On Saturday a field of 27 golfers took to the course to play for the Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate Monthly Medal in ideal golfing weather.

The standout player came from the B Grade with Paul Harmer the only player to break handicap with a nett 69. Harmer may have been struggling with some length off the tee but his short game around the greens was on song. with good approach shots and some great putts with the flat stick he was always going to be hard to beat.

There was more than daylight to the runner-up with Steven Skeer beating Peter Walker on countback with nett 75. Skeer was more attuned to the putting green, being 6 shots better than Walker, which seen him edge out for the fabulous red. A shot further behind was Tony Gleeson who had two completely different 9’s which may have cost him a potential win.

In the A Grade it was a tighter comp with Jock Agnew beating out Don Ferguson with a countback of nett 72. Both players putted well with Ferguson dropping the bundle on the 9th  which may have cost him the win.

Another countback was needed  to determine the next places with Leo Price narrowly getting the points over Jeremy Briggs with nett 73.

In the C Grade Allen Meyer came out in front with a nett 76. A up and down round was still enough to beat out David Strumber who seemed to have caught some bad karma from his playing partner but finished the day with nett 79. Another countback saw David Boyd beat Ant Mathys with nett 80. Boyd may have been talking up the Tigers but there was definitely no power outage as he so blatantly stated all day.

Long Drive winners on the 15th was George Kidman for A, Andrew Hutchesson in the B with Allen Meyer the C. NTP winners were Jeremy Briggs on the 7th, Nathan Williams on the 9th and Lindsay Storer on the 13th. The best 2nd on the 11th went to Jock Agnew with Bill Cheers winning the putting comp with 27 putts.

On Sunday Penola Golf club hosted the Beachport/ Millicent/ Penola interclub challenge which seen a field of 33 golfer battle some rather windy conditions.

 Using local knowledge saw Penola victorious with a combined 316 points. This was lead by Captain Greg Hutchesson, who shook off the demons of the day before, to post 35 points in a great display of driving and chipping. Also to do well for Penola was Bill Cheers and Peter Walker with 34 points. 

On Saturday a field of 18 players braved the very cool conditions for the 4th rd of the Captain’s Stableford Trophy.

With a persistent shower greeting the players on the turn it was Curt Evans who handled the trying conditions the beat to win the B grade and also have the score of the day. A shaky first hole wipe was soon forgotten with a run of bogey’s getting him 16 points to the halfway hotdog.

After a quick stop to don the wet weather gear he finished with 5 pars and 3 bogey’s. A minor hiccup on the 14th was not enough to cost him the win, finishing the day with 38 points and well ahead of the rest of the field.

The runner-up was Allen Meyer with 34 points winning from Pete Bullock on countback. Meyer was able to perform better after the rain with 16 points on the back 9 with Bullock wiping the last hole after a birdie on the 17th to lose by the barest of margins. A further 2 points behind was Ant Mathys on 32 points to make up the final placing.

The A grade have been struggling with the course of late and again this week saw some low scores once more. Lucky that John Mossop has not been out of late voicing his disapproval of the appalling scores that have been returned, not that he has troubled the scores of late. A countback was needed to separate the winner with Leo Price beating Peter Lunnay, both on 33 points.

Price was having trouble in the wet with a card that resembled the Crows up and down ladder position. 3 pars and a birdie on the 13th was offset by the 3 wipes for that 9. Lunnay on the other hand lost the win scoring only 8 points on the final 6 holes.

Another countback was needed for the next positions with Jock Agnew edging old Don Ferguson with 32 points. Ferg thought he had done enough to beat Agnew but after readjusting his handicap to the correct number had to concede that he would not be collecting from Agnew. We all know Ferg just loves to get that $2 from all and sundry and had to actually hand it back under much protest.

NTP winner on the 7th was Jeremy Briggs with Allen Meyer taking the 9th. Best 2nd went to Jim Cameron on the 12th, making a welcome return to the course after a lengthy period on the injury list.

The prized NAGA chocolate went to Mark Edwards who was also the winner of same prize on Thursday. With only 24 points and tied with Shane Anderson, it was a pity vote that saw him get the NAGA after a hasty trip to the course on Thursday was accompanied by a brief roadside chat much to the amusement of fellow golfers travelling past on the way to the course.

This week will be the 5th rd of the President’s Trophy with Stump aiming for an early start.

With near perfect conditions a smaller than normal field took to the course to contest the Pinkerton, Palm, Hamlyn and Steen Monthly Medal. The course was looking a bit damp around some greens with the front 3 holes being closed for the first time this year with the composite course in play.

