A field of 23 took to the Penola Golf Course in ideal conditions to compete for the Lakes Caddyshack Monthly Medal. With prizes up for grabs across 3 grades, scores proved to be tight with only an occasional four putt separating the victors.

The winner of the day was John Wilkinson was a nett 70. Fresh off an eagle on the 3rd the weekend before which saw an approach with a 7-iron that a pro would be proud of, Wilkinson proved too strong and ensured the winnings would be spent at a nearby local tavern.

In second place and two shots further back was Jamie Boneham with a nett 72 followed by Tony Gleeson and Mikey Redman with a nett 73 and nett 74 respectively.

In C Grade, club junior champion Sam Hill won on countback from Shane McPherson with a nett 71. John Gregory with a nett 73 and Robert Kuhl with a nett 74 rounded out the placings.

In A Grade the scoring wasn't quite as tight as Lindsay Storer proved too strong with a nett 71. Two shots further back was 19(?) time club champion Jock Agnew with nett 73. Greg Hutchesson was third with a nett 73 while Stump Murray held of Leo Price for 4th on countback with a nett 80.

Nearest the pin winner were Storer on the 7th and 9th while Chris Holden claimed the nearest 3rd on the 17th.

The putting competition was taken out by Storer with 22 measly putts, ensuring that he took home more balls than....

The NAGA was handsomely won by the monthly medal specialist Allen Meyer with a nett 86.

Next week will feature the 2nd Round of the Club Stableford Trophy which will be played in nearly ideal conditions with little wind and plenty of sunshine.

Penola Golf Club has staged a successful Bendigo Community Bank Autumn Tournament weekend with 115 players taking part over the two days. The weather was perfect with little to no wind and plenty of sunshine highlighting the picturesque course. The most prestigious trophy, the Men’s Open Champion was won by Trevor Smith from Naracoorte. Smith won his first title back in 2015 and added to his trophy cabinet despite a late charge from James Norcock.

Smith posted a 3-over 75 to take the title by two shots. Smith got to 1 under after 4 holes before three bogeys in the next 6 holes slowed his charge somewhat. He continued to play solid par golf with only a bogey on the 14th blotting his copybook. His consistent golf was good enough and he deserved his victory.

Norcock on the other hand was all over the shot with bogeys on two of the Par 5’s costing him vital shots, especially the Merrett’s logging forest he hit into on the third. His score of 77 was still a handy effort for a player not happy with his form.

Lindsay Storer was the best of the locals with 81 off the stick for a nett 73 to finish runner up in the Nett competition. He was pipped by John Boneham who also had a nett 73.

In the B-Grade, John Wilkinson reversed his form from the previous day to card an 86 to win the event by one shot from his playing partner, David Murray. Wilkinson was helped substantially by holing out from 138 metres in the rough for an eagle. Murray collected the Digiorgio wines prize as Runner up.

The B-Grade Nett was won by the course superintendent himself, Mr Peter Walker who is a bit partial to a drop of Digiorgio red himself. His nett 71 was 3 shots clear of his closest rival, Jamie Boneham.   

The C-Grade was won by Sam Hill who is in ominous form approaching his annual golf trip. He was pretty consistent with a bonus birdie on the 9th in his winning score 91 off the stick. He was two shots ahead of club captain, Shane Anderson.

Lee Bateman won the nett division with nett 73. This was a welcome return for Bateman who has only just returned from three months in the states.

Along with the tournament field, 50 pennant players from across the South East played the 5th round of the Pennant season, with Mt Gambier saluting in the A1 division over Blue Lake.

Penola’s Pennant teams resume next week at Millicent with both teams looking to continue their winning ways. 

The Saturday competition on the Bendigo Community Bank Tournament weekend was a four ball, better ball stableford competition. Played in pairs, players need to combine well to score as many points as they can.

The duo of John Mossop and Curt Evans took home the DiGiorgio package after combining to score 46 points. This was mainly due to John Mossop’s outstanding form. Mossop parred the front nine for 23 points, as the team had 24.

