The September Monthly Medal, sponsored by McFeeter’s Motor Museum, was played on Saturday with the field of 68 returning some variable scores.

Barry Shine won the A-Grade with 72 nett, on count back from Alf Davies. Both were consistent scorers but the handicap helped Barry.

The B-Grade saw Garry Collits defend his title from last month, proving that a good holiday lasts a long time. His 69 nett was a good margin ahead of runner-up Scott Kirkman on 73 nett.

James Morgan blitzed the C-Graders with his 62 nett, but unfortunately for him the medal went to Don Ridley with 68 nett.

James still gets his prize though.

The ball sweep went to 75 nett on count back, going to: 62 – J Morgan; 68 – D Ridley; 69 – G Collits; 71 – B Squires; 72 – B Shine, A Davies, R Besgrove; 73 – S Kirkman, M Cartwright, R Taylor, B Doyle; 74 – S Sallaway, D Bernardi, S Grallelis, A Borger and 75 – J Zannes, R Morris, D Churchill.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – J Morgan; 18th – S Kirkman. Scott scored the only ‘2’ of the day. Danny Acret was the lone visitor, enjoying the company of old friends if not the weather.

With the greens under renovation it seemed that 3-putts were the norm as well as challenging. The ‘borrow’ was sometimes difficult to determine and putts bobbled hither and tither. But the greens were generally receptive to high approach shots. ‘At Card Draw for the Day’s Comp’ went to Paul Kay.

By Short Putt

Saturday saw the playing of the American Foursomes, sponsored by Milton Cartwright, and which there is usually much amusement. Many of the 24 pairings were intent on producing some very good scores.

The winning pair comprised of Simon Houston and Shane Sallaway, who returned a score of 69 5/8 nett, on the back of the best stroke score of 70. This was Simon’s last game as the Forbes head professional, and he was very pleased to finish as a winner. Simon and Shane scored three birdies on the front-9 to turn in 33, and then finished with a 37 on the back-9.

Runners-up were Dan Bayley/Kim Herbert on a nett 71, scratch 77, with their handicap very nearly got them home, but in the end it was a case of too many bogeys.

The ball sweep went to 72 ¼, going to: S Houston/S Sallaway, D Bayley/K Herbert, P Dawson/B Thomas, R Borger/ P Barnes and B Carpenter/ F Hanns. The NTP’s went to: 9th – A Grierson and 18th – P Dawson.

While the recently scarified greens ensured the pins were vulnerable to good chips, the vagaries of scared lines and grass tufts played havoc with many short putts.

The pair of Peter Barnes and Bob Borger used a beautiful tee shot on the 1st which had easily found the green, but then they four putted. If it was not the putts that caused problems it was the dry creek bed that found players in difficult positions.

By Short Put

Over the weekend, the third staging of the Sand Grass Greens Championships was held at Grenfell and Forbes courses. The event, managed by GolfNSW and sponsored by Forbes Shire Council, was attended by over 70 players, travelling from 16 clubs across regional and city NSW.

The first round was played at Grenfell on Saturday. A brief shower of rain did not help the putting on the sand greens but conditions improved as did the scores.

The Round 1 Men’s Handicap winner, on count back, was Ash Whitechurch (Grenfell) with 38 points. The Ladies Handicap winner was Sally Mitton (Grenfell) with 35 points and also a winner in count back. The NTP’s went to: 9th –Men – A McDonald (F), Ladies – nil; 18th –Men – Z Kelly (Parkes) and L McCutcheon (Trangie).

On Sunday, the players were at Forbes playing on grass greens. The Round 2 Men’s Handicap winner, on count back, was Geoff Read (The Ridge) with 36 points.

The Ladies Handicap winner was Chantelle Greaves (Dunedoo) with 39 points.

The NTP’s went to: 9th –Men – B Shine (F), Ladies – J Fletcher (F); 18th –Men – Gerry Bassingthwaite (Cootamundra), Ladies – V Forsyth (G).

The 36-hole event prize winners were:

Men

• 36-hole Scratch winner: M Hale (Mudgee) 67 points.

• 36-hole Scratch runner-up: G Harding (Young) 51 points.