On a day that should have seen some great scoring not one player managed to break their handicap. The  A grade winner and also tied for score of the day was Leo Price with a very creditable nett 74. He could only manage 9 pars for the day but was able to limit his double bogey’s to 2 holes, both of which he 3 putted.

In the runner-up position was George Kidman a further few shots behind on nett 78. He was struggling with the elements and his short game was not up to his usual standard with only 4 pars on his card. A highlight of his game was with his putter which may have saved him.

 In 3rd was Greg Hutchesson a few more shots further back with a nett 83, well clear of his nearest rival. Things definitely weren’t going his way when chipping from under the trees on the 15th he managed to hit a ball some 30 metres in front of him and launch the ball sideways away from the green.

The B grade was won by Stump Murray with a nett 74 also. A rare birdie for the day on the 11th was the standout with only 4 pars helping his card from blowing out. Like all who played he was having a little trouble with the flat stick.

The runner-up was Curt Evans on nett 75 who had a major turnaround after the break. After using nearly his entire quota of his 18 handicap on the back 9, with 2 errant drives on the dangerous 12th hole, he righted his radar. A well compiled 40 off the stick on the front 9 ensured he placed well enough to have even stole the win.

A 4 way countback was needed to separate the final places with Peter Walker edging out John Wilkinson, Paul Harmer and Cheers Bill all on nett 78.

The C grade also struggled around the course with Ant Mathys winning with nett 78. Using his knowledge of the pin placements he putted extremely well and was a highlight of this card.

Runner-up was David Strothera with a nett 80 to edge out David Boyd on nett 81. Allen Meyer was in  fourth with nett 84, who started the day well when he almost sliced more than his drive in the kitchen before play.

The Nearest to Pin winners hard to find with Paul Harmer the last player of the day landing just on the 9th to take the prize while Peter Walker hit a great approach on the 12th to win best 2nd. The long drives went to Greg Hutchesson in A, Andrew Hutchesson in the B with Sam Hill for the C grade.

A countback was not needed to decide the putting comp winner with 5 balls going out to a group of 5 with all having 30 putts.

Next week will be the 3rd round of the Captains Stableford trophy with hopefully a bigger field in attendance.

Full results here.

After spending the last few months letting his handicap slide ready to pounce in the Spring, Peter Walker has claimed a victory. Walker, who was used to winning regularly, has had a lean trot up until to now. Most thought age had caught up to the man who turns 77 next Thursday, but he defied the critics to post a stellar 4 up to win the A-Grade at Penola Golf Club on Saturdy. On a day where less than 20% of the field finished on the right side of square, Walker showed all his guile and ability to head the 24 strong field.

Golfers were greeted by glorious conditions, with most failing to take advantage of a lack of precipitation and wind. Walker did take a while to warm up after scoring losses on the first two holes. He found his form after this, with a run of six wins in eight holes from the fourth onwards, setting up the win.  He even managed two birdies along the way which would have given him 42 points on a stableford round.

Finishing runner-up in A-Grade was Chris Holden with a good return of 3 up. This was an impressive effort for someone who hasn’t spent much time on the course since fatherhood. He had 10 pars showing he is a still a major contender come club championships.

Peter Lunnay and Leo Price had to be separated by countback as they were the only other players to finish up for the day. Lunnay just got the nod for third with three plusses on the back nine.

Price was good in patches and started brilliantly with 39 on the front nine to be two up, but fatigue set in and he dropped crucial holes on the back nine.

Paul Harmer was the only other player not to finish in the negatives, finishing square and in 5th place.  

In the B-Grade, Pete Bullock finished square, which was enough for the win, as everyone else around him struggled to win holes. At one stage it looked like Bullock was going to blitz the field. A combination of super driving and solid approaches saw him collect five wins in six holes before peaking at 4 up. However, the excitement of thinking the money was heading to the POW saw him collapse and four losses in a row brought him back to square.

Mark Edwards was the best of the rest finishing two down.  A poor patch in the middle of the back nine undid all his good work on the front nine.

John Foggo (3 down) and Curt Evans (4 down) rounded out the placings.

The Patrick of Coonawarra nearest the pins were won by the usual suspects, Jock Agnew (7th), John Wilkinson (9th) and Pete Bullock completed his successful day with the best 2nd on the 12th.

Ant Mathys claimed the prize for the Redman’s  progressive nearest the pin, getting within 1.4 metres. 

The chocolates went to Andrew Hutchesson with his 9 down effort, as he formed part of the super group with Ant Mathys, Don Ferguson and Jock Agnew who combined to finish 25 down for the day.

Next week it is back to a stroke round, with the PPH&S Monthly Medal.  


