Yearly Archives: 2021

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a miraculous turn around in the rate of infection in the latest outbreak. But, there was NO reason not to be out on the golf course with a beautiful, balmy, sunny, almost spring, day just begging to be used for an enjoyable wander around the lush green of Ivanhoe. Except, that there was NO golf allowed.

Unfortunately, those are not the types of doughnuts that we want to be hearing about. Some would like to think that the pandemic type can be achieved once more, but it seems less and less likely that that ideal will be achieved in the near term, if ever. Despite that realisation, we can still hope that we will be allowed to play the great game next week, and, despite what reservations you might have, please register if you mean to play given the chance. We don’t want to have to rely on a great rush on Wednesday, or whenever the announcement is made. It’s not too much of an effort, really.

Not much else to report. The Birthday Birdie has been relaxing over the last couple of weeks, but he will have to rustle his feathers and get out of the nest later this week to deliver a wish to CC Matt, who will be having great anxiety about whether he will be allowed out to celebrate or not.

And, just to conclude, a little thought about the ‘living with COVID’ that we might have to do in the future (as well as now).

Results for Saturday, 28 August 2021
No competition due to COVID

What can you say? We lived in hope that the numbers would improve, and, in light of the goings-on in the Sinney city, that people would have obeyed the rules. Now, look where we are!

The hope that we would have been able to play for the Fred Howe Cup over the next couple of weekends has evaporated in a flurry of parties and pub-crawls. With the freight-train of the end of the year bearing down on us, it is hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel. As a result, the Committee has decided, reluctantly, and with the approval of the Priems boys, that the Fred Howe should be cancelled so that the balance of the year’s calendar can proceed as planned. All dependent upon the lockdown being lifted and staying lifted, although you could not be considered too pessimistic for thinking that it might not be in the near future.

But, the evidence is very strong that the vaccines are highly effective in reducing the seriousness of the infection and hence hospitalisations, intensive care and deaths. Unfortunately, they won’t entirely prevent you from catching and spreading, albeit at a much reduced rate. Infection risk is greatly reduced by masking up, social distancing, avoiding crowded indoor locations and good hygiene. We all are eligible, so don’t vacillate, vaccinate! The risks of doing so are minute, and the benefits far outweigh any that there are. You take a greater risk every day by getting behind the wheel of your car. And finally, if you don’t think of yourself, at least think of others that you hold near and dear and the community in general.

Zimmer has had to cancel the huge party that he was planning for this week, so he will just have to make do with this little wish from the Birthday Birdie. Have a good (not so, any more) young fellah!

What can you say? The weather was fine and mild, and there was no rain on the horizon. But, who could tell that there would be a plethora of positives to rain on the parade of members keen to win themselves a Medal, particularly when it had been raining medals in Tokyo. On the bright side, the course was pretty slushy under-foot on Thursday, and there would not have been a great deal of drying in the meantime, so perhaps the wellies won’t be needed for the first round of the Fred Howe next week (cross fingers that we are let off the leash). We have to take a positive view, so get on and register for your chance to close the gap on the leaders with the double points on offer.

The Birthday Birdie will have to be on the ball this week, with a veritable truck-load of calls to make. A big shout out is due to Ken, Brendon and ChrisV in the coming days. No big parties guys, but have a good time anyway.

Results for Saturday, 07 August 2021
No competition due to COVID

What a difference a couple of weeks in lock-down can make. There were quite a few creaks and groans, like a gate needing a drop of oil on the hinges. However, the shots from the first seemed to be generally good. Gordon thought his should have been well up there, if a little off the best line. Search as he might (three minutes only, of course) the ball could not be found, so he pressed on and scratched the hole. As he played up the ninth, what did he spot but his ‘lost’ first ball, just off the ninth and just a bit more off the first. Blame the trees. And, what a difference a couple of days makes. On Thursday, the course was slushy virtually from start to finish. Today, you barely needed the preferred lies, although some of them were a bit on the bare side, it must be said. The sand on the greens has not yet settled in and, unfortunately, the pitch marks do not seem to repair themselves. That, and plentiful gum-nuts, made for some interesting putting, although the rusty gate probably had more to do with the plethora of misses that seemed to plague just about everybody today.

