Friday skins this week was a bit so so.  We did have 10 in the group, so another good turn out and a pleasant way to finish the week with a couple of beers.  Hamish Caithness won 5 Skins and cleaned up for a second week in a row. 

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Our colour scheme recognises the mighty Southland Stags who had an away win at Bay of Plenty this week.  Congratulations also to the Otago boys who put Counties Manukau to the sword.

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Before we get to Wednesday golf let us acknowledge our Saturday winners.  In the latest round of the Titleist Medal series, scoring a very neat winning net 67 in Division 1 was Eddie.  In Division 2 with a net 68, 4 shots ahead of Murray Cooper in second was returning Nick Nicolson.  Well done team.

 

Wednesday golf was great, with a clear blue sky and a healthy 30 players in the draw.  We had a few low handicap members turn up this week, including Tony Brown, Isaac Hobbs and Duncan Croudis, so some serious competition for the Swingers trophy.

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The golf was not brilliant this week, given the calm conditions and sadly only two contestants played to their handicap. In our field this week we had two Wagglers, being Pownall and Edgar, who were vying for the final of the Haggitt trophy.  On their request they were incorporated into the draw so that they could play also in the Wagglers competition.  They were included with a couple of lefties, being Egen and Walter, to oversee the match. This became a hard-fought contest and went to the 19th hole, where Edgar won after Pownall had 3 shots from the right bunker on the extra hole.  Ouch !!  We thought that there was justice in this result, as when we played this hole at the beginning of the day, Edgar had to make a 50 metre sprint to save a trundler.

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Let's step back a couple of weeks when Book End Marsh was having trouble with his trundler.  Well this week it was Warren Egen having trundler troubles, who parked his machine at the back of the green and pulled his putter from the bag to complete his work on the first green. Unbeknown to him his trundler set sail in a southerly direction and firstly got tangled up in one of the temporary rope fences nearby. It then extricated itself and changed direction, where it headed toward the gateway onto Balmacewen road.  By this stage Pownall noticed what was going on and made a disguised attempt to chase it. Then Edgar, who could see that this was a potential health and safety issue, sprinted 50 metres to stop it from going onto the road. After completing the job  and getting back to the green he managed to sink a 4 foot putt to halve the hole.
 

So fast forward to the 16th holes and Mr Egen has faded his drive into pensioner's gulley, where he has a blind shot into the green.  He takes his trundler to the top of the hill and parks it so that he can get a direction to the green. Unfortunately for Wazza he thinned his next shot, which caught the front of the trundler and returned to where he was standing in the gulley.  The moral here being right club, wrong shot. 

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So for the main team event we had $150 in the kitty for each of the 6 hole tranches and the Nugget was charged to collect the money. The first 6 holes was won in a creditable 33 points by team Attenborough, Ross, Freeman and Cooper.  The second 6 hole set saw team MacKay, Nikou, Woodham and Caithness slip in with a close finish on 41points.  The third 6 hole extravaganza was won with a commanding 46 points by team Laney, Morgan, Harvie and of course the phantom.

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It is noted that the glamour team this week of Nicolson, Bolt, Senaka and Croudis failed to feature in the prizegiving, although Duncan did have the best gross and the most birdies.   He had a strong finish with birdies on the last 3 holes, including a gap wedge to a foot on the 18th hole.  For the avoidance of doubt that's a gap wedge with his second shot not his third !  Why is it we all hit 3 woods to the green and these good guys hit wedges ?

   

The Blue Jacket was won this week by Sandy Ross with a steady 37 points, from a close finishing Senaka. The Swingers trophy was won by Duncan Croudis with 4 birdies, who also had the best gross with 69.  He was seen to be giving Nick some coaching in the club rooms afterwards, which will be carefully watched for results next week.

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The raffle was won by number 43, being Senaka again.  So although the Walking ATM didn't feature in the sixes, he didn't go home empty handed.

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Birthday boy was Bruce Carvell who has made his 65th year and got his first pensioners cheque, congratulations Bruce.  Thanks for the whisky and the food.  Just remember with your gold card you get 5% off groceries at Fresh Choice on a Tuesday morning.  Get the freee bus there if you like.