On Saturday, the Men played a two person Ambrose, sponsored by Brine Cure, in which 39 pairs participated despite the rain. A notable event on the day was the hole-in-one scored by George Falvey on the 3rd hole. George said it was not a good shot, so he was amazed to see it disappear into the hole.

The Scratch winners were John Betland and Todd Callaghan with 64 gross. They had a string of birdies in the front-9 which helped immensely. The Scratch runners-up were Peter Dawson and Mark Collits on 66 gross. They had the same as the winners on the front-9 but could not find the touch on the back-9.

The Handicap winners were Troy Howe and Charlie Dwyer who scored a nett 62 in difficult conditions. The Handicap runners-up were J Betland and T Callaghan, who played well enough to reduce their scratch score to 63.5.

The NTP’s went to 9th C Dwyer and 18th B Slack-Smith, both of whom got their 2’s. There were a couple of visitors, including James Grierson who is killing time until the Australian PGA re-starts.

Alby Callaghan enjoyed his game, moreso as he approaches his 85th birthday on 14 July. Congratulations Alby.

The Sunday Stableford Medley field was very low. The eventual winner was Adam Deane from Toukley on the Gold Coast with 37 points.

There will be programme changes for this weekend and for Thursday, 16 August, when the 27-Hole Mixed Foursomes is scheduled.

The Wallace Cup draw is on the Pro Shop noticeboard, so please check there for the details. It is up to the contestants to organise their match. Players still need to practice social distancing, even in the ‘Golfie’.

Saturday, 18 July is a 4BBB Stableford Medley, sponsored by the Hawke Family.

By Short Putt

On Saturday, the Men’s competition was the July Monthly Medal, sponsored by Walkers Ag-n-Vet, and contested by a field of 65 shivering players.

The A-Grade saw an in-form John Bet- land with a nett 72, beaten into runner-up by winner Brian Everest with a 71 nett. Ethan Gaffney with a nett 72 played well but missed out on count back.

The B-Grade winner was Jeff Haley with 70 nett, but he needed a count back to relegate Dave Earl into runner-up. The C-Grade was more clear-cut, with Mark Simmonds the Winner on 67 nett, followed by Brian Clarke as runner-up on 69 nett.

Last Saturday we farewelled Head Pro Ben Gear and his partner Som. Both Ben and Som have achieved a lot while among the Forbes golf community. We wish them well in their new life in Cairns.

President Andrew McDonald is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Head Professional, Adam Demidjuk who will commence duties as Head Pro on 3 August. Pop in during that week to welcome him to Forbes.

Programme changes: Saturday, 11 July – Men play a 2-P Ambrose, with a Par event for the Ladies, while Saturday, 18 July sees the 4BBB Stableford Medley for the Hawke Cup.

Players are advised that in the short-term refreshments will be available from the Halfway House. Remember, social distancing must still be practiced, even in the ‘Golfie’. Keep in touch on the website, www.forbesgolf.org.au, or the Facebook page forbesgolfcourse, and on Instagram forbesgolf2871.

By Short Putt

Last weekend the men played the Foursomes Championship, sponsored by AAA Septic Services, over 36-holes on two days of the weekend. Numbers on each day were good throughout.

The results on day one saw the Scratch led by John Betland and Andrew Dukes on 78, Peter Dawson and Dan Bayley back on 83. The Handicap was led by Hamish Steele-Park and Tony Cogswell on 66.5 nett, ahead of Randall Grayson and Tony Wallace on 71 nett.

The day one ball sweep went to 75.5 nett: 71 – R Grayson/T Wallace; 73.5 – B Slack- Smith/A McDonald, T Morgan/ J Ridley, K Sanderson/S Grallelis; 74 – M Simmonds/L Whitfield; 74.5 – G Falvey/D Kennedy, R Morris/S Kirkman; 75 – A Hogan/B Coles; 75.5 L O’Connor/N McMillan, N Ryan/A Grogan. The NTP’s went to: 9th – John Zannes, 18th – Hamish Steele-Park.

