The grand final of the Forbes Golf Club Super Sixes golf comp for 2017-18, sponsored by ASI Capital, was held on Sunday, 8th April. The weather was conducive to good golf, which the players took advantage of.

The grand final for the Sixes Cup was contested by the winners of each pool, having come through the semi-final stages victorious. The contenders were Boys and Girls, Bush Divas, Postie Top Six and Bushrangers. There were almost full teams for each.

There was also a contest for the winners of the Plate in each pool. They were Drawshanks, Hit n Miss, Lost in the Trees, and Hook, Drive and Sink It. Unfortunately not all players could attend, so this group got around a bit quicker.

Following the play, participants gathered in the Golfie for the presentation dinner. After introductions by President Andrew McDonald, Jeff Herdigan speaking as the major sponsor, thanked the players for their efforts through the season, commiserated with those who missed out and congratulated the winners in all categories.

Vanessa Herdigan, ably assisted by head professional Simon Houston, presented the prizes for weekly winners, overall best performers and the Plate winners and Cup runners-up. A successful weekly winner was Lindy Cowhan, who won the non-members category on three separate weeks.

Loud cheers emanated when the winning team of Bush Divas were announced. Their 101.5 points was significantly better than the runners-up Boys and Girls (107), Postie Top Six (118) and Bushrangers (119). The Bush Divas made a colourful splash in the outfits as they received their prizes.

The Plate winners were Lost in the Trees (110.5) with Hook, Drive and Sink It runnersup.

The Best Net Individual Score in the Cup final went to Denise Squires, while the Most Improved Player for the competition was Robert Scott who halved his handicap from 18 to 9.

Another successful summer season has finished, with over 3,500 games played in the competition. A truly wonderful effort made possible by the good condition of the course.

For those wishing to continue the fun social golf, there is a Winter 3’s comp, commencing on 30th April. Details and entries at the Pro Shop.

By Smooth Swinger

The Easter weekend had plenty of golf activity, producing very good scores.

Easter Friday saw the keen golfers participate in a Stableford Medley, with a field of 10 players scoring very well. Richard Nixon had a blinder, scoring 44 points and as well ahead of runner-up Scott Kirkman with 40 points.

There was no ball sweep, but NTP’s went o 9th: R Nixon and 18th: R Nixon. Yes, he got them both and he got the 2’s also.

There were no visitors.

Saturday was an Individual Stableford event, when 37 players continued the high scoring streak.

The A-division winner was Dave Rhodes, who used his recent golf lessons to score his 41 points. He got there on count back from Mike Spice. In the B-division Ron Morris hit form with 40 points. Geoff Coles quietly compiled his 39 points to be runner-up.

The ball sweep went to 36 points on count back, going to: 41 – D Rhodes, M Spice; 40 – R Morris, B Carpenter; 39 – G Coles; 38 – F Collie, B Bayley, R Taylor and C Barrett. The NTP’s went to: 9th – B Carpenter; 18th – Paul Fisher (Royal Park GC). Neither got their ‘2’.

The visitors included Quintyn Fisher (Duntryleague), Lee Grierson (Wollongong), Peter Sinclair (Nelson Bay), Paul Fisher (Royal Park) and Peter Jackson (Coffs Harbour).

Easter Sunday was a very quiet day, with only the most dedicated of golfers on the course. Once again the scoring was very good. Ron Morris won the day with 43 points, a good eight shots clear of the rest of the field. Needless to say, but I will, there was no runner-up, no ball sweep and no NTP’s.

Easter Monday once again had the golfers bringing in good scores. In the Stableford Medley, Bruce Carpenter was an early clubhouse leader with 43 points.

Todd Callaghan was in the last group for the day and also scored 43 points, but lost the count back to finish runner-up.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – Peter Jackson; 18th – Michael Spice. Michael got his ‘2’, as did Ron Morris on the 9th. The ball sweep went to 40 points on count back, going to: 43 – B Carpenter, T Callaghan; 42 – G Webb and 40 – M Spice.

By Short Putt

The sunshine brought out the best in the golfers’ scores and their outfits, worn to support the ‘Pink Day’.

