Forbes golfers have had some success of late. We have a pair going to Bonville as the Lachlan Valley District Foursomes Champs. And the winners of the Forbes Holden Scramble are going away to Sydney. And we have
some new winners!

A group comprising Andrew Dukes, Phil Maher, Marty Cahill and Michael Browne attended the West Wyalong Holden Scramble. They returned home, victorious over the 14 teams that attended. The conditions were really
wet, but this was a must-do event.

The Forbes team won the day with 61 1/8, from a W/Wyalong team (61 ¼), and 3rd (613/8), 4th (61 ½), 5th (61 5/8). As you see, the top five teams were within half a stroke of each other. Other prizes they collected were: A-grade
NTP twice (thanks to Andrew) and Team NTP for second shot, on the 18th. But it must be said that the defining moment came down to Marty Cahill. As he has done in the past, Marty approached the 18th tee knowing that he needed a good one down the middle, and having duck-hooked his tee shot off the previous hole!

With consummate ease, and nary a thought to the pressure on his shoulders, he smote a delightful shot down the middle. His team applauded. Andy did the honours and fired a 6-iron to the pin (git Team NTP) and then got
the putt for a very good score. These guys are off to Sydney (Riverside Oaks) in mid-October.

Golf Tip from Daniel
Hello golfers! This month I will be talking about Putting.

Yes, drive for show and putt for dough.

A common remark heard around the golf course and for good reason. The average number of putts a golfer will have per round is between 34-38 putts, and they will hit their driver on average 10-12 times per round. Yet we insist
on spending 90%, or even 100%, of our practice time trying to master the 300m drive.

If you are serious on lowering your scores, 2 things need to be done. Make sure you have a putter that is suited to you, and then spend a good amount of your practice time out on the putting green or even on the carpet at home.

When doing this a few important things to concentrate on are:
1. Keep your eyes and head completely still. This will ensure the putter face remains on line through-out the
stroke.
2. Make sure your back swing is the same length as the follow through. Doing this will improve the speed of
your putts.

Good luck and happy golfing.

The Final of the Wallace Cup, a handicap match play comp, was contested between Daniel Bayley and Peter ‘Ecky’ Dawson. Daniel triumphed 3/2 after a very close contest. Congratulations to Daniel who has been a formidable opponent throughout, and a staunch supporter of the event. Saturday’s play was the ‘Righties vs Lefties’ contest, played under Stableford conditions with aggregate scores for each side of the contest deciding the winners. The field of 46 players was split as nature would have it, with 37 right-handers playing against 9 lefthanders.

They were pleased to be contesting this after the ‘World Left-Handers Day’ was commemorated on the preceding Friday. The Lefties aggregate score was 303, somewhat behind the Righties aggregate score of 339. So once again the Righties prove that it is better to play on the left side of the ball, but ah no, it is better to play on the correct side of the ball. Among this comp there was a hidden Foursomes prize. Two cards were drawn at random from each of the Righties and Lefties groups. The aggregate score for each pair decided the winning foursome. In a real turnaround,
the phantom Leftie pairing of Barry Shine and Bruce Carpenter (69) defeated the phantom Rightie pairing of Mick Spice and Brian Monaghan (66).

Also on Saturday was the Stableford comp, contested in two grades. The A-grade winner was Paul Kay (41 points) ahead of runner-up Brian Everest (40). The B-grade winner was Frank Donohue (with 37) from Frank Hanns (36).
The ball sweep went to 36, and included those above plus: 39 – Will Gordon, 38 – Ben Webb, 37 – Barry Shine, Ian Bown, 36 – Niel Duncan, Barry Parker, Doug Churchill. The NTP’s went to: 9th: Andrew Grieson, 18th: Adam Borger. Andrew got his ‘2’ but Adam missed out. There were four 2’s scored, all by right-handers, with the 3rd being most prolific. The classiest ‘2’ went to Ben Webb on the first – a pure strike and a pure putt. Sunday’s 18 hole Stableford Medley was contested by 20 players, including one visitor – John Zannes from Narrabri. Not only did the
sun eventually shine, but so did the golfing.

The Winner was Ron Morris with 42 points, ahead of Phil Duke with 41 points. These last few weeks have shown that scores of over 40 points are needed to be among the prize winners. Ron kept his group entertained on the 11th green for a long time, and kept them all entertained throughout the game, especially after his birdie on the 14th. The NTP’s went to – 9th: B Carpenter, 18th: F Smith. Neither turned their good shots into a ‘2’, but Bruce got one on the 3rd and Fran got one on the 9th! There were four 2’s scored overall. The ball sweep went to 38 points, going to: 40 – Rob Webb, Rod Besgrove, Ron Spice, 38 – Ben Webb. Barb Drabsch did play this week, but somehow missed out.