They finished one point clear of the team of Peter Ey and Mal Redman. Despite wiping the first hole, the team improved immensely to score 45 points in the next 17 holes. Ey’s score of 43 on his own was a major contributor to the team. He had 4 pars and a birdie on the front nine in a dominating display.

This was a great effort form Peter Ey, particularly after the passing of his mother, and Penola Golf club regular and much respected member, Bobbie Ey.  Our thoughts go out to the Ey family.

Lucindale visitor, Peter Justin and local Grant Stephenson were unlucky to miss out also scoring 45 points and losing on a countback.

In the ladies competition, Karen Cahir broke through for her maiden tournament win, combining with Judith Georgeson for 37 points. Her three pointers were very handy for their total.

The two days were well attended and the full clubhouse for presentations on both days demonstrated the popularity of events held at Penola Golf Club. 

In blustery conditions Nathan Williams won the A Grade IGA Monthly Medal with a net 70, including a solid 37 off the stick on the outward 9 to end up 1 shot clear of Lindsay Storer on 71, and a further shot back was Jeremy Briggs on 72.

In the B Grade, Johnny Wilkinson carded a great winning score of 69. Wilkinson, who has one of the best memories in the club, knew exactly where to place his approach shots, and on the anniversary of his last win, finished one shot clear of the 2017 Top-Dog Champion Mikey Redman on 70, and two shots clear of Peter Walker on 72.

Shane McPherson took the honours in the C Grade and overall nett round of the day with a nett 68, six shots clear of second place Sid Jones on 74 who beat Alan Meyer on a countback 74.

Nearest to pin winners were Peter Walker on the Par 3 9th and Tony Gleeson on the par 3 7th

Long drive winners were Lindsay Storer, Andrew Hutchesson and John Gregory.
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Putting competition winner was Shane Anderson.

On Wednesday October 18th at Penola Golf Club the ladies celebrated the end of the winter season with a social game of golf, scrumptious lunch and an awards ceremony. The ladies were thrilled to welcome life member, Judy Edwards and patron Claire Larkin who presented their awards.  
The club will hold its presentation night on 4th November when further awards will be made 
The summer season of golf for the ladies commences Wednesday 25th hitting off at 8.30 am. With the golf course in peak condition , good numbers are expected to come out and enjoy the sunshine 

Shane Anderson has shrugged off the disappointment of losing the B-Grade Championship last week to win the A-Grade division of the Prince of Wales Hotel Monthly Medal at Penola Golf Club on Saturday. Players were blessed with a beautiful day and the course in pristine condition.

With pin positions still tight from the recently held championships, scoring well was expected to be difficult. However, a number of players had great scores, making competition very tight in some grades.  

In the A-Grade, Shane Anderson headed the field and had round of the day with nett 68. His back nine of 39 off the stick was the difference as he hammered home 6 pars in a run of 7 holes, only having 12 putts for the nine in the process. After a slow start Anderson parred the 3rd, 4th and 5th to kick start his round.  

Only one shot further back was Don Ferguson, who would have been confident of the win as he sat down to enjoy a beverage after the round.   As per usual, Ferguson was on fire with the putter; his 26 putts enough to win the putting competition.  He has ten pars in his round to finish with nett 69, but had to settle for the Runner’s Up prize.

In third place was Jock Agnew who posted a somewhat robotic nett 72. He did his best work on the back nine where he had 39 off the stick with six pars. Lindsay Storer finished in fourth position with nett 74.

In the B-Grade, Brett Williams continued his good form both on the course and in the fashion stakes with him shooting nett 69 in an outfit that wouldn’t be out of place on Ricky Fowler.  Consistency was the key with two 43s. The highlight was the birdie from off the green on the 9th hole, making the halftime break much more enjoyable.

Andrew Hutchesson was runner up with nett 72, his birdie on the 12th helped him to 20 points on the back nine. 

The old stalwart, Peter Walker, had nett 74 to finish third, with John Wilkinson two shots further back.

