modicum of surprise in some quarters that so many did make it. Maybe making points wouldn’t be so easy after all. It was a bit overcast to start and the humidity was high. The clouds managed to squeeze out a handful of drops before they cleared away and the sun broke out with a vengeance. The sprinklers had obviously been working hard through the night around the tees and the greens but the rest of the course has an increasingly bonier look about it and there was plenty of run to be had although some of the resulting lies were pretty bare. Which is probably better than there being bare-faced lies.

Now, we all know that Peter, not to put too fine a point on it, can be a little erratic at times and, it must be said, he was spotted playing the 3rd from the 5th fairway. However, that was one of the few errors that he made all day on his way to showing that it is not how it looks but how many go on the scorecard that counts. A very creditable 85 off the stick and a tally of +5 garnered him the top spot on the podium, a swag of points, a couple of balls and a nice new handicap to boot.

Targe says that the medical fraternity are happy with his most recent set of scans and his New Year Resolution is to get his handicap back down to where it was before his accident. The handicapper has the exact same resolution. Targe’s drive on the 7th was high and wide and caught the tree on the right and the ball plopped back down onto the hard pack. Two more shots left him with about the longest putt possible on the green. Undeterred, the little fella rattled it in for a four and a plus for the hole. With only two minus scores on the card, there was little between the +4 that he got and something much better meaning that the resolution is off to a very good start.

Harry also managed a plus on the7th. His chip onto the green looked to be perfectly directed and weighted but, in the exact spot where the ball landed, there lay a small twig that effectively stopped the ball dead and left a rather longer putt than anticipated. Fortunately it was one of the ones that went in and helped to get the tally of +3 at the end of the round. Porks really laid into his drive on the 1st hole and very nearly reached the green, the 10th green, that is. But, despite a bit of a scratchy front nine, Ryan went up a gear on the back and also came home +3. Rob was torn by indecision on the 18th tee. The first club to hand was his wedge but then he decided he needed a bit more so he reached for his trusty 9 iron. Instead he picked up his 6 iron and overshot the mark to blazes. That’s why they have the underline, Rob, so that you can tell them apart. Anyway, he still managed to tie for third place with his +3.

Just a small gap then to fourth place where we find Michael whose knee seems to be holding up just fine though we do wonder about his mental state as he was heard promising to introduce his daughter to Noodles. Jason seemed to be just flirting with the could have/should have brigade today with just a couple too many minus scores on the card. Dale was in fine form with his wedge today and fairly peppered the pin on any number of occasions from off the green. Particularly so on the 14th, where a less than spectacular approach left him in the grass bunker out of which he popped up and once it hit the green and started running it never looked like missing the hole. A fine group of +1s to take out 4th place. Which just leaves that old (oops, I mean all) square, Noodles, to finish fifth.

Despite Michael’s claim that he thought today was the first Senior Points that he has won, that is demonstrably not true. What is demonstrably true, is that Chrispy has yet to blot his copy-book in that matter. Rob reckons that there is a fair chance that he will end up scoring points in the Seniors before Chris does. How far can sibling rivalry go? It must be said that Chris did get a birdie today on the second hole. Unfortunately, it stopped his ball.

And, while on the topic of birdies, there was a somewhat unusual occurrence today when all three members of a group, (Michael, Noodles and Ryan) scored a birdie on the same hole, to whit, the 11th. And, just coincidentally, the whole group scored eleven birdies today.

In the Nearest the Pin competitions today, the ProPin was on the 12th and, despite carefully hiding his mark under another piece of paper, the money went to Ken with a fine shot to 1.155m. The first BallPin was on the 15th and Targe was adamant that Harry’s ball was closer than the marker already on the green. Let’s put it down to the effect of perspective from such a low angle of view. Anyway, it was Jason who had dibs on the prize on offer. The second BallPin on the 18th was a closely fought thing after Dale took out Daniel by quite a wide margin. Then, along came Michael to ease out Dale in a bit of a close run thing.

There was a claim being made that Noodles was consistently out-driving Ryan while using his hybrid. Michael seemed to be backing Noodles story while Ryan was only allowing one instance where his ball hit a tree. At the end of the day, Porks out-scored Noodles by a bit of a margin so what does it matter? Daniel seems to be developing a bit of an appreciation of nature if the swathe of territory that he covered today is any guide. On the 10th his drive finished under the tree by the distance marker on the first. From there, he played the shot of his day to bypass numerous trees blocking the way and finish on the edge of the 10th green.

Well, another calendar year has flown and is almost gone. The Birthday Birdie is fluttering off to deliver his last message for the year to Big Joe (although the birthday is in 2020). Hopefully Joe will be able to tear himself away from Little Joe to join us on Saturday mornings on a more regular basis.

Most of the subs for 2020 have been paid, for which the management thank you. For those still outstanding, it would be nice to get it all out of the way at the earliest. And, don’t forget to put your thoughts to volunteering for a role on the Committee with the AGM and elections coming up in March. All positions will be spilled and there are nomination forms available from the web-site side bar. If you don’t want to do it, talk your mate(s) into it. New blood always welcome.

Have a Happy, safe and, perhaps, not too sober New Year and we look forward to seeing you all soon on the tees at Ivanhoe.

