The weather was as good as you will get for golf down on the South Coast, with light winds on a beautiful day for the 27 members who teed off.

The Course was in great condition and it was nice to have a bit of fun on the fairways. However, as the greens had recently been cored and sanded, putting was a bit of an issue for most players. 

Lunch was held at the Corio in central Goolwa.

Results:

1st = Benn Cox with 37 points;

2nd = Cathy Goldsworthy, on a count-back with 35 points;

3rd = Annie Gower, also with 35  points.

The next 6 place-getters also received a ball each – down to 31 points.

NTPs:

5th 0-19HC: Benn Cox and Martin Henderson tied with 8m, 20+HC: Frank Topolnjak 10m

8th 0-19HC: Stu Thomson 4.3m, 20+HC: Nobody

10th 0-19HC: Jai Brown 5.0m, 20+HC: Nobody

15th 0-19HC: Chris Skewes 4.3m, 20+HC: Mark Duerden 3m

Our next even is at Clare from Thu 10th to Sun 13th November.

John Mortimer 🏌️⛳️

23 players enjoyed great spring weather on this testing par 71 course. It was a bit windy which made it tough for most of the participants but the course was generally in pretty good condition, despite the amount of rain we experienced during the week – although the greens were super-fast thanks to the wind !

Jai Brown shot the low round of the season as he came home 1 under the card with 44 points off a handicap of 7 – fantastic golf Jai ! His nearest challenger, Annie Gower, was a mere 10 points behind him !

Results:

1st = Jai Brown with 44 points;

2nd = new member Annie Gower with 34  points;

3rd = another new member Tony van Wyk with 32 points.

The next 6 place-getters also received a ball each – right down to 26 points !

NTPs:

3rd 0-19HC: Jim Day 5.5m, 20+HC: Nobody

6th 0-19HC: Tony Carter 6.5m, 20+HC: Nobody

10th 0-19HC: Wolf Engel 2.5m, 20+HC: Nobody

14th 0-19HC: Benn Cox 8.0m, 20+HC: Stuart Carnell 9.0m

Our next round is at South Lakes on Sunday 2nd October.

John Mortimer 🏌️⛳️

The weather was kind to the 23 members who took on this 5884m course with its great views of the City and Parklands. It’s a must to stay straight on the South Course with mature gums lining the fairways, punishing any errant shots ! The course was generally in pretty good condition.

In the Clubhouse the food was very good and enjoyed by all.

Results:

1st = Kim Keane 37 points;

2nd = Mark Mancini 36  points;

3rd (on count-back) = Benn Cox 34 points.

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

One of the Semi-final Matchplay Games was also contested, with John Mortimer defeating Andrew Reid 2/1. John will now advance to the Grand Final, competing against the winner of the match (scheduled for 31st July at Grange) between Martin Henderson and Tony Harrison. Andrew will contest the loser of that match in the 3rd/4th Playoff match.

NTPs:

5th 0-19HC: John Elliot 6m, 20+HC: Nobody

6th 0-19HC: Stuart Carnell 1m, 20+HC: Gary Odgers 6m

12th 0-19HC: Benn Cox 4m, 20+HC: Ryan Mancini 12m

16th 0-19HC: Stu Thomson 13m, 20+HC: Leon Mulder 6.9m

Our next round is at The Vines on Sunday 28th August.

John Mortimer 🏌️⛳️

Very cold for the 23 members who contested at this picturesque Adelaide Hills course.The rain stayed away and, considering the amount of rain we’d had during the week, the course conditions were very good.

A nice warm fire was welcome in the Clubhouse and the food was excellent.

Results:

1st = John Elliott 39 points;

2nd = Vera Mortimer 36  points;

3rd (on count-back) = Helen Janetzki 36 points.

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

2 of the Round-2 Matchplay Games were also contested, with Tony Harrison beating Mark Duerden 6/4 and Andrew Reid beating Bruce Clark in a putt-off (they were all-square after 18); Tony and Andrew will advance to the Semi-finals, each competing against Martin Henderson and John Mortimer (respectively) for a place in the Grand Final.

