Presidents Trophy

Another beautiful early summers day at Royal Wembley. A bit cool to start with but, as the breeze got stronger, the temperature climbed to the high 20's. By the time the last group left the 18th green the southerly winds must have been gusting to 40 kph making the selection of a suitable club a bit of a gamble!

A formidable group of power golfers waited for the 1st tee to clear :

Gary, Richard, Tony, Dave and Carol

Tony and Birgit ready to tee off

Yet another week when new records were being set ! Unfortunately Gerry's first tee shot managed to skew left and nearly made it to the garbage bin on the footpath near the driving range. As the garbage bin was before the ladies tee markers, this meant a heavy fine ! Worse was yet to come, as Gerry's next shot actually hit the garbage bin and rocketed across the ladies tee and into the thick 2nd cut, again before the ladies tee markers.  Club records do not indicate when a 'double slut' was last made, but we can be assured it will happen again, such is the nature of golf !  

Gerry about to take his 3rd shot of the day while Dave and Glenn watch on !

The ball cleared the tee area by a respectable distance and Gerry went

 on to complete the round without further mishap!

Members gathered in the club-room after the round where President Brett Fordham delivered a short speech noting that some members were still failing to remit their booking money by 5pm on Wednesday.

 

Brett also noted that the fines collected today would be included with the three previous weekly collections and donated to the RSL for a worthy cause. Members were encouraged to dig deep for the 'ash tray' collection.

Birthdays

There were no birthdays for the current week although next Wednesday will see one of our long term members notching up another year.

Competition Results

Congratulations to Peter Baird for narrowly beating the President for the Presidents Trophy !

Brett and Peter tied the score with 35 stableford points each, with Peter winning on the count-back.

Club Captain Gary Burgess hands over the Presidents Trophy and a $40 gift voucher to Peter.

President Brett Fordham pipped at the post but happy to concede and

 accept 2nd place and a $15 gift voucher!

Greg Bennett, sporting a new mustache,  posts a score of

33 stableford points

 and takes 3rd place and a $5 gift voucher.

 

Golden Hole

The last Golden Hole Jackpot on the Tuart Course was won on 7 March 2020 by none other than Tony Gooch when he pocketed a very modest $22. Interestingly, 2 weeks earlier, on 22 February 2020 Carol Barrow won the Tuart jackpot valued at $134.

Now, 266 days later, and possibly creating history, Tony Gooch bags the Tuart's jackpot of $268 ending the longest period of insipid golf shots on the par 3 third hole.  Indeed, the Tuart has been played on 13 occasions since last March, with 267 unsuccessful golf shots at the golden hole! What happened?

So, congratulations to Tony for ending the misery of all other SOS members !

 

Tony with his bag of cash.

The pay slip

Novelties

Congratulations to the winners of the novelty holes, a contest for the longest or most accurate player! 

 

For those that did not understand the relevance of the two funny sticks stuck into the fairway of hole 1, it appears the contest was for other players to try and send their ball to the point closest to where the President's drive stopped. The question is: Did Barry 'the Sparky' Treak know this was the objective before he let loose his excellent tee shot?  It would appear that many did not as tee shots went left, right and not far at all! 

Birdies

Only four birdies today, all from the low handicapper section of the membership! 

Fines

Carol Barrow, who was awarded the bag of lollies for her score of 21, is congratulated by Barry Treak, the winner of the CTTPD award.

Treasurer, Shelley Yeo, reads out the list of fines which, for November, had a military twist.

It is anticipated around $200 will be donated to the local RSL for the upkeep of the Kings Park Remembrance Driveways.  

Shelly calls out the fines !

Raffle

The $10 First prize for the raffle was won by Peter Baird who also picked up a ball. Mal Yeo also took out a double win, which made it slim pickings for the rest of the group!

Next Week

The Anniversary Cup will be played on the Old Course on 5 December 2020.

This will be a stroke event, won last year by Tony Gooch!

The next 4 matches, all played in December, will be on the Old Course.

Food for Thought

How many points were lost by rushed short putts?

In many cases, it is prudent to mark your ball and take a bit of time to line up the putt as you would with any other stroke!

🐳

Stableford on the Tuart and Annual Dinner

Dry weather had returned and clear skies greeted a small contingent of SOS faithfuls and one guest, Paul Boquest, to another round of stableford on the Tuart. This was the 3rd week in a row on the Tuart; all early starts.  The Tuart will be in play next week to be followed by 4 weeks of competition on the Old Course.

Brett, Stephanie, Earle and visitor Paul getting ready to tee off on the 1st hole.

What a difference a week makes !

 This is the tranquil setting that last week saw Glen's remote control MGI buggy self navigate from the 9th green, beyond the trees in the far distance, all the way over, and into, the lake in the foreground. The electronics did not survive and Glen now has a brand new one and a keener understanding of the vagaries of how to unintentionally activate the 'remote' ! 

