Dennis slept right up to the alarm going off and thought briefly about giving it a miss given the forecast of rain showers and westerly winds adding a chill factor the the forecast maximum of 13C. A couple of times during the round he was heard to wish that he had stuck with his first waking thought. But then he would have missed out on the great company of twenty others who made similar decisions to chance their arm with the prospect of a bounty of points in a GrandPar competition. Included in the numbers was Ben, who now has embarked on the task of re-establishing his handicap after his break away from the club. We were also joined by Peter Damou who found us on Facebook and was not too put off by the photographic evidence of the type of person that plays with the club. Peter is a new-comer to the game but, if he can keep the country rail system running then there is a fair chance he can master the challenges involved with playing in our exalted company. A big welcome, Peter and we look forward to seeing you on the tee again soon.
Chrispy was supposed to be heading off to Bali for a well-earned break but the small matter of an erupting volcano has intervened and departure is now scheduled for Sunday, provided that the wind is blowing in the right direction. Not because of any need to clear the air around Chris but to clear the air around Bali. As it turned out, Chrispy managed to find a bit of the form that we know he is capable of and there was nary a shank in sight as Chris powered his way to a fine score of +4. This was helped along by a chip in for a birdie on the 17th and, if it hadn’t been for that, there would have been only four of the feathery little blighters captured for the day. Which suggests that conditions might not have been as benign as Chris’s score would suggest.
Dave spends a bit of time playing at Heidelberg and the greens there are a different standard to that set here at ‘Royal’ Ivanhoe and so he had a bit of difficulty with the flat stick and left a few points begging as a result. His driving, on the other hand was exemplary with reports of needing only a gap wedge on the 13th and as much as a full wedge on the 16th (into the wind). So, his score line of +2 probably did not truly reflect the potential for what might have been on the day.
The third place spot was shared around a bit with three players, Brent, Noodles and Dale. Oops, can we make that four? Of course we can, Rob! So, when all the cards were finally submitted, +1 was the score required. Noodles squeezed in by dint of a double pointer on the first, and, in doing so he became a member of a fairly small group to achieve that distinction. He also managed to miss heaps of short putts so he could be a force to be reckoned with in days to come. Rob, on the other hand, was spotted buying a round on the basis that he left his drive some 10m short of the red markers on the 7th although it must be admitted that the blues were well to the back and the reds were well to the front. Unperturbed, he put his next on the green and managed a respectable enough bogie.
Captain Pugwash is still waxing lyrical about the delights of flagons of French wine, crispy (not Chrispy) baguettes and smelly cheeses but there was nothing smelly about his form today with a square card and a share of 4th place (and 1st place in the Seniors). Right alongside him was Bob who showed signs of being able to take the event with some very respectable approach shots and some ‘power’ putting that happened to find the centre of the hole rather than the edge of the green. In a veritable feast of Seniors, Targe and the Beast filled 5th place. Simon remains confused about scoring and/or the difference between his inside and outside handicaps and had to be dropped out of the main points line-up. There is a thought that Dennis might have had something to do with persuading him to claim a square rather than a miss.
The BallPin was on the 4th and Bob managed to stay on the green by the narrowest of margins to take the ball for the day. The 15th was a very nice little Double Jackpot from the last two weeks although the field numbers were a little down over that time. Still, it was worth fighting for and Chrispy added to his laurels for the day by sneaking it just closer than SOS to take the prize pool at 3,28m. The second ProPin on the 18th went begging after Harry’s shot almost made it to the crest and then, frustratingly, rolled back down the slope. Dennis, on the other hand was just a bit too long and would have been in a good position if the flag had been on the top shelf.
For the first time in a little while, the Birthday Birdie has a job of work this week and that is to make a big how-d’ye-do for Pepsi who will move just a fraction closer to playing his age.
The stories behind today’s draughties bear some consideration. Rob’s you already know about. Ben was buying a round but that was only due to his kind-hearted generosity. On the 15th, his playing group thought they had one for sure when his drive disappeared into the trees and seemed destined to come to a sudden halt OOB and behind the reds. Lo and behold, the ball appeared on the other side of the scrub and finished comfortably on the green. What did they say about the Age of Miracles?
For a long time now, people have been commenting about how close to the ball Simon makes his practice swing. Today, the swing was just a fraction off plane and the ball skittered off at 90 degrees and finished several metres away on the edge of the 6th fairway. Simon opted to consider the ball ‘in play’ and carried on to play the hole from where it lay. However, as it was Simon’s normal practice to make a practice swing and he had not addressed the ball to make a stroke, the ball was not ‘in play’ and he was entitled to replay the shot from the teeing ground without penalty. Just goes to show, it pays to be familiar with the Rules. And, technically, it wasn’t even a draughtie except that he chose to play it.
Peter was another to have a close shave on the draughtie front when his tee shot on the 12th finished precisely aligned with the red markers. His second ended on the bank behind the green and, from that difficult spot, the ball finished some 25m down the bank at the front of the green. A lesser person would have despaired but a brilliant chip placed the ball convincingly in the hole for the bogie.
The 12th today seemed to have some sort of fatal attraction for some members. There had been a few sprinkles of rain, but not a lot to speak of. Unless, of course, there was a mini storm cloud that hovered over Matt’s golf bag and dumped a load of water down the tubes to thoroughly wet the grips and make them as slippery as an eel. So much so that when Matt took his swing at the ball from the tee, the club slipped out of his hands and flew gracefully through the air to finish just about in the centre of the duck pond by the tee. At least, that is the story he is putting around. There was a fair gaggle of on-lookers and no shortage of photographic evidence of the ‘creature’ emerging from the depths of the Black Lagoon.
The 16th also had its share of adventures. Dennis decided to ‘try’ something from the tee and promptly hooked the ball OOB. Resolving not to ‘try’ that again he repeated the shot almost exactly although this time it struck a tree and dropped back into play but far too far away for any hope of a scoring chance. Ben decided to use the 16th as he played the 14th and was spotted playing a rather ‘chunky’ pitch shot that saw an exceedingly well formed divot travel almost as far as the ball.
Results for Saturday, 30 June 2018
1st Chris Priems(+4) 2nd David Mullenger(+2) 3rd Stephen Butterfield(+1) 3rd Robert Priems(+1) 3rd Brent Rowley(+1) 3rd Dale Webb(+1) 4th Gordon Hill(□) 4th Bob McDonald(□) 5th Bill Eastoe(-2) 5th Targe Mifsud(-2)
Seniors Results: 1st Bob McDonald (□) 1st Gordon Hill (□) 2nd Bill Eastoe (-2) 2nd Targe Mifsud (-2) 3rd Simon Powell (-3)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin No 1 15th Chris Priems ProPin No 2 18th Jackpot BallPin 4th Bob McDonald