MEN'S GOLF By SHORT PUTT On Saturday the sunny weather coupled to a gentle breeze ensured the Forbes golfers were comfortable in their play. Most players were out early to beat the forecast heat but with a few late players there was ample time to re-hydrate in the ‘Golfie’ by the early players. Saturday’s competition was a 4-Person Ambrose Medley, sponsored by the Forbes Rugby Union Club. This was the annual ‘Sanderson Memorial Day’ which welcomed officially handicapped and social players alike. The field of 78 players included 66 members and 12 social players all keen to have some fun. The winners were the team of Brett Thomas, Shane Sallaway, Fons Melisi and Andrew Cogswell who finished with 54 ¾ nett. They started steadily with pars on the par-3’s and a birdie on the 2nd hole. From there they hit their straps mixing pars and birdies to turn on 31 Scratch. But the back-9 was where they really put a stranglehold on the event. They started with four birdies, slipped with a par on the 14th then birdied all the way home to close with a 28 and finish on 59 Scratch. Runners-up, on count back, were the team of Ben Robinson, Brodie Hodges, Mitch Bayley and Andrew Quirk who managed a 55 ¾ nett. They bogeyed the first hole but then put their heads down and gathered six birdies in their score of 31 on the front-9. Their back-9 was also strong but their putters went cold and the birdies did not flow as easily, resulting in a closing 31 scratch and total of 62. They had a better handicap than the winners but it was not enough to bridge the gap. The ball sweep went to 57 nett, going to: 55 ¾ – W O’Neill/B Hodges/ M Duff/ B Slack-Smith; 55 7/8 – A Quirk/D Quirk/ T Callaghan/ P Dawson; 56 ½ – W Simmons/ S Grierson/D Churchill/A Simmons; 57 – M Duke/T Duke/P Duke/S Duke. The visitors in the field included – Gary Walters (Cerberus GC) who joined the Glen Hooper team, and a group from Cowra (Stephen Williams, Craig Pierce, Peter Smith and Chris Brown) who were having a travelling day and did not disgrace themselves on a new course. Another ‘visitor’ was John Zannes who now plays out of Bathurst but joined his ole mates Rhodes, Webb and Tisdell for the weekend. The NTP’s went to: 9th – Men H Callaghan, Ladies B Duncan; 18th – Men P Dawson, Ladies C Duncan. With four players in each group converting for a ‘2’ would have been odds-on, but unfortunately all were successful except the Duncan team on the 18th who could not convert Caitlin’s excellent performance. Overall there were sixteen 2’s, with the 9th being the most competitive and having one more than the 3rd and the 18th. The 1st remained 2-less despite some very promising putts which either lipped out or skimmed the edge. The 3rd hole Super-Pin was delivered by a shot that was almost a career memorable highlight. Dave Quirk struck the tee shot with confidence and watched as his ball soared towards the green and rolled towards the hole. He was joined on the tee by his teammates as they urged the ball closer to the hole with excitement increasing as it approached ever nearer. On arrival on the green the tape measure recorded 20 cm. So near yet so far. In this format birdies are mandatory for a good score and eagles are pure gold. There were two eagles scored, both on the 6th hole. One was by the Duke family off Matty’s drive, with the other by the Nick Ryan team off Matt Roylance’s drive. These scores certainly helped both teams. Of equal importance is the need for players in a group to capitalise on the good shot of their teammate. An example was by the Frank Hanns group. A wayward second shot to right of the 14th green required a deft chip by Frank to put the ball within easy reach of a par putt by Brian Clarke. And there is a need to cover each other. On the 7th hole Wayne O’Neill’s group all had bad tee shots. The best of these required a shaped shot from among the trees which was accomplished and led to a scrambling par. One group, the pairing of Anthony Alley and Steve Grallelis, needed a few helpers to convert their chances but still finished in the ‘top 20’. Anthony’s firepower coupled to Steve’s steady play created many birdie chances that went begging. Steve did manage a chip-in Birdie on the 12th and monster birdie putt on the 15th, while Anthony used his long handle putter to good effect to salvage pars. But they did produce a scratch score the equal of other 4-player groups. Some stories of fortune include the approach shot to the 10th by Todd Callaghan that