Forbes golfing goodness | Once again the golf course was abuzz with golfers

And they certainly achieved that, with many competition results being decided on count-back.

The Medal comp on Saturday was an Individual 18-hole Stroke event, sponsored by 'The Roadies' group of Grayson, French, Earl and M Haley.

The field of 57 warmed to the task and consequently scores were very good across the grades.

This was no doubt helped by an adjustment in the Australian handicapping system that benefitted all players.

The A grade winner was Mark 'Stubbie' Collits with a fine 69, but it was a hard tussle to ward off Dave Mylecharane, runner-up on count back, and Peter Cowhan who ran out of luck on count-back.

Stubbie did the opposite to the usual manner of play, have a worse front-nine than the back-nine. His back-nine of 35 was a gem.

Dave was consistent throughout, with perhaps his only blemish being a bogey on the seventh. And Pete did very well, with he also having a single blemish, but this time on the 13th.

The B grade also showed a desire for low scoring. Dave Rhodes turned his early morning start into a winner with a 71 nett.

He stayed ahead of runner-up Laurie O'Connor (72) who managed his position on count back from Jeff Haley.

Dave thought his day was going to be a long one, having started bogey, double-bogey.

But it improved markedly. Laurie was ever so consistent, but needed to do better on the par-3's to jump ahead.

The C grade were not outdone, with the winner Nick Ryan finishing on 68 nett and recording the best score of the day.

He was well ahead of runner-up Matt Duff with his 71 nett in the scoring stakes, who has a run of good form lately.

Nick was a bit wayward on the front par-fives, and had a difficult time in the middle of the back-nine.

But he excelled everywhere else. Matt earned frequent-flyer points on the front-nine, but tightened up on the back-nine.

The ball sweep went to 73 on count back: 68 - N Ryan; 69 - M Collits, D Mylecharane, P Cowhan; 70 - K Cobcroft (Pks); 71 - R Rhodes, S Kirkman, M Duff, R Webb; 72 - J Dobell, N McMillan, L O'Connor, J Haley; 73 - I Bown, C Simmons.

The NTP's went to: ninth - D Mylecharane; 18th - S Grallelis. The twos were as rare as hen's teeth, with only three being recorded all day.

Dave got his, But Stevie G's putt slipped sideways in an agonising moment. The third yielded the other two twos.

The visitors included Ken Cobcroft (Parkes) and Andrew Brownlow (Peak Hill).

Ken felt comfortable on the course, and Andrew had certainly benefitted from knowledge gained from his previous rounds.

With the forecast for hot weather once again, the players were keen to utilise the early morning temperatures or any available shade they could.

A couple of players felt that a dip in the creek would be a good idea, and used their tee shots on the tenth to do so. But both Les and Frank had forgotten that the creek was dry.

Another to seek the water was Geoff Drane. His problems occurred on the ninth which has been a nemesis for him for a few rounds now.

Two shots into the creek took some time to recover from.

As the day wore on the effects on the golfers were varied. Ethan Gaffney was flying after ten holes, being three-over the card.

But then 'hit the wall' or something and stumbled home, losing nine shots on seven holes.

But for some the heat sharpened their resolve. Barry Parker inexplicably pulled his second shot from the left of the 16th to the practice area.

He was faced with a large gum tree between he and the pin. Undaunted he played for the gap between the main stems.

The ball rattled around a bit, but popped out and finished short of the green.

Scott Kirkman had good and bad in one hole. His second shot on the 11th struck the gum beside the green, and then the ball disappeared, never to be found.

He returned to his previous point and calmly plonked his ball on the green, then slotted the putt for a bogey. He had a colourful description of how to play that hole.

The Sunday Stableford Medley was a small affair with only a handful of players, as many of the usual players were away on Pennants duty.

The results were affected by the gusty winds, which made for difficult scoring.

The winner was Andrew Dukes with 27 points. There was no runner-up or ball sweep.

The NTP's, sponsored by GWG, was a 'pool scoop' by Andrew, as he collected both.

Of those that played on the day, Michael Spice was the most consistent scorer, recording the least number of wipes, but unfortunately only scoring 1's on most holes.

The 2020 CWDGA Pennants commenced on February 2 at Duntryleague and Dubbo for our teams.

Overall we had a 50:50 return. The Division 1 played Duntryleague at Dubbo, where our boys had a good result, winning 4/1.

Both John (6/5) and Steve Betland (6/4) had resounding wins, with Ecky Dawson and Dan Bayley both recording 3/2 wins. Shane Sallaway had a real battle, but lost 3/2.

The Division 2, 3 and 4 teams played Wentworth at Duntryleague. Division 2 had a nail-biting win, with Todd Callaghan winning his match on the 18th hole to clinch the overall win.

He slotted an uphill, 28 foot putt for birdie to win the hole and match, proclaiming that "it was the first time he was in front all day".

The Division 3 lost 3/2, but in which the games were generally tight. Winners for Forbes were Brodie Hodges (one-up) and Pete Barnes (2/1), while Ian Bown (6/5), Doug Churchill (3/2) and Bob Borger (3/2) had losses.

The Division 4 team had a day better to forget, losing 4/1.

The shining light was Frank Hanns winning 2/1 after a ding-dong battle. Brett Slack-Smith (4/3), Steve Grallelis (7/5), Troy Howe (5/4) and Stephen McAlister (2/1) faltered.

Stephen McAlister seemed to spend his day in the trees. With just a few fewer runs off the fairway he would have turned his match around. Troy battled hard all day, but eventually fell to the steady play of his opponent.

The Summer Super 6's comp is getting along well, despite the difficult weather.

All players are to note that there is a 'Double-points' round for the week of February 10-16. That may really turn the tables around.

The changes to the handicapping, resulting from the initiation of the World Handicapping System, have resulted in players getting some higher handicaps.

However, there will be a greater change between the handicap used for Blue and White tees, so check it before you start play.

On February 25, Dunnedoo Club will be running a nine-hole Pro-Am. This is a prelude to the NSW Womens Open.

The Pro-Am is a 4-BBB event, with each group comprising two golf pros. Refer to the notice on the board for details.

The NSW Womens Open, being held at Dubbo on February 27 - March 1, is a great opportunity for local golfers to get involved.

Players can either volunteer to help (marshalling, ball spotting, etc) and gain free entry plus some 'goodies', or they can apply now for free entry tickets. Contact the Pro Shop or Club Captain for details.

And we say farewell once again to our mate to all - Daryl McAuliffe. He is off for another trip overseas, but due to return in late March. Have fun Digit.

Saturday, February 8 is an 18 hole Stableford, sponsored by Troy Howe Electrical.

On Sunday, February 9 we host the CWDGA Pennants, but the course will be open in the afternoon for the Stableford Medley.

Saturday, February 15 is the two person- two club Ambrose Aust Championship, sponsored by Cahill Footwear. Sunday, February 16 has a Stableford Medley.

Keep up to date on our facebook page: www.facebook.com/forbesgolfcourse/.

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