Once again Mother Nature provided some difficult conditions for our golfers to contest their competition in.

But ever equal to the task the golfers not only coped well in the conditions, some even defied them, turning the heat back onto the elements.

The Mens Comp on Saturday was an 18-hole Stroke event, sponsored by Rob Allen’s Livestock Transport.

Some players did struggle and would have welcomed extra transport.

But the field of 62 did very well overall, with players right through the field turning in some low scores.

The A Division winner was Dan Bayley, whose 63 nett should surely rocket him to stardom.

Two bogeys, on the fourth and 11th holes, were countered by a plethora of birdies, five in all. His 34-35-69 must have been most satisfying as Dan has not been scoring well of late, but this game had all his touch on display.

Runner-up Niel Duncan was another to return to form, albeit helped along by a handicap he has not seen for many years.

But even so his 81 Scratch would have felt like a par round, and was enough for his 65 nett to get a ‘bridesmaid’ ticket.

The B Division players were not to be outdone, turning in scores well below par also.

The winner, who you will recognise is ever so modest, was Steve Grallelis with a well (not finely) crafted 69 nett.

A few blemishes were had along the way but the company was inspiring.

Runner-up was a new member who has been looking forward to competing for some time.

George Falvey did particularly well in his first official comp at Forbes.

His back-nine was boring – eight fives and a two.

But he needed just one more shot on handicap.

There was another momentous incident during the comp.

Without much fanfare, Max Haley calmly walked onto the 18th green and plucked his tee shot out of the cup.

This was a very satisfying hole-in-one, as the shot did everything he asked of it, and more so after a double-bogey on the previous hole.

It also ruined everybody’s chances of an NTP, but deservedly so.

The question now is: how can he do it for 18 holes? Well done Max.

The NTP’s went to: ninth – S Kirkman, 18th – M Haley. And there were plenty of 2’s, with eleven overall being scored. The best of these was Dan’s on the 1st, and Garry Collits’ on the 3rd, where they are quite rare.

A couple of visitors enjoyed the course while their partners enjoyed the Elvis festivities.

Good to once again see Lloyd Cotterill (Brisbane GC) and good mate Kevin Crapp (Russell Vale GC).

Stuart Hayes (Murrumbidgee) was visiting Bob Grant, and enjoyed the golf.

Dan Bayley’s game was certainly something to watch.

But there were other good scores and shots made around the course.

Mike Woods was calm when he slotted his putt on the second for an eagle, as too was Pete Nixon for his on the 15th.

Mike started with a 35, whereas Pete was better on the back-nine with a 32.

And Ecky was Mr Consistency.

Niel Duncan’s birdie on the 15th started a great run home.

Phil Maher had twos on the ninth and 18th, but not close enough.

And Stevie G recorded his first ever birdie on the seventh.

One who does not like the seventh is Brodie Hodges, who had the worst score recorded on this hole this year, and maybe even for 2018.

He was well past Les Little’s score there.

It was a day for good things to happen.

Very pleasing to see Maurie Westwood score a deserved seven on the 15th, erasing many traumatic times in previous games.

Unfortunately it did not help their ‘battle’ as Maurie and Frank H lost to Les and Georgie.

Also to lose the money was Marty Cahill, who ‘carried’ Peter Nixon or so he claimed, eventually going down to Phil Maher and Mick Spice.

It was noticeable that many players playing the tenth used the wind to advantage.

It would appear they deliberately aimed for the 15th fairway to give themselves a clean shot to the green.

But some, like Richard Nixon, were so wide they were nearly in the trees on the 14th.

One to use the wind well was Niel Duncan.

On the first his shot was headed way right into OB, but the wind blew, giving it momentum when it came to ground so that it bounced and ran back in-bounds.

The Sunday Stableford Medley once again had a good field of 12, with Lady golfers out there early to keep their swing ‘slotted in’, and the Men using a later tee time to generate a thirst.

The top scoring continued, with Paul Kay declared the Winner on 37 points, on count back from B Drabsch.

Paul started a bit scratchy, but then played well on the back-nine.

Barb was doing well, being consistent, but slipped on the 15th where an extra point would have helped.

The ball sweep went to 36 points, being collected by Ethel Coombs, nudging out four players on 35.

The NTP’s went to: ninth – Ray Beacroft (The Grange); 18th – P Kay.

Ray’s ball was hand delivered to him, but Paul was side-stepped.

Other visitors included Mark Hammond and Dennis Squires, both from Kew GC, on the Mid-North Coast.

One player was truly excited to be playing, so much so he wanted a second crack.

He stood on the 15th tee and smacked his drive with his three-wood.

Unfortunately it went straight into ‘Betland’s Tree’ and rebounded back to him.

It kept running straight to him, stopping inches short of his tee which was still in the ground.

Pete Barnes then used his driver off the deck, just missing the same tree.

The 2018 Wallace Cup was completed in 2018. An even contest, on paper, was set up when Neil McMillan faced off against Stephen Uphill, both on the same handicap.

Neil arrived at the Final through steady play that built pressure on his opponents.

Stephen was in great patch in his golf, even toppling a previous winner in Ian Bown.

In the Final it was a case of relentless pressure from Neil and a few “not quite on the plane” swings by Stephen, resulting in a 6/5 win to Neil. 

Well done to both players, and especially to Neil who was runner-up last year.

Well done to all players who participated, and keep your eyes peeled for the commencement of the event this year.

A “New Rules 2019” Presentation was held last week and was well attended.

There is a large amount of material available on the Golf Australia website, but it is important to understand that not all of the Rules are relevant to our Club.

There will be another night on Thursday, January 24.

And if you need some paper material, including your Handbook, or have any questions please speak with Ben at the Pro Shop.

The 2019 CWDGA Pennants, commence on February 3 with the first round being played at Ex-Services Club.

The make-up of the teams this year could be quite different as there have been a number of handicap changes. Please advise Ben or Stevie G if you are willing to play.

The 2019 Programme Book is in the hands of the printer, and hopefully will be available in early February.

A Programme for Feb will be displayed in the Pro Shop. Also remember that the 2019 NSW Vets Programme Book is available at the Pro Shop.

Saturday, January 19 is the two person two Club Ambrose, sponsored by Cahill’s Footwear, followed by the Stableford Medley on the Sunday.

Saturday, January 26 is an 18-Hole Stableford, with a Stableford Medley on Sunday.

Also on Sunday is the Final of the AAA Cup, sponsored by AAA Septic Services.

Short Putt