On Thursday 13 August, the Vets played a 12-hole event at Forbes. The cool breeze cut through a few swings but 29 players were pleased to be there. The winner was Peter Unwin (F) with 26, on count back from John Davies (P) on 26. The Bradman Award went to John Whatmore (F) who had one of those days we just do not want to talk about. At least the company was good. The NTP’s were: 9th – A Grade: Nil (they all missed!), B Grade: M Cartwright (F); 18th – A Grade: D Rodgers (P), B Grade: P Cripps (F). The ball sweep went to 22.

The Mick Miller Shield was an embarrassment for Forbes, who lost on home soil with 134 to Parkes score of 142. Back to the drawing board guys! The next game is an 18-hole event at Forbes, on 20 August. It is the usual gathering
at 9:30 am for a 10:00 am start. So, if you are reading this, you are late already.

Special Notice
The Lachlan Valley District Final for the NSW Men’s Fourball Championship will be played at Bogan Gate GC on Sunday 23 August. Representatives from Forbes are: F Hanns/B Parker teeing off at 11 am from the 1st tee; P Maher/ M Cahill at 11:08 am from the 1st, and F Donohue/P Pymont at 11 am from the 6th. Good luck guys, and remember that when putting on sand greens, do so with authority.

Here are some items:
The second event in the ‘Juniors on the Move’ programme, run by our very own Daniel Newton, was held at Parkes recently. A very enthusiastic group of 14 players attended, receiving individual coaching and participating in competitive events. It was another successful event, with new players mixing with the established ‘junior coaching junkies’. The next event is set for 6 September at Forbes, with another coaching workshop being targeted for the September School Holidays. Contact Daniel at the Pro Shop for more info.

The organisation for the Forbes Nissan Classic, set for 14/15 November, is gathering momentum, with some new ideas being promoted.

By Short Putt

The wintery conditions continued to plague the weekend golfers, but thankfully the crisp breeze had dried the ground a little. The field for the 18-hole Monthly Medal held on Saturday totalled 53 players who were keen to extract some extra length to counter the colder air. The sponsors, Bernardi’s Supa IGA, were very pleased with the super effort played by ‘the other’ Betland. His pounding drives, arching approaches and deadly putting meant that he showed no mercy to the course. The bruise holes from where his ball pitched were plain to see for all. Steve ‘Big Crane’ Betland won the A Grade Monthly Medal with a 68 Scratch and Nett result. Steve was 3-under for the front-9 holes, but was only 1-under for the back-9 holes. His blemish was a bogey on the 18th.

Runner-up was Bruce Carpenter with 71 nett. In the B Grade, Laurie O’Connor was triumphant with a Nett 66. Again the front-9 was good but the back -9 was only played to his handicap. The 7th and 14th holes cost him a crack at history. Runner-up was Terry Griffiths with 69 Nett. He followed the trend with a good front-9 and less effective back-9. Jimmy McLuckie took the honours of the C Grade Monthly Medal with 74 nett, on count back from Steve Grallelis. He was not pleased with a ‘5’ on the 9th, missing an easy short putt, but then he defied the laws of golf by having a poor front-9 and better second-9.

Do not miss the Callaway Demonstration day on 13 August. It’s a good chance to try out some of the new equipment, and to test your swing. Book in with Daniel at the Pro Shop.
By Short Putt

The rain was welcome by many, but was not so enjoyable for the golfers at Forbes. Very wet conditions before the weekend caused the cancellation of Saturday competition golf, but a sunny Saturday afternoon enabled some play on Sunday. On Saturday it was quite disturbing to see golfers yelling “I want to play” being dragged off the course, but they were very keen. I am careful to add that no children or animals were harmed during those events. The scene
across the course was one of casual water in many places and a very soggy ground. Best to wait until it improved.

Saturday’s competition was to be the first round of the Mens Foursomes Championships. These will now be held on 29-30 August, replacing a stroke competition. This may not suit all, but with other commitments this is the next available weekend. Sunday’s 18 hole Stableford Medley was like a godsend to those who need their weekly dose. A field of 35 players was a testament to the desire by all to enjoy some wonderful balmy conditions. The winner on the day was Steve Uphill, with 40 points, on count back from Laurie O’Connor (40). It was interesting that groups in which these front runners played had difficulty in identifying their own ball.

The Ball sweep went to 35 points and included: 39 – A Dukes, B Carpenter, 37 – B Webb, 36 – P Dawson, 35 – B Shine, P Maher, P Nixon. Yep, it was certainly a day for the big hitters!

The NTP’s went to – 9th: P Grayson, 18th: R Williams. There were only two 2’s, one on the 3rd and one on the 18th. I presume that despite the sun the air was pretty heavy and there was very little run, thus making it difficult to judge the correct shot. Any excuse to help out a golfer.

