First season member, Sam Hill, has had round of the day as well as winning the C-Grade Division of the Heyward’s Hotel Monthly Medal. In its 75th year, the esteemed Heyward’s Hotel Monthly Medal has always been a sought after trophy, and this year’s trophies were no exception.

Hill, had been improving week by week and a good score was on the cards. He started the front nine well with straight drives and solid irons to score two pars on the way out. After a shaky start on the back nine, he birdied the 12th with a 30 foot putt and followed with a par on the par 3. He held his nerve on the final few holes to finish with nett 66 and the round of the day. He also won nearest the pin on the 13th for his great shot there.

In the A-Grade, Grant Stephenson won a bottle of his namesake with nett 72. He was steady all day with eight pars and only two doubles to keep to his handicap. Making par from off the green on the 13th was a valuable save. His prize should last him long enough for another caravan trip around Australia.

Jock Agnew finished runner up with net 73 after a much better second nine. He recovered from a shaky start to shoot 36 on the back nine, that being less shots than the lead his beloved Kangaroos surrendered the week prior. He made nine pars in a row on the first nine as he stormed home to be runner up. Agnew cleaned up the nearest the pin on the ninth with a tidy approach.

In third place was Greg Hutchesson who also came home in a flurry, finishing with three pars and a birdie on the last four holes.  18 putts on the front nine ensured he needed to pull something out f the bag on the back nine.

Peter Walker rounded out the placings with nett 76, a better result than previous weeks as he struggles with the distance in the heavier conditions.

In the B-Grade, John Wilkinson saw the scotch on offer and suddenly played his best golf for weeks. He had six pars and only 28 putts as he obliterated the course for nett 69. Despite sledging from his playing partners, J-Wilk fired up and delivered to be three shots clear of his nearest rival.

Runner up was Mal Redman, who had an honourable nett 72. This was mainly due to much improved back nine, where he had four pars.

David Boyd recovered from the chocolates on the Thursday to finish in third place. Better putting may have improved his score as one putts were as rare as sunny periods on a June day. He won his usual longest drive on the 15th.

Blue Kuhl finished fourth with net 76.

Sam Hill was a clear six shot winner in the C-Grade and consequently his handicap has come tumbling back quicker than Essendon’s Premiership aspirations. 

Playing his first legitimate round, new member Curt Evans finished runner up with a solid nett 72. He had three pars to suggest that over the next few weeks he will win few prizes before his handicap decreases. He won the C-Grade longest drive along the way with a long hit down the 15th.

Ant Mathys had nett 73 to finish in third place. A solid front nine with three pars and eight one-putts in a row kept his score low and won a golf ball at the end. Matt Stephenson finished fourth with net 75. Matt was instrumental in the sponsorship deal from Patrick T of Coonawarra, which saw 17 spiffing brand new, if not slightly too high, flag poles be put in at the course. It is well worth the green fees for visitors just to see.

Andrew Hutchesson won the nearest the pin on the 7th for prize. Jeremy Briggs hit the longest ball on the 15th to get the prize before he took off after nine.

Bill Cheers won the putting competition, which is a good result from the man whose putting is somewhat aligned to Travis Cloke’s kicking for goal.

The next big event on the calendar is the 27 hole men’s foursome’s event on the 15th June. 

Full results to be found here.

Leo Price and John Wilkinson have topped the score sheets at the Penola Golf Club with 38 points each to claim the A and B Grade prizes respectively. Coincidentally, they were marking each other’s cards as playing partners. This could mean that they either spurred each other on, or they colluded very well together! Needless to say, they collected the prize against their opponents with a lazy 12 up performance.

28 players contested the 3rd round of the Club Stableford Trophy in overcast conditions at the Penola Golf Club.

Price led the way in the A-Grade with 38 points thanks to having 21 points on the back nine. He shot 37 off the stick on this nine with seven pars and a birdie on the 12th to rack up the points.

Runner up was Greg Hutchesson who had a better back nine with 37 points. He hit five pars and a birdie in the first six holes of the back nine before jumping aboard the bogey train back to the club house.

In third place was the consistent Chris Holden who had a steady round with two nines of 18 points for his 36 point total. Peter Walker’s score was identical as he also scored 18 on each nine. Only a bogey on the 17th cost him third place.

John Wilkinson won the B-Grade with his 38 points, mainly due to a stellar back nine of 22 points. A purple patch of two pars and birdie netted him 10 points as his consistent bogey golf to ensure the other points came regularly.

Rookie member, Sam Hill, finished near the top of the leaderboard for the second consecutive week with a solid round of 36 points. He continues to improve each week and as long as the ankle injury continues to keep him off the footy field, his handicap will keep tumbling.

