Final Round of the Benkerr Cup - Australia v The Rest of the World

Perfect playing conditions greeted the players again for the second and final round of the Cup. However as fate would have it a gusty south westerly originating from Antarctica arrived mid way through the round to make conditions far from ideal.

The lads

The Actual Cup -  Even more impressive than the artist impression, but why is it on a lean?

(Derek the Tallyman already has one hand on it!!! Is this an omen)

Some of you may question this but is there anything more beautiful than a golf course?

Back to the golf. After trailing by 0.5 on the first round the Rest of the World (Wherever that is?) were determined to put up a better showing for the final round for the Cup that everyone wanted to get their mitts on.

There was a great turnout of those dressed for the occasion with the ROW players showing a clear heel to the Australian contingent. Some of the best for the ROW follow.

Our English Rose Carol, with what seems to be a foot in each camp

Earle put in a solid effort for the Australians, as usual.

"Raygun" put in another appearance dressed for Halloween

Coops was ravenous and woofed off one, or possibly two rounds of toasted cheese and ham sandwiches, washed down with a coffee.

Nah!

 

A curious onlooker

Surprisingly few "Spots of Bover" this round with the highlights following

Gardy advanced the ball 130 metres with his putter from this lie (was it a Scotty Cameron?)

To the Scores

Place getters for Round 2

1. Gardy

2. Keith 

  3. Derrek

A complete white wash by the ROW

Novelties

NTP #18 - Keith (but there's more to it and we will get to that)

Golden Hole - Karl

NTP #12 - Club

NTP in 2 #10 - Popey

LD Men #2 Mark W

LD Ladies #8 - Linley

Birdies

Andrea #3 & #6

Praise the Lord - another chip in on the 6th

Derek - #7 

Roland #7

Paul B #7 & 18

Karl #3

Keith #18

Keith's pre-shot routine on the 18th

It Worked & Keith racks up a 4th Hole in One (in competition)

Unfortunately Paul B had a prior commitment and couldn't be there to accept the "Lollies" so Coops graciously accepted them (refusing to share them with anyone) and was seen leaving Perry Lakes a very happy man munching on a Mars Bar.

THE FINAL OUTCOME

ROW take out the Cup with 63.7 from Australia on 62.6

The ROW Captain giving a brief speech after accepting the trophy. Derek has enlarged his mantlepiece to accommodate the Cup and Frances has promised to polish it at least once a week.

The Gracious Winners - two years in a row.

Best outfit on the day went to Coral, so it was a great day out for the Barrows

Our thanks to those who contributed to the Sausage Sizzle. The Truffle Hill Merlot was sensational (Where can I buy a few bottles?.

A further reminder on the End of Year Dinner & Presentation Night.

Please advise Shelly of you attendance - we need number now to determine the final cost.

Next week its the "Memorial" in remembrance of member past with a beastly tee off time of 7.24 on the Tuart - No Pajamas Please

Lastly following on from last weeks Captains Comments

Remember "No Monkey Business"

First Round of The Benkerr Cup - Rest of the World v Australia

In perfect conditions, the first round of the Benkerr Cup kicked off on The Old.

(Artist Impression of the Cup)

The Cup is named in honour of our two longest standing members Greg Bennett & Colin Kerr - The "Godgolfers"

A solid field of 23 seasoned players turned up, 13 representing the Rest of the world (wherever that is) and 10 representing Australia, slightly outnumbered but accustomed to that.

Some came very well dressed for the occasion.

Popey & Gerry certainly put in the effort to look the part

Keith, Paul & Gardy were in the mood for a fight.

(Gardy wearing his blood splattered Surry CC shirt)

Raygun was there - you can't keep a good rap dancer down

Being a co-sanctioned tournament there were a few select players from LIV Golf playing (above)

Coops munching on a toasted cheese and ham sandwich, washed down with a flat white. 

Just enough sustenance as it turns out to avoid taking home the lollies.

Steph & Keith discussing pre-game tactics. 

First group off the tee, Frances (partially dressed or undressed?), Gim, Andrea and Goochy (welcome back)

From then on things went a little downhill

Steph and Keith taking a well deserved coffee break

According to our resident botanist, Shelly, it must be October because the bottlebrush is in bloom.

A selection of "Spot of Bover" photos

So the upshot of it all was, despite their small numbers the Australians take a slight advantage going into the second round, to be played on the Tuart next Saturday teeing off at 8.04. Australia's average score for the round was 31.6 closely followed by the Rest of the World with 31.1

Rundown of scores as follows

To be fair to our guest, Wayne Bradford, there was a mix up with his score card and the pro shop tried to work it out but somehow he ended up with 25 points when his paying partner had him down as 26 points, as did Wayne himself. But hey, he walked off with a bag of lollies 

and Coops breathed to live another day.

Novelties as follows

NTP # 6 - Steph

Longest Drive # 8 - Garry

NTP # 18 - Goochy

NTP in 2 on # 10 - Lynne

NTP # 2 - Andrea

Golden Hole # 16 - Steph

Birdies

Steph on 2

Mark Wilson on 9 & 11

Gardy on 11

Popey on 2

Goochy on 15

A great day out for Steph and Goochy on his return to the field

 
The place getters and the winner

Next week after the final round of the Cup it's a "Sausage Sizzle" at Perry Lakes.

