MILDURA
AFTER a frustrating enforced holiday from competitive golf, Mildura golfers returned to the fairways last Wednesday with a men’s Stableford competition in two grades.
A Gade was won by Peter Miatke with 38 points from Peter Rhodes (37) and Geoff Hazeldine (36).
Tom Lanyon won B Grade with 37 from Peter Palazzo (34) and Les McGlashan (33).
The layoff from golf did not seem to affect many players with 19 players scoring 31 points or better.
Jamie Lanyon won the pig prize on the second hole with a nearest the pin of 834 cm.
The Mildura ladies spread their competition over Friday and Saturday.
The winner was Janet Stanbrook with 35 points and Jan Mierswa (33) took second place.
The men’s Stableford competition on Saturday was held in three grades.
Graeme Polkinghorne won A Grade with a score of 39 points from Greg Toma (38) and Josh McAskill (36).
Lachlan Cottrell scored 41 points to win B Grade followed by Phillip Nash (37) and John Williams (35).
Scores were good in C Grade, where Sam Smythe had a win with 39 points and Kenneth Byrne and Colin Hagenbach both had 37 points to finish second and third respectively.
Williams took the pig prize on the second hole with a NTP of 160.
The Mildura veterans competition on Monday attracted 15 players with Alan Wishart scoring 35 points to win the competition from George Poriazis (35) and Brian Murphy (34).
Coming events: Today: Men’s Stableford. Friday: Ladies’ Stableford. Saturday: 4BBB par, which is a qualifying round for the Forty Winks competition. Sunday: Medley Stableford.
Monday: Mildura Vets Stableford. Tuesday: Ladies’ Stableford.
Bookings are necessary and can be made online or by contacting the Mildura Golf Shop on 5022 1147.
RIVERSIDE
WELL, to say the start of 2020 has been a very strange and a worrying few months would be an understatement.
It has been a long wait for golf to resume, but for very good reason.
Mildura and Australia as a whole have been extremely lucky, with the amazingly low numbers of affected cases of COVID-19, but as we are all still aware, social distancing is a priority.
There are many changes in place for our game during these unpredictable times, but this doesn’t mean we have to miss out on the game we all love.
The first game to resume after the shutdown was the men’s Stableford on Wednesday.
There were 61 very happy men out chasing that little white ball and although the scores were not brilliant, the smiles and time spent with mates would have made up for it in spades.
Brak Zambelli and Craig George both came in with 37 points in A Grade which called for a countback.
The luck went the way of Brak. Jerry Stephens put together 34 points to come away with the win in B Grade over John Denman (33).
Brendan Rowse played the par-four 13th exceptionally well, walking away with an eagle.
The ladies also had an excellent field on Thursday in the Stableford competition in two grades.
A Grade was won by Suzy Conquest on a exceptional 38. Carol Benning grabbed second with 34.
Dot Knight made her 36 count, taking out the B Grade, in front of Marie Hudak (32).
Friday’s nine-hole medley Stableford had players coming out to the woodwork with 51 out walking the fairways.
Nickolas George belted out a mighty 21 for a comfortable win, with a countback needed for runner-up. Jamie Donaldson was the best of a group of six, all on 18. Dwaine White, Bodan Bishop, Dean Vance, Jarrod Stokker and John Fraser just missed by a whisker.
There were 23 very keen ladies out for a swing on Saturday, with Tracy Coulson continuing her consistent play and finishing with a winning score of 37, three points clear of a group of three players. Gaye Briggs was runner-up, over Lisa Garioch and Roz Nash. It was Stableford on Saturday for the men, with an amazing field of 94.
Matty Adams played well enough to place himself on top of A Grade with 36 – just one in front of Aaron Jeffrey.
The best score of the day went to Tuarii Turaki in B Grade with a sensational 40, winning with five points between him and runner-up Jerry Stephens. Special mention goes to Glenn Butterworth who made the par-four 15th look easy with an eagle.
Sunday’s Medley Stableford was one for the captain. David Williams produced an excellent winning score of 40 to win by five. Jon Slatter snatched second leaving Chris Curley wishing just one more putt had dropped.
All players please remember that to play in any competition at the moment you must book.
No players are to arrive without a prior booking on OneGolf.
Coming events: Today: Stableford. Tomorrow: Ladies’ Stableford. Friday: Nine-hole medley Stableford. Saturday: Men’s monthly medal and third round of CUB Putter, ladies’ monthly award. Sunday: Medley Stableford.
MERBEIN
A BEAUTIFUL couple of days greeted us last week for the return of golf at Merbein, our new captain Roger Walder leading the way and winning on Wednesday.
Andrew Fairlie and Gav Minter had a tight tussle, with Andrew winning on a countback shooting a 71 off the stick.
The conditions proved ideal for an eagle feast with three being scored on the sixth hole over the two competition days.
Results:
Wednesday: Winner R. Walder (36). Runner-up F. Drayton (36), M. Thomson (36), K. Matulick (34).
NTPs were: Matulick (second, 325), Walder (third, 192, and 16th, 547), Thomson (sixth – eagle) and Drayton (12th, 87).
Saturday: Winner A. Fairlie 71/66. Runner-up G. Minter 79/66, Matulick 80/69, S. Trinnick 79/69, G. Hocking 80/69, M. Dean 76/69
NTPs were: Fairlie (sixth), Dean (eagle).
New members who join for $200 will be financial until September 2021.
The membership form is available on the website and facebook pages.
Come and see how the course is playing, with the addition of an extra 100 sprinklers, you are bound to enjoy the laidback atmosphere and possibly the Merbein tan.
Coming events: Today: Par. Saturday: Stableford.
RED CLIFFS
THE course is in great shape, thanks so much to all who have put so much effort into its preparation.
With 66 in the field on Wednesday and such beautiful autumn weather, we were so lucky to be out playing golf.
There were some excellent scores amid some average ones.
Jamie Wood won the men’s A Grade with 40 points from Andrew Wood on a countback.
The best left-hander in the club – so he tells me – Bill Woosnam won B Grade with 34 – also on a countback from Ron Baird.
In ladies’ A Grade, Julianne Wood had 36 points to win from Joan Ryan (34).
Kath Cattanach also had 36 to win ladies’ B Grade from Marg Fumberger (34).
Saturday’s game was monthly medal stroke for ladies and men.
The winner in men’s A Grade was Jeffrey Scott (net 70) on a countback from Daryl Morgan.
Bob Merlin (70) was the B Grade winner from brother Chris (71).
NTPs were: Ken Woosnam (fifth), Max Pitt (eighth), Morgan (ninth), Merlin (12th) and Ben Tallent (18th).
In the ladies’ competition, Dee Hopkins was in fine form winning on 66 from Fay Ross (67).
NTPs were: Faye Englefield (third), Liz Leach (12th) and Helen Wood (17th).
Coming events: Today: Stableford for ladies and men. Saturday: Par.
