Golfers responded to the relaxing of restrictions (which saw the club reopen on Friday) by turning out in good numbers over the weekend for the added incentive of having a beer at the end of the game.
The scores seem to be improving slowly and Super-Vet Max Phillips certainly has improved after a few ordinary weeks to be in the winning circle on all three days last weekend.
On Saturday, he scored 41 points, just one point ahead of Greg Clark (with 40) to win the day. Peter ‘Ding’ Lawrence came third with 39 points.
Lawrence covered himself with glory on the 5th hole with a brilliant Eagle and then, overcome with emotion, he couldn’t make the Ladies tee on the next hole!
Mark Fraser was 4th with 39 points, one point clear of Matt Russell on 38.
Nearest the Pin prizes were won on the 3rd hole by Lawrence; 7th—Clark; 8th and 15th—Jay Egan and 11th—Jacob Ryan.
On Sunday, another Stableford saw 14 players double up.
The scores however weren’t as good as Saturday with Jay Egan coming out on top with 39 points, followed by Garry Wilkin, who can’t seem to take a trick these days, second on 37.
Alec Fraser was third with 35 points and Max Phillips, playing off to give someone else a go, finished 4th on 34 points.
Nearest the Pin prizes were won on the 3rd hole by Mark Martin; 7th—Wilkin; 8th—Colin ‘Butch’ Eves and 15th—Phillips.
Monday saw the first Four-Ball-Best-Ball game played in a long time.
There were 18 players (nine teams) competing and the pairing of Max Phillips and John Martin was too good for the rest of the field.
They both had the best individual scores of the day, 37 points, for a combined score of 44 overall, to beat Jay Egan and Alec Fraser on 42.
Matt Russell and Corin Ah-See came third on 41, beating Bill Fugar and Peter Lawrence on a count-back.
Nearest the Pin winners were: Phillips (3rd hole); Ah-See (7th); Peter ‘China’ Brien (8th); Egan (11th) and Lawrence (15th).
Three Bill Bartlett Matchplay games were decided on Saturday: Jason Foster defeated Paul Kershaw by two strokes; Captain Peter Brien defeated Sam Kershaw by two shoots (so not a good weekend for the Kershaw family); and while Garry Wilkin had a one-over score, it wasn’t enough to beat Greg Clark who got up by one shot. (Is there nothing Clarkie can’t do this year!)
Only one Matchplay game is yet to be finalised in the first round and that’s between Jay Egan and Steve Manns.
The talk around the club is that Egan will struggle to make up the 14 shot difference.—Out of Bounds