hit the pin and instead of dropping to inches from the hole instead bounced away to the edge of the green. The Duncan group book-ended their back-9 with 3’s and produced nothing but 4’s in between. Ecky Dawson was fortunate to not need his putter on 13 of the holes played. His group steadfastly maintained a set putting order and his ‘tail-end Charlie’ role was not needed. On the other hand, a group of four all missed their par putt on the 11th to record their only bogey on the back-9. Obtaining the required number of tee shots is vital but also nerve wracking. The winning group needed the tee shot of Brett Thomas on the 18th to complete his set. His timely good shot was rewarded with a ‘2’. Most groups completed the task by the 12th or 14th hole but a few left it to the 16th or 17th holes to get the job done. There was no play in the Sunday Stableford Medley. Here is the news: On Sunday the Forbes GC hosted a ‘Jack Newton Junior Golf – Juniors on the Move’ event. This was organised through Golf NSW by the regional contact Casey Thompson and run in conjunction with our Head Pro Will Gunn and parental support. A blustery hot day met the 12 junior golfers who gathered from Forbes, Blayney and Trundle and all of whom did not have handicaps but were very keen to play. A 9-hole course with modified tees was laid out, on which the players competed under modified rules which are aimed at encouraging participation. The winner was decided in a play-off after Benji Wu (Trundle) and Austin Randall both finished on 38 Scratch. Benji held his cool and took the honours. H/Pro Will thanks all the participants and the parental support for ensuring all the players enjoyed themselves. You never know, there may be another ‘Cam Smith’ among them. The Wallace Cup nomination sheet is in the Pro Shop and requiring names. There is much talk among players about this event but few of them follow through. Get your name down so we can make a draw and commence play at the end of April. Here is a reminder for the Forbes Mens Open (April 27) with nominations opening on 1 April and the Forbes Ladies Open (May 4). Nominations are also now open for the Forbes Vets ‘Week of Golf’ being held from 5 – 9 May. It is crystal ball time: This Saturday, 22 Mar, will be an 18-Hole Individual Stroke event, sponsored by Elders Rural Services. Sunday has a Stableford Medley comp. VETS GOLF A one-over par round by 18-year-old Reggie Murray led the way at the twin-town veterans golf competition played at Forbes last week. Despite the local junior taking the honors posting five birdies complemented by six bogies and seven pars for 37 points over the 18 holes he had to pass on the "winner's cheque" to Forbes' Steve Uphill who returned 36 points. A few of the members playfully reminded Reggie that he would have to wait another 32 years before he qualified for vets! On a day where the scoring was not all that flash - except for the top five players - the Forbes pair of Stewart French and Niel Duncan both posted 35 points with French getting the decision on a count-back. Twenty-nine players contested the event - 17 from Forbes and 12 from Parkes - with the locals comfortable winners of the twin-towns shield by 206 points to Parkes' 165. The ball sweep went to 28 points with the winners as follows: 37 points – Reggie Murray, 35 Niel Duncan; 34 - Frank Hanns (F); 33 - Alf Davies and Peter Grayson (F); 31 - Bruce Chandler, Steve Edwards and Don McKeowen (F); 28 - Ken Sanderson (F), Tom Delmenico and Lex Hodges (F). John Fowler from Parkes won the encouragement award. This Thursday will see Parkes host the monthly Lachlan Valley Golf Association 18 hole stableford competition. Prior to tee off the LVGA annual general meeting will be held commencing at 9.30am. Play nominations are being called prior to the AGM with a shot gun start to follow at 10am. All members of vets golf are urged to attend the AGM and play to follow. Count-backs are becoming common in Tuesday social golf where last week it took three counts . . . the back nine, last three holes, before the last six holes separated Ken Sanderson as winner with 27 points from Ken Walton. It’s not often a single player can handle the opposition of two but our winner last week did. The opposition, two lefties. We’ll leave it that, well played Ken S. Tuesday ball toss at 8.30am ‘comp fee’ only $3. Everyone invited to play. As mentioned last week eight club members were again touring, this time to the beautiful