• 36-hole Nett winner: B Hughes (Grenfell) 65 points.

• 36-hole Nett runner-up: I Bown (Forbes) 64 on c/b.

Ladies

• 36-hole Scratch winner: C Greaves (Dunedoo) 52 points.

• 36-hole Scratch runner-up: L Harding (Young) 43 points.

• 36-hole Nett winner: K Solberg (Dunedoo) 71 pts.

• 36-hole Nett runner-up: V Forsyth (Grenfell) 66 pts.

There were also prizes for a team event, where the prizes were $500 from GolfNSW to go towards junior promotion programmes at the club. The winners were:

• 1st: Grenfell (V Forsyth, B Hughes, C Johnson, A Whitechurch).

• 2nd: Forbes (S Grallelis, I Bown, A Rees, G Drane).

• 3rd: Cootamundra (G Bassingthwaite, G Byrne, G Ward).

By Short Putt

Saturday was the Monthly Medal, sponsored by Bernardis Marketplace, and contested by a field of 56 players.

The A-Grade winner and medallist was Paul Pymont with a nett 70. Runner-up was Andrew Dukes, who after being 3-over after 15 holes, had a few bogeys to finish with nett 72.

The B-Grade winner of the voucher was a visitor from St Georges Basin, Brian Druett, who scored 68 nett. Runner-up and winner of the Monthly Medal, was Garry Collits with 70 nett.

The C-Graders were led by Geoffrey Drane with a 70 nett followed close behind by Rod Besgrove on 71 nett.

The ball sweep went to 73 nett on count back, going to: 68 – G Druett; 70 – G Collits, P Pymont, G Drane, S Uphill; 71 – R Besgrove, B Thomas, R Webb; 72 – A Dukes; 73 – A Borger, B Tooth, P Kay, A Alley, N McMillan, B Carpenter. The NTP’s went to: 9th – Brian Everest; 18th – G Newport.

We welcomed a group of golfers from St George’s Basin. Some of them joined the comp while others played socially but they all enjoyed themselves.

Play on Sunday was the LVDGA Mens Keno 4BBB, with 46 players covering representation from Forbes, Parkes, Grenfell and West Wyalong clubs. There was no Stableford Medley.

The winners of the Handicap event and heading to the State final at Bonville were the pairing of Richard Nixon and Niel Duncan.

They finished with +8. Andrew Dukes and Michael Spice were runners-up on +7, ahead of Ralph Baker and Steve Grallelis on count back.

The Scratch event was dominated by Parkes players with Mitch McGlashan and Zac Kelly coming first on +4 and Myles and Blake Smith runners-up on -2.

By Short Putt

Saturday was the inaugural competition for the Kristie Carpenter Perpetual Trophy, an Individual Stableford Medley for handicapped and social players, and sponsored by Terry Griffiths and Veronica Rebellato.

The overall winner was Mark Collits, decided by count back from four players who all finished on 40 points. In presenting the trophy, Veronica was full of excitement by Mark’s win, making reference to his and Kristie’s close friendship over many years.

Prizes were awarded for the men (presented in two divisions), the ladies and for social players:

• Mens Division 1 winner: Mark Collits 40 pts

• Mens Division 1 runner-up: John Betland 40 pts

• Mens Division 2 winner: Geoff Drane 40 pts

• Mens Division 2 runner-up: Brett Slack- Smith 38 pts

• Ladies winner: Jenny Hubbard 40 pts

• Ladies runner-up: Bess Shields 38 pts

• Social winner: Geoff Tilley 30 pts

• Social runner-up: Veronica Rebellato 27 pts

• The ball sweep went to 37 points on count back, going to: 40 – M Collis, G Drane, J Betland, J Hubbard; 39 – B Carpenter, A Dukes, M Haley; 38 – T Griffiths, B Shields, B Doyle, M Cartwright, J Carpenter, B Slack-Smith, A Callaghan and 37 – S Grallelis, R Nixon, B Drabsch, I Bown.

• The NTP’s went to: 9th – Ladies: J Hubbard, Men: B Carpenter and 18th – Ladies: B Drabsch, Men: P Dawson.

