Scott Confident at Home

Our return to Mt. Warren Park after almost seven years was preceded by two  days of extraordinary drought-breaking rain. Most of the area received between 70-200mm of rain in the preceding 24 hours, so some concern about the condition of the course may have suppressed the field down to eleven, even with visitor Mitch Brain.

However, the course had drained impressively with very little standing water left, the main sign of the heavy rain was an outbreak of mushrooms and tiny toads. The biggest problem was the steamy conditions when the sun came out, which emphasized the stifling humidity present throughout the day.

Since this is his home course, it wasn’t a big surprise that Scott Porter won the day by carding a confident 66. George Young gained runner up with his 68.

Pin shots went to Phil Dacey, Ricky Ong, Chris Young and George Young with one going missing, possibly the tenth. Longest drive was put on the 14th, and went to Phil Dacey.

Next game is in two-week’s time on February 2 at nearby Windaroo Lakes. This 6:22 tee-off is the annual Lew Llewellyn shield, which is a best-ball stableford event. Since the captain will be allocating teams before the game, ensure you notify him of your attendance at least fifteen minutes prior, so he has time to do that. In addition, the treasurer will begin glaring at people that haven’t paid their annual memberships yet.

Nudgee Gateway Opens the Year for Phil

Ten people arrived at Nudgee for the first game of the year. We set off from the 10th hole to play from there to the 27th, thus playing the Gateway Course. The sponsor decided to start the year with a bang, by putting the longest drive on the opening hole, and selecting Stableford for the day.

The lead group lost a player at the turn, possibly because that’s where his (and indeed everyone’s) GPS got lost. We all forgot he had the pin shot markers with him, but we didn’t need those on the par three 19th, anyway.

Smoke haze clouding the horizon kept the power of the sun subdued, and the short layout allowed everyone to finish the game before it’s heat began to bite.

The win went to Phil Dacey with 41 points, and his cart-buddy secretary Mick van Bemmel gained runner-up with a 39. The winner also got two pin shots plus the longest drive, while the runner-up got a pin shot too.

The remaining pin shots went to president Dennis Hogan, Ricky Ong (who went home without his prize) and sponsor George Young. An unscheduled prize went to treasurer Steve Friedrichs, who nailed an eagle two on the par-four 16th, when he drained his six-iron from about 130m out.

Next game is in two week’s time at Mt. Warren Park on January 19, teeing off at 7:20. This club last played that course 17 February 2013, so nearly seven years ago. The Solomons have played there recently, so it’s in good enough condition to host the president’s trophy and the opening putting round for the year.