Terry Devlin made a welcome return to the course with a steady 34 points to finish fourth. Four pars on the front nine showed that he still has the ability to play handy golf. He also won the only nearest the pin prize out on the course on the 9th.

There were many contenders for the chocolates with Brian Larkin doing his best to ensure he doesn’t fade away.

This week is the 75th Heyward’s Hotel Monthly Medal. With lots of great prizes on offer, hopefully a big field will be present for this prestigious event. 

The A-Grade and Handicap pennant teams have finished the season with solid efforts, giving reason for each team to be positive about their season. The A-grade is often outclassed handicap wise each week, but make the opposition earn their win. Sunday was no different as they came within a whisker of knocking off Semi-final side, Mt Gambier B at Naracoorte Golf Club. Agnew set the ball rolling with a 2&1 win over SetioShannahan to chalk up his third win for the year. Leo Price and Don Ferguson were not up to their usual standard and both dropped their matches easily. George Kidman won his first ever game of A-Grade pennants, after finishing well. Scores were level after 15 holes, and Kidman, cool as a cucumber in the driving rain, drained a putt on 16 to go one up. He halved the 17th before belting a drive up the middle of 18th.  This was enough to put pressure on his opposition, who came unstuck allowing Kidman to in 2 up. Nathan Williams called for the head lantern as the rain and darkness started to settle in. This wasn’t helped by having to go down the 20th before he unfortunately fell just short. The team went down 3-2, but were gallant in defeat.

The handicap team ventured to Blue Lake to take on Millicent. Finals were a mathematical impossibility, however, the difference between third and sixth was very little meaning a win was crucial to the final ladder positon.

 After the first few holes, it was clear that one sided games were the nature of the day. When the heavens opened, four groups were seen heading back to the clubhouse, after timely finishes. Tony Gleeson (5&3 up) and Bill Cheers (6&4 up) were the big winners for the day. Paul Harmer (6&5 down) and Andrew Hutchesson (5&4 down) were outplayed, making the match all tied at 2-2. Greg Hutchesson was four up at the break and looked to be the man to get the Rosellas over the line. However, his opponent pegged him back and after 17 scores were level. Having to give his opponent a shot, Hutchesson needed to step up to the plate. That he did, with a crisp wedge from 114metres out pitching and stopping 4 feet from the pin. He made the birdie putt in front of a huge gallery and won the match one up, giving Penola a 3-2 win.

The win should ensure Penola holds onto 3rd spot in the Southern Division, just missing out on finals by a few points.

David Boyd has blasted his way to another win after a comprehensive performance at Penola Golf Club on Saturday. He made sure he staked his claim for the President’s trophy with a dominating six up score line.

Boyd headed the 27 strong field in what was for the most, pleasant conditions. He had four wins on the front nine, with three pars to finish two up at the break. He must have suffered a bit of indigestion from the halftime hotdog, as he dropped the first two holes to get back square. This must have been the fire up Boyd needed, as he reeled off six straight pars for six wins before halving the last to finish six up and take out the B-Grade division.

Four strokesfurther back was Trent Nankivell, who partnered Boyd for the match. After being two down at the halfway point, Nankivell also put the afterburners on to win six of the last nine holes to finish two up for the day. His good finish allowed him to knock off Blue Kuhl on countback.

Kuhl was consistent, with plenty of halves and only dropping two holes for the day. Four pars for wins pushed him into the positives and he completed the round two up.

Shane Anderson rounded out the placings with a steady round of one up. He showed glimpses of returning form with five pars during his round.

In the A-Grade, Chris Holden dominated to win by two holes as he shot an impressive five up. Starting with five pars in six holes, he stumbled on the 7th and 8th before birdying the 9th to go three up. Incredibly, it was one of three birdies on that hole for his playing group, with only the captain missing out.

He continued his good form on the back nine scoring wins on three consecutive holes, including another birdie on the 13th. Like the V8’s, Holden was completely dominant and was a worthy winner.

Nathan Williams made the most of early conditions as he finished three up. He did most of his good work on the back nine, where apart from a scratch on the 13th hole, he was one under par. Williams had seven pars and a birdie on the 17th during the back nine.

One shot further back was Jeremy Briggs, who did the opposite to Schnitzel. He started very well, playing the front nine to par, apart from a wipe on the 7th. Unfortunately the back nine saw a chunk of his surplus being eaten away, before finishing the day two up.

Bill Cheers finished fourth after a steady one up round. A birdie on the 8th was a highlight and kept him in the game.

Shane Anderson won the nearest the pin on the ninth and Steven Skeer got the prize on the 13th. Greg Hutchesson and Ant Mathys shared the chocolates, however, when Hutch won the raffle, the prize was handed to Ant.