 In the C-Grade, Trent Nankivell  blitzed the opposition with nett 70, not bad after six weeks out of the game. His four pars and relatively consistent scoring helped him finish with nett 70. 

Four shots further back was Bill Cheers with nett 74. Allen Meyer finished third with nett 77. 

The longest drives were won by Nathan Williams, David Boyd and Ant Mathys. Nearest the pins were taken out by Leo Price, Peter Walker and Shane Anderson. 

The encouragement award of the chocolates was won by Mal Redman, which I am sure will go well with a glass of red. 
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The competition also served as the Monthly Medal Winner’s Stroke play Championship which will see three players presented with their prize at the Presentation Night on November 4th.  Presentation night will include dinner and happy half hour for $25. 

Ian ‘Jock’ Agnew has staved off a determined Lindsay Storer to win his 8th Penola Golf Club Open Championship at the Penola Golf Club on Sunday. Incredibly, Agnew has been undefeated in the final 8 times and this was the first time he was paying someone he has beaten previously. After missing the past two years due to injury, it has been an amazing comeback for Agnew to win again despite his body not containing too many of its original parts. 

After a gruelling six weeks of qualifying, the players were treated to a glorious spring day and the course in immaculate condition in which to play their 36 hole match play finals. Both the men’s and women’s championship are played on the same day which brought out a big crowd. The gallery was treated to some exciting golf, with the ladies B-Grade match decided on the last hole. 

In the feature men’s event, the Patrick of Coonawarra Open Championship, seven time winner Jock Agnew took on Lindsay Storer. The match may not go down as one of the highest quality, with both players making crucial errors around the green. However, this was made up by the close contest and the willingness of both players to win. 

The match started out with players trading pars before Agnew got out to a slender lead. Storer pegged this back after a few uncharacteristic Agnew errors before Agnew got back out in front by one shot at the halfway point. 

After a belly full of soup and sandwiches, the players headed out for the afternoon session. Both players continued to mix scratchy golf with moments of brilliance, making for an absorbing contest. The experience of Agnew was telling and after Storer struggled to exit the bunker on the 31st (13th) hole, Agnew had taken a telling three hole lead with five to play. When Storer’s putt on the 33rd hole slipped past, Agnew tapped in for the hole win and a nervy 4&3 victory. 

Kidman too good for Anderson 

In the B-Grade, George Kidman proved too good for Shane Anderson. Kidman who only just missed out on qualifying for the Open was on a mission form the start. With long and straight drives and pin point irons, he parred the first three holes and went three up very quickly. Anderson pegged one back before Kidman parred three of the last four holes on the nine to be five in front as they passed the clubhouse for the first time. 

With the esky restocked, Anderson won the next three holes to get back to two down. An unlucky run where for four holes in a row, Anderson had putts rim out swung the contest back in Kidman’s favour.  To add to Anderson’s pain,  Kidman started sinking some bombs, which stretched his lead out to seven at the half way point. At this stage Kidman had had eleven pars, which is super golf in any grade. 

After the break Anderson worked hard to peg back a few shots and made it an absorbing contest with the gallery appreciating the great golf being played. Anderson was able to match Kidman as they both drove the ball superbly and made some excellent putts, but he couldn’t make any ground on him. In the end, Kidman’s morning round had set him up for win as they finished on the 31st hole, Kidman taking his second B-Grade title 7&5. It was a dominant display from Kidman who was in great form in all areas, hitting 16 pars in the 31 holes played. Anderson tried hard but Kidman was a deserved winner, too strong on the day. 

Skeer edges out McPherson

In the closest match of the day in the men’s finals, Steven Skeer did enough to edge out Shane McPherson on the 35th hole to win his third C-Grade title. However, it was not all easy going for Skeer who fell 5 holes behind early in the match. McPherson was making pars look easy and when he hit to within a foot on the 9th, he had gone five holes clear. 

