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Irish Stableford.
A consequence of being (nearly) St Patrick’s Day.
Who is generally credited with driving the snakes out of Ireland.
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Unlike many such legendary figures, it seems he did actually exist.
He wasn’t however, Irish.
Living in Roman Britain, he had been captured by pirates as a fourteen year-old, and taken to Ireland as a slave.
Here he somehow became the patron saint of drinking Guiness and other nonsense, traditionally celebrated on March 17th each year.
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Not to be outdone, we celebrated by playing Irish Stableford, which is supposed to be played in groups of four.
Unable to establish such groupings, our SOS brains trust (Gerry, Shelley and Andrea) devised a complex algorithm that permitted groups of three to compete fairly with groups of four.
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In best SOS tradition, each group devised a suitably silly name for themselves.
Thus Wayne, Keith and Dave Millar became the Shamrocks
Roland, Earle and Andrea the Tree Fellas
Lynne, Lynley and Frances the Molly Malones
Paul, Gerry, Greg and Colin the Green Machine, and
Steph, Derek, Shelley and Kerry the Shenanigans.
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While it was a team event, individual Stableford scores were recorded.
However, no individual prizes, nor lollies for the 'unluckiest golfer'.
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And there were, of course, the usual novelties.
#3, the ladies’ longest drive was captured by Andrea.
#7, closest to the 100m had Dave on the card, but Roland got closer.
#9, nearest in 2, had Wayne and Keith competitive, but Dave did better.
#14, closest to the bunker, was picked up by Gerry, and
#17, the men’s longest drive, went to Earle.
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| Shelley completes the picture with socks featuring Irish Elk |
BIrdies were thin on the ground
Andrea and Dave, both on #2.
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| Probably why coaching isn't permitted during the round |
There was a special prize for the most Irish turnout, which was won by Lynne and Lynley.
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With a ‘Highly Commended’ for Roland, who had even gone to the extent of having his underwear all in the green.
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| Roland proves his point |
Keith kept pretty quiet about his birthday - belated Happy Birthday wishes for today, Keith.
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We toasted Andrea, on her last day as SOS Captain. She’s done a great job for several years, and is now planning, in future, to just enjoy her golf. We look forward to playing alongside her for many years to come.
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| Andrea on the way to a wipe on the 5th |
And Peter spent the day at the hospital having his other eye fixed, which means that in future he’ll be a very popular golf partner, as you’ll never have to worry about seeing where your ball went. His new nickname is now ‘The Eagle’!
So, who won?
Both with a 73, certainly not the Shenanigans nor the Shamrocks.
One better, with a 74, the Tree Fellas failed to make the podium.
A 77 wasn't enough for the Green Machine, so, with a magnificent 81,
A triumph for the Molly Malones, Lynne, Lynley and Frances.
Next week, it’s Stableford, followed by the AGM at Perry Lakes. Go straight there after the game, where there’ll be food and drinks.
Entertainment will be provided by Gerry (President’s Report) and Peter (Treasurer’s Report), with compere duties by Derek, and stand-up contributions from members. As usual, the kookaburras will be providing audience feedback.
Don’t miss it.
