There were obviously a few clouds around but the sun was clearly bright enough to warrant the use of sun-glasses and one member was moved to describe the conditions as gorgeous. So, that is probably why 19 people (18 members and a probationer) were able to get themselves out and about to compete for the July Monthly Medal. Well, it could have been a competition if it hadn’t been for a couple of spoilsports who did their level best to make it a no contest.
Now, we have heard a lot about frozen shoulders and the impact that this condition can have on your golf game. One reported effect is to force you to slow down and to take a shorter backswing. If that is the secret of Michael’s recent form, then maybe there are a couple of other members who could take a salutary lesson from his recent success. Another round equalling the par rating of the course for a nett score of 65 was enough to get the Medal for Michael by a comfortable margin. What also needs to be taken into account is the fact that the course was quite wet and soft and the round was played from the back markers so, all in all, a remarkably good round.
The new artillery gracing Chrispy’s bag must be just about broken in by this and this is evidenced by his position on the second podium this week. His round brought him home with a nett score of 67 and there were a couple of spots where there was room for improvement. The points have proved useful and Chrispy is now getting within sniffing distance of the Championship lead. If the clubs keep up the good work, we could very well have a contest on our hands in very short order.
Damo was with us again and, but for a bit of a slow start with a couple of double bogies early on, he could easily also have challenged for the main prize. As it was, his 69 was enough to get him third spot on the day. He had to share the spot with Noodles who also might have done better if not for a fat lady on the second. And that had nothing to do with his on-line dating activities – or did it?
SOS put in a pretty steady round with no major blemishes and stepped up on his own to collect a couple of points. JohnQ is back in the country (only just) and could easily have been jet-lagged to come in with 73. Interestingly, he also met up with the fat lady on the 2nd. Must be something about that hole. Targe managed to squeeze onto the podium alongside John.
The BallPin today was on the 12th and it was up to our first card prospective member Matty Chrimes to get it closer than all the rest to add a ball to his collection. A bit of a Chrime really! As a result, his first card has a birdie on it (pity it won’t count for the eclectic). Not a bad way to welcome a new member. While on the subject of birdies, there were only 9 carded for the day and at least three of those were down to Michael. There weren’t a lot on movements on the Eclectic table but we now have a tie for first between Brendon and Rob with still a bit of a gap to second place. Still, there is a little way to go yet before the end of the year.
The ProPin was on the 18th and it seems that the closest contender was that mysterious member Jack Potts. As he is never around to collect, the committee has little option but to instruct the Treasurer to add the funds to the pool for next week. Given the other events on the day, there was always some chance that Jobson Growth might have won the day.
At long last, the Birthday Birdie has got something to get out of his nest for. Pepsi will be loosening up his tonsils for a big celebration this week and, although we haven’t seen him of late, Mick McDonald will pass another milestone as well.
In other news from the course, there was some concern that balls might have gone missing in action. It does seem that there were quite a few that did get lost, particularly from one group. It’s a bit hard to believe but Chrispy, Rob, Simon and Damo are reported to have lost at least one ball on nearly every hole. Michael and Joe were particulary concerned about the intentions of a kookaburra on one of the greens (8th?) when they found him eyeing off their balls – or so they thought. In fact, he was more interested in the worms traversing the green but he was also content to pose for the camera as well.
Now, we all know that ‘global warming’ is knocking the climate into a cocked hat but things must really be going wrong if we are getting reports of magpie swooping in early July. But maybe, all is not what it seems. The tale seems to involve Damo and a sausage roll and the exact sequence of events is a bit cryptic. The upshot is that the Deniers can rest easy, for a while at least, as the maggies haven’t started nesting just yet. Not too sure about a certain football team though.
There were no reports passed on about draughties for this round. If you are thinking of having one during the next month, then it might be an idea to execute it while you are playing with Brendon. He seems to have signed up for Dry July and it would the ultimate irony if he had to knock back the opportunity to benefit from the misfortunes of another Club member.
Simon has done a great job with the acquisition of the new batch of Club shirts and they are now available for the very competitive price of $20. He has also negotiated for caps in a matching design to be available for $12 and these will be provided on an order basis. So, get your orders in to Simon. To give you an idea of what you are in for, Chrispresident stepped up to the plate and agreed to provide an extra glimpse of how good you could look in the club gear. Not that Michael doesn’t look good as well. For good measure, here’s a peep at the cap in more detail.
As announced previously, an extension of time was granted for the completion of the Matchplay Semi-finals. JohnQ and Laurie and Brendon and Rob have to play their matches this coming week or come to an agreement on the result and advise the outcome.
The Annual Challenge at Numurkah is also in need of some attention by members. Last year’s event was voted to be an excellent opportunity for some golf and fellowship (not necessarily in that order) and there will be plenty of competitions to play for during the two days of play. Gordon is taking the registrations and monies can be transferred or handed over at the earliest opportunity so that numbers can be finalised. Gordon will promulgate further details in due course.
Results for Saturday, 02 July 2016
1st Michael Gourlay(65) 2nd Chris Priems(67) 3rd Stephen Butterfield(69) 3rd Damien Lee(69) 4th Stephen O’Sullivan(70) 5th Targe Mifsud(73) 5th John Quinlan(73)
Seniors Results: 1st Targe Mifsud (73) 2nd Bill Eastoe (74) 2nd Dennis Ward (74) 3rd Gordon Hill (75)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin 18th Jackpot BallPin 12th Matty Chrimes