Where we are!
The virus that ate Ivanhoe on 26 March 2020.
Unfortunately, the Committee has had to decide that it is the best interests of both Club members and the community at large for the Club competitions to be suspended immediately.
Competition will resume as soon as it is wise (and allowed) to reconvene in public gatherings but it could well be several months before that chance arises. In due course, the Committee will decide what to do about the half completed Stuart Clarke memorial event but it would be a good idea if everybody still wore their ‘Hawaiian’ shirt tomorrow as a mark of respect close to the anniversary rather than at some future date.
When a date for resumption of competition is determined, the events will carry on as listed in the Calendar from that date. The only exception might be if it was decided to play another round to complete the Stuart Clarke. Any trophy events that are missed during the shut-down will not be competed for or awarded.
In the meantime, stay at home as much as possible, observe social separation and hygiene, and isolate if unwell. It is an unfortunate fact that a number of us will become infected and the last thing we would want to do is to pass the infection on to our friends, family and loved ones, particularly those that might be in the ‘vulnerable’ category.
For those that don’t do Facebook, here is a link that I think well demonstrates the value of social distancing and isolation on limiting the spread and flattening the curve. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/
See you all on the other side.
Matchplay Report for 21 March 2020
It was a big day for Matchplay yesterday and, while we all tried to maintain separation, there was not a great deal separating the members who fought it out in their first (and one second) round matches. There was a little confusion on how to use the score card but basically, you write the respective stroke scores in the first two columns and the result (win [+], square or loss [-]) in the third and then the progress total in the fourth. Notionally, Player 1 is the person on the top row of the fixture as he is the person responsible for arranging the match and recording and reporting the score. We would prefer not to use two cards per match so the person managing the card should make his opponent aware of the index on each hole, particularly where strokes are given or received. Enough of that!
Dale seemed a little perplexed that he had to concede Trev twenty-two strokes in their match. As it turned out, that was exactly the right number because right throughout the scoreline hovered around the even mark and eventually finished all square after the 18th. The match then went to a chip-off that Dale managed to win and take the match.
Chrispy and Craig, on the other hand, were separated by only the single stroke. This match never diverged more than one hole either side of square until it went dormie one in Chrispy’s favour at the 17th. A pair of pars on the 18th handed the match to Chris. There was a slightly larger margin in handicap separating MattH and Daniel and once again the honours were reasonably evenly divided, particularly on the front nine. Matt’s grip loosened a bit in the early stages of the back nine and Daniel opened up a small lead before Matt started to make a come-back. It was just a bit too little and a bit too late when the match fell to Daniel 2 and 1 at the 17th.
Pepsi also had to give a few strokes to Gordo and Gordo had slightly the better of the front nine as Pepsi searched around for his ‘lost’ touch. He must have found it on the track between the 9th green and the 10th tee given the contrast in the stroke scores carded for the two halves. However, despite the two under par back nine, the best that Pepsi could do was to bring the match to all square after the 18th and so they repaired to the green for a chip-off. Pepsi succeeded in the first round.
Dave was on record as saying that his match against Peter would be all over by 10 (o’clock that is). Now, if he had meant, by the 10th hole, he might have been forgiven for thinking that he was getting close. But Peter is not one for lying down and he fought back to bring the match to square by the 15th. However, easy wins on the next two holes gave the result to Dave 2 and 1. In the final match, JQ and Targe slugged it out (almost). The match was very evenly balanced right through the front nine and was all square at the turn. Targe reckoned his new glasses were making the ball look egg-shaped which seemed to make some of his shots go a bit astray or maybe the ball really was egg-shaped and there was nothing wrong with his glasses. In the event, John got the upper hand and looked set to romp it in. A couple of ‘duffed’ chips by John on the 16th and a ‘miracle’ putt by Targe on the 17th brought them to the 18th to decide the match. A half gave the match to John, one up, and avoided yet another chip-off.
There are three matches left to play in Round 1 and two weeks left to complete them. Get your skates on guys! In the meantime, Round 2 matches can be played next week if both players agree but after that (04 April et seq.) the present/play rule will be in force for Round 2.
