Based on past history, the distribution of scores from last week meant that any one of about ten players were in with a chance of snaring the Stuart Clarke Memorial. One of the ten was not able to make it to the tee, but we still had sixteen members out there braving the potential heat of the day. Nalin was there as well, and he put in his third card to get what could very easily be a generous handicap. Dan brought along Charlie’s London flatmate, Dom, for a game as well, and he heads off on a 24-hour flight to return to the Old Dart tomorrow. The temperature did climb, as promised, but a bit of high cloud made it a bit more bearable, though that did burn off just in time to bathe the barbecue area in bright sun, and the temperature matched the heat of the ‘hot’ sausages that Gordo had supplied in his wisdom as a caterer.
Stan played his cards very close to his chest, and seemed more interested in the contest between Harry and Blighty as the round progressed. His front nine didn’t really shine for about six holes, but then he put the pedal to the metal, so to speak, making good use of his two stroke holes. The pace eased off for the first few holes on the back to be followed by a slaughtering of the last four with three pars. The thirty-four points brought home a total of seventy-one, which was plenty to win the trophy, and a double helping of points.
Harry had the better of both Stan and Blighty after the front nine, and he looked like stretching his lead further until a wrong ball play on the 13th marked the start of a serious oil leak that cruelled his chipping that had stood him in good stead until that time. Old Reliable played the round of the day with a couple of birdies contributing to our total of seven for the day. Those, with a couple of other improvements, took about four from his Eclectic total as well. Steve reckoned his chipping was still letting him down, but it can’t have been too bad, as he finished only a point behind Craig, making a threesome in second place with 69 points.
Brendon is suffering from some sort of hand injury, which might go some way to explain some of his erratic shot-making, that served to limit his score making capacity. It is unclear whether it was an errant iron or a purposeful putt along the ground from about 80m out on the 10th, but it helped him to an easy enough par. You don’t have to post pictures on Instagram! SOS seemed pretty happy with his handicap equalling round today, particularly after he scored a genuine birdie on the first, using his own ball. There were two balls side by side on the green in his line, so he had one moved right, and one moved left. Then he put his chip between the markers and into the hole, which helped to secure a share of third place. Then there were a run of Andrews. AndrewV did enough to sneak into 4th place, and he was closely followed by Blighty in 5th.
The ProPin was set on the 12th, and there were reports of several just outside the 5m limit. Brendon paced his, and decided that it was worth a taping, but the tape did not lie, and he was just beyond the end of the tape. No such problem on the 18th for the BallPin, and the inside ProPin, where he easily outdid Pepsi’s 11.5m, with a shot to 0.53m. There was no video evidence, as the HIO system was not operational. Pepsi did, however, collect a ball for his shot to the BallPin on the 4th.
SteveG has a habit of getting into tight spots from time to time. Luckily, relief from staked trees takes precedence over the play as it lies rule, but the state of the plant inside the guard must be in question. There is a suggestion that Marc is getting his chipping and pitching swing under control, with some fine shots reported today. It showed in the score-line with a finish just one point shy of playing to his handicap. Nalin is becoming familiar with the course, and, as a result, he is becoming something of an expert at playing a six iron to keep the ball low out of trees. The first wasn’t SOS’s only ‘how’s that’ moment. He took out his driver on the 10th, and, for some reason, teed the ball remarkably high. As a result, the club went under, the ball headed skywards, and finished at the base of the hill. He then smashed a three wood just short of the green, chipped it close and sank the putt for an ‘easy’ par. Rodger would dearly love to win Stuart’s trophy, but he reckons that he must have upset the golf gods because he manages to stuff up two or three holes on each nine despite dealing with the rest comfortably. CJ was rather non-committal about his game today, with a ‘Yeah, nah’ about the only response. At least his handicap is safe for next week.
Dan and the early finishers did a great job of cooking the burgers and snags, and there were lashings of onions and a range of mustards and sauces. The concerns for the doneness of the burgers seemed to be unfounded, but the warnings about the ‘hot’ sausages were not too far off the mark. Tomorrow might tell. Rodger thanked everybody for the good attendance for Stuart’s memorial, and expressed the wish that the Club would go from strength to strength, to continue the tradition for years to come. He then presented the Trophy to Stan. A convivial time was had by all and, hopefully, Pepsi’s lunch today did not continue for as long as yesterday’s did (allegedly).
Results for Saturday, 15 Mar 2025
1st Stan Blackshaw (37, 34, 71) 2nd Harry Boughen (37, 32, 69) 2nd Craig Cameron (31, 38, 69) 2nd Steven Gervasoni (32, 37, 69) 3rd Brendon Mitchell (35, 33, 68) 3rd Stephen O’Sullivan (32, 36, 68) 4th Andrew Vogan (33, 34, 67) 5th Andrew Blight (37, 29, 66)
Seniors Results: 1st Stan Blackshaw (37,34,71) 2nd Craig Cameron (31,38,69) 2nd Harry Boughen (37,32,69) 2nd Steven Gervasoni (32,37,69) 3rd Andrew Vogan (33,34,67)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 12th Jackpot BallPin No 1 – 4th Andrew Petricola BallPin No 2 – 18th Brendon Mitchell