Ken Sly a winner as vets golfers converge on Forbes for great week

"Our numbers are down slightly as we did have opposition with a similar tournament scheduled up north but in the end we are happy with the final result," he added.

"The course was very well presented despite recent issues which have been a challenge, friendship on and off the course could not be faulted, our sponsorship support was again fantastic, our committee and volunteers all contributed to a highly successful week.

"We are already looking forward to next year."

As expected local players dominated the trophy table for the week's play and none more so than one of Forbes' newer players in Ken Sly who took out the NSWVGA Shield on Friday with the best score for the day, 41 points.

Not far behind collecting the ladies shield was Mabel Crouch from Mildura with a round of 39 points.

Leading into the tournament a 4BBB medley was played on Monday highlighted by the dominance of host players with Veronica Rebellato and Debbie Tilley leading the way home with 45 points. One better than the husband and wife combination of Linda and Peter Cowhan.

Ball sweep winners from Forbes and Parkes - 41 Christine and Dale Stait (P), Steve Edwards and Don McKeowen (F), Ken Sly (F) and Joe Davies (P), 40 Graham West and Duncan Sharpe (F), Alf Davies and Niel Duncan (F), 39 on a c/b Peter Grayson and Greg Webb (F).

With players only eligible to win one trophy individual best scores, and not necessarily trophy winners for each day's play were - Tuesday. A grade, Scott Walker (Penrith) 36 points, Niel Duncan (F), 33. B grade, Steven Palfrey (Toronto) 38, Graham West (F) 35 on a c/b. C grade, Eric Hudson (Leeton) 35, Ken Sly (F), 34 on a c/b.

Ladies. Mabel Crouch (Mildura) 38, Penny Hudson (Leeton) 34.

Nearest the pins - Patricia Warby (Bega). Men A grade Niel Duncan (F), C Ralph Baker (F). Ball sweep, Forbes and Parkes only - 35 Graham West (F), Bruce Chandler (F), Peter Grayson (F), 34 Ken Sly (F), Ian Thomas (F), 33 Niel Duncan (F), 32 Allan Rees (F), Greg Webb (F), Stephen Uphill (F), 31 Lindsay Elliott (P), Jeff Haley (F), Peter Cowhan (F), Ralph Baker (F), 30 Dale Stait (P), Ted Morgan (F), Peter Schoefield (F). Ladies, 32 Ann-Maree Gaffney, 30 Evelyn Uphill.

Thursday, A grade, Noel Flavell (Bermaguie) 38, Neil McMillan (F) 37. B grade, Jeff Haley (F) 41, Dale Stait (Parkes) 35. C grade, Ken Sly (F) 39, Bill Downton (Callala) 37.

Ladies - Penny Hudson (Leeton) 37, Denise Flavell (Bermagui) 34 on a c/b. Nearest the pins - Linda Cowhan (F). Men, A grade Greg Webb (F), B Jeff Haley (F), C Francis Hanns (F).

Ball sweep, Forbes and Parkes only - 36 Ralph Baker (F), Niel Duncan (F), 35 Dale Stait (P), 34 Barry Shine (F), Peter Cowhan (F), Nym Dziuba (P), Bruce Chandler (F), 33 Peter Grayson (F), Greg Webb (F), 32 Mick Dellaca (P), Frank Hanns (F). Ladies, 32 Ann-Maree Gaffney (F).

Friday, A grade, Stephen Uphill (F) 39, Alf Davies (F) 34, B grade Jeff Haley (F) 38, Lindsay Elliott (Parkes) 36. C grade, Ken Sly (F) 41, Michael Miller (Antill Park) 32 on a c/b. Ladies, Jennifer Fletcher (F) 36, Carmel Downton (Callala) 34.

Ball sweep for Forbes and Parkes players only. 39 Stephen Uphill (F), 38 Jeff Haley (F), 36 Jennifer Fletcher (F), Lindsay Elliott (P), 34 Alf Davies (F), 33 Ken Sanderson (F), Peter Grayson (F), 32 Steve Edwards (F), 30 Greg Webb (F), Ralph Baker (F), Dale Stait (P), Niel Duncan (F), Kim Herbert (F).