Saturday’s event was an 18-hole Stableford, sponsored by Ian Simpson & Co Real Estate, contested by 74 players. The golfers also donated in support of the ‘Pink Day’, a means of raising money in support of the Forbes Breast Cancer Support Group.

The A-division winner was Doug Churchill with an outstanding 43 points, on count back. Runner up was Paul Pymont, who enjoyed slightly cooler conditions earlier in the day. He had 43 points, but was pipped by one stroke on the back-9.

The B-division winner was Greg Webb with 42 points, to continue his form. Not far behind was Robert Borger on 40 points. He had consistent scoring on the back-9.

The ball sweep went to 37 on count back, being distributed to: 43 – D Churchill, P Pymont, N Duncan: 42 – G Webb; 40 – R Borger; 39 – C Alley, Mike Wood, T Callaghan, A Tucker, M Spice, B Doyle; 38 – R Taylor, D McAuliffe, R Searl, P Grayson, D Clarke; 37 – M Andrews, B Collie, M Wood Jnr, F Hanns.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – S Uphill; 18th – Alf Davies.

The visitors included Richard Searl and Mike Bradley Wood. Niel Duncan was unlucky to miss out on a prize. He scored 43 points to come third and this with his second- ever best score of 77.

On Sunday, the regular Stableford Medley produced the usual crowd. The winner was Ray Taylor with 43 points. Runner-up was Ron Morris with a credible 39 points. Ray was pleased to match his age with his score.

Also on Sunday, Forbes had two teams in the CWDGA Inter-Club Pennants semifinals being played at Duntryleague. It was a day of mixed success with the Division 1 team losing 3-2 to Dubbo, while the Division 4 team won 3-2 against Dubbo. This carries them into the final against Wellington, to be played at Cowra on Sunday, 18th March.

The golfers embraced the ‘Pink Day’ event at the Forbes Golf Club. Numerous players wore pink, which was very fetching on many of the lady players and made some of the men players quite attractive.

Some of the outfits were very inventive and others required some courage to wear.

Donations were aplenty, with the golfers contributing $134 which will go to the Forbes Breast Cancer Support Group.

Some players had missed the notifications and were disappointed that they were not able to really dazzle the course. There will be a chance again next year.

Nominations for the Forbes Veteran’s ‘Week of Golf’, set for 23rd to 27th April, are quite slow. Please hurry and put your nominations in as we need early notification for catering purposes and for notification to the NSW Vets Golf. Entry forms are available in the Pro Shop now.

By Short Putt

 

 

 

 

 

 

During Saturday’s event, a 4BBB Par sponsored by Highlands Design, the 56 players managed to score very well.

Peter Tisdell and Richard Smith combined well to score +11, finishing one shot better than Greg Webb and Peter Tilden on +10, who got there on count back. The unlucky ones to miss out on the count back were Rod Besgrove and Barry Shine.

The ball sweep went to +8 on count back, being distributed to: +11 – P Tisdell/R Smith; +10 – G Webb/P Tilden, R Besgrove/B Shine; +9 – D Mylecharane/L O’Connor, R Morris/S Kirkman; +8 P Maher/M Spice, G Newport/D Bayley.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – D Bayley; 18th – S Sallaway. Overall there were six 2’s scored, with four on the 9th and two on the 18th. Peter Tilden scored a classic ‘2’ on the 9th, while Alby Callaghan and Dan Bayley matched each other with monster putts for 2’s on the 18th.

On Sunday the weather was mainly drizzle and consequently there was no Stableford Medley comp. There was a group of players from the Parkes Services Social Golf club, who played the course early and enjoyed the fun.

On Sunday the Pennants teams were in contest at Parkes. This was a mixed results day for the Forbes teams. The Div 1 team had a 3/2 win against Cowra. That assures the Div 1 a place in the semi-finals.

The Div 2 team had a bad run, losing 4/1 to Duntryleague, while the Div 3 team also had a loss – 4/1 to Cowra.

The Div 4 team continued their strong performance, winning 3/2 against Cowra.

This also puts the team into the semi-finals.