The day two ball sweep went to 74 nett: 70.5 – T Morgan/ J Ridley; 72 – West/S Betland, Whitfield/Simmonds; 73 – French/ Herbert, C Dwyer/ T Howe; 74 – J Betland/A Dukes. The NTP’s went to: 9th – N McMil- lan; 18th – C Hurford.

The day one nett prize winners were Hamish Steele-Park and Tony Cogswell on 66.5 nett. The day two nett prize winners were Falvey and Kenendy on 68.5 nett.

The overall results and Championship winners:
• Scratch Champions – J Betland/A Dukes 154, from Runners-up T West/S Betland on 165 on count back.
• Handicap Champions – G Falvey/D Kennedy with 143 nett, on count back from H Steele-Park/T Cogswell on 143.

Do not forget the farewell to Ben Gear and Som, scheduled for 4 July, immediately following the Men’s competition presentation. Please provide donations for a gift to Ladies’ Captain Heather Davidson or Men’s Captain Steve Grallelis.

On Saturday, the men played their 4BBB Championship, with both Stroke and Nett contested and 43 pairs competing.

The 4BBB Stroke Championship was won by Peter ‘Ecky’ Dawson and Tim West. Their 34-33-67 was way ahead of the runners-up, and featured Champion-form play by Tim. Runners up were Dan Bayley and Mark ‘Stubbie’ Collits with 37-34-71. It was a tale of 9-holes each.

The Nett Championship had very competitive scores. The Nett Champions were George Falvey and Damien Kennedy with a nett 59, where each player had near equal contribution. The Nett Runners-up were Greg Webb and Rod Besgrove with scores of 32-30-62. A fine effort by Greg on the 15th kept them in the running.

The ball sweep went to 67 nett on count back: 62 – C Dwyer/T Howe; 63 – C Hurford/A Currey; 64 – P Maher and M Cahill, R Grayson and T Wallace, I Bown and B Chandler, N Duncan and S Grallelis; 66 – L Whifield and C Moore, J Ridley and B Slack-Smith, R Williams and D Sharpe; 67 – D Churchill and P Barnes, B Parker and L Little.

The NTP’s went to K Herbert and G Falvey, with only four scored overall. Kim got his ‘2’ but George missed out.

Andy Borger played the 12th hole unconventionally to score his par. His approach shot flew the green onto the 13th fairway. His return chip came over the hill and almost plopped into the hole. He then putted from off the green straight into the hole.

There was no Sunday Stableford Medley, due to some cold and inclement weather keeping the golfers away.

Do not forget the farewell to Ben Gear scheduled for 4 July. To manage the social-distancing aspects please advise the Ladies’ or Men’s Captains if you would like to attend.

The Men’s Wallace Cup will commence soon, more players are needed to make it a worthwhile draw. Place your name on the list in the Pro Shop.

This weekend will see the Ladies play 27-holes Foursomes on Saturday, 27 July, and the Men play playing 36-holes over both Saturday and Sunday.

The Men’s competition on Saturday, 30 May was an Individual Stroke event, sponsored by the Country Mile Motor Inn, and played by a large field of 95 which shows support for the sport. The Division 1 winner was Ethan Gaffney, scoring a 72 nett. Michael Spice, with 73 nett, won the race for the Runner-up after a count back against four other players. Division 2 was won by Robert Scott with 69 nett, over a newcomer Riley Pike with 70 nett. Robert was pleased to show form again, and Riley is dreading his imminent handicap drop.

The ball sweep went to 77 nett on count back. With the large field there were 27 balls distributed so players are urged to check in the Pro Shop. The NTP’s went to: 9th – L O’Connor and 18th – D Churchill. Neither player got their ‘2’, of which there were only seven over-all.

Forbes golfers welcomed visitors Michael O’Malley from Catalina on the Central Coast, William Clayton from Bowral, Geoff Stephens from Dubbo, and Ian Wark and Neigel Tait from Yowani on the Gold Coast. One unfortunate player had to walk the last eight holes when his cart died.

