Saturday’s competition was play for the Hawke Trophy, a 4BBB Stableford Medley event, where a strong field of 60 players took part.

Steve Betland and Troy Howe pounded the course to finish with 49 points, well ahead of the rest of the field. With Steve’s power play and Troy’s timely contributions they were well pleased with themselves.

Runners-up were Paul Pymont and Richard Smith with a very good 46 points. This was one of five teams to finish on that score, so a count-back was needed. The ball sweep went to 45-points on count back: 49 – S Betland/ T Howe; 46 – P Pymont/R Smith, C Kelly (P)/ M Green (P), F Hanns/ L Little, S & K Harrold (Shelly Beach), S Hayes/ S Grant (Murrumbidgee); 45 – G & A Drane, A Callaghan/ G Newport.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – Ladies: E Coombs; Men: A Davies; 18th – Ladies – Nil; Men – P Dawson. There were eight 2’s scored, with Herbert/Kirkman getting 2’s on each of the 3rd and 9th holes.

On Easter Friday there was a Stableford Medley with 20 participants. The winner was Shane Sallaway with 39 points, ahead of Stephen Grant (Murrumbidgee) with 37 points on count back. The ball sweep went to 37, going to: 37 – S French, G Falvey and B Slack-Smith. The NTP’s went to: 9th – S Sallaway; 18th – S Grant.

On Sunday, the scheduled 27-hole 2-P Ambrose Medley was replaced by a Stableford Medley, contested by a small field of 9 players. The winner was Dave Mylecharane with a good 40 points. Runner-up was Ethel Coombs on 38 points on count back. The ball sweep went to 38 points, going to Ash Tucker. The NTP’s went to: 9th – A Tucker; 18th – P Dawson.

Easter Monday also had a Stableford Medley, with a good group out playing. The winner was Nick Ryan with 41 points, ahead of Ecky Dawson with 40 points. The ball sweep going down to 35 points on count back: 41 – N Ryan; 40 – P Dawson; 39 – T Cogswell; 36 – G Webb, P Tisdell; 35 – D Rhodes, A Dukes. Andrew also cleaned up on the NTP’s, snaring both the 9th and 18th prizes.

The 27-hole Mixed Foursomes are scheduled for Sunday, 28th April, having been shifted from its original date in May. Do not forget that the Forbes Men’s Open will now be held on the weekend of 18th and 19th
May.

The start of the Wallace Cup has been delayed because there is currently a lack of numbers. Please get your name into the Pro Shop or Captain Steve as soon as you can. Also note that the Tuesday golfers start time has changed. Now players are requested to gather at 9:00am for a 9:30am start.

Saturday, 27th April has an 18-hole Stroke, sponsored by LINX. Sunday has the 27-hole Mixed Foursomes Championships. Saturday, 4th May is the Monthly Medal, sponsored by Adept Plumbing. Sunday, 5th May the course will be closed for the Forbes Ladies Open.

By Short Putt

The competition on Saturday was an Individual Par event, sponsored by the Tuesday Golfers and contested by 47 players.

The A-Division was won by Stuart French with 6-up, on count back from Jeff Haley.

Stuart was helped by a good score of 5-up on the back-9. The B-Division also required a count back, with Brett Slack-Smith winning over Craig Barrett after both scored 3-up.

The ball sweep went to 2-up on count back: 6-up – S French, J Haley; 4-up – P Barnes, I Bown, P Maher; 3-up – B Slack-Smith, D Rhodes, S Kirkman, C Barrett, D Bayley; 2-up – R Borger, G Webb. The NTP’s went to: 9th – P Maher; 18th – F Hanns.

The Stableford Medley on Sunday was supported by a good number of players, from whom Bruce Carpenter emerged as the winner with a tidy 39 points. Runnerup, on count back, was Dan Bayley on 38 points.

The ball sweep went to Andrew Dukes (38) and Mike Wood (37), while Ethan Gaffney took out both NTP’s.

Also played on Sunday was the final of the 2018 AAA Cup, sponsored by AAA Septic Services. A play-off was needed to determine the result, with Andrew Dukes victorious over Dan Bayley on the second play-off hole. Third place went to Dave Rhodes (72 nett) and fourth place to Todd Callaghan (76 nett).