NTPs:

2nd 0-19HC: Nobody, 20+HC: Carolyn Kernahan 4.0m

4th 0-19HC: Andrew Reid 4.3m, 20+HC: Kim Keane 14.0m

12th 0-19HC: Al Macdonald 6.0m, 20+HC: Nobody

15th 0-19HC: Nobody, 20+HC: Nobody

Our next round is at North Adelaide (South Course) on Sunday July 24th.

John Mortimer 🏌️⛳️

The weather report did not look good, however the rain stayed away and the 15 Members that made the trip up to the Barossa Valley enjoyed pretty good conditions.

Nestled amongst the vineyards, the course was in great condition – but beware, any errant shot can put you into the thick bush and big trouble!

Results:

1st = John Mortimer 37 points;

2nd = Darren Griffiths 36  points;

3rd (on count-back) = James Lunnay 35 points.

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

NTPs:

3rd 0-19HC: John Elliott 7.0m, 20+HC: Nobody

6th 0-19HC: John Elliot 4.5m, 20+ HC: Kym Keane 4.5m

12th 0-19HC: Nobody, 20+HC: Mark Mancini 7.0m

15th 0-19HC: Nobody, 20+HC: Mark Mancini 10.5m

17th 0-19HC: Tony Harrison 15.0m, 20+HC: Nobody

Our next round is at Mt Barker / Aston Hills on Sunday June 19th.

John Mortimer 🏌️⛳️

SOUTH AUSTRALIA BRINGS HOME THE TROPHY !!

Each state fielded 2 teams of 8 players to play in this inaugural tournament, held at Royal Pines Golf Club on Saturday 30th April 2022 (Pairs Matchplay) and at Links Hope Island Golf Club on Sunday 1st May 2022 (Singles Matchplay), both on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

The teams comprised the following players (in alphabetical order by surname):

SA = Tony Carter, Bruce Clark, Benn Cox, John Elliott, Darren Griffiths, Al Macdonald, Andrew Reid & Stu Thomson.

Qld = Terry Greaney, Andrew Hudson, Debbie Malson, Scott Malson, Rick Popik, Dennis Schloss, Mike Willis and Oska Wyness.

Using Ryder-cup scoring (1 point for a win, 1/2 point for a draw and 0 for a loss), SA prevailed with a score of 7.5 to 6.5 over the weekend.

Prizes (sponsored by John Elliott, GPA Engineering) were awarded for nearest the pins on all par 3 holes and a long drive each day, winners were Benn, Darren, John, Oska, Stu & Tony.

Some items of note over the weekend:

Stu & John were the leading pairs winners on Saturday with a 7/6 score (the 4 birdies helped !), and Tony was the leading singles winner on Sunday with a 5/4 score.

BBQ Dinner at the Royal Pines GC on Saturday evening was sponsored by Huddo and Bruce (Desert City & Drill Quip).

Wines at the BBQ dinner were sponsored by Oska (ChampionX).

Bruce managed to lose but then find his 8-iron in his golf bag on Saturday.

Oska completed the entire round on Sunday with his new Pink Ball (won on Saturday as the NAGA award).

Thanks to Debbie for joining in with us blokes over the weekend and not complaining once about us – at least not loud enough for us to hear her !

John came up with the best excuse for not managing to make it to Sunday’s game – his house in Adelaide caught fire on Saturday night so he had to fly home early on Sunday to attend to this crisis !

A number of players (11 of the 16) also enjoyed a challenging game (thanks Huddo !!) at Brisbane GC on Friday 29th April – the “Captain’s Challenge” had us off the back tees and into some extremely nasty pin positions …

And, finally, as if 3 days in a row of golf wasn’t enough for anyone, a few players went on to punish themselves with a round at Southport GC on Monday 2nd May.

SEE THE GALLERY (https://saoga.com.au/gallery/) FOR A COLLECTION OF PHOTOS FROM THIS WEEKEND.

24 Members enjoyed great weather on this awesome golf course. Always a challenge, Victor is a great golf experience with its fantastic views, abundant wildlife and the iconic 1st tee.