Also contested was a 36-hole competition with combined scores from Tuesday and Thursday rounds. Best were - Men, A grade, Niel Duncan (F) 33, 36, 69, Scott Walker (Penrith) 36, 32, 68. B grade, Jeff Haley (F) 31, 41, 72. C grade, Ken Sly (F) 34, 39, 73. Ladies, Penny Hudson (Leeton) 34, 37, 71. Mabel Crouch (Mildura) 38, 30, 68.

Veteran's golf continues in Forbes this week with the weekly twin towns challenge between Forbes and Parkes players scheduled for Thursday, noms from 9.30am for a 10am shot gun start.

Thursday week (16th) the Lachlan Valley Association will hold their monthly veterans 18 comp in Condobolin. If your play is not up to standard you can be sure your morning tea and lunch will be be. Rated 5-Star. See you there.

By Short Putt

The Mens comp on Saturday was the annual Wilf Hodges Trophy, an Individual Stableford sponsored by the Hodges family. Forecast of rain reduced the field on Friday, with many more cancellations made on Saturday when patches of heavy rain and persistent heavy cloud dampened the enthusiasm. Eventually the field of 19 players traversed the course in an endeavour to enjoy their golf and post a good score.

In Div-1, Brad Ashton not only excelled in the rain but also threw off the mantle of 'perennial bridesmaid' to eventually win the Saturday comp. His 37 points was a true measure of 'par' golf, where he shot 35 on the front and 37 on the back. This earned him 20 points on the front and 17 points on the back, where a couple of bogeys held him back.

The Div-1 runner-up was Reggie Murray with 35 points. He matched Brad's scratch score on the back-9 but with slightly more handicap had 20 points. However, after a good start to the front-9 he had a run of bogeys which earned him only 15 points. Turning a couple of those into two or more points would have won him the trophy.

Many of the Div-2 players struggled to post a good score. However, Cody Banks used his power-game to find the greens and give him many chances to score points. His ultimate score of 34 points was dominated by 2-pointers with only one 'miss' and one 4-pointer as a balance.

The Div-2 runner-up was Liam Fraser who not only grabbed a ride in a cart but managed to etch out 30 points for the day. He had two 'misses' on each half, and also a few too many 1-pointers. Nevertheless he can be happy with his 15-15 split.

The ball sweep went to 33 pts on count back, going to: 35 - M Inder; 34 - J Bernardi; 33 - J Wright. The lone visitor did not finish his round.

The NTP's went to: 9th - Jack Dobell; 18th - Brad Ashton. Jack's shot on the 9th was marginally inside his playing partner Cody Banks, and both were in 'kick in' distance of the hole. There was only one '2' scored, and that by Jacob Bernardi on the 9th. He snaked a long putt unerringly into the hole.

The Pro Shop Super-Pin went to Anthony Alley, in the first group to go out. His shot to 600 cm was not inspiring but was not bettered all day, possibly due to the rain effect on both player and green.

The conditions were variously daunting during the heavy rain, and quite pleasant during the fine periods. Undoubtedly most of the rain fell in the morning with fewer rain periods in the afternoon. This was no consolation to the players, who all played in the morning, with a faint hope of clearing conditions.

Of the mens field, four players did not finish their rounds, preferring to head for the warmth and shelter of home after nine holes rather than continue. Interestingly, the Ladies field, playing a 4BBB comp as a lead up to their Open on Sunday, comprised 22 players of whom all finished their round.

Unfortunately the 2023 Winner of the Trophy was unable to participate and defend his title. When in conversation after the weekend, Phil Maher did indicate that he was keen to defend his title, but not keen to get soaked while doing so.

The heavy rain periods did leave patches of water on the greens. Jeff House countered this by chipping in from the edge of the 3rd green for his par.

Usually there was the opportunity to move a ball away from casual water on the greens, but it depended on timing. One group had to contend with a 13th green awash, but the following group who were only two shots behind had putts bereft of water effect.

Apart from the excellent play of Brad Ashton, the main winner on the day was the rain. With players wearing appropriate clothing their smooth swings were hampered. This resulted in quite a few mishits - either 'fat' where the ball went nowhere or 'thin' where it raced across the ground at great speed but with only two feet of elevation.

Both the 7th and 15th holes were relatively kind to the players, with the worst score on each being a '9' on the 7th and an '8' on the 15th. Surprisingly, the 6th hole caught many players out with numerous 7's and 8's recorded.