Results for Saturday, 28 December 2019
1st Peter Damou(+5) 2nd Targe Mifsud(+4) 3rd Harry Boughen(+3) 3rd Ryan Porker(+3) 3rd Robert Priems(+3) 4th Michael Gourlay(+1) 4th Jason Hopkins(+1) 4th Dale Webb(+1) 5th Stephen Butterfield(□)

Seniors Results: 1st Targe Mifsud (+4) 2nd Harry Boughen (+3) 3rd Michael Gourlay (+1)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin12th Ken Watson BallPin No 1 15th Jason Hopkins BallPin No 2 18th Michael Gourlay

Yesterday was a stinker. As it was too hot to go outside, most of the day was spent watching the radar as the promised front struggled its way across from the west. Eventually, it arrived and the temperature fell to an almost balmy 25C just in time for the round to start to settle the argument as to who was going to be the 2019 Champion of Champions and who was going to be the 2019 Chump of Chumps. The scorching weather had induced the gum trees around the course to shed a bucket load of bark and leaves. This litter on the ground helped to make it difficult to spot a ball from a distance and any long putt could have done with an assist from a leaf blower on several greens. Bobbie gave up the clearing job on the 10th and bravely putted through. The ball made it to the general area of the hole though somewhat off line. Until a last minute deflection brought it within tipping distance of the hole. Unfortunately for Bob, no miracle save.

The man who didn’t need a miracle save was Dennis who admitted to being pretty disappointed with his front nine where he only managed to score eighteen points. His disappointment was only short lived as he very soon proceeded to take the back nine apart to finish that segment of the round just one stroke over par and toting a massive twenty-five points. His net score of 61 left the rest of the field in his dust. As a hint as to how he could do no wrong, the drive from the 17th faded more than somewhat and was deemed to be lost in the penalty area. Completely unfazed, Dennis chipped the penalty ball fairly onto the green to about a metre and sank the putt for a par. Well done Dennis, our new Champion of Champions.

As far as the rest of the field was concerned, they were playing for the barely lesser glory of the trophy for Chump of Chumps. And, in the process, one of them demonstrated that he could outplay the trophy hoisting Champion. Dale put hardly a foot wrong all day and scored evenly over both halves of the round. And he even left a few out there as he made his way to a best on ground 44 points to take both the trophy and the top points for the day.

There has been some discussion recently about exactly what is meant by ‘minimum chips’. Well, there can be no debate about what is meant by ‘minimum points’ because that is what were handed out today. There was only one player on each level of the podium. Keith also played a very steady round and managed to score a couple of four pointers on his way to third place and 42 points. A few left out there could have made all the difference. Blighty is eagerly anticipating an extended break from the hurly-burly but that was not enough to distract him from scoring a very handy forty-one points for 4th place. Peter collected the last point thanks to getting a birdie on the only hole that he didn’t birdie last year, so he probably has his eye on the eclectic again.

The first BallPin was contested on the 12th hole and Gordon managed to tip out Jason to qualify for a ball. On the 18th, Rob managed to hold off all contenders to win himself one there. The big interest in the NTP events was the double jackpot on the 15th, and, with the big fields over the last three weeks, there was a fair amount of cash riding. Dale was pretty hopeful after his tee shot but, when the tape came out it registered just 100mm beyond the 5m limit. No such worries for Gordon who was shattered to watch as Porks, in the next group, pipped him by less that half a metre at 2.81m. Noodles seemed to be very happy to be sharing the pot.

There was one draughtie today and that was down to Ken on the 18th. The ball finished on the path beside the tee barely a metre in front of the teeing area. There is some dispute as to whether it reached there directly or whether it hit the safety fence protecting the 17th green. At the other end of the scale, Matt made the 3rd green in two and then took four putts to finish it off. The Eagle got a bit nervous when both ChrisV and Porks were on the 14th green and putting to rob the nest. She needn’t have worried as they both just made their par.

Rob hit the wrong ball today on the 10th and he was trying to blame Matt for leading him astray although it was the same brand and number. No such excuse for Harry on the 3rd where he was so focussed on planning and executing his shot that he failed to notice that Dale’s ball did not carry the characteristic and prominent ‘smile’. Harry did feel a bit better on the 5th when he chipped in for a birdie and did his bit to bring the total for the day to 16. From a field of 25 players, that tally is OK but not ‘great’ despite Gordo’s feeling to the contrary.

After the round was over and all of the cards had been sorted and resorted, the majority departed for the break-up and presentations that was held at President John’s residence. There, with an ample supply of nibbles, food and lubricant, the party settled down to tell some tall tales but true and to generally appreciate what our Club is all about. Good golf (and not so good golf) and good fellowship, all of which were evident aplenty today. After the crowd finished making a small hole in the victuals available, John and Gordon set about distributing the trophies that had been contested over the past twelve months. By the end of this part of the proceedings, Targe was hunting around for a trailer to get his loot home. John expressed his appreciation and thanks to the efforts of his Committee in keeping the Club running smoothly and then presented a fine trophy, named in honour of the Priems family, that will be contested in the team Matchplay format that was previously known as the Ryder Cup.

At the completion of the formalities, the die-hards appeared to be settling in and, while it might not be the Roo Bar, there is some chance that there will be tales to be told before the night is out.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year and we look forward to seeing you all next Saturday or the Saturday after when things start to get serious again for the January Monthly Medal.

Results for Saturday, 21 December 2019
1st Dale Webb(44) 2nd Dennis Ward(43) 3rd Keith Delzoppo(42) 4th Andrew Blight(41) 5th Peter Damou(39)

Seniors Results: 1st Dennis Ward (43) 2nd Keith Delzoppo (42) 3rd Andrew Blight (41)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin15th Ryan Porker BallPin No 1 12th Gordon Hill BallPin No 2 18th Robert Priems

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