It was an elbow bumping kind of day on 21 March 2020
There were so many people on the starting blocks this morning that the tee marshal had to go on bended knee to the course management to be allowed to fit the 32 members who had turned up into eight groups. And, of course it just happened to be a day when there were record numbers of others booked in due to the closure of nearby courses. The management even had to provide over-flow parking to deal with the crowds. Unfortunately, we did not heap glory on ourselves with some slowish play that created quite a bit of congestion behind us. We do get a pretty tolerant treatment from the course and it is down to each and every one of us to keep the pace of play moving to make the game more enjoyable for everyone, including our fellow Club members.
The prestigious nature of the Stuart Clarke Memorial is probably the main reason for the great turn out but, there could have been other contributing factors such as the fact that there are no footy games to attend and punters are probably banned from race-tracks as well. Regardless of the reasons for the high turn out, it was neither a mad punter nor a rabid footy fan (although one is a Collingwood supporter) who came out at the front of the pack at the end of the day. Blighty was kind of erratic with two gashes and four singletons but he more than compensated for these lapses with three four pointers and five three pointers. Allan, who was, at one stage, mistaken for an escapee from a nursing home was much more consistent in getting to his 39 points with not a scratch on the card.
Ben has gotten right into Pilates in order to build up his core-strength and to increase his flexibility. He has also been working on smoothing out his swing. There was a small matter of barely avoiding a draughtie on the 13th but all the effort seems to have paid off to produce 38 points and a share of second place. Dennis, on the other hand, did not avoid producing a draughtie on the 17th by hitting the ball between his own legs. There was also a green that he didn’t take a putt – not because he chipped in. Other than that, not a bad round.
Enzo is getting a bit of a reputation as a serial winner of the B-grade in the inside comp. and it would not surprise if he did it again today. Daniel had more than his fair share of singletons which suggests that he is capable of better and so he would not be without hope of catching the leaders. Pepsi could have been forgiven for suffering a bit of despair after the first half of the round. But, he cast off the malaise and fairly blitzed the back nine to complete it in only thirty one strokes (two under par) for twenty-two points and a share of third place with 37 in total. One, so-called, aberration was a par on the 14th where his three playing companions, Si, Gordo and Rodger, all scored birdies.
MattA put in a very steady round with just enough dropped points to keep him from being a front runner. Gordo reckons it is hard to play good golf when you have yourself by the throat and you start choking. MattH on the other hand is still checking out his golf gear to find out what is missing after his run-in with ne’er-do-wells in recent times. All three would have to like their chances of running down and crash-tackling the leaders. The last of the interim place holders should also not be written off with a heap of talent and potential on offer. The Beast went very close to scoring an ace on the 17th to have the easiest of tap-ins to clean out the Eagles Nest once again. Chrispy continues to amaze with his ability to shape the ball from left to right with great consistency. Dale had one little problem with a lie but that did not stop him coming home with a share of 5th spot and a chance for the big one.
Jake had a few little problems today. He was deep in the shrubbery at one stage to play a shot and got so involved that he ended up with a mouth full of leaves and twigs. On the 18th, he managed to pull off a draughtie by barely moving the ball off the tee. However, on the 15th, he placed his drive to 1.78m from the pin and collected a nice little pool for the ProPin. Helped to pay for the beers in all probability. Porks won the first BallPin on the 12th while Enzo managed to get just onto the green to take the BallPin on the 18th. Trevor was pretty chuffed to have scored his first birdie in a long time on the 15th and, as well as contributing to the grand total of 27 birdies (and one eagle), he also collected five points for the effort.
Damo and Harry struggled to get going on the front nine and as they lined up on the 10th, Damo suggested that they should aim to score eighteen on the back to get a modicum of respectability to the card. The extra competition seems to have done the trick and they both scored 19. And there was nearly a fight for the Eagles Nest when Damo pitched into the 14th and the ball rimmed the cup and finished mere centimetres away. Porks was happy to have beaten Noodles at last.