Scoring overall was pretty good with some eagles and many birdies being marked on the cards. Terry Griffiths had the best 9-hole Stableford with 25 points on the back-9. John Betland recorded the best scratch score, a 5-under par 67, shooting 32 on the front-9.

By Short Putt

Warwick Judge fired the perfect shot during play in the Sunday Stableford Medley, scoring a hole-in-one on the 9th. This finely struck pitching wedge, finished off a good round, having started on the back-9. This is his second, but most satisfying, hole-inone as it was a pure golf shot.

Saturday was the 4-Ball Stableford Multiplier, sponsored by the Tuesday golfers.

This format requires good arithmetic, which is second nature for the Tuesday golfers who manipulate their stories well.

The winners were Brian Doyle and Greg Webb who combined well to finish with 81 points, despite only managing a point each for a multiplier ‘1’ point on the last hole.

Runners-up were Tom Edols and Milton Cartwright, who managed 80 points, which included a few ‘zero’s’ on their card. However, these misses were offset by a ‘12’ and a number of 9’s.

The ball sweep went to 67 points, going to: 81 – Doyle/G Webb; 80 – Edols/ Cartwright; 76 – Chandler/Bown; 74 – Dawson/ J Betland; 71 – Howe/G Betland; 68 – Rhodes/R Webb and 67 – Besgrove/Sallaway.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – B Doyle; 18th – S Sallaway.

The multiplier effect can produce unexpected results. One player’s good play (Andrew Dukes with an eagle on the 6th) can be offset by a miss by their partner (Mike Spice missed his putts) to record a zero.

As always, continuous scoring is important. While 9’s and 12’s are good, the best individual hole score was achieved by Troy Howe and Geoff Betland, with a ‘16’ on the 7th.

On Sunday the Stableford Medley had 14 participants who ensured their shot making was good.

The winner for the day was Michael B Wood with 38 points, who needed the count back to pip Warwick Judge, also on 38.

The ball sweep went to 36 points, being collected by Ash Tucker and Jill Cripps. The NTP’s were easily decided – Warwick Judge on the 9th and Mike Wood (the dad) on the 18th.

The LVDGA Men’s 4BBB District Final is set to be held at Forbes on 5th August. The winners go to Bonneville for some fun time.

Nominations are needed for the Sand-Grass Greens Championships set for 18th, 19th August. Nominations close on 6th August. There is a ‘4-for-3’ nomination incentive and also a team prize.

By Short Putt

The Foursomes are a championship event played over two days, and for which the sponsorship by S&S Welsh Transport is greatly appreciated.

The overall results were: • 36-hole Scratch winners: D Bayley/ P Dawson 153

• 36-hole Scratch runners-up: A Dukes/ S Sallaway 159

• 36-hole Handicap winners: B Thomas/ A Tucker 140

• 36-hole runners-up: D Bayley/ P Dawson 147

The day-1 Scratch leaders were Andrew Dukes and Shane Sallaway with a score of 76, ahead of Steve Betland and Mark Collits on 77. However, both pairings had poor scores on day-2, while the Bayley/Dawson pairing surged forward with a 75, three shots better than their day-1 score.

The day-1 Handicap leaders were Dukes/ Sallaway (70.5) but their day-2 score pushed them back. Brett Thomas and Ash Tucker followed their day-1 score of 71.5 with a very good 68.5 to leap-frog into the winner’s jackets.

The day-1 ball sweep went to 75 net on count back, going to: 70.5 – Dukes/ Sallaway; 71.5 – Thomas/Tucker; 73.5 – Churchill/A Borger; 74 – R Nixon/N Duncan and 75 – Bayley/Dawson, N McMillan/B Carpenter, S Betland/Collits. The NTP’s went to: 9th – B Carpenter; 18th – S Sallaway.

The day-2 ball sweep went to 74 nett, going to: 68.5 – Thomas/Tucker; 72 – Bayley/ Dawson and 74 – R Nixon/N Duncan. The NTP’s went to: 9th – W Judge; 18th – J Betland.