Last week the Forbes Vets ‘Week-of-Golf’ was held. There were nearly 130 registered players. Forbes players collected a few prizes, with Heather Davidson the best finishing runner-up in the Vets Ladies Championship.

By Short Putt

On Saturday the men’s competition was the Monthly Medal, sponsored by Terry Bros Carpets. A field of 58 were keen to contest as best they could to be tagged ‘winners’.

The A-Grade was won by Dave Mylecharane with a 71 nett, on count back.

Andrew Duke, playing in the last group of the day, was runner-up. The B-Grade witnessed history when Doug Churchill scored 69 nett to take the winnings. Runner- up, yet again, was Michael Spice, with a 71 nett.

The C-Graders needed count backs to separate the top scorers. The winner was Bruce Squires on 72 nett with visitor, Rowan Fessey as runner-up.

The ball sweep went to 74 nett on count back: 69 – D Churchill; 71 – D Mylecharane, A Dukes, M Spice; 72 – M McGlashan, R Webb, S Sallaway, B Squires, E Gaffney, R Fessey, T Griffiths, M Cahill; 73 – N Duncan, P Dawson; 74 – H Steel-Park. The NTP’s went to: 9th – G Collits; 18th – S Sallaway.

The Stableford Medley on Sunday had a good number of players, playing among visitors and the Super Sixes grand final.

The winner was Brett Byrnes from Condo with a tidy 38 points. The runner-up was Peter Jackson of Coffs Harbour on 36 points.

Unfortunately there was no ball sweep. The NTP’s were a bit hit and miss. On the 9th it was Alf Davies, who got his ‘2’, while on the 18th everybody missed the green.

The ASI Capital-sponsored Summer

Super Sixes grand final was held on Sunday afternoon. The winners from each of the three pool finals played the back-9. In the end the winners were ‘Cobblers Crew’, ending a 30 year drought to be declared team winners. Runners-up were ‘Still Trying’ and gallant also-rans were ‘Hot to Pop’.

Assistant Golf Pro, Adrian Lees began work this week. He will primarily be based in Parkes but will be interacting with Forbes players as he develops the group coaching for juniors and ladies. We welcome Adrian as an extension of the golf expertise being developed by Head Pro, Ben.

The Winter 3’s competition commences next week, on 15th April. No doubt we have all been busy as nominations are still low but there is still time. Team nomination forms are available at the Pro Shop.

By Short Putt

The annual Sanderson Memorial Day was run by the Rugby Union Club on Saturday. This is a 4-Ball Ambrose event that brings many rugby players, some of whom are older, out for a bit of fun before the season commences.

This year, 60 players enjoyed the golf. The higher than expected scores seemed to reflect the overall skill level, with very few highlights for individual brilliance.

The winners were the team of Glasson, Matters, Haggarty and Wallder, playing off a handicap of 11 3/8 which produced a net score of 57 5/8. Runners-up were T West, C Moore, J Stewart and J Dobell with a nett score of 58 7/8. The third placed team was D Culley, B Parker, G Collits and K Sanderson (59.6), with 4th being C Alley, N McMillan, A Alley and L Alley on 60 ¼.

The organisers were a little disappointed with the numbers, although they did understand that there were many players away.This Memorial Day is an important event, held to remember those players and families who were affected by the Bali Bombings. As such it is a record in the history of the Rugby Union Club and hopefully will be supported for many years to come.

The Stableford Medley on Sunday was well supported with nearly a dozen players participating. The winner was Jill Cripps with 38 points and the runner-up was Paul Pymont on 36 points.

The ball sweep went to Neil McMillan (35 points) on count back.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – B Drabsch, 18th – M Wood. The ASI Capital-sponsored Summer Sixes Competition Grand Final will be held on 7th April, with play commencing at about 2pm.

Players and guests are invited to come out and watch the teams contesting the grand final and be ready for the presentation that immediately follows play.

By Short Putt

The Saturday Men’s Par event, sponsored by Everest Auto Repairs and contested by 54 players, required count backs to decide winners and runners-up.

The A-Division had three players finishing on 5-up. The count back resulted in Alf Davies being declared the winner, ahead of runner-up Phil Maher who himself finished ahead of Phil Duke. The B-Division was easier with Craig Barrett the winner on 7-up and Jeff Haley runner-up on count with 3-up.