The committee met after the round and the main topic for discussion was the Club’s response to the current pandemic. Basically, we will be guided by the regulations promulgated from time to time. Our competition will continue while the course is open for business. However members should abide by the cleanliness, contact and other guidelines that are readily available. They should not present for golf if feeling unwell in any way and, if they are diagnosed with the virus, they should notify the membership by using the email mailing list so that isolation can be instituted if required by potential contact. For the time being, registration will be continued in the club-house but it is preferable not to remain inside after registering. Providing the weather is clement, the after round gathering will be held by the bar-be-que table. It was also decided that the club lunches would be suspended until the crisis passes. This means that there will be no bar-be-que provided next week.
Next week is the final round of the Stuart Clarke Memorial, and, as a token to Stuart’s memory we ask all members to wear a ‘loud’ Hawaiian shirt if at all possible. The groups will go out in reverse place order and these will be circulated a little later. In the meantime, if you played this week and will not be present next week, please advise Harry and the tee marshal(s). If you didn’t play this week and plan to play next week, could you please do the same thing.
Results for Saturday, 21 March 2020
Leaderboard Round 1: 1st Andrew Blight(39) 1st Allan Davies(39) 2nd Ben Akdag(38) 2nd Dennis Ward(38) 3rd Enzo Cirone(37) 3rd Daniel O’Rourke(37) 3rd Andrew Petricola(37) 4th Matthew Aforozis(36) 4th Gordon Hill(36) 4th Matt Hunt(36) 5th Bill Eastoe(35) 5th Chris Priems(35) 5th Dale Webb(35)
Seniors Leaderboard: 1st Allan Davies (39) 1st Andrew Blight (39) 2nd Dennis Ward (38) 3rd Enzo Cirone (37)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin15th Jake Priems BallPin No 1 12th Ryan Porker BallPin No 2 18th Enzo Cirone
Eagle’s nest Results: Eagle 17th Bill Eastoe
Da conditions were good on 14 March 2020.
You could be forgiven for thinking that the autumn break was upon us after the sudden change in the weather yesterday. There were a few spots of rain over night and the breeze out of the south made a few of the less hardy souls among us bring out the jumpers and other warm apparel. But, there were also some hardier types that soldiered out in their shorts and sleeves. There was lots of talk about viruses and toilet paper and cigarettes (or lack of them – good onya Damo) and it seemed that all twenty one players were on deck with the full intent of meaning business. That is until Ben stepped onto the first tee. Well, everybody thought that he meant business with his first swing in the vicinity of the ball. The point in question relates to whether it was a practice swing or not. But, enough of that little episode. There are bigger fish to fry.
Last week, the scoring was all of a cluster and we had a four way countback for the medal that eventually had to go to the last three holes to separate the final pair. If it had been a Medal or a Major this week, there would have been no need for such computational gymnastics because Peter played well outside himself and came home with a +6. The new GA system applies a one stroke penalty if you break by seven so maybe our winners penalty is not so severe after all.
Chrispy seems to be settling into his new found role in the Seniors and that was helped no end by playing with a couple of other seniors in Dennis and Si who gave him a few lessons in the fine art of ‘senior’ sledging. As usual, he made good use of his skills as a tree marshal to keep his ball in play and to help himself to a bottom line of +4. He did say that the ankle was a bit antsy after the round but he is confident that he will be back for the next two weeks to collect the trophy for the Stuart Clarke memorial.
Blighty was working on being a CAD during the week and that might explain his sure and steady progress through the round with the barest smattering of holes on the ‘wrong’ side of the ledger. He teamed up in second place with Enzo who was anxious to get away early and it seems that the anxiety got to Enzo as the game deteriorated as the round progressed with a slump from +4 on the front to a -2 on the back for an overall result of +2.
Jake took a while to warm up, possibly because he was in unfamiliar territory with a group of Seniors. Some of his drives sailed a long way straight down the centre of the fairway so he obviously hasn’t been taking lesson from his Dad. The apprentice tree marshal seems to have managed to stay out of them, mostly, today and Dennis joined Jake on the fourth podium with a score of +1. There was something of a gap to fifth place where Brendon, ChrisV and Whitey crowded together (despite the risk of virus) to collect the single point for a score of -2.
