Geoff Drane finishing his putt while Ian Bown contemplates his turn.

On Saturday the Men’s competition was the December Monthly Medal, sponsored by Landmark Forbes, and contested by a field of 76. The A-Graders produced good scores with Peter Dawson firing a nett 66 to grab the Medal. The runner-up was Ethan Gaffney with a nett 69, and a good back 9 to sneak past Alf Davies on count back. The B-Graders produced similar scores.

Denis Culley took the C-Grade Medal with a nett 73, bookending his round with pars on the 1st and 18th. Runner-up was Hamish Steel-Park who fired in a nett 74 and beat Robert ‘Rocket’ Scott on count back.

The Final of the AAA Cup, sponsored by AAA Septic Services, was played on Sunday. The play-off winner was Steve Betland with a nett 69, helped by an eagle on the 6th. The other prize winners were: 2nd – Shane Sallaway, 3rd – Greg Webb and 4th – Ethan Gaffney. Thank you to the sponsor who has supported this event for over four years.

The Wallace Cup Final, a handicap match-play event, has been played and won. It was a very close and tense contest,

with the match being decided on the 18th. Todd Callaghan needed a win to send the match to the 19th, but Steve Grallelis managed a square and won the match 1-up.

Head Pro Ben has been running a raffle at Forbes and Parkes Pro Shops, with the prize being a special edition Titleist Golf bag (only 415 made). A video of the draw is available on Facebook pages. The lucky recipient was Steve Grallelis.

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Brodie Hodges, Todd Callaghan, Ben Robinson, Dan Bayley with Head Pro Ben Gear, won the VW last week.

Last weekend was the Annual Deacon Dwyer Day, a 4BBB Stableford Medley, sponsored by Rod Besgrove, with 36 pairs contesting. The winners were Nick Ryan and Jonathan Cutler who did well to finish with 48 points, which included a 5-pointer ‘eagle’ on the 15th hole. Runners-up were Hamish and Kate Steel-Park.

The ball sweep went to 43 points on count back, going to: 48 – N Ryan/ J Cutler; 47 – K & H Steele-Park; 46 – A Callaghan/G Newport; 45 – P Pymont/F Donohoe; 44 – P Duke/L O’Connor, N & C Duncan, P Tis- dell/ J Zannes, C Alley/A Alley, N McMillan/ B Carpenter; 43 – G Webb/D McAuliffe, G Collits/ K Sanderson.

The NTP’s for the men went to; 9th – W Judge; 18th – H Steele-Park.

While it is early days yet, players are asked to consider their availability for the Central West Districts Golf Association Pennant series for 2020. This usually commences in early February. Depending on overall numbers of the Clubs who nominate teams in the Four Divisions, there are usually five competition rounds, one Bye and then a two week Finals series. We especially need players in the Division 4 Handicap bracket (above GA 17.5). Please let the Club Captain know.

Looking ahead we have an 18 Hole Stroke, sponsored by Knights Fabrications on Saturday, 30th November, with a Stableford Medley on Sunday, 1st December. Then the following weekend we have the Monthly Medal, on 7th December and on Sunday, 8th December we have the Stableford Medley.

I also have prior notice of an event on Thursday, 19th December, a mid-week Christmas hamper supported by Bernardi Family Supermarket in association with Forbes Veteran Golfers. All welcome, ladies included. We play 12 holes, in two grades with handicap, nominations from 9am for shotgun start at 9.30am.

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Garry Collits putting while George Falvey watches intently.

The Men’s golf last weekend was an 18 Hole stroke event, sponsored by Loomzy’s Fish n Fix, that incorporated the Annual Medal of Medallists (MoM). The MoM was contested by 30 players and Dan Bayley won the Honours with nett 65.

The Individual Stroke comp also had good scores. Dan Bayley won the Division 1 comp with his 65 nett, while runner-up was Jacob Bernardi with 67 nett. In Division 2, Graham Newport had his best day for a long time with a nett 65, finishing ahead of Garry Collits on 68 nett.

NTP’s were available on all Par-3’s. The Comp NTP’s went to – 1st: James Co- nolly (Duntryleague); 9th – J Zannes. The Tuesday Golfers sponsored went to: 3rd A-Grade: I Bown, B-Grade: P Conway, C- Grade: B Squires; 18th A Grade: S Kirk- man, B-Grade: G Newport, C-Grade: nil.

The ball sweep went to 72 nett on count back: 65 – G Newport, D Bayley; 67 – J Bernardi; 68 – G Collits; 69 – M Wood, A Alley; 70 – D Ridley, T Morgan, M Spice; 71 – D Mylecharane, D Churchill, M Wood Jnr (Dubbo), A Dukes; 72 – Alf Davies, T Grif- fiths, T Callaghan, R Besgrove, P Dawson.

The Annual ‘Medal of Medallists’ will be played alongside the Stroke event on Saturday, 16th November, and will be followed by the Presentation of Men’s and Ladies Trophies for the Year.