On Saturday, 3rd March the Parkes Club will be holding their competition at Forbes, as there course is closed for the day. Their comp will run separately to our Monthly Medal.

However, this is a good chance to contest the Twin Towns Championship. The best scores from each comp will be collated to determine this.

By Short Putt

Saturday’s 18-Hole Stableford, sponsored by Forbes Bus Lines was played in good sunshine and yielded many good scores from the 67 players.

The A-Division winner was Michael Wood who scored 42 points, having completed the back-9 in 1-under. Only slightly behind was Laurie O’Connor, who similarly scored well on the back-9 to finish with 40 points.

The B-Division went to Richard Smith with 44 points. Close behind was Joshua Coulthurst with 43, which could have been better if he had scored a point on the dreaded 7th hole.

The ball sweep went to 36 on count back, going to: 44 – R Smith; 43 – J Coulthurst; 42 – M Wood; 40 – L O’Connor, N Duncan, B Thomas; 39 – P Dawson; 38 – S McAlister, S Bate, M Collits, P Pymont, J Maloy; 37 – T Griffiths, Martin Woods, C Alley, M Spice; 36 – P Barnes, S Kirkman, D Rhodes. The NTP’s went to: 1st – Mike Wood, 18th – Bob Borger.

The big event of the weekend was the second running of the FGC Par-3 Championships, sponsored by Brine Cure. A field of 41 players fought for prizes in Club and Social categories.

The Club Men winners were: A Grade winner – Phil Duke (41 c/b); runner-up – R Taylor (41). B Grade winner – L O’Connor (46); runner-up – B Carpenter (51). C Grade winner – D Williams (37); runner-up – B Slack- Smith (42).

The Club Ladies winners were: J Cripps (41 c/b); Runner-up – D Dingwall (41).

The Social winners were: first prize – Mark Webb (55), second prize – Scott Webb (67) and third prize – Veronica Rebellato (75).

The CWDGA Pennants played the 3rd round last weekend at Cowra. Our teams had mixed results, with the 1’s (3/2) and 4’s (4/1) winning while the 2’s (4/1) and 3’s (4/1) lost.

In a one-in-a-million event, one of Niel Duncan’s fairway shots was struck in mid-flight by another ball played by a person on the adjacent fairway. It took some time to find each ball, with more amazement as to where they had finished up.

On Sunday, 4th March we shall be hosting the CWDGA Pennants here. Come out and see some really good golfers do their thing. The course will be closed during this play, but open in the afternoon.

By Short Putt

Forbes golfers were keen to put some decent scores on the board, but the day was capped off by a hole-in-one by Bruce Chandler during Saturday’s event.

Saturday’s event was an 18-hole Stableford, sponsored by Troy Howe Electrical.

The course was enjoyed by a field of 61 players who generally scored well.

The A-division winner was Phil Maher, who once again was in form and scored 42 points. Close behind was Scott Kirkman with 41 points. They each had numerous pars and birdies.

The B-division had a large group of players on 41 points. In the end Bruce Chandler took the honour with 41 points on countback from Tom Edols (41), who took runner-up on count back from many others.

The ball sweep went to 37 on count back, going to: 42 – P Maher; 41 – B Chandler, T Edols, L O’Connor, S Kirkman, S Grallelis; 40 – Andy Cogswell, R Borger; 39 – B Shine, P Grayson; 38 – C Alley, B Doyle, R Smith, S McAlister, R Besgrove; 37 – A Rees.

The NTP’s went to: 1st – Marty Cahill, 18th – Bruce Chandler. Nobody could beat Bruce on the 18th, but there were a few contenders for the 9th.

Certainly, the story of the day was Bruce Chandler’s ‘ace’ on the 18th. He used a 5-iron, seemed to hit it okay and watched as it landed on the front of the green and rolled forward. He and his group thought it may have rolled off the back, but it was most definitely in the hole.

Sunday was Stableford Medley day, played by 9 players who all enjoyed their day. It was an all-male day with the ladies on other business. The winner was Charles Dwyer with 37 points, followed by Steve Betland on 36.

