A Bit To Get Through This Week ....
Let's rewind the clock back to Friday afternoon. 12 people turned up for skins and when there are that many in the field, you know it's tough to win anything. But if you do manage a couple of skins, the spoils of victory are useful. The other thing you know is that 2 points on a hole is worth nothing and more often than not 3 points is no guarantee of success either.
Brent Pownall who had snuck away from work early made a 3 pointer on hole 3 which earned him some money. But the main prize went to Alastair on the par 3 seventh where he hit his tee shot to just a couple of feet and then rolled in the birdie putt for a 2 for 4. Happy days.
Then on Saturday it was Telfer Medal day. Glorious day it was too. Nick had taken a cart and by the time his group came round to the 6th hole, Nick needed to spend a penny or two. So in an effort to save a bit of time, Nick drove his cart around to the toilet block adjacent to that tee. But that area can be a bit boggy and although recent rain has been scarce, the area was sufficiently wet to ensnare Nick's cart.
The fatal error is to try and drive out but all that does is bog the cart down to the axles. Which is exactly what happened.
The picture shows that people arrived from all directions and with 4 people pushing, the cart was brought back to life.
And then to Sunday which was club championships final day. Let us all celebrate that the Wagglers were successful in two of the four divisions with Bruce Grant triumphant in the Junior As, and Alastair Adam victorious in the Junior Bs. Deano came close in the intermediate plate final taking the match to the 19th where his opponent claimed victory. At the prize giving Browny asked the question " hey Deano, if you lost the plate final does that make you the loser of the losers ?" Harsh.
And So To Wednesday ....
With a few familiar faces returning to Dunedin, we had a very healthy field of 31 for golf this week. The weather forecast wasn't that bad but the day turned out decidedly second best. If last week was a celebration of the remnants of summer, this week was the cold realisation autumn is here with winter just around the corner.
The wind blew stronger and stronger and seemed to get colder and colder. With low cloud hanging round all day we never really saw the sunshine or Flagstaff. It didn't really rain, but the moisture in the air merged with everything else meaning there was no separation. It was just cold and damp.
In the sixes things happened which have never happened before. To set the scene, scoring was difficult so nobody really knew, least of all Eric, what a good score might be.
All seemed normal for the first set of six with 32 points. Bruce Grant, Mahmoud, Fairway Phil and Tegel's son Dave Porteous Junior helping themselves there. But then 39 points won the middle set. Murray Edgar, Warren, Browny and Richard being the victors. But then things took a truly bizarre twist.
Ringmaster Eric was conducting ceremonies and when the money had been collected he announced " OK, let's get to the third set of six, we'll start it this week with 42 points". One hand went up in the air. "What's going on ?" we all queried. But that was the truth and so in scenes never seen before, just one team captain was able to raise his hand and claim the $. That man was Keith representing his team mates of Vaughn, Geoff and future LIV golfer pro shop Mike.
Speaking of pro shop Mike, more bizarre things happened though this one isn't a first. Our group was trundling along with the previously mentioned group playing one hole behind. When we got to the fourth hole the group behind had gone missing. So what happened ?
The third hole was playing into the teeth of the howling wind now blowing across the course. Keith had nailed his drive of the day straight down the middle and into the mayor's office. The group marched down the hill. Mystery surrounded the fact that when they got to the point where Keith's ball should have been, it was nowhere to be seen. They all started looking for the ball. But then future LIV golfer pro shop Mike shouted out" hey don't worry about Keith's golf ball, where the hell are my golf clubs?"
Now Mike and powered trundlers have previous with the tow rope up from the Glen getting the better of Mike not that long ago. On the third hole yesterday, Mike made the fatal mistake of either not turning off the trundler when he stopped, or he double pushed the button.
At one point Mike was seen walking up Chapman Street checking the gardens to see what he could find. 20 minutes later they did turn up in a Chapman Street garden.
Our Winners For The Week
Scoring was tough this week. "Even the Phantom found it tough today" was one comment. Indeed The Phantom came second with 33 points this week with only one man reaching 36 points, three points better than the rest. Stand up Mahmoud.
Such was Mahmoud's excitement the following was witnessed when he claimed 3 birdies and the Swinger's Trophy
Neil Cameron won the raffle.
Generously John Marsh shouted the group celebrating the arrival of new grandson Jude. John and I had a conversation about Jude and the song Hey Jude by The Beatles. Wikipedia tells us the following...
The writing and recording of "Hey Jude" coincided with a period of upheaval in The Beatles. The ballad evolved from "Hey Jules", a song McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon's young son Julian Lennon, after Lennon had left his wife Cynthia Lennon for the Japanese artist Yoko Ono. The lyrics espouse a positive outlook on a sad situation, while also encouraging "Jude" to pursue his opportunities to find love. After the fourth verse, the song shifts to a coda featuring a "Na-na-na na" refrain that lasts for over four minutes.
Thanks again John.
And In Other News .....
It looks like the Masters Sweepstake has been received well. This week we have filled 76 out of the 96 slots available in the sweep. Next week we'll give it a final nudge to see if we can fill it up. If we're a few short we'll remove some of the less fancied golfers from the draw such as the amateurs and the long ago ex winners and then complete the draw. We still need to decide how to divide up the pot. Thanks again to everyone supporting this.
Then a reminder on Monday we have a working bee at 9:00 am to fill in divots and repair tees with a sand / seed mix. If you can make it then Craig and his team will be very grateful.
Finally finally, there are a few of us home alone on Saturday evening and there's a table booked at LITTLE INDIA on Moray Place. If you're at a loose end drop me an e-mail to add you name to the list. For the avoidance of any doubt, this is a boys night out not couples.
Southern Swing - Update
Further to the preliminary news last week, the following dates for the Southern Swing 2025 and details are confirmed.
The dates are FRIDAY 5th DECEMBER to SUNDAY 7th DECEMBER As an FYI, the St Andrew's Cross will have been played the weekend before and the medal shoot out will also have been played the weekend before. The greens will have been cored on Monday / Tuesday following that weekend. So it's a free weekend with nothing much on at Balmacewen and recently cored greens. Our annual dinner is the following Friday on the 12th.
Day 1 Friday 5th December - Drive down to Invercargill, breakfast at Bill Richardson's Transport World cafe, inter club with the Invercargill Golf Club at Otatara, then either stay in Invercargill at the Ascot Park Hotel and eat with the Otatara boys or drive back to Gore and stay at the Croydon Lodge. Will advise later.
Day 2 Saturday 6th December - Short trip to the Riversdale Golf Club. Lunch at the golf club then and play golf followed by a BBQ. Sounds like the red carpet is being rolled out for us and we'll be made very welcome. Overnight at the Croydon Lodge, Gore.
Day 3 Sunday 7th December - Head back towards home and play golf at Lloyd's old course at Heriot before our arrival back in Dunedin.
Because of accommodation limitations, numbers limited to 24. First in best dressed.