The ball sweep went to 1-up on count back: 7 up – C Barrett; 5 up – A Davies, P Maher, P Duke; 4 up – A Dukes, R Webb, I Bown; 3 up – S Kirkman, J Zannes, J Haley, G Falvey, B Everest, D Mylecharane; 2 up – D Culley, T Morgan, R Harrison; A Rees.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – P Pymont; 18th – P Dawson, neither of whom got a ‘2’.

There were a number of visitors, including – Stuart Hayes (Murrumbidgee ) Peter Jackson (Coffs Harbour), Alan Holley (Noosa) and Greg Hofman, Riall Harrison, Tony Lock, Tony Riach, Lachlan Buesnell and Ken Cobcroft from Parkes.

It was a special day for Craig, not only celebrating a win but also his birthday, and tying the best score on the back-9 with good mate Scott Kirkman.

Of special note was an eagle scored by Todd Callaghan on the 2nd hole. He was confident with his putt. He just missed another on the 7th.

The Stableford Medley on Sunday was a very quiet affair with many of the usual players recovering. The winner was Bess Shields with 40 points. There was no runner- up or ball sweep.

The NTP’s had a mixed story. Visitor Brett Byrnes (Condo) managed a good shot on the 9th, but the 18th went lonely. Brett enjoyed his day scoring 38 points off a par round.

On Friday the Annual Rugby Union Presidents Lunch Golf Game was held, attracting a field of 88 players. Results will be notified in a separate report.

By Short Putt

The men played a 4BBB Stableford last Saturday, sponsored by C&D Floorcoverings, where 60 players managed to record some good scores.

The overall winners were Nick Ryan and Adam Borger with 49 points. A 5-pointer on the card helped their score. Paul Kay and Allan Rees were runners-up on 48 points, with both playing well.

The ball sweep went to 44 points, with lucky players being: 49 – N Ryan/A Borger; 48 – P Kay/A Rees; 47 – M Duff/ B Slack- Smith; 46 – B Parker/ D Culley, R Taylor/ C Barrett; 44 – N Duncan/ R Nixon, G Webb/ R Besgrove, L Little/ M Prior.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – A Dukes; 18th – Alf Davies. Neither got their ‘2’, with few scored overall. Tim Toohey from Springwood was the only visitor.

Putting was made more difficult with ‘duck’s packages’ on many greens. But the greens were still receptive to high shots.

A late storm caught a few players out, but most were high and dry in the clubhouse when it hit. Peter Grayson had a storm also, damaging his Achilles heel. We wish him a thorough recovery.

The Stableford Medley on Sunday was a very quiet affair. The winner was Julie Hurkett with 39 points. There was no ball sweep. The NTP’s went to. Bess Shields on the 9th, and to visitor Robyn Lunn (Morisett CC) on the 18th.

The CWDGA Pennants 2019 Finals were held at Wellington on Sunday. Forbes was represented by our Division 1 team, who were up against Bathurst. There was a broad spread of clubs represented across the divisions, with Division 2 – Parkes v Bathurst, Division 3 – Wellington v Mudgee and Division 4 – Cowra v Dubbo.

Our Division 1 boys contested the CWDGA Pennants Final, but unfortunately went down 4/1 to a very strong Bathurst side.

Most matches were very close, with Peter Dawson winning his by 2-up.

This Saturday is an 18-Hole Par event, sponsored by Everest Motors, and the Stableford Medley on Sunday.

By Short Putt

The Saturday Men’s comp was an Individual Stableford, sponsored by Ian Simpson Real Estate and contested by 70 players, many of whom brought in a top score.

The A-Division had four players on 40 points, with count backs deciding the results. The winner was Ethan Gaffney, ahead of Josh Coulthurst, both on 40 points. The B-Division had a clear leader in Viv Russell on 44 points, followed by Bede Tooth with 42 points.

The ball sweep went to 38 points, with lucky players being: 44 – V Russell; 42 – B Tooth; 41 – R Borger; 40 – E Gaffney, J Coulthurst, L O’Connor, J Zannes, B Parker, A Tucker, S Grallelis, H Steel-Park; 39 – B Hodges, M Collits, B Shine, M Prior, P Dawson; 38 – G Newport, I Bown and D Mylecharane.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – P Maher; 18th – B Everest. Phil Maher fired a miraculous shot almost beside the 9th pin to snatch the NTP away from Richard Nixon. They got their putts easily, but many others surprisingly missed short putts.