The experienced Skeer never gave in and started to claw his way back. At the halfway point, he had pegged back the lead to one hole. The afternoon session was much closer with both players taking the lead at various points. Skeer held a small lead as the game moved into the final few holes; when he went two up with two to play, he could smell victory. 

A wayward drive and third shot on the 35th hole didn’t help McPherson as he could only bogey the hole. Skeer only had to hole in two from close range to halve the hole, which he did comfortable to win the title, winning 3&1. McPherson is yet to win a championship, but he is getting closer and one thinks he wouldn’t be too far away from his maiden victory in the next few years. It has been 11 years since Skeer last won, so it was a well-deserved victory. 

Cheers wins Julian Street battle

Bill Cheers and Robert ‘Blue’ Kuhl battled it out to see who would be the champion of Julian Street in the D-Grade final. Kuhl started poorly as Cheers played steady golf to capitalise. It didn’t take long for Cheers to race out to a six hole lead, with Kuhl trying his best to get back into some sort of form. He did recover somewhat and the lead had been reduced to two by the halfway mark.

The break in play seemed to break his momentum. As according to his caddy, he ‘butchered the next five holes’ after the break. Cheers was driving well and his consistency allowed him to keep Kuhl at bay over the next few holes. Cheers kept his sizeable advantage and with seven holes to play he was seven in front. In an effort to lengthen the contest in perfect conditions, Cheers hit two out of bounds in the next two holes. After keeping Blue in it long enough, he won the 15th to take the contest 4&3.

Cheers now has a D-Grade Championship to match his C-Grade one he won in 2013 and 2015, as he makes a habit of winning in the odd years.

The matches were concluded by the presentations, as Tash Gordon from Patrick of Coonawarra presented the winning players with some wine with over 50 players and spectators in attendance, capping off a great day for Penola Golf Club. 

Penola to host the South East Men’s Two Ball Ambrose Tournament

Penola Golf Club will host the South East Two Ball Ambrose on Sunday October 22nd. With fields normally around the 100 mark, players are invited to register soon. The day includes breakfast, gourmet lunch and afternoon tea, gross and handicap prizes, nearest the pins on every hole for only $35. Tee off will be at 10:00am. Players holding a GA handicap are invited to enter via the Penola Golf Club website or through Paul Harmer or Leo Price. 

Penola women's stableford results for Wednesday, 13th September:
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A Grade
Winner - Penny Young - 36 points
Runner-Up - Marg Ferguson

B Grade
Winner - Barbara Provis - 31 points
Runner-Up - Marg Murray

​Accuracy - Ros Lynn and Rosemary Ey

The Redman Wines Monthly Medal was played last Wednesday. Congratulations to Penny Young on taking out A-Grade and Janice Coote claiming B-Grade. Full results:

A Grade
Winner             Penny Young       72
Runner-Up      Mary Cram           74
Putting             Claire Mossop     28
NTP                  Mary Cram

B Grade
Winner            Janice Coote        74
Runner-Up     Gail Stephenson  80
Putting            Claire Larkin         31
NTP                 Janice Coote

A field of 19 golfers took to the Penola Golf Course on Saturday in threatening condition for the 5th round of the Captain’s Trophy.

Score of the day went to Lindsay Storer in A-Grade with 41 points, narrowly taking the honours from Shane Anderson with 40 points. In 3rd place was Greg Hutchesson on 38 points while Jock Agnew finished 4th with 35 points.

Over in B-Grade the scoring proved a little tougher with Allen Meyer claiming victory with 33 points, 1 clear of Ant Mathys. Peter Walker and Johnny Wilkinson meanwhile both had 30 points which isn’t bad for a bloke nearing 80 – Walker that is.

The NAGA was hotly contested with little to separate Trent Nankivell from Shane McPherson, both with a respectable 26 points.

Next Saturday will feature the PPHS Monthly Medal, always a great event and one not to be missed. Tee-off from 11:30. All welcome.
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As a reminder, a Special General Meeting will be held at the clubrooms of the Penola Golf Club on Wednesday, 2nd August at 5:30pm. Details via the club noticeboard, website or from the Secretary.