Of the eighteen members who turned out today, only two managed to beat the course and their handicap. Brent hasn’t been all that regular, and not because he doesn’t eat his All-Bran, and so it is perhaps not surprising that the interruption to competition did not seem to have had as great an effect on his game. Particularly when you consider the plus three on his card at the turn. The mid-round slump undid all of the good work, and more, and he had to pull out all stops to revive the good form to allow a finish on one up. Bob, on the other hand, is so regular that he doesn’t even consider All-Bran, but his start to the round was not particularly impressive, and he trailed Brent by a pretty massive five points at the turn. He put his pile of strokes to good effect on the back, and did not mar the card with a single lost hole to match it up for a plus one and a share of the top spot.

According to some reports, the crowd at the top of the podium could have been far greater, if the crowd that came in second had not missed just one of the many missed putts that were reported. But, you know what they say about aunties and uncles! Craig showed signs that the old reliability was not too far off, and he was probably disappointed to finish in the same bucket as Brendon, with whom he tussles at the top of the Championship Table. Targe very kindly invited a solo player to tag along with their group, and so there was quite a gap developed in the field, and the Brothers Priems were in danger of having to call an Uber as the shout swapped back and forth. Long story short, Targe squared both halves and did his handicap no harm, although he did have to wait quite a while, while Keith and Bob sorted out their cards. Brendon also did the square dance to share second place and keep his margin on Craig in the Championship. Brendon is also currently in a tussle with Noodles at the top of the Eclectic Table, and we have the unusual situation where the scores are tied. Can one of them get another birdie to break the tie, or will it be a contest to see who can get their handicap out the most between now and the end of the year? Or, can they be caught and overtaken?

CJ had one of those days that was neither exciting nor (I dare not use the ‘b’ word). There were no Priems miracle shots, and he was not blaming Damo for straightening him out, nor was he calling for Damo to come and straighten him out. He did get a birdie on the 12th, and that was one of the ten that we scored for the day. Blighty is somewhat concerned about the cumulative effects of ageing on the (his) body. Whether this is in response to his -2 and 4th place today, or due to some other life event, is not yet clear. Or maybe it was just Brendon trying to find out what is in store for him in years to come that brought on the discussion. ChrisJ is still trying to live down the dramatic plunge in his handicap in recent times, and looked to justify it perfectly by smashing one just about out of sight on the first. The short game proved to be a bit of a let-down as the round progressed, and the final result was not helped after abandoning a ball as ‘probably in the penalty area’ on the 13th, only to find it much further up on the 10th fairway.

The ProPin today ended up on the 15th, mainly because somebody ‘forgot’ to put it out on the 12th. Brent was particularly pleased about that little happenstance as he managed to make it to 300mm from the hole on the 15th. Two-hundred and ninety millimetres to the right, and it would have been in the hole. Definitely close enough to collect the money on offer by knocking out Brendon who also went pretty close by the hole with his shot as well. The first BallPin was on the 7th, which made it a pretty tough call with the tee well back. Craig’s shot was probably uncontested. On the 18th, the pin was on the top deck, but you only had to get onto the bottom deck to win the ball, and Stef was the man to do that.

JIm likes to think of himself as being ahead of the times, and so, today, he declared that he had driven the green on the 14th hole. The only problem was, the hole that he ‘almost’ got a hole-in-one on (and a grain of salt might go well with that) was the 16th. And, yes, he would have been ahead of the times if he had played on from there. While we are still on the 16th, Noodles managed to chip his ball from some way out to within about 600mm of the hole. Put me down for a par, says he, stepping up to tap it in – or not! A rather loud exclamation ensued. JQ might be considering replacing the grips on his clubs after one ‘slipped’ out of his hands on the 16th and went further than the ball.

The Birthday Birdie wants to wish anybody who was missed during the break a belated Happy Day. In the meantime, Ben and Harry will be lining up inside the next seven days to celebrate another milestone. Have a good one guys!

Results for Saturday, 31 July 2021
1st Bob McDonald (+1) 1st Brent Rowley (+1) 2nd Craig Cameron (□) 2nd Targe Mifsud (□) 2nd Brendon Mitchell (□) 3rd Chris Priems (-1) 4th Andrew Blight (-2) 5th Chris James (-3)

Seniors Results: 1st Bob McDonald (+1) 2nd Craig Cameron (□) 2nd Targe Mifsud (□) 3rd Chris Priems (-1)

Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 15th Brent Rowley BallPin No 1 – 7th Craig Cameron BallPin No 2 – 18th Stefan Belevski

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