Next week is the 3rd round of the club stableford event. 

Click here for full results.

10 women played a stableford round under testing conditions with wind and rain squalls.

A Grade: Winner Penny Young 33 pts from Sue Kilsby 30 pts.

                 Penny also won the accuracy with 14

B Grade: Winner Marg Murray 28 pts from Jane Jenkins 25 pts.

                Claire Larkin won the accuracy with 14

On 29 May there will be Canadian Foursomes and the final of the Vonnie O’Dowd foursomes.

The Penola Golf Club saw David Murray return from vintage with an impressive performance, taking out the A grade in the Youngs the Mans Shop Monthly Medal on Saturday.
Sporting facial growth not dissimilar to a recent former club champion, Murray came home with the wind to cruise to victory.
After struggling early, "Stump" played the last 12 holes at two over par, he was particularly good on the back nine where he had three pars and two birdies to have only 38 off the stick.
He finished with round of the day with nett 71, one shot clear of his nearest rival.
A healthy field of 28 players took on the course in warm May conditions, however, a blustery breeze ensured that it wasn't too easy to master the course.
Runner up in the A grade was the ever reliable Peter Walker, who had a stock standard nett 72, having more trouble with the long par five holes in his old age as he had an eight and a seven on two of them.
As per usual the pars were flowing, he had seven of them and three incredible birdies in his round.
He could of added to this tally after getting the nearest the pin on the 13th, but missed the crucial putt.
Jim Cameron finished in the top four for the first time in a long time after carding a nett 73, a back nine of 38 helped as he hit five pars and birdie on this nine.
In the B grade, David Strutter was the victor after a solid nett 73 coming off a 12 up win on Thursday against Stephenson, he was confident about his chances.
Remaining consistent all day and despite having two pars, Strutter was able to minimise the damage and keep in front.
Runner-up was "Blue" Kuhl with nett 74. Back-to-back snowmen on the front nine caused some havoc, but he recovered with a birdie on the tough sixth hole, as well as three pars.
Shane McPherson finished fourth on countback also with nett 74, being much more consistent and showing glimpses all day of what he could produce, particularly with his two pars.
Tony Gleeson finished fourth after dominating the par threes and having pockets of brilliance throughout the match including a great birdie on the 12th after going via the 16th.
In the C grade, Dean Moore survived a sore back to win the event with a nett 73.
No one understands how he hangs onto that handicap after winning for so many weeks, having three pars along the way and despite trying to throw it away on the 17th and 18th, he hung on.
John Foggo won the socks for runner-up with nett 74, narrowly pipping Bevan Phillips on countback. He was much better on the back nine, having two pars and a sizzling longest drive as well.
New member, Sam Hill, finished fourth with nett 77, squeezing in two pars and as he becomes more familiar with the course and strategy, he will start to reap the rewards.
Other prizes went to Lindsay Storer on the 9th for nearest the pin and long drives to Don Ferguson and David Boyd.
The chocolates went to Paul Harmer, who, after having 41 putts, was the most deserved winner.
Next week will see a par wound with Dean Moore as the starter.

Full results to be found here.

16 women played a stroke round for the MUST SEE WANT HAVE monthly medal and there were three 9 hole players.

Deb Redman joined the field for her first game for some time and presented her trophies to the winners on the day.

A Grade winner was Sue Kilsby nett 62. Runner up Mary Cram 75.

Sue Kilsby won nearest the pin and Claire Mossop putting with 27 putts.

Sue Kilsby played an excellent game with 88 off the stick including 5 pars and has dropped 2 strokes from her handicap.

B Grade winner was Rosemary Ey nett 69. Jane Jenkins was runner up with 73.

Claire Larkin won nearest the pin.  Rosemary Ey also won the putting with 31 from Sandy Kidman 31.

C Grade winner was Marg Murray nett 74 from Janice Coote.

Marg also won the putting with 33.

On 15 May a stableford competition will be played.

Preparations are in hand for the PATRICK OF COONAWARRA Women’s Open Day tournament on Tuesday 21 May.

Sunday had mixed results for the Pennant teams with the A-Grade going down in a tough contest against Millicent and the Handicap team getting up on the last shot of the day against Blue Lake.

The A-Grade were a little undermanned but were still a chance of beating arch rival Millicent if results went their way. The team didn’t begin well with Greg Hutchesson going down without tackling the last third of the course. Leo Price and Nathan Williams were competitive but went down with a few holes remaining. Jock Agnew had recently returned to form, but it was always going to be a tough ask against Mark Pretty. He was competitive for the first 10 holes before a horror patch cost him a few holes and he eventually went down 3&2. The only shining light was Don Ferguson, who won his grudge match against Greg Cook. Having defeated ‘Cookie’ many years earlier in a club championship final at Millicent, Ferg was determined to repeat the result and did so with a 3&2 win. The team went down 4-1 and will be looking to finish the season on a positive against Mt Gambier 2 in a fortnight’s time.