The ProPin today was a Jackpot on the 4th and the tree on the left played the usual amount of havoc with shots to the green. Harry’s ball just clipped some low hanging leaves to take just a smidgen of pace off the ball and have it run close by the hole to finish 4.11m past. At the end of the day, that was enough to collect the loot. The first BallPin was on the 12th and it was a fiercely contested event. First, Brendon eased out Enzo. Damo shot his past the pin and it spun back to finish a metre or so closer. Then Blighty repeated the dose and spun his back from above the pin to come out the winner. On the 18th, the BallPin was effectively a no contest when Chrispy put his to a metre or so to shut the rest of the field out. Disappointingly, he didn’t make the birdie and so our total for the day was another, fairly paltry, tally of five.
There were two matches contested today which means that the first round is now half complete. Three more weeks to get it done so those remaining had better get organising. Anyway, ChrisV and Damo were first cabs off the rank and both had a shaky start, finding the trees on the right of the first. The fortunes fluctuated a bit and they both seemed intent on not getting too far ahead at any stage. Despite the to-ing and fro-ing Chris managed to get to three up with five holes to go. Out of bounds on the 14th and 15th gave Damo a sniff of a chance which he took and won the next two holes as well to be one up on the 18th. ” I’m going to sink this (long) putt”, said Chris. “As if”, said Damo. And he did. To win the hole. Leading to a chip-off to decide the match. It took three, pretty scrappy, chipping rounds before Damo could be declared the winner.
Blighty and Whitey were the other valiant duo to do battle. And, quite a battle it was with four holes passing before there was a break either way. Blighty snagged a couple on the trot and the match up was so close that it took some time for the score to be clawed back to square. But, Blighty kept his nerve and never got behind to make the match dormie after the 16th. He then delivered the coup de grace with a birdie on the 17th to take the match 3 and 1. Despite the closeness of the match, there was nary a cross word between the two of them the whole round and they were even heard to be complimenting one another on the execution of their shots
Dale, it seems, was somewhat tempted by the prospect of winning a ball or the inside NTP on the 18th but the shot did no go quite to plan. The most accurate estimate seems to be that the ball moved a total of 22cm. This surely qualifies as a draughtie even if we discount Ben’s swishing on the first. Simon came up short on the 12th and his usually exemplary chipping skills also failed him as the first was still short of the green. The second was going a million miles an hour when it hit the pin dead centre, stopped dead and dropped into the hole for an unlikely par. Porks and Noodles have a bit of a thing going and Noods reckons Porks can’t beat him despite a shot on the 8th that was heading out of bounds until it also hit the flag-stick dead centre and stopped on the green. Damo had a bad case of the ‘wimps’ today trying to ‘baby’ the ball into the hole and being completely bamboozled by the break.
After the formalities, the AGM of the Club was held. Outgoing President, John, thanked everybody for the support given to him and for the enjoyment that he had leading the Club these last few years. The Treasurer reported that the Club is in a sound financial position with a profit of $581 last financial year and a current bank balance of $2782. There was a vote of thanks to SOS for his efforts and good wishes for his upcoming surgery that will see him out of circulation for some time. The new Committee was elected with the changes being Rob Priems (President), Damien Lee (Vice president), Stephen Butterfield (Treasurer) and Matt Hunt (Club Captain). A full Committee list will be posted on the web-site.
Our first Major for this calendar year is coming up over the next two weeks for the Stuart Clarke Memorial. A great chance to boost your Championship chances with a double dose of points on offer. As usual there will be a bar-be-que after the second round so, if nothing else, you will be in line for a good feed.
Results for Saturday, 14 March 2020
1st Peter Damou(+6) 2nd Chris Priems(+4) 3rd Andrew Blight(+2) 3rd Enzo Cirone(+2) 4th Jake Priems(+1) 4th Dennis Ward(+1) 5th Brendon Mitchell(-2) 5th Chris Vinecombe(-2) 5th Rodney White(-2)
Seniors Results: 1st Chris Priems (+4) 2nd Andrew Blight (+2) 2nd Enzo Cirone (+2) 3rd Dennis Ward (+1)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin4th Harry Boughen BallPin No 1 12th Andrew Blight BallPin No 2 18th Chris Priems