This week the schedule is for a 12-hole event at Parkes, on July 23. It is the usual gathering at 12:30 am for a 1:00 pm start. Bring your snorkel and flippers, just in case. In November Forbes GC holds the Nissan Classic weekend, with this year being the 25th staging of this event. This has become a primary calendar event, with many players
from a range of clubs stencilling this into the diaries. To ensure continued success we need to have a vibrant Committee.

The Classic organisers have scheduled an open meeting to garner support to organise this event. The meeting will be held on Thursday 30 July at the Sportsman’s Hotel, commencing at 6 pm. If anybody is interested in helping out, or just interested to find out more, please attend the meeting. Our golfer’s ability spreads far and wide.

Not only does King John ply his golf skills in Pennants in Sydney, but other members cast a shining beacon wherever they go. Sue Shine recently had some time at Port Stephens, and enjoyed some golf. Every course Sue played she easily scored 35 points or more. Such versatility and consistency was marvellous. In order to keep up, Barry Shine had to do something spectacular, as his golf was pretty ordinary. And that he did – he scored a Hole-in-One at the Palms course. It was a classic controlled shot against the breeze, always on target, and judged to perfection. Forbes players shine again.

It’s crystal ball time: Saturday 25 July is the 4BBB Stableford Multiplier, sponsored by Ace Machining. Choose a steady partner with plenty of patience as this could be quite traumatic. In fact it would be ‘real ace’ to score points on
every hole. Sunday 26 July is the Stableford Medley.
By Short Putt.

Contributed by Short Putt
The weekend did not promise much from a weather viewpoint, and thus players either shied off, or raced around to stay warm. In surprisingly good conditions some players excelled, none more so than the grandfathergrandson
pairing in this weekend’s comp.

There were 45 paired up players who contested the 4BBB Aggregate Stableford Medley, sponsored by Forbes TV and Video Repairs. Many players hoped they could replay their shots, while others knew they had vision impairment. But can you credit the participating sponsor not realising it was his event until well into his round?

The eventual winners seemed to really enjoy the conditions. They were towards the tail of the field. Early in the afternoon the clubhouse leaders were Morgan/Cogswell and Dawson/ Herbert, each on 72 points and trading innuendos with each other. But they were well and truly thumped. Grandfather Geoff Coles was his ever reliable
and steady self, playing his sneaky long drives well down the fairway with few exceptions. He provided a steadying influence to grandson Gus Coles, who used his height to generate a huge swing arc and pound the ball into the distance, often beyond Geoff’s eyesight.

Their 78 points included one complete wipe hole where neither player scored a point. Gus’s ball striking is a serious challenge to King John. That is, if he can get it straight. His drive off the 16th tee finished on the edge of the practice fairway close to the 17th fairway, and was almost blocked out by the big gum tree there. But his six pars and one birdie teamed well with Geoff’s four pars to earn huge points.

Runners-up on 72 points were Ted Morgan and Tony Cogswell. Ted seemed to be the steadier player, with Tony showing too many 1s and wipes on his card. They edged out Ecky Dawson and Kim Herbert, also with 72. Both players were steady, but some unfortunate 1s and a wipe by Kim pulled them down. Neither did well on the 17th, which was almost the cause of the outbreak of a major war. The ball sweep went to 71 points. Winners
included those above and Dawson/Herbert, Carpenter/Bayley and Squires/Donohue. Nearest the pins were: 9th – Men B Carpenter, Ladies B Drabsch; 18th – Men T Morgan, Ladies nil. Undoubtedly the conditions contributed to the low 2s count with only one being scored. That was by Ecky Dawson on the 3rd hole. He was very pleased at that stage, but he did develop a grumpy phase the further the round went, perhaps a result of playing under trying conditions.

There was one visitor, that being Stuart Hayes from Murrumbidgee GC. He was escorted around the course by Verna Lane who must have shown him ‘how not’ to play the course as they finished last. Welcome Stuart, you shall do better next time. And perhaps the field was the lesser for the non-appearance of maestro Ray Taylor and his sidekick King John.
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Sunday’s 18-hole Stableford Medley was a prelude to the British Open Championship, or so it seemed with the way the weather presented the course. In cold and squalling conditions four ladies competed in the Sunday comp – thus perhaps making it a prelude to the Ladies British Open. The four combatants made a real fight of it. The Winner was Barb Drabsch with 31 points, but on count back from Fran Smith (31). The other players were Jill Cripps (26) and Ethel Coombs (24).

With such a small field there was no ball sweep or NTPs. But we must congratulate the four ladies for their intrepid contest. And for those interested, there were no 2s, although Fran Smith came close on three holes. And where were the men?
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On Thursday 9 July, the Vets played a 12-hole event at Forbes. There were 34 brave players, with once again heavy representation by Forbes (25) as compared to Parkes (9 ) and one Peak Hill-ite. The winner was David Williams (F) with 28 on countback from Geoff Coles (F) and Peter Unwin. The Bradman Award went to Jim Maloy (F) who undoubtedly was exhausted after his journey from Eugowra way. But he did score more than one point per hole.