South Coast. Results were – Day 1, Moss Vale: Four-man Ambrose – Ross Williams, Ken Walton, Jeff Moon and Neil Herbert. Day 2, Kiama: Stableford – Andrew Norton-Knight with 36 points, encouragement award Steve Uphill. Day 3, Calderwood Valley: 2-man Ambrose – Jeff Moon and Steve Uphill, 64 nett. Day 4, Jamberoo: Stableford - Ken Walton, 35 points, encouragement award Jeff Moon. Mystery four-ball Ken Walton and Ross Williams 63 points. Overall winners – Ken Walton and Terry Coastes (Cowra). All reports, a successful and great trip. LADIES GOLF Last Wednesday was our first Wednesday Stroke Event for the year and it was also our first attempt at Drop-out Stableford for those who decided they did not want to play stroke or who encountered difficulties at the water holes. It was successful with some players who don’t normally like playing stroke playing with only one dropping out for the day. With the pressure off others managed to get over the water holes. It was the first Monthly Medal for the Year as well as Mabel Mackenzie Brooch and Golf NSW Medal. The event was sponsored by McFeeter’s in two divisions. Medal winners were: Division 1, Ev Uphill; Division 2, Robin Lyell; and Division 3, Sarah Black. Winners for the day were Robin Lyell with an excellent nett 68 in division 1 and Ann-Maree Gaffney with nett 78 in division 2. Robin had a great day also winning the putting with 28 putts including 2 gobbles and a chip in birdie on the 18th. She also won NTP on the 9th. Ev Uphill had NTP on the 18th and the ball sweep went Ev, Heather and Sally P. Well done everyone. Last Saturday was the Sanderson Memorial Day. The results are in the men’s notes. Last Sunday three ladies went to the Wellington Tournament. It was quite hot but a bit of cloud cover and a breeze made conditions a bit more pleasant. There were 70 players at the tournament which for many years had been held in October but due to a busy schedule in October was successfully moved to March. Only winner there was Heather Davidson with a Division 1 NTP. Eight ladies attended the Ladies Veterans Tournament in Taree this week. As the first day was St Patricks Day they were required to dress up and dress up they did. They looked tremendous. Hope they had a great day. Results will appear in the next issue. Saturday March 22 is a Stableford Event sponsored by Forbes Boat and Car Wash and next Wednesday March 26 is a 3 Club Event with some surprises. This event is sponsored by Colleen Bratton and Pat Jones and you are only allowed three club including a putter. Parkes Ladies Tournament is on Sunday March 30. SUMMER SIXERS The first week of the Forbes Golf Club Summer Sixers competition Finals saw some really good scores posted from some of the top teams. But there were also some surprise results. The Finals are played as a knockout so it is important to do well. The lucky teams at the top of the draw for each of the Main and Plate draws get a second chance but each week sees teams drop out. The best team scores this week across all Groups were Bogey Boys (95), Six Appeal (97) and Top Five (100). In the Main Draw the top teams in Gp 1 Blackridge Hire (101) snuck past Globe Hotel (102) and Gp 2 Gunn Golf (103) knocked off Forbes Auto (106.5) to passage through to the third week, while in Gp 3 Murrays Mates (112) lost to LIV (101) and in Gp 4 Sand Baggers (103) lost to Six Appeal (97) and need to fight again in the second week. Those to drop out from the Main Draw were Gp 1 – Dragoness, Gp 2 - Grant Howell AE, Gp 3 – HD&SI and Gp 4 F-Troop. The Plate Draw saw in Gp 2 EHAG (111) edge past Walkers (112.5) and in Gp 4 Up to Par (102) zip past Part Time Putters (114). Gps 1 and 3 had fewer teams resulting in the next games being in week 3. Because of the numbers the only team to drop out from the Plate Draw were ‘Par then Bar’. Unfortunately a couple of teams did not record a score and have been ousted. All teams can play as many cards as they like up to and into the week of their next match. This will give everybody a chance to submit their best score. The Finals Week 1 Best member nett score was made by Jake Banks (Sand Baggers) with 31. The Best non-member nett score was made Toby Browne (Bogey Boys) with 27 nett. The ball sweep went to 35 nett again. As usual balls for members will go onto their account while Non-members can get theirs from the Pro Shop. Good luck to all those still in the contest. Remember to advise the Pro Shop if you are attending the dinner.
