25 Members and one guest took the trip to The Vines for our last game before Clare.

The weather was good with no rain although there was a fair bit of wind wreaking havoc with some shots. Also, due to extensive course works / irrigation upgrade, there was a lot of mud about, sticking to shoes and buggy wheels.

It was a tough day for all with nobody playing to handicap ! As Darren said, we have to do better next time !

The Clubhouse food was excellent 😊 

RESULTS:

1st = Frank Sampson with 35 points;

2nd = Al Macdonald with 34 points;

3rd = Marty Goldsworthy with 33 points.

The next 6 place-getters also received a ball each.

NTPs:

3rd 0-20HC: Chris Skewes 1.5m, 21+HC: Liza Wedge 7.0m

6th 0-20HC: Darren Griffiths 8.0m, 21+HC: Leon Mulder 2.3m

10th 0-20HC: Tony Carter 6.0m, 21+HC: Nobody

14th 0-20HC: John Elliott 13.5m, 21+HC: Tony van Wyk 13.0m

No Matchplay Games undertaken at this event.

Our next round is on Thursday 14th November at Clare GC – that’s only just over 6 weeks away !

See you all at Clare 🏌️⛳️

John Mortimer & Stu Thomson

23 Members and one guest made the trip down to this excellent links-style course.

Strong winds made club selection and shot direction critical, with the gusts taking your ball on a ride you didn’t need !

However, despite the gale-force winds, most of the field did quite well with 14 players scoring 30 or more points.

RESULTS:

1st = Benn Cox with 38 points;

2nd = Rob Pearce with 37 points;

3rd (on count-back) = Vera Mortimer, also with 37 points.

The next 6 place-getters also received a ball each.

NTPs:

5th 0-21HC: John Elliott 5.5m, 22+HC: Leon Mulder 6.4m

8th 0-21HC: Rob Pearce 3.5m, 22+HC: Alberto Ambrogi 3.5m

10th 0-21HC: Graeme Wheare 10.0m, 22+HC: Nobody

14th (Temporary) 0-21HC: Al Macdonald 6.0m, 22+HC: Garry Odgers 5.8m

15th 0-21HC: Nobody, 22+HC: Nobody

No Matchplay Games undertaken at this event.

Our next round is on Sunday 29th September at The Vines of Reynella.

John Mortimer & Stu Thomson ⛳️

An intrepid group of SAOGA Members (L-R in above photo: Mark Duerden, Bruce Clark, John Elliott, Stu Thomson, Darren Griffiths and Tony Carter) ventured up to the Gold coast last weekend to take on the Queensland Oilfield representatives (Chun Kang, Matt Conroy, Rick Popik, Terry Greaney and 2 SAOGA members Al Macdonald & Mike Willis) in a State of Origin Golf Tournament, with the SA Team emerging victorious with the cup (that is, we retained it from the previous tournament in August 2022) !

Andrew Hudson was also supposed to join the contest but, regrettably, had to withdraw shortly before the event on account of back issues.

The Tournament was a 2-day event held at Links Hope Island GC on Saturday 17th August, where pairs Matchplay games were contested, followed by a Singles Matchplay contest at Palm Meadows GC on Sunday 18th August, along with a social match at Southport GC on Friday 16th. The Tournament followed Ryder Cup rules, that is 1 point for a match win and 1/2 point for a draw, with the SA Team finishing with 5-1/2 points vs the Queensland Team’s score of 3-1/2 points.

Some highlights:

• Near hole-in-one shots by Matt & Chun (both less than 1m from the pin);
• Tony holing-out with a chip after being in the water;
• Mark cleaned up on Friday at Southport with 39 points;
• Mike & Terry had the biggest winning margin of 5/4 over Tony & Mark on Saturday at Links Hope Island;
• Mike had the biggest winning margin of 6/5 over John on Sunday at Palm Meadows;
• Mike, Darren & Bruce were the only players to win both their Saturday & Sunday matches;
• Mike collected $60 in vouchers (winner on both Sat & Sun);
• Chun collected 9 balls and Tony collected 8 balls over the weekend in the NTP/LD competitions;
• Stu, Tony, Mark & John were proud recipients of the pink balls after the games each day (respectively);
• and apologies from Rick & Stu for holding up everyone at the end while we battled it out right down to the final putt – a gentlemanly draw being achieved !

A special word of thanks to Bruce & Huddo for sponsoring the prizes, and to Huddo for organising the dinner venue on Saturday (great beer !), and thanks also to Matt for stepping in for Huddo at the last minute – but we were sorry not to see Huddo on the course.

Stu Thomson ⛳️🏌️‍♂️

Marcus edged out Benn on the last hole to take the win on countback.

Considering the amount of rain we had during the week, the course was in pretty good shape and 31 members enjoyed a rain-free round .

RESULTS:

1st = Marcus Kernahan, with 36 points;

2nd (on count-back) = Benn Cox, also with 36 points;

3rd (on count-back) = Andrew Reid, with 35 points.

The next 6 place-getters also received a ball each.

NTPs:

5th 0-20HC: Andrew Reid & John Elliott 11.0m, 21+HC: Brad Cunynghame 5.3m

6th 0-20HC: Benn Cox 1.0m, 21+HC: Frank Topolnjak 3.0m

12th 0-20HC: Marcus Kernahan 3.0m, 21+HC: John Mortimer 0.8m

16th 0-20HC: Chris Skewes 3.0m, 21+HC: Nobody

Matchplay Games (Round 2):

The remaining Round 2 matches were contested, results as follows :

• John Elliott defeated Jai Brown 3/2;
• Darren Griffiths defeated Rob Pearce 5/3;
• Benn Cox defeated Brad Cunynghame 2/1.

Our next round is on Sunday 1st September at South Lakes.

John Mortimer & Stu Thomson ⛳️

25 members and 1 guest enjoyed perfect weather for our return to this excellent links-style golf course. 

We suspect everyone has played here before and it was great to get back and take it on again.

Considering it’s a public golf course it was in great shape and definitely on the radar for 2025.

Lyndon was the only player to better his handicap, with a well-deserved win !

RESULTS:

1st = Lyndon Prior, with 40 points;

2nd (on count-back) = Leon Mulder, with 36 points;

3rd (on count-back) = Liza Wedge, also with 36 points.

The next 6 place-getters also received a ball each.

NTPs:

2nd 0-19HC: John Elliott 7.5m, 20+HC: Lyndon Prior 2.3m

5th 0-19HC: Nobody, 20+HC: Leon Mulder 10.5m

12th 0-19HC: Wolf Engel 4.0m, 20+HC: Nobody

16th 0-19HC: Al Macdonald 3.1m, 20+HC: Carolyn Kernahan 2.5m

Matchplay Games (Round 2):

• Al MacDonald defeated Andrew Reid 2/1
• 3 Matches still to be contested before the end of July !

Our next round is on Sunday 21st July at North Adelaide (South Course).

John Mortimer & Stu Thomson ⛳️

A full field of 32 Players took on this well maintained sand belt course in Adelaide’s west – with strategically placed bunkers and tree-lined fairways it presented quite a challenge !

The course was in excellent condition and everyone enjoyed playing here, although any errant shot can be a disaster for your score card as many members found out.

Andrew, being the only player to play to above handicap, had his best result for 5 years to take the win. 

RESULTS:

1st = Andrew Reid, with 37 points;

2nd (on count-back) = Chris Skewes, with 35 points;

3rd (on count-back) = Wolf Engel, also with 35 points.

The next 6 place-getters also received a ball each.

NTPs:

3rd 0-23HC: Marcus Kernahan 8.5m, 24+HC: Liza Wedge 12.0m

6th 0-23HC: Wolf Engel 3.0m, 24+HC: Annie Gower 4.0m

8th 0-23HC: Chris Skewes 0.2m, 24+HC: Cathy Goldsworthy 5.0m

15th 0-23HC: Tony Harrison 3.5m, 24+HC: Nobody

16th 0-23HC: Rob Mulder 1.4m, 24+HC: Nobody

Matchplay Games:

Group A: 

• Kathy Cunynghame defeated Annette Pearce 6/4
• Carolyn Kernahan defeated Annie Gower 2/1
• Annette Pearce defeated Annie Gower 2/1

Group B: 

• Benn Cox defeated John Elliott 2/1
• Benn Cox defeated Tony Harrison 3/2
• John Elliott defeated Darren Griffiths 3/2
• John Elliott defeated Tony Harrison 4/2

Group C: 

• John Mortimer defeated Brad Cunynghame 3/1

Group D: 

• Chris Skewes defeated Rob Pearce 3/2
• Chris Skewes defeated Lyndon Prior 4/2

Our next round is on Sunday 16th June at West Beach (aka The Pat).

John Mortimer & Stu Thomson ⛳️

Cam offering his trophy to Stu at Victor Harbor on 14/4/24 (honest !)

25 Members enjoyed perfect weather for our round down on the Fleurieu.

A very picturesque golf course with the iconic first tee being one of the best in Australia – but it also has tree-lined fairways ready to spoil your score !

In a very close finish Stu took the win on count-back from Jai, both on 35 Points, followed by Peter Green on count-back from Rob Pearce, both on 34 Points.

The food in the Clubhouse was great and we thought the course was in pretty good condition.

We also welcomed James Prater back into the club after a long absence.

James, Frank, Wolf & Stu on the 1st Tee

Annette, Benn, Theo and Carolyn on the 1st Tee

RESULTS:

1st = Stu Thomson with 35 points;

2nd (on count-back) = Jai Brown with 35 points;

3rd (on count-back) = Peter Green on 34 points.