Full results here.

Andrew and Greg Hutchesson have combined well to score 46 points and win the four ball better ball stableford competition at Penola Golf Club on the weekend.
In the strangely named competition that has teams of two competing, the competition was very strong, with good scores coming from most of the field.
A solid field of 20 players competed in the event and were met by very pleasant conditions and lightning fast greens that were in the best condition in memory.
But the Hutchessons didn’t have it easy, taking out the competition by just one point over the team of Mark Edwards and Curt Evans, thanks mainly to Greg’s 38 points, which included four birdies, three of those on the Par 5’s.
Edwards and Evans formed a last minute team and combined well to finish on 45 points.
Evans again played well for his 37 points with Edwards adding a few good holes of his own to ensure a good spread of points.
But only a single point on the sixth hole may have cost them the win.
The team of George Kidman and Sam Hill finished third with 45 points after starting strongly with six three-pointers on the first six holes.
Naracoorte visitors Brad Davies and Mick Pannell enjoyed the course to score a combined 44 points for fourth place.
Pannell looked in ominous form and once he gets a few more cards in, his handicap might be down somewhat.
Nearest the pin were won by John Wilkinson (7th), Edwards (9th) and Davies (16th) and the best second on the 11th was taken out by David Boyd.

Full results here. 

Weather has played havoc with the Penola women golfers in recent weeks but a nine-hole stableford competition was scheduled and nine keen golfers took to the course.
Rosalie Hunt took the honours with 18 points after a chip in on her first hole of the round gave her a good start to the day.
Karen Hunter was runner-up with 16 points.

A countback was required to decide the second round of the Penola Golf Club’s Captain’s Trophy last weekend.
Tony Gleeson managed the better back nine and was awarded the honours over Don Ferguson, who both finished with 38 points.
With the course a touch damp under foot a field of 19 golfers took to the course, with the sun shining and an icy breeze blowing, making scores difficult.
Gleeson’s back nine earned him 19 points while his consistency – with no wipes – helped his score to keep growing.
With his 16 handicap he managed seven pars which helped seal the win – but form like that may well come under the watchful eye of the handicapper.
Ferguson was not as consistent, starting with two double bogeys before paring the next five holes, while a birdie on the ninth from a very thin approach shot also netted him nearest the pin for that hole.
On the back nine Ferguson was a little erratic off the tee but managed to keep scoring with a double being his worse hole.
In third was Greg Hutchesson who was having a good round of 36 points, with his putter doing majority of the work.
AN NTP on the seventh was to be one of his two birdies for the day.
Again he had a bad patch with three doubles in a row, all but knocking him from the running for the win.
Peter Walker cam in next with 35 points, a birdie on the 12th the highlight.
In the B grade John Wilkinson came out the victor with 36 points.
After parring the first wo holes he slowed a little in the wet and double bogeyed the next two before playing to his handicap to finish the nine.
A rough patch in the middle of the back nine casued him a few headaches, but with no wipes he had done enough to stay in front.
The runner-up was David Boyd with 35 points, who had a disastrous start to the day with his first drive being a little left of centre, but on all of his next five holes he scored five points.
An up and down back nine saw two wipes but they were cancelled out by the four pars and the birdie on the 17th.
Horrie Foggo made a welcome retuen with 34 points with Mark Edwards next in with 33.
The other pro shots went to David Murray on the 16th, a rare highlight for his day, and Curt Evans getting the best second on the 11th.
The next competition will be a four-ball-better-ball stableford comp with hopefully a break in the weather. 

Full results here.