The Handicap team ventured to Naracoorte to take on Blue Lake two., With both teams struggling for numbers it become a best of three event. Matt Stephenson continued his good form from the previous week winning 3&2, giving the Rosellas the perfect start. Andrew Hutchesson lost against the undefeated Rod Morris squaring the ledger. It all came down to the last match; and to add to the tension, the match was all square going to the 18th. Paul Harmer was looking down the barrel after having to chip out from the trees for his third. However a phenomenal approach from 85 metres went straight at the pin and rested 3 inches from the cup for a ‘gimme’ par. His opponent was clearly rattled, and bogeyed the hole giving Harmer and Penola the win.

Despite the win, Penola are seemingly out of finals contention, but will also be looking to finish the season with their third straight win. 

Naracoorte golfer, James Norcock has won the Penola and District Bendigo Bank Autumn tournament with a par round of 72 off the stick. From the outset Norcock was on the money driving one up the middle then knocking in his birdie putt. He then had 10 pars straight before a bogey on the third bought him back to even par. Norcock continued to be consistent until a bogey on the 7th pushed him to one over. This was quickly rectified as he birdied the 8th to get back square with the card. A par on the 9th ensured he finished square and took out the title. He was two strokes clear of his nearest opponent, Mt Gambier’s Setio Shannahan.

A glorious Autumn day presented golfers with a great opportunity to tear apart the course, however, the pressure of over $1000 prizes and tough pin placements made scoring difficult. A solid field of 41 including 14 visitors ensured the Bendigo Bank event should survive into its second year. 

The rest of the competition was determined by handicap. In the A-Grade, the locals showed the way with Leo Price taking out the prize. He had nett 69 to win the prize by two strokes. He was particularly damaging on the back nine where he had 35 off the stick. This included 8 pars and a birdie on the 14th.

Runner up was Nathan Williams who hadnett 71. Schnitzel was consistent as ever as he had two 39’s. He had 11 pars and a birdie on 17 to ensure he was a strong contender.

Setio Shannahan finished third with 74 off the stick for nett 72. He had 12 pars and two birdies in his round.

George Kidman made sure everyone in his group picked up a prize by finishing fourth in the A-Grade.

In the B-Grade, Mt Gambier golfer, Jason Mann had the best nett score of the day with nett 68. His back nine was a highlight with five pars and a birdie on the 11th. Only a triple bogey on the last hole blotted his copybook, but at that stage he had already done enough to seal the victory.

Runner up was Tony Gleeson who had a solid round of nett 70. Playing with Norcock clearly inspired him as he rattled home with a 41, including three pars and birdie on the 2nd.

In third place was Paul Harmer on countback with nett 74. A better back nine with three pars and no double bogeys cut back some of the deficit from the first nine.

Stephen Skeer finished fourth with his nett 74. After a strong first half, Skeer let himself down with a poor back nine, possibly costing him a better prize.

In the C-Grade, Ben Wood from Naracoorte celebrated his birthday with a win. He had nett 71 despite starting with two nines in the first three holes. An improvement of 10 shots on his back nine made sure he came home with a wet sail to take out the prize.

Runner up was Matt Stephenson, who had a solid nett 72. Highlights were the four pars, including one on the 18th, which he would have enjoyed before the half time scotch fillet.

Finishing third was Brett Foster, also from Naracoorte, who had nett 73. Aaron Osman capped off a good day for Naracoorte when he finished fourth.

The nearest the pin prizes were won by Setio Shanahan on the 9th and 13th, Greg Cook on the 7th and Nathan Williams on the 16th.

The longest drives were won by Nathan Williams, Geoff Denning and Matt Stephenson in each of the grades respectively.

It was a tight tussle for the chocolates with Shane McPherson winning the prize, although there were many contenders throughout the day. Nick Travar from Naracoorte gets an honorable mention for having some of the most creative shots of the day, usually involving trees.

At the end of the day, Peter Kitchingham from Bendigo Bank and Mark Edwards, Chair of the Penola and District Bendigo Bank presented the players with the prizes. 

Full results to be found here.

The Penola Golf Club is hosting one of its biggest events this weekend. With the Penola and District branch of the Bendigo Bank on board, this inaugural event hopes to be the start of long tradition. The stroke event will be contested over 18 holes, with three grades available. Thanks to Bendigo Bank, there is over $1000 worth of prizes on offer, including long drives and nearest the pins. Registration is at 10:30am for 11am start. BBQ lunch is included in the $25 entry fee. All club golfers welcome.