Captain’s Knock a Good Walk

An overcast morning dawned on the field of nine attending Mount Warren Park golf course. The later-than-usual starting time had the arrivals expecting a slower pace, as we were sent off both the first and tenth tees. The sponsor selected stableford as the scoring system, and a local rule allowed preferred lie as there were still some damp patches from recent rain. The two halves of the field waved as they passed each other at the clubhouse half-way through.

Winning with a 38 was captain George Young, putting a stop to winners not needing to beat their handicap. Joining him on this was treasurer Steve Friedrichs getting 37 for runner-up. There were two lost balls in Steve’s round, so the rest of it must have been quite tidy.

Not content with just the placings, the winner also bagged the longest drive on 14, while the runner-up got nearest on five. Tony Armbruster got the pin shot on three, and Chris Young was nearest on nine, leaving both the back-nine prizes unclaimed. All-in a good day for the three walkers of the field, with Tony taking the only prize from a cart-seat.

Next game is in two week’s time at the nearby Windaroo Lakes course on January 30. Another later tee-off time of 7:34 will allow the field to assemble in plenty of time for the captain to arrange the pairings for the Lew Llewellyn four-ball stableford event.

Secretary Holds it Together

The first game of the year attracted eleven players to an unfamiliar venue. Virginia golf course is remembered by a few of the old timers who recalled the last time this club played there, around a quarter of a century ago. Some had played there more recently with the Solomons, though it’s getting towards two years since they’ve played there.

Fine weather presented which was welcomed after recent rains, and it seemed the course had drained well. The first green was undergoing a major renovation, so a hundred metres was cut off that hole with a temporary green. Stableford was chosen as the game format, and the longest drive was selected to go on 15.

Winner for the day was secretary Mick van Bemmel, with 35 points, so he didn’t have to beat his handicap to lead the field. He’s been struggling with a sore shoulder lately, so it must have held together okay. One further back was captain George Young with 34.

Only two pin shots were won, with our winner getting on the 3rd, and Tony Armbruster getting on 12. That left the 9th and 14th unclaimed, though I did see some good attempts on nine that were within a metre of the green’s edge. The runner-up also won the longest drive.

Next game is in two week’s time on January 16 at Mount Warren Park. This is a 7:44 tee-off that may be spread across two tees.

Tony Finishes the Year on a High

A decent field of sixteen arrived at Gailes for the last event of the calendar year. Good weather that still wasn’t too hot enabled a pleasant round by all. The sponsor selected stoke as the game format, which was less of a surprise than the fact he was actually present. For the second round in a row, the longest drive was placed on the thirteenth hole.

Despite the large field, only the winner managed to better their handicap, that being Tony Mraz, with a 72. Runner up on 73 was the ever-reliable Chris Young.

Pin shots went with one to our winner, one each to Scott Porter and captain George Young, with the second-shot prize on the 17th going unclaimed. Longest drive also went to Scott Porter.

After the game the Annual General Meeting was held, with the treasurer’s report being tabled, then all the committee being re-elected as usual. No new motions or policies were proposed, so the secretary showed the provisional draw for next year, inviting input for the trophy donors.

From that, the next game is at 6am on January 2 of 2022, at Virginia. We’ve not played there before, so that that will be exciting for some of us. The 2022 list of games is being gradually entered to this website, so check out the page here. I hope you all have a happy new year, and I’ll see you all on the courses in 2022.