Betland keeps Giddings at bay in Parkes Open

This weekend we saw the running of the 2026 Parkes Open with the biggest starting field in the history of the event. Following on from last year’s positive change in format, that being the Bridgestone Mining Services Australia sponsored fourball event on the Friday and then 2 days of 18 stroke play for the SCT Open, this was repeated this year with huge success. Our long-term major sponsors in SCT, Bridgestone Mining Services Aust and Truserv were again the backbone of the weekend. There were 70 pairs in the Friday event and 210 entries on Saturday and Sunday, with 45 clubs outside of Parkes represented. It signifies the venue and event are very much to the forefront of players' event schedules across NSW and interstate as well. The event is also proving a large stimulus for the local economy. The weather was the best spring days you could wish for, so all we needed was the starters gun. The greenkeeping team of Logan Booby and Brenton Howarth with loyal lieutenant Rob Cheney had the course presented in the best order possible. They had great support from the board and our band of volunteers, with special mention of Captain John Green and Club Pro Zac and his wife Maddi Kelly. We were able to play the event with only preferred lies on your own fairway which hasn’t been possible for an extended period of years, thus making it a truer test for the golfers. A huge vote of thanks to SCT who have been with us for the long haul, just like their national, multi-modal transport and logistics company and to Bridgestone Mining Solutions Australia who have now become an integral part of our weekend. Also to Truserv who have provided support for an extended period and with these major sponsors in place for the event the players can relax and really enjoy the multi day event. Riall Harrison Building Services, provided the entertainment via the Friday evening shootout, a real crowd-pleasing event and heart pumping participant event, so there was a swag of differing events for participants. Parkes golfers Nick Strudwick, Brenden Bennett, Kaleb King, Anthony Hill, Regan Hinton, Phill Smith and Jorge Kuntze soaking up the atmosphere. On Friday we had the usual 10th hole start for all players that made all concentrate from the 1st stroke on their 1st hole, lucky Bridgestone had provided a sleeve of balls for their weekend. The Bridgestone Mining Solutions Australia event is the bookmaker’s biggest headache as the players are fairly secretive, form unknown, and then there is the amount of seriousness or not each team take into the event. A lot of the competitive nature is more between the travelling teams and their groups than the actual 4BBB trophy. In the Scratch Stableford there was a tie on 38 points with Adam Birtles from Asquith and Richie Carter from Yamba winning on a countback from the twin threat from Parkes in Myles and Blake Smith. The Smith boys will be formidable now they are back playing more often. The winners of the Handicap Stableford were regular attendees Andrew and Riley Dunbar with 49 points, incidentally the same winning score as last year. Runners-up were the well-conditioned local pair of Trevor Chatman and Ron Hetherington, on 45. This pair have been trying to hide in the pack each week leading up to the event but were in most punters black book. On 44 points were the Forbes team of Adam Andrews and Archie Quirk and also the Smith boy’s trophy hunting again. The Individual winner on the day was Andy Brownlow, who is figuring in all finishes this year off his 4 handicap. Jeff Carey from the Highlands Club and a former Parkes boy, was runner-up with a good 38 point round, and provided chapter and verse on many subjects for his playing partners. Jeremy Dickson tees off in the Parkes Open on Saturday morning, watched by Ben Semler, Shane Groen and Grant Malouf. The Parkes versus Asquith competition this year was won by Parkes 653 to 645. Asquith provided just on 50 players to this year’s event to celebrate their 50 years in attendance at the PGC Open. PGC Club Captain John Green had a special 50 year commemorative ball marker struck to honour this significant event. The Truserv NTP results for the day were – 1st Riall Harrison 362cm, Hugh MacDonald (Federal) 192cm, 11th Jack Matthews 109cm, 17th Max Keith 234cm. We then moved to the crowd pleaser, the Riall Harrison shootout. This really draws the attention of the spectators as the 18th green becomes an amphitheatre for the crowd on the hill to watch the golfers have 100 metre shots in to try and get the great prize by getting the closest to the pin. The event always ebbs and flows and the winning gets harder and harder as the shots get closer and darkness creeps in. This year the prize went to the occasional golfer, Mick Kable, who still has the single figure sticks in the bag and can play when tuned in. He managed an impeccable wedge shot to 27cm to take out the ’26 Shootout. 