The best exhibition of wonderful play goes to Niel Duncan and Richard Nixon on day-2. Their driving was not as good as before but it was around the greens that they excelled. Between them, they chipped in four times – on the 3rd, 4th, 10th and 15th – for pars and only needed 21 putts on the other 14 holes.

On Sunday there was a Stableford Medley played by a very small crowd who wanted a normal game. Dave Clarke won the day with 35 points, ahead of Ian Bown on 30. There was no ball sweep and no NTP’s as everyone missed the green.

The junior clinics are still being run on Tuesday afternoon, commencing at 4:30pm. Contact Simon in the Pro Shop on 6851 1554 for details.

By Short Putt

Saturday was the Monthly Medal, sponsored by Walkers Ag-n-Vet, contested by 64 players in difficult conditions.

The A-Grade winner was Steve Betland with a nett 74. A good front-9 was offset by an ordinary back-9. Runner-up was Mark Collits on 76 nett, who snuck in ahead of two other players.

The B-Grade winner was Brian Everest with a 70 nett. He had a good back-9 after an indifferent front-9. Runner-up was Brian Doyle with 71 nett.

The C-Graders put in some good scores with Milton Cartwright (71) and Geoff Betland (73) showing what could be done.

The ball sweep went to 76 nett on count back, going to: 70 – B Everest; 71 – M Cartwright, B Doyle, A Borger; 72 – P Barnes, S Uphill; 73 – G Betland; 74 – L Little, P Kay, S Betland; 75 – A Callaghan, D Culley and 76 – G Coles, M Collits, S Kirkman, N McMillan, R Nixon. The NTP’s went to: 9th – Terry Griffiths; 18th – Troy Howe.

The Sunday Stableford Medley was played by a very small crowd with Barb Drabsch (30 points) taking the overall win and the NTP’s.

The draw for the Wallace Cup (match play on handicap) will be made this weekend, so if you want to be ‘IN’ contact the club captain on 6851 5293.

Two important LVDGA events are very close. The Mixed Fourball Championships will be held at Grenfell on 22nd July and the Men’s Fourball District Final will be held at Forbes on 5th August.

Saturday was the John Davis Mazda sponsored 4BBB Stroke Championship, contested by 62 players. The scratch champions were Steve Betland and Peter Dawson with a score of 70, while the handicap champions were John Ridley and Bede Tooth with a nett 61.

Runners-up in the stroke were Dan Bayley and Todd Callaghan with an even par scratch of 72. The runners-up in the handicap were Rod Besgrove and Greg Webb with a 64.5 nett.

The ball sweep went to 67 nett on count back, going to: 61 – J Ridley/B Tooth; 64.5 – G Webb/R Besgrove; 66 – A Alley/C Alley, F Hanns/G Coles, A Borger/D Churchill; 66.5 – R Nixon/J Haley, T Sharpe/L O’Connor and 67 – D Bayley/T Callaghan, R Smith/ P Pymont. The NTP’s went to: 9th – S Betland; 18th – Alf Davies.

The Stableford Medley on Sunday was won by Ron Morris with 35 points, on count back from Peter Dawson. The ball sweep went to 34, which included Ray Taylor and Andrew Dukes. The NTP’s went to: 9th – Scott Kirkman, 18th – Bess Shields.

A couple of reminders to players for their action: Firstly, get your name on the nomination sheet for the Wallace Cup Handicap Matchplay event. The nomination sheet is on the Pro Shop notice board.

Secondly, set your diary to participate in the ‘Strategic Planning Workshop’, to be held at the Golfie on Thursday, 12th July and run by the Forbes Shire. It commences at 5:30pm with an expected 7pm finish. This is very important to plan for the future development of the club.

Events coming up include the Men’s Foursomes Championships to be held on 14th and 15th July; the LVDGA Mixed 4B Championships held at Grenfell on Sunday, 22nd July; the LVDGA Mens 4BBB Championship at Forbes on 5th August and not forgetting the Sand Grass Greens Championships scheduled for 18th and 19th August.

We record with sadness the passing of Ash Tucker’s mother last week. She passed away suddenly in her sleep. All club members express condolences to Ash and his family.

By Short Putt