The VW Scramble, a 4-P Ambrose, is set for Sunday, 17th November. This will be a shotgun start, commencing at 9am. We need more teams so contact the Pro Shop to let them know, and they can help with online registration.

On Saturday the November Monthly Medal, sponsored by Jelbart’s Tyrepower, was played in an ever-present wind, which sometimes became too much for some of the 55 players to handle. But the Medal winners were all seemingly unaffected.

The A-Grade went to Todd Callaghan (71 nett) ahead of a confident Dave Mylecharane (72 nett), looking for a second medal. The B-Grade required a count back to separate Bob Borger (70 nett) as the winner from Ash Tucker (70 nett). In the C-Grade it was once again a win to gentlemanly Rod Besgrove (73 nett) over a luck- less Bruce Squires (74 nett).

The ball sweep went to 75 nett on count back, going to: 70 – R Borger, A Tucker; 71 – T Callaghan; 72 – D Mylecharane, L O’Connor; 73- P Pymont, R Besgrove, T West; 74 – B Squires, M Spice, A Currey, B Everest, B Chandler; 75 – J Coulthurst.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – B Everest; 18th – D Rhodes, with Dave converting his for ‘2’. Over the weekend the Lachlan Valley (LV) team contested the NSW Country Championships in Bathurst and led after day 1 with good scores by Steve Betland, John Betland and Shane Sallaway.

On Day 2 the rain held off until later in the day but the wind was still a problem. The LV team slipped to 5th place. The Illawarra team surged to the top, from 5th on Day 1, finishing ahead of Central West by 3 shots.

The Forbes Nissan Classic, sponsored by Frank Spice Motors, is this weekend, 9/10 November, with the 4BBB on Saturday and Individual Stroke on Sunday. The tee time sheets are in the Pro Shop. There are some gaps there so you may still get a spot to play.

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Adam Currey watching his tee shot at the 9th.

Golfers were busy with a Rotary Charity Golf Day on Sunday as well as their Saturday competition.

With 58 players participating on Saturday, the competition was going to be good. Divi- sion 1 was won by Niel Duncan, with a +4 score. Runner-up on +3 was Paul Pymont, who warded off Greg Webb also on +3. In Division 2, Adam Currey scored +2. Gra- ham Newport was runner-up on countback. The ball sweep went ‘Square’.

The NTP’s went to: 9th–R Smith; 18th–M Spice. Visiting player was Adrian Acheson, back in Forbes for the weekend.

In Sunday’s Annual Forbes Rotary Charity Golf Day, 36 players played a 3-person Ambrose format, shotgun start at 9am, timed to beat the heat.

Scratch winner was the team of N Duncan/P Barnes/S Grallelis with a 67, snaring five birdies. Scratch runner-up was the team of R Williams/G Webb/S Uphill, with a score of 71. Handicap winner was the team of B Shine/S Shine/V Lane, using a modest handicap to score 59 5/6. Run- ner-up was the team of T West/F Emmett/L Jordan with a handy 61 1⁄2 off a higher handicap.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – A Summerhays; 18th – P Barnes. The Lucky Card draw went to D and B Slack-Smith/J Nottingham.

In the Wallace Cup, Todd Callaghan won the semi-final against Ian Bown, finishing 2-up. Todd plays Steve Grallelis in the Final.The first round of the Summer Sixes comp was played last week, with 28 teams participating.

We wish the Lachlan Valley District team including three Forbes players good luck in the Country Championships, held at Goulburn this weekend. Don’t forget the Forbes Nissan Classic on the weekend of 9/10 November.

Junior Coaching sessions are going well. Adrian has developed a fun-inducing development pattern and welcomes more kids. Contact Adrian for details 0423 356 670.

Bruce Squires concentrates on his tee shot during the Club Champs.

The final two rounds of the Forbes Golf Championships were played over the weekend. Some exceptional scores resulted in surprise winners in some grades. Shane Sallaway scored a 68 Scratch on Saturday to lead the A-grade into the final round, while Kim Herbert and Ken Sander- son both had handy leaders in their grades. The C-grade was wide open with six possible winners.

Following some excellent play, the overall results are:

• A-Grade Scratch: Shane Sallaway (291) from Steve Betland (293).
• A-Grade Handicap: Shane Sallaway (283) from John Betland (295).
• A-Reserve Scratch: Kim Herbert (320) from John Zannes (333).
• B-Grade Scratch: Ken Sanderson (342) from Brian Everest (349).
• B-Grade Handicap: Ken Sanderson (290) from Brian Everest (293).
• C-Grade Scratch: Rod Besgrove (402) from Steve Grallelis (404).
• C-Grade Handicap: Steve Grallelis (308) from Rod Besgrove (310).
• Veterans Scratch: Peter Dawson (308).
• Veterans Handicap: Kim Herbert (280).
• Junior Scratch: Cameron McMillan (335).
• Junior Handicap: Lachlan Alley (418).

There were daily competitions played on both days. Saturday saw the Division 1 go to Shane Sallaway with his outstanding 66 nett. Runner-up was Steve Betland (70 nett). In Division 2, Don Ridley finished with 70 nett, ahead of runner-up Richard Smith with 71. The ball sweep went to 74 nett. The NTP’s went to: 9th – S Betland; 18th – E Gaffney.

