FOR the first time in more than 10 years, a prestigious veterans’ golf competition returned to the Riverside Golf Club on Sunday and Monday.
The Victorian Veteran Golfers’ Association Championship brought 116 golfers from all over the state to Nichols Point, a good sign for the RGC, which continue to rebound after floods left them inundated for close to a year.
Victorian Veterans Golfers’ Association secretary Brian Kelley said it was exciting to see such a good turnout.
“Just great to have these type of events back at the club,” he said.
“We had people come from as far as Gippsland and also plenty of locals too, about 25.
“We got the opportunity this year and embraced it … a great atmosphere where we were able to renew acquaintances and play some golf.”
While it was perfect weather for the two-day event, Kelley said conditions still proved tough as the course continues to recover from floods, which first affected the course in November 2022.
“It was very difficult, they’d just rolled the greens so they were very fast,” he said.
“Particularly that first day, scores were really low so playing around the green was challenging.”
In the Championship Stroke, Buninyong’s John Ciezki claimed first place, finishing on 165, while local Chris O’Brien was runner-up with 169 strokes.
“He had a really strong first day, which gave him a five or six stroke lead going into the second day,” Kelley said.
