On Saturday the Mens comp was the Monthly Medal 18 hole Stroke, and now referred to as the ‘Roadies Day’. The sponsors - Grayson, Earl, French and M Haley – enjoy a ‘roadie’ and their golf very much. Being fine gentlemen who themselves excel, they were not disappointed in the scores that the winners produced.

The A grade enjoyed some visiting competition, with Mitch McGlashan from Parkes taking the honours with a 69 nett, off a scratch round of 72. On the 18th tee he was beaming with anticipation of a sub-par round, but the course bit back causing him to finish with a bogey. Runner-up was Barry Shine with 71 nett, and around which he developed a brace of statistics. He was two-over par after eight holes, had an equal number of pars and bogeys, and threw in a few birdies. This was enough to earn the Monthly medal as the top Forbes A-Grade player.

The B-Grade witnessed a skyrocket as Josh Coulthurst powered his way around the course like a NASA jet in training. His hole-by-hole scoring was less than consistent but his recovery was dynamic, finishing with a nett 66. Not far behind was Garry Collits who used his guile and knowledge of the course to good advantage. He was very consistent on the back-9, finishing with a nett 67.

The C-Grade did not break any records, but the leaders here were well ahead of the rest. Robert Scott thought he had ruined his card with a nine on the 11th, but he did enough to finish the winner on 74 nett. Runner-up on count back, with a score of 75 nett, was Bruce Squires who managed to squeeze a few pars on the back-nine and slip ahead of Bede Tooth.

The ball sweep went to 75 nett on count-back, with recipients being: 66 – J Coulthurst; 67 – G Collits; 68 – M Spice; 69 – M McGlashan; 70 – N Duncan, B Carpenter, P Maher; 71 – B Shine; R Nixon, B Parker, J Haley, D Churchill; 73 – A Brownlow, D Rhodes, I Bown, P Duke, S Kirkman, M Collits.

The NTP’s went to: ninth – M McGlashan; 18th – K Sanderson. The greens obviously had an influence with only three twos being scored. Interestingly, two were on the first hole, where Luke Donnelly (Dubbo) and Ethan Gaffney started their rounds with a bang.

Visitors were aplenty and expressed surprise at the excellent condition of the course in these hot summer conditions. A group from Parkes included: M McGlashan, K Cobcroft and S MacKenzie, with others including A Brownlow and D Rogers (both from Peak Hill) and L Donnolley (Dubbo).

It was an interesting day with the bulk of the field playing early, no doubt fearful of being spotted by the scribe. But among the good shots, and not so good shots there is always a story to tell.

Andrew Dukes had shockers on the tenth and 15th, where he found the water on each occasion. The tenth was most unfortunate as his tee shot hit the large red gum beside the Ladies tee, across the water, and bounced backwards into the water.

Niel Duncan had a really good round, and one that would have been a winner in any match play. He was looking at an 80 scratch score, but calamity fell on the sixth hole when he scored a Bo Derek. Ten pars would have been enough to bring any opponent to their knees, but as often happens one hole ruined it all.

Mike Spice was very unfortunate. He played steadfastly all day to finish 41-40-81, and nett 68. But then, there is always someone who sneaks ahead even on your good day. Mike must be congratulated on his score on the back-nine. He had a pattern of four, five, four, five and so on to the very end.

The usual match within a group had some interesting results. Peter Cowhan was thankful his partner was Paul Kay. Paul did not contribute to their game but at least he was small enough for Pete to carry for 18 holes. Just imagine how Pete would of felt if it was Craig Barrett.

There was surprise among many when it was revealed that a group went through Ray Taylor’s group. They must have been rushing to a wedding or something similar, because they left Ray et al in their wake.

It was interesting also to see so many of our Pennants players, in all Divisions, record some crashing scores. Hopefully they got rid of their bad shots before their matches on Sunday.

Sunday was a Stableford Medley, which not surprising had a depleted field because of the Pennants and the forecast conditions. But it was a glorious day for Peter Grayson who returned to the winners circle. His score of 35 points was more than enough.

Unfortunately there was not enough for runner-up, a ball sweep or any NTP’s, but at least those who played had good fun. Ben is programming a Titleist Fitting Day in mid-late February, so keep your eyes open for the time sheet on that.

Here is the News

Sunday was the first round of the CWDGA Pennants 2019, in which Forbes is represented in each of the four Divisions. It was a day of mixed results for our teams, who each played a Parkes team.

The Division 1 team had a solid won, defeating Parkes 4/1. S Betland was untroubled with an 8/6 win, M Collits was successful with 3/2. P Dawson had a real tussle, eventually finishing one-down. S Sallaway reversed his form of the previous day to win 6/5 and Peter Nixon did well to finish 1-up.

The Division 2 team had a bad day, losing to Parkes 4/1. Kim Herbert was tenacious in his win after two extra holes, but A Dukes (1-down), C McMillan (1-down), D Mylecharane (5/4) and T West (4/3) all slumped, but in some very close contests.

The Division 3 team also lost to Parkes, but by only 3/2. Brodie Hodges carried good form to win 3/2 and Ash Tucker showed toughness with his 1-up win. P Barnes (1-down), R Borger (4/3) and E Gaffney (2/1) had unfortunate losses.

The Division 4 team were in the winner’s circle, with a close 3/2 win over Parkes. The result was in doubt right to the very end. S Grallelis (2/1) and S McAlister (19th) had wins, while F Hanns (6/4) and B Slack-Smith (3/2) lost out.

The real hero was Les Little who battled hard all day, forcing the match into extra holes. He and his opponent went to the 22nd hole before a result was found, in favour of Les. There was a huge roar as both players entered the Clubhouse, in recognition of their never-say-die attitude.

The next match is in Cowra on Sunday 10th, where all Forbes teams play Bathurst. This will be a hard match for the Division 1’s, and no lesser a challenge for the others.

You will be pleased to hear that James Grierson has recovered well from his illness, suffered late last year. He did well in the NSW Amateur Open, losing out to one of the eventual Finalists in the quarter-finals. But he showed good strength and will hopefully return to the NSW Team.

The Programme books have been printed and are available from the Pro Shop. 

Crystal Ball Time

Saturday, February 9 is an 18-Hole Stableford, sponsored by Troy Howe Electrical. Sunday is the Stableford Medley. And the Pennants are at Cowra.

Saturday, February 16 is another 18-hole Stableford, sponsored by Forbes Bus Lines. Sunday is the Stableford Medley, and the Pennants are at Bathurst.