The Sunday Division 1 winner was Brian Everest with 69 nett. Runner-up went to Ethan Gaffney (72). In Division 2, Steve Grallelis (68) triumphed, followed by Adam Currey (74). The ball sweep went to 75 nett on countback. The NTP’s went to: 9th – S Sallaway; 18th – L O’Connor.

This Sunday, there is a Charity Golf Day organised by Forbes Rotary. This is open to Club and social players, with play being in a 3-person Ambrose. The fee is $35, which includes a BBQ lunch. Contact the Pro Shop to put your name down.

The Forbes Men’s Golf Championships began on the weekend.

John Betland leads the A-Grade Scratch by two shots from Steve Betland and Dan Bayley. Dan leads the A-Grade Handicap by three shots over Shane Sallaway. The A-Reserve Scratch sees Kim Herbert (158) ahead of Cam McMillan (159).

The B-Grade Scratch and Handicap hon- ours are a tussle between Ken Sanderson and Brian Everest. In C-Grade, Adam Currey leads the Scratch (197) and Handicap (149). Determined chaser is Bruce Squires – Scratch 201 and Handicap 155.

The Vets and Junior Championships are wide open.

There is a daily competition played over two Divisions. On Day 1, the A-Division winner was Laurie O’Connor (67 nett) from runner up John Zannes (68 nett). The B- division winner was Max Haley (72 nett) from Don Ridley on 73 nett.

The ball sweep went to 74 nett on count- back, check the Pro Shop for details. The NTP’s went to: 9th A Tucker; 18th K Sanderson.

On Day 2, the A-Division winner was Kim Herbert (69) on countback from runner-up Anthony Alley (69). In the B-Division, Adam Currey won with nett 71, ahead of Malcolm Langfield on 74 nett. The ball sweep went to 75 nett on countback. Again, check at the Pro Shop. The NTP’s went to: 9th C Alley; 18th D Bayley.

The Summer Sixes comp rounds start on 21 Oct. Contact the Pro Shop (68511554) for information.

Junior Coaching is continuing with minor changes. Contact Adrian for more details, 0423 356 670.

Important dates: 27 Oct Rotary Charity Day; 9/10 Nov Forbes Nissan Classic and 17 Nov VW Scramble. Contact Head Pro Ben for info.

The FGA AGM will be held 30 October, 6 for 6:30pm.

Closing rounds of the Club Championships will be on 19/20 October. Saturday 26 Oct is a par event.

By Short Putt

Terry Griffiths putts while Al Rees watches intently.

On Saturday, the men’s comp was the October Monthly Medal, sponsored by Forbes Concrete and contested by a field of 64 players.

The A-Grade was won by Dave Mylecharane, with a nett 69 to take the Medal. Runner-up on countback was John Betland with a fine 70 nett. The B-Grade Medal went to Jacob Bernardi with a nett 63. Runner-up was Clint Hurford with a nett 65. The C-Grade was a tight contest but Steve Grallelis took the Medal with a nett 67. Runner-up was John Ridley with a 68 nett, on countback from three other players on 68 nett.

The ball sweep went to 70 nett, going to:63–JBernardi;65–CHurford;67–S Grallelis, B Parker; 68 – J Ridley, J Cutler, G Newport and H Sykes; 69 – R Baker, M Haley, D Mylecharane; 70- K Sanderson, J Betland, T Griffiths, G Falvey, D Bayley and S Sallaway.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – S Sallaway; 18th – K Sanderson. The only visitor was Hugh Sykes from SGA Golf Club, an online club which features players from across the country.

The Sunday Stableford Medley was played in windy conditions. Damien Kennedy (35 pts) was the winner with runner up Clint Hurford (32 pts). There was no ball sweep and only one NTP. That went to Ethan Gaffney on the 9th.

Monday’s Stableford Medley saw Ethel Coombs with 35 points as the winner. Runner-up was Kim Herbert on 34 pts and on countback. The ball sweep went to 34, going to Peter Dawson. The NTP’s, sponsored by GWG, went to 9th – B Shields; 18th – K Herbert.

The Club Championships, played over four rounds on Saturday and Sunday for consecutive weekends, begin this week- end. Good luck to all participants and an invitation to supporters to come out and watch the players.

The Summer Sixes comp will soon be up and running. Initially, there are a few weeks of ‘handicapping rounds’. Team nomination forms are available from the Pro Shop.

The VW Scramble previously scheduled for Sunday 29 September has been postponed to Sunday 17 November. Contact Head Pro Ben for more information on this event.

The Forbes Nissan Classic, sponsored by Frank Spice Motors, will be held on the weekend of 9/10 November. Get your name on the timesheet in the Pro Shop be- fore the field for this popular event fills up.

The AGM for the FGA is scheduled for Wed 30 October, with a 6:00 for 6:30 pm start. Please attend and provide support to those elected onto the various committees.

By Short Putt