The NTPs were: 9th – A Grade: J Davies (P), B Grade: R Baker (F); 18th – A Grade: R Bell (PH), B Grade: J McLuckie (F). The ball sweep went to 24, and was enjoyed by thirteen players. I here tell that Jim McLuckie has benefitted from his overseas trip where some of the conditions he encountered on the courses were very similar to Thursday’s conditions. No doubt that will change in the summer. The Mick Miller Shield was most undeniably
and emphatically won by Forbes with 165 points from Parkes 132. The larger numbers certainly helped, but so too did the fact that 80 per cent of the Parkes players returned scores below the mode. I had to fit some statistics in there somewhere!
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The next game is an 18-hole event at Parkes on 16 July. It is the usual gathering at 9.30 am for a 10am start. Let us hope the ‘Antarctic Vortex’ has subsided by then.
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The Winter 9-Hole Comp was contested by many players this week, who braved the harsh conditions or found some sunshine intervals. Nevertheless, the results are a credit to those who played in the more difficult conditions.
The results for Week 10 are: Winner Bess Shields (32 nett) from runner-up Bob Grant (34). Ball winner was Graeme Howe with 35 points. Hopefully the weather will pick up and the field will swell with the throngs of happy players.
And they will all see how well Grant Howe is enjoying his golf.
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Here are some other items: All players should be aware that the Local Rules now include ‘Preferred Lies through the
Green’. With the negligible grass growth and frosted ground cover it is very difficult to distinguish the fairways from the rough – thus the Local Rule. The rule will stay in place until the spring growth kicks in and the fairways can be better defined. We are into the 3rd round of the Wallace Cup now. Only three matches remain to be played before 26 July, so everything is running to target.
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It is crystal ball time: Saturday and Sunday 18, 19 July is the Mens Foursomes Championships, sponsored by S&S Welsh Transport. This is a two-day event on the weekend. There will be an Individual Stroke event on Saturday for those who cannot commit to the two days of play. At this stage the Sunday is free. Saturday 25 July is the 4BBB Stableford Multiplier. Choose a partner who can consistently get at least a point on each hole. Sunday 26 July is the Stableford Medley. Saturday 1 August is the 18-hole Monthly Medal, this month sponsored by Bernardi’s Supa IGA. Sunday 2 August has the Stableford Medley. Saturday 8 August is the very contestable American Foursomes, sponsored by Milton Cartwright. This format tests not only your partnership pairing, but also your consistency in play, and is a load of fun.

The sun did shine on the Forbes Golf Club, neatly highlighting the crisp frosts in the morning, the expansive cover of grass, and the scintillating performance of the golfers themselves. It was definitely a case of the “Double Cs” leading the way for the field. The field for the 18-hole Monthly Medal held on Saturday comprised 49 players who were keen to get around the course briskly.

To keep warm many players elected to take the walking option, thus also supporting the sponsors Walkers AgnVet. Although it must be said that the play by some of the golfers was quite agricultural at the times. The Winner of the A-Grade Monthly Medal was ‘Big Crane’ Betland with a 71 nett. He was well pleased to have beaten into second place his baby brother ‘King John’, who managed 73 nett, using his handicap to adjust his even-par-72 gross score. Steve’s two birdies on the 6th and 7th were the real clincher over John’s double-bogey on the 7th. But both played fine golf.

In B-Grade, Brian ‘Fred’ Collie, with a nett 69, felt comfortable all day and was well pleased, and quite modest, to win the Medal. Runner-up was Alby Callaghan, who was able to throw off some ill effects utilising some miracle medicine, and return home with a nett 71. Fred was quite thankful that he did not par the first, which folklore has as a sure disaster. His round went well with 11 pars marked on the card.

The C-Grade Monthly Medal went to a Gentleman’s Gentleman ahead of an Elder Statesman. Geoff Drane was in rare form to finish with a nett 72, and finished just ahead — although always behind throughout the day — of Tom Edols on nett 73. Tom played early in some of the crisp conditions, but Geoff had to contend with the nippy cold in the afternoon shade.

The winner for the A-Division Daily Comp, was ‘Fred’ Collie with a nett 69, conscious always of the ‘Big Crane’ Betland who was in hot pursuit, but finished second with a 71 nett. Fred was so pleased with his round that in the clubhouse he was willing to describe his round hole-by-hole to those resting there. Funny how the clubhouse emptied quickly!

In the B-Division, Alby Callaghan was triumphant with his nett 71. And to help in his celebrations, was another winner in the guise of Geoff Drane, one shot behind on a nett 72. They played in the same group, but have not yet divulged who won the drinks.