Whoever has the SOS Esky could they please give Glenn Kelly a call. We will need it ahead of next weeks Sausage Sizzle

Please also let Shelly know if you and your partner will be attending the Annual Dinner & Presentation Night no later than 9 November.  You will be notified of pricing in the coming weeks.

The venue is Lot Six Zero, Innaloo on 30 November.

Lastly a message from our captain Andrea

Hello everyone, I have been approached by a few members recently with concerns regarding the rules of golf. Whilst we are very definitely a social golfing group we must also adhere to the rules of golf at all times. This means that our weekly competitions are played on an even playing field for all members. Whilst we have added some local rules e.g. bunkers at Wembley may be raked before you play your shot if you land in a footprint (or similar), it is important that the usual rules of golf are applied at all other times. If you ever have any confusion about the rules please discuss with your playing partners before making your own decisions so that we can ensure the correct actions are taken. Thank you and happy golfing! Andrea. 

In a nutshell "No Monkey Business" please

We'll end with a bit of Current Affairs. A dog that looks remarkably like Paul Boquests dog "Billie" ran onto the green in yesterdays Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and ran off with a players ball. 

Country Cup

 

SOS Celebrated its annual Country Cup event at Mosquito Springs.

Andrea nails the over-the-water shot while the gallery watch in the background

 

Opened in 1987, Mosquito Springs Golf and Country Club offers ‘golf as nature intended’. The course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr., presents a highly regarded test for players but is also renowned for its playability. (!)

 

During its short history the West Australian Open Championship has been held at Mosquito Springs on seven occasions.

Boris on the first tee...

...and he nails the drive

 

Masquerading as Meadow Springs, and measuring 6189 metres from the blue tees, the golf course promises a unique experience through open bush land, the layout dictated by the natural features of the land. 

Mark in the pro-shop

Towering 200 year old Tuart trees line generous fairways and subtly rolling greens. Few holes run parallel enhancing the sensation of being alone in the wilderness.

The girls getting lost in the wilderness

 

Those of us who didn’t play well struggled to find excuses. The weather was perfect, the course was in good condition, and the handicaps were generous.

 Perhaps the provision of extensive bunkers, and the absence of flat lies on the fairways were what created significant challenges for those of us with a limited repertoire of shots.

Gardy in trouble

It was, as always, a fun day out in the country with friends, and a rumbustious ‘afters’ with a generous donation of fines.

Karl exploring the further reaches of the course

Steph not intimidated by the water features

Two in the bunker, balls in the water and lost balls generated significant fines this week.

And special thanks to Andrea, Shelley and Goochy for all the hard work, that made for a well-organised and seamless experience for all of us.

Birdies were hard to come by, but the following deserve mention:

Paul B on the 18^th

Lynne on the 7^th

Gary on the 5^th, and

Frances, with birdies on both the 4^th and the 14^th.

The novelties were hotly contested:

NTP in 3 on the 13^th, Trevor, Lynne, bested by Mark Wilson

NTP in 2 on the 10^th, Andrea, beaten by Stephy, beaten by Shelley

Oh dear! Looks like someone's buggy followed them into the bunker. 

Osprey waiting for stray balls on the eighth. No eagles here!

Everyone from Group 5 on the green in one

and Shelley birdies it

NTP on the 11^th, Popey, beaten by Trevor, beaten by Vicky, beaten by Gardy

Shot of the day - Paul B on the 12th, par 3
Landed the ball 10 ft from the pin -but missed the putt coming back.

NTP on the 4^th, just one name, Karl

and NTP in 3 on the 17^th, Paul B, then Earle, then Lynne, Bernie and finally Shelley

Gardy's marker. A long way from home. 

 

	PLAYER	SCORE
	Gardy	37
	Gary	34
	Popey	33
	Stephie	33
	Don	32
	Vicky	32
	Andrea	32
	Lynne	31
	Colin	31
	Roland	31
	Shelley	31
	Frances	31
	Gim	30
	Bernie	30
	Coops	30
	Earle	29
	Karl	28
	Paul B	28
	Lynley	27
	Boris	25
	Birgit	24
	Gerry	24
	Mark W	23
	Andrew	22
	Greg	22
	Trevor	21
	Derek	15

The results range from the sublime to the ridiculous, but no doubt about the winner.

The Big Three

 

A clear winner by three strokes, and not much doubt about the wooden spoon either!

A special thanks this week to all those who contributed pictures - a great effort.

Congratulations to Gary, winner of the South Australian All-Abilities
Net Champion last week. 

Nest week, it’s the first round of the BenKer Cup. Let’s see the ROW team displaying their allegience with their dress, where possible, and remember - it’s an averaged calculation for the winning team, so everyone’s score counts.

In the meantime, if you’d like to see how the new barmaid at the Spencer’s Brook pub is managing to pull pints, take a look at this: