Author: Stu Thomson

North Adelaide July 2025 – Chris Belshaw brings it home !

19 members enjoyed the lovely weather for our round on this challenging layout, including 1 new member Haydn Funnell.

The course came up pretty well (considering the amount of rain we had  during the week) and some great scores were achieved, with 11 players scoring 30 or more points.

Winner = Chris Belshaw with 41 points

2nd = Al Macdonald (on countback) with 40 points

3rd = Alberto Ambrogi with 40 points

The next 6 players were awarded a ball each, down to 32 points.

NTPs:

2nd 0-22HC: Jai Brown 6.5m, 23+HC: Chris Belshaw 5.0m

5th 0-22HC: Darren Griffiths 2.0m, 23+HC: Nobody

12th 0-22HC: John Elliott 1.0m, 23+HC: Nobody

16th 0-22HC: Al Macdonald 1.1m, 23+HC: Alberto Ambrogi 19.0m

Matchplay results:

This game: Darren Griffiths defeated Andrew Reid 2/1, Chris Skewes defeated Jai Brown 3/2.

Earlier games: Stu Thomson defeated Al Macdonald 2/1 at Grange, Lyndon Prior defeated Mark Duerden 2/1 at The Pat.

So the Semi-Finals will be as follows: Stu Thomson vs Chris Skewes, and Lyndon Prior vs Darren Griffiths.

The next SAOGA round will be at Willunga GC on 31st August

John & Stu 🏌️⛳️

The Pat June 2025 – Andrew Reid Rampage

Once again we were extremely lucky with the weather, enjoying another dry round for the field of 24 players.

Considering that this is a public and very popular course, it was in pretty reasonable shape. 14 players scored 30 or more but with only 2 playing better than their handicap.

With the amount of rain we have had the sand-belt was the only place to be and generally everyone enjoyed their round.

Davis Lindsay was welcomed to the club as a new member.

Results:

Winner = Andrew Reid with 40 points;

2nd = Theo van Mil with 38 points;

3rd = James Prater with 35 points.

The next 6 players were awarded a ball each, down to 33 points (on count-back).

NTPs:

2nd 0-22HC: Andrew Reid 3.5m, 23+HC: Nobody

5th 0-22HC: Darren Griffiths 5.5m, 23+HC: Nobody

12th 0-22HC: Lyndon Prior 5.5m, 23+HC: Peter Green 2.5m

16th 0-22HC: Alistair Macdonald 7.5m, 23+HC: Chris Belshaw 1.1m

No Matchplay matches were undertaken at this game.

Our next game is at North Adelaide (South Course) on Sunday July 20th.

John & Stu ⛳️

Flagstaff Hill May 2025 – Richard Wheare The Winner !

25 Members enjoyed SAOGA’S return to this Challenging Golf Course.

Despite the massive building works going on, the course was in pretty good shape and some great scores were posted. Our timing was off by a couple of weeks as the very flash-looking new clubhouse is due to open at the end of May – so we’ll have to wait until this time next year to enjoy these new facilities !

Chris Belshaw was welcomed back as a rejoining member.

Results:

Winner = Richard Wheare with 40 points;

2nd = Peter Green (on countback) with 40 points;

3rd = Chris Skewes with 38 points.

The next 6 players were awarded a ball each, down to 32 points.

NTPs:

3rd 0-20HC: Chris Skewes 4.2m, 24+HC: Chris Belshaw 2.5m

7th 0-20HC: Marcus Kernahan 2.5m, 24+HC: Frank Topolnjak 7.0m

9th (replaced by 1.5th hole) 0-20HC: John Mortimer 1.4m, 24+HC: Frank Sampson 1.4m

13th 0-20HC: Matt Curtis 4.0m, 24+HC: Theo van Mil 2.5m

14th 0-20HC: Graeme Wheare 6.0m, 24+HC: Alberto Ambrogi 4.0m

No Matchplay matches were undertaken at this game.

Our next game is at The Pat (West Beach) on Sunday June 15th.

John & Stu ⛳️

Victor Harbor April 2025 – Rob Mulder the Magnificent !

Always a pleasure to play on this Golf Course ,with its awesome views on the 1st tee, wide tree-lined sweeping fairways and well maintained greens, it’s one to look forward to each year.

23 Members attended and some great scores were achieved on the day.

New members Matt & Song Curtis were welcomed to the club, playing in their first game with us.

Results:

Winner = Rob Mulder with 40 points;

2nd = Theo van Mil with 39 points;

3rd = Liza Wedge with 38 points.

The next 6 players were awarded a ball each, down to 34 points.

NTPs:

3rd 0-23HC: Stu Thomson 4.5m, 24+HC: Nobody

7th 0-23HC: Tony Carter 5.5m, 24+HC: Peter Green 3.5m

10th 0-23HC: Marty Goldsworthy 5.2m, 24+HC: Nobody

14th 0-23HC: Song Curtis 5.0m, 24+HC: Gary Odgers 10.0m

Only one Matchplay Competition at this game, with Andrew Reid defeating Lyndon Prior 1-Up.

Our next game is at Flagstaff Hill on Sunday May 18th.

John & Stu ⛳️

Tanunda Pines March 2025 Dazzling David Crimmins takes the Win !

Built in 1938 and redesigned in the 1970’s, this once awesome course has hosted several major state men’s and ladies competitions over the years, yet several members were disappointed with the current condition of this course.

But some enjoyable golf was played, all the same ! 

Results:

Winner = Dave Crimmins with 37 points;

2nd (on count back) = Andrew Reid with 33 points;

3rd = Frank Topolnjak with 33 points.

The next 6 players were awarded a ball each, down to 29 points (on countback).

NTPs:

4th 0-23HC: Tony Carter 2.0m, 24+HC: Sandy Turnbull 0.7m

9th 0-23HC: John Elliott 5.0m, 24+HC: Frank Sampson 0.9m

12th 0-23HC: Tony Carter 4.0m, 24+HC: Nobody

14th 0-23HC: John Mortimer 1.0m, 24+HC: Nobody

No Matchplay Competitions at this game.

Our next game is at Victor Harbor on Sunday April 6th.

John & Stu ⛳️

Mt Compass February 2025 – Leon Mulder Leads the Struggle on this Challenging Course !

It was a pleasant temperature at Mt Compass, mostly overcast and even with a very short period of what felt like a light rain shower (can anyone remember what rain is ??), along with quite a strong breeze at times to challenge us even more !

24 players completed the round, with scores ranging from 15 to 33 points, so nobody played to their handicap and only 6 players reached the 30’s ! Leon led the charge with 33 points, closely followed by a couple of players on 32 points each.

Results:

Winner = Leon Mulder with 33 points;

2nd (on countback) = Jim Stobie with 32 points;

3rd = Tony Carter with 32 points.

The next 6 players were awarded a ball each, down to 29 points (on countback).

NTPs:

5th 0-23HC: Stu Thomson 7.0m, 24+HC: Nobody

9th 0-23HC: Leon Mulder 3.0m, 24+HC: Helen Janetzki 6.3m

12th 0-23HC: Tony Carter 0.5m, 24+HC: Annette Pearce 2.7m

14th 0-23HC: Nobody, 24+HC: Kathy Cunynghame 10.0m

Matchplay Competitions:

Group B: Brad Cunynghame defeated James Prater 4/3, Andrew Reid defeated Brad Cunynghame 1-Up

Our next stop is the Tanunda Pines course on Sunday 16th March.

Stu Thomson⛳️

McCracken January 2025 – Marty Goldsworthy Wins with a Massive Score

The Birthday Boy, Marty Goldsworthy, posted a massive 45 point score to take the win at McCracken.

It was a very warm and sunny day at McCracken, with a light breeze there to help cool us down a (little) bit.

21 players completed the round, with scores ranging from 45 to 24 points, so lots of variation ! 2 players posted scores over 40 points and 12 players posted scores in the 30’s, well above our usual averages !

Results:

Winner = Marty Goldsworthy with 45 points;

2nd = Helen Janetzki with 43 points;

3rd = Dave Crimmins with 39 points.

NTPs:

2nd 0-24HC: Stu Thomson 17.0m (tapped in for birdie !), 25+HC: Sandy Turnbull 13.0m

5th 0-24HC: Marty Goldsworthy 4.0m, 25+HC: Nobody

7th 0-24HC: Darren Griffiths 20+m, 25+HC: Dave Crimmins 15.0m

13th 0-24HC: John Mortimer 6.0m, 25+HC: Uwe Ebert 3.5m

17th 0-24HC: Nobody, 25+HC: Mark Duerden 7.3m

Matchplay Competitions:

Group A: Stu Thomson defeated Tony Carter 1-Up

Group B: Mark Duerden drew with Al Macdonald, Chris Skewes defeated Mark Duerden 6/5 and Chris Skewes defeated Al Macdonald 1-Up

Group C: Lyndon Prior defeated James Prater 2/1

Our next stop is the mighty Mt Compass on Sunday February 23rd (including AGM) – we’d appreciate it if as many of you as possible will join us at this event.

Stu Thomson⛳️

Lady Bay December 2024 – The Annual Summer Cup won by Helen Janetzki & Lyndon Prior

11 teams contested this 4BBB Competition on a beautiful day at Links Lady Bay Golf Club, which is a much bigger turnout than in previous years. The moderate breeze seemed to provide a handy tailwind on the difficult holes, but it made some of the easier holes a bit more challenging. 

Helen and Lyndon blitzed the field by posting a massive team score of 51 points !

The Course was in excellent condition and some other great scores were posted.

All enjoyed the day, hopefully we can get a similar turnout for this event next year – which will be held at Links Lady Bay again in early December 2025 – the exact date TBA.

Results:

1st (and Summer Cup winners) = Helen Janetzki and Lyndon Prior with 51 points;

2nd = Graeme & Richard Wheare with 49 points;

3rd = Brad & Kathy Cunynghame with 47 points.

NTPs: (Note that the handicap groups were set to split the groups evenly).

3rd 0-27HC: Marty Goldsworthy 1.0m, 28+HC: Lyndon Prior 5.5m

8th 0-27HC: Jai Brown 2.0m, 28+ HC: Nobody

15th 0-27HC: Stu Thomson 8.0m, 28+ HC: Richard Wheare 4.0m & Peter Green 11.0m

17th 0-27HC: Darren Griffiths 4.5m & Tony Harrison 5.0m, 28+ HC: Nobody 

Our next event will be at the McCracken Country Club on Sunday 20th January 2025.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year in the meantime !

Stu Thomson 🏌️⛳️

Clare 2024 Tournament (SAOGA’s 42nd), 14th to 17th November 2024

The 42nd SAOGA Golf Tournament (our 6th event at Clare) was held at the Clare Golf Course & Country Club from 14th to 17th November 2024 and was a very successful event. 

The weather was glorious for most of the time although a hot windy 36 Deg C on Saturday to a cold windy 20 Deg C  on Sunday was unusual.  The golf course was in great condition and all of the social events went like clockwork.  Thanks to John for organising all the wine (kindly donated by Porter & Co and Kilikanoon), to Bruce & Huddo for the Sunday BBQ and to the Stu / Glenn musical duo for entertainment on both Saturday and Sunday.

There was fantastic support from our Committee for the event organisation – especially Stu, our Secretary. The golf, scoring and the cart organisation all worked well for all 4 rounds.  All mainly due to Stu’s spreadsheets and our interface with MiScore.

The Sponsor’s Day was exciting with a number of sponsors attending and the Stealth Team taking out the President’s Trophy.  All of the generous sponsors ensured that we met budget and, importantly, did not suffer a loss. 

Thanks also go out to the Clare Golf Club for their volunteers upstairs and the Pro (Phil) running the golf course. The Country Club was very accommodating with rooms and use of facilities.

Congratulations to James Lunnay as the overall winner on Saturday & Sunday, and the new holder of the Stealth Trophy!  A well earned return to form.

Here is a summary of all the main results:

Pre-Tournament:
Matchplay Trophy: 1st = Alistair Macdonald, 2nd = Darren Griffiths, 3rd = Benn Cox, 4th = John Elliott.

SAOGA Club Championship:
• C Grade: 1st = Kathy Cunynghame, 2nd = Theo van Mil
• B Grade: 1st = Andrew Reid, 2nd = Rob Mulder
• A Grade: 1st = Benn Cox, 2nd = Stu Thomson

Thursday / Friday Winners:
JFK Cup (Thursday Stoke): 1st = Stu Thomson, 2nd = Mike Willis.
Presidents Cup (Friday Ambrose, 1st) =  Jim Stobie, Paul Edwards, Jai Brown, Chris Were.
Sponsors Cup (Friday Ambrose, 2nd) =  Annette Pearce, Carolyn Kernahan, Rob Pearce, James Prater.

Saturday / Sunday Winners:
NAGA = Paul Edwards
Halliburton Cup (Ambrose): 1st =  and Theresa Rodrigues, 2nd = Oliver Rodrigues and 
Cavpower Cup (Most Consistent Golfer): Bruce Clark
RD Koch Trophy (Most Improved): 1st = Stu Thomson, 2nd = David Garrick

Major Trophies:
Drill Quip Cup (Eclectic): 1st = Samuel Garrick, 2nd = Andrew Hudson
Desert City Cup (Best Scratch Saturday + Sunday): 1st = Jai Brown, 2nd = Benn Cox
Ensign Trophy (Best Stableford on Saturday): 1st = James Prater, 2nd = Martin Henderson
SAOGA Cup (Best Stableford on Sunday): 1st = Kathy Cunynghame, 2nd = Lyndon Prior
Bardrill Cup (Ladies Best Overall Stableford on Saturday & Sunday): 1st = Helen Janetzki, 2nd = Carolyn Kernahan
Stealth Tools Cup (Best Overall Stableford on Saturday & Sunday): 1st = James Lunnay, 2nd = Stu Thomson, 3rd = David Garrick

In addition to all of the above trophy winners, 50 prize vouchers were won by 29 different players for various Nearest the Pin shots and Long Drives.

Again, many thanks to our generous sponsors who make the weekend possible and to those who donated prizes for the raffle on Saturday night.

The committee is already looking forward to the 2025 event, having already booked the Clare Country Club and the Clare Golf Course for the period 13th to 16th November 2025, as well as the Clare Golf club-room upstairs and the Saturday caterers again – so lock these dates into your diary now !

Mark Duerden, SAOGA President

The Vines September 2024 – Frank Sampson conquers the mud !

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

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