Jeremy Briggs has shrugged off drizzly conditions to be the standout performer in the Penola Golf Club’s Rabobank Monthly Medal.
Briggs was impressive considering the less than perfect weather, shooting 77 off the stick for a net 68.
He has been in solid form recently after shooting 72 on the Queen’s Birthday and began the monthly medal in fine form, parring the first six holes before the par threes cost him three shots on the front nine.
However, he continued his good form on the back nine with seven pars for 38 off the stick, hitting six greens in regulation and needing only 27 putts to be in ominous form for the championship in October.
Despite the conditions 27 enthusiastic golfers ventured out for the competition, with George Kidman another top performer.
Kidman played steady golf for net 74, including six pars during his round and showed glimpses of the form that he is capable of given a calm approach.
Don Ferguson finished third with net 76 thanks to only 26 putts, including just 11 on the front nine.
Pete Bullock is quickly turning into the monthly medal specialist after back to back wins following his score of net 70.
Despite a shaky start he still managed 19 stableford points after hitting three pars to make up the early lost shots.
He chimed in with back-to-back pars on the 16th and 17th to come home strongly.
Shane Anderson finished runner-up with net 74 after a solid 42 on the back nine.
He finished with back-to-back pars of his own and showed enough to finish on the scoresheet.
Curt Evans continued his stellar form and a move up to A grade didn’t faze him as he finished third in good company.
He again showed patches of great golf with long drives and solid putting and chipping.
His 26 putts was enough to win the putting competition, thanks largely to chipping out on the second and 10th.
Sam Hill won the C grade, something he has made a habit of, with net 73.
Despite an eight on the first, Hill regathered his composure to keep plugging away.
He managed to sneak in three pars along the way and took home the prize.
David Strother finished runner up with net 76.
He performed best on the greens with only 28 putts, including knocking one in from off the green on the 16th.
Trent Nankivell finished third after scoring net 76 in a steady display.
The nearest the pins were won by David Murray on the seventh and Jock Agnew on the ninth.
Murray added to his prize collection with the best second on the 11th.
The powerful hitters were out for the longest drive with the winners being Jeremy Briggs, Andrew Hutchesson and Sam Hill for their respective grades.
Visitor and one of the sponsor representatives, Neville John, didn’t go home empty handed, winning the chocolates for his efforts.
The club also welcomed Mikey Redman for his first game.

Full results here.

A field of 18 players braved the wintry conditions for the first round of the Captain’s Stableford Trophy at Penola Golf Club on the weekend.
With cold temperatures and intermittent showers passing through the course, only 14 dedicated golfers completed the day.
Curt Evans has been in some good form of late and he again cleaned up with 38 points to have score of the day and win the B grade.
Starting on the back nine he racked up points easily and after four holes was just one over the card and had banked 11 points.
A little trouble on the 14th saw him score nothing before firing home with 10 points, a birdie on the 17th being his highlight.
After the break he continued to rack up points until hitting the fourth with an errant drive and finding the bracken.
Conceding a lost ball his provisional left him behind a tree and with a couple of duffed chips, walked off with a wipe.
He then continued on his merry way to finish the front nine with 17 points.
There was clear daylight back to the next players with Shane McFlanders edging out Ant Mathys, both with 31 points.
Mathys found the back nine difficult in the conditions and only scored 12 points to lose the countback.
More daylight saw David Boyd returning to the clubhouse with a meagre 26 points.
A countback was needed to determine the winner for the A grade with Shane Anderson beating Greg Hutchesson, both on 33 points.
Anderson had a better back nine but with two wipe-outs being cancelled out by three pars and a birdie on the 17th.
He also had a good front few holes before struggling home on the last 4 holes, only scoring four points.
Hutchesson had a reversal of scores and struggles on the par 5’s, wiping the third and 14th.
He hit a purple patch on the front nine but was still a little wasteful finishing off the putts.
Paul Harmer was next in with 32 points, having a pair of consistent nines of 16 points.
His playing partner, George Kidman, came in next with a well fought out 28 points.
Next week will be the Rabobank Monthly Medal with a stroke round being the order of play.

Full results here.

The finals of the championships were played in good conditions on Wednesday 25 June.  Fortunately the forecast rains did not eventuate and the course was in great condition. In the previous weeks the volunteers had worked hard clearing branches which had fallen in windy conditions. One large pine tree had inconveniently fallen over the 14th fairway the day before the championships but that did not pose any major problems for the golfers who cleverly played their game around it.

The Women’s 36 hole Championship was played between a previous winner Claire Mossop and Penny Young in the first club championship final of her golf career.  These two women are very active club members and have played consistently good golf throughout the year. They were worthy participants for the major trophy.

They played a similar game with their accurate drives the same distance on most of the holes. In these games it usually comes down to the most accurate player with chipping and putting and Penny maintained her lead around the greens to give her the edge and record her first Club Championship.

The B Grade finalists over 27 holes were Jane Jenkins and Liz Copping. Jane is the very hard working Chairperson of the Women’s Match Committee and Vice president of the Club Committee.   Liz Copping has been absent and made a welcome return to golf in the last few years. She is fast regaining her good form of earlier years. They played consistent golf with Jane Jenkins finally winning the day.

Golfers and friends followed the players around and were there to congratulate them on completion of the games.  All were invited to share afternoon tea and toast the winners and runners up.  There were lots of golfing stories about past games, good shots and bad, all stored in the memories of players.

On 2 July there will be a Stableford competition and on 9 July Penola True Value Hardware Monthly Medal.

On 7 July the South Eastern District Foursomes will be held at Penola.

Golf SA Country Week will be held 22 to 24 July.