There was no ball sweep, but the NTP’s were well received. The 9th went to Andy Dukes and the 18th to Steve Betland.

There were no visitors.

This Sunday, we have a Par-3 comp where both club players and social players are invited. This is aimed at giving the club golfers a bit of a lift, and enticing the social players out for a bit of fun.

The CWDGA Pennants played the 2nd round last weekend at Bathurst. Our teams did not fare too well, with the 2’s (3/2) and 4’s (4/1) losing and the 3’s winning 3/2. The Div 1 team had a bye.

By Short Putt

Monthly Medal contested at the golf club last Saturday attracted a field of 80 players. Scores were okay but not outstanding.

On Sunday some golfers represented the club at the Pennants and had some good success.

In the Monthly Medal, the A-Grade winner was Digit McAuliffe with a nett 71, compiled with steady scoring. Runner-up was Dave Mylecharane with 72 nett. He had a near perfect back-9. Pro Simon kept them all honest with a 69 Scratch score.

The B-Grade went to Warwick Judge, who scored a 70 nett, and got there on countback from Ian Bown. Despite a ‘7’ on the 4th hole Warwick had two very good 9’s. Runner-up Ian Bown carried on some recent good form in his drives but could not convert to an outstanding score.

In the C-Grade it was John Gunn with a nett 69 who won ahead of Albie Callaghan on 70 nett. The NTP’s went to: 9th – D Mylecharane; 18th – R Webb. The 3rd Hole Pro Shop Trophy went to: A-grade D McAuliffe; B-grade J Haley; C-grade G Webb.

The ball sweep went to 73 nett on count back, being distributed to: 69 – J Gunn; 70 – W Judge, I Bown, A Callaghan; 71 – T Morgan, R Webb, S French, P Maher, D McAuliffe, R Smith; 72 – D Mylecharane, M Cartwright, G Webb, M Andrews, P Barnes, F Hanns, P Dawson, D Rhodes, R Besgrove; 73 – M Collits, S Uphill, G Collits.

On Sunday, the regular Stableford Medley was played, with a small field due to the Pennants commitments. The winner was Scott Kirkman with 35 points, on count back from Ray Taylor. There was no Ball sweep, but the NTP’s went to: 9th – Barb Drabsch; 18th – Mike Wood.

By Short Putt

The weekend’s golf featured the fourth running of the Australian 2-Person 2-Club Medley Championship, sponsored by Cahill’s Footwear. This is an 18-Hole Stroke event in which four clubs are shared between each pair, and makes for a challenging experience.

The winners were John Betland and Craig Barrett who combined their efforts to finish with a nett 62. Their 32/34-66 scratch was a combined effort. Runners-up were Brian Doyle and Greg Webb.

The ball sweep went to 681/2, going to: J Betland/C Barrett, B Doyle/G Webb, C Alley/B Slack-Smith, D McAuliffe/R Nixon, A Dukes/M Spice and Alf Davies/P Barnes.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – Ladies: Bess Shields, Men: Paul Pymont; 18th – Ladies: Brianna Duncan, Men: Greg Webb. Marty Cahill, sponsor for the event, presented the Trophy to John and Craig, along with their ‘Golden Boot’ individual personal award.

To start the weekend Friday, 26th January had a Stableford Medley. Players meshed their golf game in between Australia Day activities.

The winner was Digit McAuliffe, with 39 points. He got there on count back from Andrew Dukes, who but for an untimely bogey on the 17th would have been king.

The Ball sweep went to 37 points, distributed to those above plus Peter Nixon, Scott Kirkman, Greg Webb and Peter Sinclair (Nelson Bay). The NTP’s went to: 9th – Ron Morris; 18th – Peter Nixon.

Then on Sunday, 28th January the regular Stableford Medley was played. The winner was Ron Morris with 41 points. Runner-up was Brianna Duncan who scored 40 points.

The Ball Sweep went to 39 points, going to those above plus John Betland (39). The NTP’s went to: 9th – Peter Dawson; 18th –Ray Taylor.

It is with sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Ron Hurst. Ron fell very ill last week, and was transported to Sydney where he passed away on Monday. Margaret was by his side.

By Short Putt