PARKES GOLF By PETER BRISTOL On Saturday our new Ford Dealership sponsored the Par event which was the last round of the annual Frank Donnelly trophy. Our thanks go out to the new sponsors and we hope for a long mutual association. The Par event is not everyone’s cup of tea as it punishes the bad hole more than rewarding the good hole. But there were 62 players out on a chilly day chasing the elusive white ball. The winner on the day was Grenfell golfer, Grant Harveyson who shot a strong +4 to finish 1 stroke in front the gun lefty, Ron Hetherington who fired an 80 off the stick and only for double bogeys on 7th and 8th would have cleaned up the field. Max Keith, having a rare outing, was next in with a +2 which included 4 birdies, so not being on the course regularly isn’t hurting his game. Victor Gaidzionis, had a virtual unassailable lead going into the last round of the Frank Donnelly, and whilst he didn’t perform on the day, handing in a -6 card, he was still crowned the ’25 winner. Ron Hetherington closed the gap as best could but went down by a stroke. The Nearest The Pins winners were – Bridgestone Mining 1st Rob Hey at 574cm, Griffins Leading Edge by Ron Hetherington at 69cm, Parkes Ready Mixed Concrete 9th by Max Keith at 56cm, the Westlime 11th by Phil Bishop at 91cm, the Gulf Western Oil 17th by Victor Gaidzionis at 48cm. The lucrative money hole was won by Victor Gaidzionis at 48cm. Ball winners were Richard Hutchinson, Daniel Harveyson +4, Benjamin Abbott +2, Leone Stevenson, Peter Bristol +1, Curtis Schaefer, Brian Hogan Snr, Troy Thomson 0. On Sunday we had a 2 person Ambrose sponsored by Zac and Maddi Kelly and there were 32 hardy souls in attendance. Damien Noll and David Hodges were the winners on 63.75, with Zac Kelly and Jake Thompson on 67.5 and Justin Middleton and Dylan Hood on 68.25. Nearest pin on the 11th was Jack Rose at 124cm and the longest drive was Stephan Stander. VETERANS GOLF By JOHN DWYER The weather was kind for this time of the year, the course presented in excellent condition while the ‘sangers’ after were a hit to all who played in last week’s twin towns veterans golf competition staged in Parkes. None were more so happy then local ace Nym Dziuba who was the only player to break handicap posting 38 points thanks to putter No 5 getting the best of the challenging greens. Larrikin Kim Herbert from Forbes filled runner-up with 35 points only after a count-back from fellow club member Ken Sanderson. Keeping it in the visitors family Les Little took home the encouragement award - nothing wrong with the ‘Bradman'. Nearest the pins, 4th A grade Nym Dziuba (P), B grade Frank Hanns (F), 11th A grade Don McKeowen (F), B grade Richard Hamilton (P). As has been the case recently Forbes took out the twin towns shield with 198 points to Parkes 193. Ball sweep winners – 35 points Ken Sanderson (F), 33 Tony Hendry (P), Ross Williams (F), Bruce Chandler (F), 32 Dave Keirie (Port Macquarie), 31 Richard Hamilton (P), Ian Ward (P), Don McKeowen (F), Andrew Norton-Knight (F), Alex Mackinnon (F), Frank Hanns (F). Forbes host vets this week with noms from 9.30am for a 10m shot gun start. After several majors recently the Forbes course is in excellent condition while the fire in the club and ‘sanger’ after is a welcome addition. Officials are hoping to build on the 23 which played last week. On a sad note it has been revealed that one of the favourites in twin town vets golf Graham Cooke passed away Friday night. Graham wasn’t the flashiest golfer but more importantly a gentleman to all, loved and respected by everyone. One of this fellow Parkes club members commented, “A simple man just living his life.” So true. At the time of print funeral details were unknown.