2026 Parkes Golf Open Parkes Open 2026 The opening 18 holes of the SCT ’26 Open commenced with a course ready for the taking for those good enough as the 7am players hit off. In A grade, where the handicap cutoff was 9 this year, Cooper Giddings hit the low score on the day with a 71 off his plus 2 handicap. Cooper is the player most fear in the local area and will be a threat in the Country Champs in November. He was 2 over on the outbound coming home 3 under with 5 birdies. There is always going to be a Betland in the mix and this time it was John, playing off 1, who shot a par round to take up the challenge. An even par outward 9, then 2 pars and an eagle but a double and 2 bogeys kept it to even par coming in. Malcolm Luke from Asquith and Caleb Hanrahan from Forbes shot 75. With prizes limited to 1 per player Caleb Hanrahan picked up the Scratch for 1st in A grade, with Ritchie Carter from Yamba runner-up. Beau Tanswell from Parkes sinks his putt watched by Craig Dunn and Ian Ward. Beau was a worthy runner-up in the A grade handicap on Saturday. Darren Moore and Damien Chambers from Sydney. In the Net event John Betland was best in with a 71 beating John Wachman from The Coast and Archie Dickson from Dubbo on a countback. But the prize went to John Wachman, who has attended the Parkes event for decades so a fitting result. Beau Tanswell with a 72 was a worthy runner-up. In B grade where the handicap cutoff was 16.5, David Angst from Wentworth GC was the low score scratch winner with a 45 / 37 split for an 82. He beat former Parkes boy and now Kempsey golfer Peter Townsend on 84 who was runner-up, the same score as Sam Morgan from Duntry, Shane Groen from Dubbo and Warren Matthews from Bathurst. Peter Bristol picked up the net prize with his 70, 2 in front of Ian Foster from the Everglades on 72. In C grade local gun Duncan Constable was the winner with a clinical 89 off the stick getting him home from Mick Jeffress, getting a rare round in on 90. In the net event Josh Crowe had the lowest score of 68 but it was another Parkes boy in Brendan Hill who’s 70 was the winner on the day. The Bridgestone Mining Services Aust Longest Drives were won by Cooper Giddings with a booming 305m in A grade, Dylan Hood, finally catching a straight one with 267 in B grade and Brendan Hill at 265m in C grade. Doug (Nugget) Wadwell and Biraj Silwal were back in Parkes for the Parkes Open. Ian Ward putts. Then we moved to the closing round in the SCT ’26 Parkes Open. It looked for all money to be setting up for another playoff which has been the usual over the last few years. John Betland was out at 8am on the front nine and was 2 over at the turn he then shot a one over back nine for a closing 3 over 75. John has always been a clutch golfer and years of hardened Sydney pennants that keeps him in the fight. Cooper on the other hand is a young gun on the way up and he needed to fire a 76 or better to equal or beat John. Cooper hit-off on the back 9 just after 11am. After the back 9 was completed, he was looking set with a par 9 holes. He then was 2 over at the 5th hole then disaster struck. He double bogeyed the 6 and 7th holes to be 6 over on the back. He picked up the pace with a birdie and par to finish but in the wrap-up was 1 stroke behind John. So, another great win and worthy Parkes GC Open Champion yet again in John Betland. Cooper had shown the boundless talent he has and no doubt will get his name on the Fred Funnell trophy into the future. Winner in the A grade Scratch event for day 2 was Jamie Bingham from Fox Hills with a 74 and runner-up was the Parkes champion Aaron Wilkie with a 77. The net winner was Grant Malouf from Dubbo with a 72, beating home Brian Hope from the Bathurst GC. Paul Barnes. Peter Cottee, Peter Boschman, Paul Barnes and Tony Scrubber Evans. In B grade the trophy was there for the taking by any number of players. As it turned out it was former Parkes player now Headlands star player in Andy Fisher who led the strong Headlands squad this year. His 86 was a good result after celebrating a big Chooks win over the Sharks. Runner-up was the regular podium attendee in Justin Middleton on 86 also. The B grade net winners were Len Wilks from the Grenfell club with a 73 and runner up Rod Kiley with a 74. The winner of the PGC B Grade 36 hole event was Shane Groen from Dubbo who had a solid 167, playing under his 13 handicap for the 2 days. He was only a stroke ahead of Warren Matthews from Bathurst in the end on 168. The Net winner was one of the SCT troop in Steve Lee from Manildra who had 148, narrowly picking up the prize on a countback from Mike Prestell from Asquith. In C grade PGC’s Nick Strudwick was the winner in round 2 improving by 9 strokes from the day before to take out the scratch on 87. He beat home Brendon Simpson firing off a 92 in the Sunday round. In the net event Peter Boschman had the best score on 73 getting there on a countback from Matt Devlin from Cowra. In the overall C grade result Ken Keith, OAM, was the winner with a 182 with his 2nd round 87 getting him home. Michael Della Ca was the surprise runner-up but was consistent across the 2 days. In the net event Josh Crowe from Dubbo with a 139 was the winner 5 strokes in front of Brendon Bennett from Parkes who got there on a countback. Zac Kelly from Parkes took out the pro event at the Open with a 151. There was also a pro event held in conjunction with Zac Kelly from Parkes taking out this event with a 151 which was a great result considering the work he was doing behind the scenes to make the ’26 Open a success. The prestigious Gidgie Leister trophy, sponsored by the Leister family and big thanks to Sonya, winner was Hampus Larsson from the Randwick GC. Hampus is originally from Sweden so adds an international slant to the illustrious history of the Gidgie trophy. The Derick Scaife and Keith Clarke Memorial winner was the ever-present Martyn Black. Marty is here every year representing Asquith and cementing the great bond between the 2 clubs. The trophy is for the best 36 hole Vets Scratch winner, he recorded 159 only 12 off the A grade winner, but 3 over his last years winning score.