The next 6 place-getters also received a ball each.

NTPs:

3rd 0-21HC: Al Macdonald 4.0m, 22+HC: Nobody

7th 0-21HC: Wolf Engel 3.5m, 22+ HC: Nobody

10th 0-21HC: Nobody, 22+HC: Garry Odgers 6.0m

14th 0-21HC: Graeme Wheare 1.6m, 22+ HC: Leon Mulder 10.0m

Matchplay Games:

• Rob Pearce defeated Al Macdonald 4/3
• Mark Duerden defeated John Mortimer 2-up
• Andrew Reid defeated John Mortimer 3/2

Our next round is on Sunday May 19th at West Lakes.

John Mortimer & Stu Thomson ⛳️

After the early rains subsided before we teed off, it turned into a beautiful day on this interesting course, made particularly interesting today by the complete mismatch between the MiScore course arrangement and the club’s course scorecard ! They had rearranged a number of the holes but this wasn’t reflected on our MiScore app, so we found a 150m long Par 4 quite easy but this was offset by a 290m Par 3 – which even Tiger Woods would have found challenging !

Needless to say, some fairly average scores were posted by many players, but this didn’t stop Theo van Mil from posting a score of 36 to take today’s first prize !

The only matchplay game contested was between John Elliott and Stu Thomson, who both tried their hardest to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, only to fail miserably by drawing the match !

1st = Theo van Mil with 36 points

2nd = Andrew Reid with 35 points

3rd = Uwe Ebert with 33 points.

And the ball rundown went all the way down to 27 points !

NTPs:

4th 0-20HC: Darren Griffiths 4.1m, 21+HC: Nobody

11th 0-20HC: Nobody, 22+ HC: Gary Odgers 10.0m

13th 0-20HC: Stu Thomson 4.7m, 21+HC: Nobody

16th 0-20HC: John Elliott 4.2m, 21+ HC: Leon Mulder 4.0m 

Our next round is on Sunday 14th April at Victor Harbor GC.

Stu Thomson ⛳️

24 players joined us on this challenging links-style course for our second round of the year. With nobody playing to or above their handicaps, the winning position was contested by 4 players on 35 points. So the usual count-back rules were applied to determine that Tony van Wyk was the final winner, based on his finishing form on the day !

Several boxes of golf balls were lost in the thick rough by our players.

The course was in very good shape, with the greens testing most players’ putting skills, and the food & service in the restaurant afterwards was excellent, as always.

Thanks to those who stayed for the AGM (which was completed in under 6 minutes so not a big ask – and that included an interruption from a large spider crawling across one of the lunch tables !) and prize-giving.

1st = Tony van Wyk with 35 points;

2nd (on count-back) = Jai Brown with 35 points;

3rd (on count-back) = Leon Mulder with 35 points.

The next 6 place-getters also received a ball each – down to 29 points !

NTPs:

5th 0-21HC: Stu Thomson 9.0m, 22+HC: Theo van Mil 9.5m

9th 0-21HC: Rob Pearce 2.5m, 22+ HC: Leon Mulder 6.0m

12th 0-21HC: Rob Mulder 2.5m, 22+HC: Annie Gower 3.0m

14th 0-21HC: Darren Griffiths 0.8m, 22+ HC: Annette Pearce 6.0m 

Our next round is on Sunday March 17th at Tanunda Pines.

Stu Thomson ⛳️

29 Starters for the 1st round at this challenging layout on the south coast ,the weather was great and the course was in pretty good shape. It’s very easy to hit an errant shot into the plentiful lakes or bunkers on this track !

Results:

In a tight contest, Carro (as we call her) shot the lights out with 40 points !

A close 2nd to Darren Griffiths with a great score of 39 off a low handicap. 

First game with SAOGA and welcome to Uwe Ebert who came in 3rd on count back, also with 39 points.

We also welcome his wife Sylvia to SAOGA.

The next 6 place-getters also received a ball each – down to 36 points.

And Darren was awarded an extra sleeve of balls for his magnificent “slam-dunk” (nothing but hole) chip-in for an Eagle on the Par 5 8th hole.

NTPs:

2nd 0-22HC: Darren Griffiths 6.0m, 23+HC: Kathy Cunynghame 7.0m

5th 0-22HC: Stu Thomson 9.0m, 23+HC: Sandy Turnbull 6.0m

7th 0-22HC: Wolf Engel 3.5m, 23+HC: Tony van Wyk 8.0m

13th 0-22HC: Tony Carter 6.0m, 23+HC: Carolyn Kernahan 2.5m

17th 0-22HC: Kevin Turnbull 3.5m, 23+HC: Nobody

Our next stop is the mighty Mt Compass on Sunday February 11th (including AGM) – we’d appreciate it if as many of you as possible can join us at this event.

John Mortimer & Stu Thomson⛳️