The weather men made forecasts of possible storms and lightning and this might have been enough to put some people off. The morning started out a bit on the gloomy side and drizzling rain and this might have been enough to put some people off. Or maybe there were better things on offer and that might have been enough to put some people off. But, there were thirteen members and Stan who were not put off their golf either by the weather forecasts, the actual weather or the prospect of a better offer. Yes, it did rain, on and off, and a bit of a downpour (relatively speaking) towards the end of the round meant that the 17th green did not have too many water-free areas. But, this did not stop some very nice scores (and corresponding handicap adjustments) being presented to the Captain.
A few members reckoned that Harry was a bit hard done by last week to be pipped from the top spot and when he presented as the early Club-house leader again today there was speculation as to whether it could happen again. There were rumours swirling around the course that Adam was demolishing the course yet again but, suddenly, out of the blue, Noodles turned in a card with a matching 40 points. So, there were two smiling faces on the top podium level today.
Just a single point behind on 39 points was Adam who turned after nine with 23 points. Was it the pressure or did the deterioration in the weather conditions contribute to the tapering off on the back nine. The low-light was a miss on the 16th which would have coincided with the worst of the rain. RodG also continues his recent run of form and was generally well in contention. A few hiccups in the short game didn’t help the cause.
Trevor was doing a bit of tossing up as whether to play before tee time but then decided to bite the bullet and give it a go. He is probably glad that he did because he managed to get together 35 points despite a shank that went at right angles between his legs and he had to do a quick-step to avoid interfering with the travel of the ball and a couple of three putt greens that could be heard a full fairway away. Targe also managed 35 points despite having his back-swing interfered with by Trev’s remonstrations. Porks picked up the last point of the day after fading a bit on the back nine. His tee shot on the 17th was last seen heading for the Yarra and is probably down by Dight’s Falls at this very moment.
The BallPins were on the 4th and 18th today and Noodles managed to snare both of them. Probably an early Birthday present as the Birthday Birdie has a visit to make next Saturday. The pin on the 18th was towards the back of the top deck and there were a number of reports of being close to the pin but just not on the green. At least Noodles wasn’t just on the front edge of the green like somebody was last week. The ProPin was a Jackpot on the 12th and once again nobody was able to get close enough to even try to put their name on the card so there will be a Double Jackpot next week.
Keith suffered from a case of the ‘lefts’ today and things finally came to a head when the ball headed OOB on the 13th. Keith didn’t even bother to look for it because he was ‘sick’ of it and its lefty tendencies. The pin on the 14th was located in a rather diabolical spot with steep slopes to contend with from which ever direction you approached it. Gordon was about 6m away and off the green, judging it to perfection when the ball stopped above the hole, turned at right angles and rolled into the hole for a birdie. This was one of just four that were reported for the day. Harry scored another on the 6th where he reckons he missed the eagle by less than a metre (as the ball went past the hole). Pretty much the same way he missed a hole-in-one by 75mm on the 4th on Thursday.
There were also a few less than stellar performances today. Somebody was heard to say that Pepsi played ‘like one of us’. Whitey had no luck with his putter today, not even off the tee. And, speaking of off the tee, Blighty lined up on the 1st and took an almighty swing and moved the ball an estimated 25mm. Then ensued a discussion as to whether Andrew was entitled to re-tee the ball with or without penalty. As in many cases, it depends. If the ball is within the teeing area (defined by the tee markers and the two club-length allowance) the following rule (6.2 b Teeing Area Rules Item 6) applies:
When Ball in Play Lies in Teeing Area. If the player’s ball in play is in the teeing area after a stroke (such as a teed ball after a stroke that missed the ball) or after taking relief, the player may:
- Lift or move the ball without penalty (see Rule 9.4b, Exception 1), and
- Play that ball or another ball from anywhere in the teeing area from a tee or the ground under (2), including playing the ball as it lies.
Just a reminder that the AGM is coming up on 07 March. All Committee positions will spill and Treasurer, for one, is not renominating. Feel free to nominate for this or any other position that takes your fancy. Committeemen, activate your succession plan.
Also a reminder that the draw for the Matchplay Championship will be done after the round on 29 February. Everybody will be included unless you choose to opt out by registering your intent on the Registration Form on the web-site. As an alternative, you can notify Harry by email. If you remain in the draw then you are expected to abide by the rules particularly as they relate to arranging of matches and completion of rounds by the deadlines. We would prefer to avoid people missing out on gaining a place in the event because of subsequent walkovers.
Results for Saturday, 15 February 2020
1st Harry Boughen(40) 1st Stephen Butterfield(40) 2nd Adam King(39) 3rd Rod Grant(37) 4th Trevor Jackson(35) 4th Targe Mifsud(35) 5th Ryan Porker(34)
Seniors Results: 1st Harry Boughen (40) 2nd Rod Grant (37) 3rd Targe Mifsud (35) 3rd Trevor Jackson (35)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin12th Jackpot BallPin No 1 4th Stephen Butterfield BallPin No 2 18th Stephen Butterfield