The Sunday Stableford Medley had good support and the winner was Bess Shields with 39 points. Runner-up was Michael Wood with 32 points. The ball sweep went to E Coombs and B Drabsch but once again no NTP’s were contested.

Players are reminded to check their score cards carefully before ‘okaying’ the scan. Keep the cards clean and tidy and avoid letting the signature encroach onto the last few cards.

With a relaxation of the COVID-19 restrictions there is now little need to change the programme dramatically, other than for any intense weather events. Players shall be notified if there are any changes.

Saturday, 6 June will not be the ‘CanAssist Day’ and will instead be a Stableford event. Stableford Medley’s are scheduled for Sunday and Monday.

Keep in touch on the Facebook page forbesgolfcourse, the Instagram page forbesgolf2871, and our website www.forbesgolf.org.au.

By Short Putt

Beautiful conditions helped all 88 golfers to enjoy their return to group golfing, just in time for the Men’s 4BBB Stableford event, sponsored by Forbes Livestock & Agency.

The winners, on count back, were Jeff and Max Haley with 46 points. Runners-up were Neil and Cam McMillan, whose 46 points came on the back of a very fine round by Cam, who shot a 69 scratch.

The ball sweep went to 40 points on count back. Players are advised to check in the Pro Shop to see if they are to collect a ball. The NTP’s went to Jeff Haley and Alf Davies. The best ‘2’ was a chip-in on the 3rd by Neil McMillan.

The best score of the day was played by John Betland, with a 65 scratch. His team was ousted from prizes by handicap. Another good effort was the eagle ‘3’ scored by Jonathon Cutler on the 15th hole.

The Sunday Stableford Medley had some good scores. Andrew Dukes won with 38 points, followed by Barbara Drabsch on 33 points.

The ball sweep went to 31 points, picked up by Jill Cripps. No NTP’s were played.

In the fourth week of the Winter 9-Hole Individual competition, 38 players posted some consistently good scores. Voucher winners were Riley Pike with 32 nett, and Corey Hurford with 34.5 nett. The balls went to 34 nett on count back.

On Tuesday 12 May, 20 players enjoyed the Tuesday Golfers social play, still in pairs. The winner was Viv Russell with 32 points followed by Andrew McDonald on 30 points as runner-up.

The Thursday Veterans had 19 players, again in pairs. The winner was John Smith on 31 points, ahead of Geoff Drane on 28 points. Both picked up vouchers. A sad story was the loss of a wallet by Graham Newport. He quickly cancelled credit cards and arranged for a new driver’s licence. A few days later the wallet was found in Barry Shine’s bag. Figure that one out.

By Short Putt

Sunshine and scattered showers greeted the Forbes golfers on the weekend, with 87 players contesting the Men’s 18 Hole Stroke event on Saturday, 9th May, spon- sored by B&C Autos.

Division 1 saw Charlie Dwyer keep good form to win with 70 nett, ahead of Brian Doyle with 71 nett. Division 2 was won by Jack Dobell with 67 nett. Division 2 Runner-up was Ross Williams with 70 nett, on count back from Peter Tisdell.

The Sunday Stableford Medley was surprising at the low scores, perhaps due to the cutting breeze. Michael Wood won with 30 points, closely followed by John Betland on 29 points. The ball sweep went to 28 points, with Laurie O’Connor the lucky player. No NTP’s were played.

On Tuesday, 5th May 20 players enjoyed the sunshine in the Tuesday Golfers social play. The surprise winner on the day was Neale Herbert with a very fine 32 points. Brian Clarke with 31 points was runner-up.

Geoff Drane skipped his tee shot on the 9th across the water and onto the green, and finished with a par.

The third week of the Winter 9 Hole Individual Nett competition saw 47 players participate. Voucher winners were Denis McGroder and Warren Baxter. The balls went to 37 nett on count back so check in the Pro Shop for details of the 14 lucky players to get one.

By Short Putt