The course was the winner on the day with only half of the field scoring 30 points or more. The lunch was very good and the staff were really friendly.

1st = Sandy Turnbull 38 points;

2nd = Alistair Macdonald 36  points;

3rd = Kevin Turnbull 35 points.

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

A couple of Match-play games were held as well, with both Mark Duerden and Andrew Reid beating Chris Skewes 3/2 and 4/3 respectively.

NTPs:

3rd 0-19HC: Stu Thomson 3.0m, 20+HC: Nobody

7th 0-19HC: Jai Brown 8.0m, 20+ HC: Ron Anderson 6.3m

10th 0-19HC: Nobody, 20+HC: Nobody

14th 0-19HC: Nobody, 20+ HC: Mark Duerden 11.0m

Our next round is at Barossa Valley on Sunday May 15th.

John Mortimer 🏌️⛳️

24 Members enjoyed perfect weather for our round on this picturesque course in the heart of the Barossa Valley. This course is tough if you don’t hit fairways, and it definitely punches above its Slope Rating ! The BBQ afterwards was well-received by the players.

1st = Kim Keane 37 points;

2nd = Cathy Goldsworthy 36  points;

3rd (on a count back) = Wolf Engel 34 points.

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

NTPs:

7th 0-19HC: Al MacDonald 1.7m, 20+HC: Nobody

11th 0-19HC: Wolf Engel 2.0m, 20+ HC: Kim Keane 0.7m

13th 0-19HC: Stu Thomson 4.0m, 20+HC: Lyndon Prior 4.5m

16th 0-19HC: John Mortimer 5.5m, 20+ HC: Kim Keane 5.0m

Our next round is at Victor Harbor on Sunday April 10th.

John Mortimer 🏌️⛳️

A full field of 32 Members contested this challenging links-style course for our first official round of the year. With only 5 members playing to or above handicap the course was the winner on the day, not surprising with the thick rough swallowing any errant shots. The course was in reasonably good shape (we were sorry to see that the 2nd Par 5 is being converted to a Par 4 hole) and the food & service in the restaurant afterwards was excellent.

1st = Frank Topolnjak 42 points;

2nd = Jai Brown on 40 points;

3rd = Helen Janetzki on 38 points.

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

NTPs:

5th 0-19HC: John Elliot 7.5m, 20+HC: Ron Anderson 2.4m

9th 0-19HC: James Lunnay 4m, 20+ HC: Mark Mancini 13m

12th 0-19HC: Tony Carter 1m, 20+HC: Helen Janetzki 9.3m

14th 0-19HC: Wolf Engel 9m, 20+ HC: Frank Sampson 0.6 m (great shot!)

Our next round is Sunday March 20th at Tanunda Pines.

John Mortimer 🏌️⛳️

Once again the Blackwood Golf Club presented quite a challenge for all of us as the winning score was only 35 points, posted by Martin Henderson, followed closely by Peter Green on 34 points and then Frank Topolnjak on 31 points. Andrew Reid also managed to accumulate 30 points but the rest of us languished in the 20’s and 3 players even failed to reach that milestone !

Clearly the weather had something to do with the day’s challenge, as it rained on-and-off throughout the day and many of the greens were a bit waterlogged, but hats off to the 17 players who braved the elements (of the 24 who registered originally). And let’s face it, if the Scots hadn’t wanted to play golf in the rain then this game would never have been invented !

There were also 3 match play games taking place, with Oska Wyness taking on both Stu Thomson and Martin Henderson at the same time, but losing 5/4 to both of them; Jim Day also beat Tony Harrison 4/3 in their match.

Anyway, it was another fun day out and was worth the drive up into the hills.

NTPs:

3rd Martin Henderson 4.0m (the only person to stick their tee shot on that green !)

8th Peter Green 5.0m (of 2 players onto that green)

11th Kevin Turnbull 7.0m (of 3 players onto that green)

14th Jim Day 5.0m (of 3 players onto that green)

Next Round 20th February at Mt Compass (along with the AGM)

Stu Thomson 🏌️⛳️