PARKES GOLF

By PETER BRISTOL

On Saturday Parkes golfers played in the Parkes Services Social Golfers sponsored event.

The social golfers club has been going for decades and play every Sunday morning and although smaller in number these days is still another opportunity for golfers to have a game every Sunday morning in an organised competition. Thanks again for your sponsorship.

The course is still looking great, the greens are recovering well from their coring and renovations a couple of weeks ago and the golfer’s friend – the course run from hardened ground – is here to help all.

Unfortunately, we have our usual Spring winds blowing but you can’t have it all.

There was a 4 Ball Multiplier event on offer with an Individual in tandem, now our handicapping system has been updated has returned, and 71 players fronted up for a crack at the prizes.

The leading pair in the 4 Ball was Rob Lea and Richard Hamilton.

Regular partners in golf they proved very successful on Saturday with a combined 85 points beating home the regular podium finishers in Gordon Pritchard and Joe Davies, 3 points in arrears.

Individually Rob had a 39 and Richard a 38 on the day so were pleased with that effort.

Likewise, Gordon again excelled with a 40 point haul and Joe had 38 points.

Other teams to fair well were Scott Winter and Tom Medcalf on 79 and John Pearce and John Fowler on 77.

It was important to record a score on each hole as it was a team multiplier.

In the Individual event 23 players had a stableford par or better round proving that the run and the easier putting surfaces are currently making the course ‘gettable’ for most golfers.

The course curators, Logan and Brenton, are starting to roll the greens again so will have this weekends Monthly Medal less friendly.

The winner was Peter Bristol on a very good 43 point score and 2 clear of John Pearce.

It has been some time since Bristol has got to the top podium spot but a 2 over 38 off the stick, on the outward 9 setup the opportunity.

There was, of course, the usual donation of a Bridgestone ball in the dam on the 8th.

He was coming home with the same stat until the 18th when a battle with the trees on the right caused a blowout 9 and a resultant 42 off the stick.

John was playing in the group behind and was probably keeping tabs on the leader as he had a 21/20 point split over the 2 nines. Nick Kelly, Brett Skinner, Anita Medcalf, Dale Matthews and Gordon Pritchard all had 40 point rounds.

The Nearest The Pins winners were – Bridgestone Mining 1st Joe Davies at 330cm, Griffins Leading Edge by Frankie Cock at 130cm, Parkes Ready Mixed Concrete 9th by John Gren at 48cm, the Westlime 11th by Blake Parker at 210cm, the Gulf Western Oil 17th by Rod Kiley at 15cm.

The lucrative money hole was won by Rod Kiley at 15cm.

Ball winners were John Pearce 41, Nick Kelly, Brett Skinner, Anita Medcalf, Dale Matthews, Gordon Pritchard 40.

On Sunday Maddi and Zac Kelly provided another great initiative by running a Grand Final 2 Person Ambrose event and there were 27 teams involved.

Great idea and good response from those wanting another game or those just wanting a relaxed format hit on Grand Final Sunday.

Blake Parker and Jake Thomson were the tearaway winners of both the scratch and net events.

Recording a 64 off their 2 handicap they were 4 in front of Wayne Parker and Nick Kelly and the Smith twins, Myles and Blake on 68.

In the net they finished 11 under on 61.25 and 3 in front of Jack Buerckner and Nick Kelly 63.5 and Tom and Anita Medcalf on 63.75.

This weekend we contest the Telescope Tyres / Hankook Masters Monthly Medal with the day sponsor Peter Woods and Associates Chartered Accountants.

It is also the Pink Day at the club highlighting the Breast Cancer support cause.

VETERANS GOLF

By JOHN DWYER

New starting time for veterans golf

In a unanimous vote last Thursday after twin-towns veterans golf was decided that all competitions will now be nominations from 9am for a 9.30am shot-gun start in both Parkes and Forbes.

In past years playing times were scheduled according to daylight savings, not so now, with winter/summer tee times all the same.

This week Parkes will host twin-towns and it is hoped that the recent resurgence in playing numbers will continue with 36 players last week in Forbes including Peter Mawhinney from Grenfell and Greg Diner from Peak Hill.

Greg has found grass greens slightly different to his home club’s sand greens collecting the encouragement award for the second time is as many weeks.

The punter's pal John Milton was as happy as backing a winner when he collected the major end of prizes top scoring with 38 points to declare "I didn’t think that would win".

Played in Forbes John was joined at the trophy table by fellow host club member and equine follower Bruce Chandler who has been in good form of late to finish runner-up with 37 points.

It was all Forbes with nearest-to-pin winners Steve Edwards (ninth hole) and Alf Davies 18th, while Forbes again won the twin-towns shield with 215 points to Parkes’ 189.