The Stableford Medley on Sunday had its usual group of dedicated players, bolstered by the return of the Ladies. The winner was Jeff Haley with 39 points. He had a comfortable 22 points on the front-9, but lost his touch a bit on the back-9. Runner-up was Barb Drabsch with a tidy 36 points.

There was no ball sweep, and only one NTP which went to Jeff Haley on the 9th, while everybody missed the 18th green.

Last week the Forbes Division 1 team travelled to Wellington to contest a semifinal of the CWDGA Pennants 2019. They trounced last year’s winners, Mudgee, 4/1.

This weekend they play a very tough match against Bathurst in the final.

By Short Putt

The Saturday’s men’s comp was the Monthly Medal 18-Hole Stroke, sponsored by Michael Robinson and Co and contested by 78 players. Most scores reflected the tightness of the games, although the winners seemed untroubled.

The A-Grade winner, Ecky Dawson, started and finished with a double-bogey but in-between played brilliantly for his nett 70.

Runner-up on 71 was Dan Bayley, with a round that split the course evenly of 38-38.

The B-Grade honours went to the wise man Ray Taylor with a very classy 69 nett. He was chased by the youthful vigour of Ethan Gaffney, who fell one shot short with a 70 nett.

The C-Grade was quiet overall, although Stevie G celebrated his win, a nett 71, with some very noisy socks. Peter Tisdell had fun when amassing his nett 73.

The ball sweep went to 74 nett on count back, with recipients being: 69 – R Taylor; 70 – E Gaffney, P Dawson; 71 – S Grallelis, B Hodges, D Bayley; 72 – S Betland; 73 – P Tisdell, A McKinnon, M Watts, D Mylecharane, M Cahill, N McMillan, S Sallaway; 74 – D Churchill, B Parker, A Rees, S Hayes, B Carpenter, P Duke, M McGlashan.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – B Hodges; 18th – J van Opynen.

On Sunday Forbes hosted the CWDGA Pennants 2019 for the final round-robin play, with the Forbes teams having a bye.

In Division 1 Bathurst team had a resounding 5/0 win over Parkes, ensuring they finished in top spot. This means that Forbes will meet Dubbo in the semi-final. In Division 2 a narrow win by Parkes meant that Forbes finished tied with Bathurst, but missed out by count back on the semis.

The Division 3 saw the continuation of the Parkes juggernaut, who finished on top with Ex-Services second. In Division 4 team, it was Cowra and Ex-Services who head to the semi-finals.

By Short Putt

The Saturday men’s comp was a 4BBB Par event, sponsored by Highlands Design, and contested by 29 teams. Also up for grabs was the Ron Barton Memorial Trophy. Of the teams only one finished above par, or conversely at the end of the field.

The winning team was Ash Tucker and Brett Thomas with a score of +12. Brett played an inspired round of golf and probably his best ever score. Brett was 1-over after 9 holes, and held his good form to the end.

Runners-up were Ethan Gaffney and Barry Shine, who combined well to finish on +11. Their front-9 was tremendous, scoring +8, but they went quiet on the back-9.

The ball sweep went to +9 on count back: +12 – A Tucker/ B Thomas; +11 – E Gaffney/ B Shine; +10 – T Sharpe/ Alf Davies , A Dukes/ M Spice; +9 – S Hansen/ P Duke, R Besgrove/ S French, C Barrett/ T Griffiths, S Grallelis/ J House.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – S French; 18th – P Duke.

There was no Sunday Stableford Medley, which was surprising.

The fourth round of the CWDGA Pennants was held at Parkes on Sunday. Each of our teams played Cowra teams.

The Div 1 team scored a resounding 4/1 win, with the highlight being a hard battle for Steve Betland who won on the 19th. The Div 2 team also had a 4/1 win over Cowra.

The Div 3 team had a heavy 4/1 loss to Cowra. The Div 4 team narrowly lost 3/2 to Cowra in a nail biter.

The Div 1 team have made the semi-finals, while for the Div 2 to get through they rely on Parkes having a strong win over Bathurst.

By Short Putt