It was pleasing to see many golfers carrying sand buckets to repair any damage. However, as they trundled around the course the sand in the buckets suffered liquefaction from the constant shaking leading to a sludge forming on top. This was difficult to dispense into the divot hole, but many preserved. This is a lesson to us all.

There was no Stableford Medley on Sunday due to the Ladies Open and the weather.

Here is the News:

A group of five Forbes players travelled to Young on Sunday to support them in their Open event. The rain weather there cleared in time for the tee off, but the wind still blew making for swirling conditions. The rain did nothing to slow the greens down, as they were lightning fast downhill.

The best of our players was Caleb Hanrahan who finished 4th overall. He picked up the prize for Best Visitor. Todd and Harry Callaghan, Stuart French and Kim Herbert were happy to make up the numbers.

The Forbes Vets 'Week of Golf', played from Apr 29th to May 3rd, was quite successful. Over 80 players registered for the week, with about 60-plus participating each day. Stephen Uphill won the NSWVGA Trophy, thus continuing the history of success for Forbes golfers.

On Monday the 4BBB was won by V Rebellato and D Tilley, ahead of P&L Cowhan. The Individual comp winners were spread across the field, but notably the Ladies 36-hole comp was won by Mabel Crouch from Mildura. Read more in the Vets report.

The Forbes Ladies Open was played on Sun 5 May, with a short period of heavy rain making things awkward. The Open winner was decided by a playoff with Cath Coates (Pacific Dunes/Parkes) defeating Kim Robinson (Dubbo). As expected, the Forbes ladies were prominent among the prize winners. Refer to the Ladies report for more details.

The 2nd Leg of the 'Trilogy of Golf' will be held at Condobolin on Sun 19 May. This will be followed by the 3rd and Final Leg at West Wyalong on 26 May.

Don't forget the Equipment Demo days organised by Head Pro Will. The first is a Titleist Day scheduled for Tue 14 May, with that followed by a Mizuno Day on Wed 29 May. Contact the Pro Shop if you are interested in any of those.

Also in the golf offering is the Cowra Pro-Am held over two days. Contact Cowra Pro Shop for more details - ph 6342 1211.

It is crystal ball time:

This Saturday, 11 May, will be the Monthly Medal, sponsored by Adept Plumbing. Sunday 12 May has a Stableford Medley, and is also 'Mother's Day'.

By The Roving Reporter

Ladies Tournament held over the weekend was a challenge with the ever changing weather with only a few withdrawing which still resulted in a successful two days.

On Saturday a 4BBB Stableford, Handicap and Scratch sponsored by Woolerina, Gunns Golf, Painted Daisies and the Lady Golfers were all won by the locals.

Scratch Winners C & B Duncan 20, R/U R Lyell and E Uphill 15. Handicap Winners C Venables and A Kingston 41, R/U J Fletcher and D Tilley.

Division One Scratch Winner C Coates from Pacific Dunes and playing off a Handicap of 2 won on a playoff with a first round score of 81, K Robinson from Dubbo was runner up and also the Nett winner with 72. R/U in Nett M Gash Dubbo 73.

Stableford Winner L Glasgow West Wylong 34 on a C/B from J Dresser Cowra.

Division Two Scratch E Wilson 95 from Cowra and R/U J Bartlett 98 West Wylong. Nett Winner Lindy Cowhan 75 from Forbes and R/U Kerry Stirling 77 also from Forbes.

Division Two Stableford Winner Wendy Simmons 30 points on a countback from Jenny Fletcher both from Forbes.

Division Three was Stableford only and the winner was Debbie Tilley 30 points, R/Up B Randall from Trundle 28 points, 3rd AM Gaffney 26, D Dingwall and R Lyell all 26 and in 6th place S Black 25.

Nearest the Pins Div One Brianna Duncan, Division Two Lindy Cowhan and Division Three Debbie Tilley. Longest Drive Division One Brianna Duncan, Division Two Wendy Simmons and Division Three H McSpadden from Canowindra.

Straightest Drive K Hood West Wylong, Division Two J Fairley Canowindra and Division Three Jill Cripps Forbes.

Drive and Chip Division One C Coates Pacific Dunes, Division Two C Lee Cumnock and Division Three Robin Lyell Forbes.

Thank you to the many sponsors and congratulations to all that enjoyed success.