With the Golden Hole Jackpot on the par 3, 3rd hole having escalated to about $250 there was considerable interest in the challenge ahead. Excuses are always available to those explaining their misfortune on the fairways as well as the greens. This week it was the strong gusts of wind that wrecked havoc with many high and long shots.

There were many lost balls! Glen Kelly is claiming a record for finding 16 balls in 3 minutes while searching for his tee shot off the 15th tee, which soared over the nearby trees on the left and kept going for another 200 metres or so. While the ball was never found, Peter also scooped up another 8 in the same spot!

The Results

Congratulations to Tony Gooch who scored an impressive 37 stableford points to win the day, 3 points clear of David Williamson and Glen Kelly on 34, with David securing 2nd place on a count-back!

Tony Gooch adds another win to his bag !

Dave looking pleased with his 2nd place!

Glenn Kelly has to settle for 3rd place on a count-back.

While Derek stoically accepts the bag of lollies for coming very last, despite a 4-way tie on 27 points !

Birthdays

Club President, Brett Fordham, advised that Max Patriarca will be celebrating his 17th birthday on Sunday and Ross Campbell had notched up another milestone earlier in the week.

The Novelties

Congratulations to those who won the novelty prizes in the windy conditions and received a new golf ball for their efforts!

Birdies

Only one birdie today. The winner, Tony Gooch scored on the 9th hole!

Golden Hole

Yet again, no-one quite got it right on the par 3, third hole, so the prize pool has climbed to exactly $250.

The Raffle

Tony also won the raffle and added the $10 to his haul for the day! 

Ash Tray

Club Captain Gary helps Derek collect the fines, there being many lost balls, multiple bunker shots, windies and many other fineable events.

Derek continues to ponder the outcome of the 4 way tie for last place ! 

Next Week

The Presidents Trophy will be contested on the Tuart Course on 28 November 2020.

This presents another opportunity to claim the Golden Hole jackpot and the 4th consecutive week of play on the Tuart Course.

From 5 December, play will move to the Old Course for 4 consecutive weeks.

SOS Annual Dinner

For the third year the venue for the club's annual dinner and awards ceremony was held at the Al Fornetto Restaurant, Scarborough and it would appear that, yet again, the wines, food, speeches and presentations resulted in a night of good cheer and hilarity!

Many thanks to the Social Committee members and others for adorning the table with the spirit of Christmas, organising the Monster Christmas Raffle and the many other items that made the evening so enjoyable. 

One of the three tables before guests start to arrive !

 

Ready for the tasty antipastos to be served !

The tinsel tree needed no invitation ! 

Stephanie, Bernie and Birgit starting to warm up !

  

Birgit and Gerry showing the spirit of Christmas

Gim in party mood !

Dave looking relaxed !

A great effort from Keith and Carol Barrow to get to the party on time having

just been released from 14 days in quarantine after returning from the UK!

The evening would not have been complete without a live cross to south west England where Paul and Kerry Gardner joined in to see how we were all faring.  And it was Kerry who had donated a pile of her best swap meet bargains for a Monster Christmas Raffle.

As the party got underway the SOS President, Brett Fordham, explained the running order for the night with the Great Christmas Raffle to be drawn after the main course, to be followed by his annual address and trophy presentations. 

The Monster Christmas Raffle

First, we had to sort out the name of the event by shuffling 6 placards around. In the event, we came up with "The Christmas Monster Raffle Kerry Gardner" which appeared to be more or less correct.

Then, each guest received a playing card and a separate set of cards used to draw the order of the raffle. 

Mal Yeo's card is drawn and selects a surprise gift.

Followed by Lynne

and Vickie and Glen

Then . . .  Gim

Bernie and Stephanie

Birgit takes a pick.

Many were impressed with the high quality and usefulness of the gifts they selected.

Well done Kerry!

The Presidents Speech

        With reference to The SOS Gazette 2020

In welcoming members and their guests Brett thanked all for enabling the club to survive a tumultuous year which started with him missing the first Committee meeting while he went fishing with his mates, so that his first Presidential order was to close the club down as golf courses throughout Australia were forced to shut as the COVID-19 epidemic snowballed into a pandemic!!

'virtual' meetings of the committee were the order of the day until the course was re-opened six weeks later in mid May, and 'social distancing' entered the golfers vocabulary!

The pandemic forced the club to adopt a new electronic scoring and payments system which, while well managed by the the Booking Officer, proved more difficult to the average member than learning a second language! The President made several unflattering analogies to the membership with reference to the difficulties experienced in herding cats!

Other changes included the Club Captain introducing a trophy deferral system by which a trophy is presented the week after the player wins it. The theory was that it was highly unlikely a player would have two good rounds in a row, so receiving a trophy after a bad round would make them feel better. The President noted the committee has intervened and the Club Captain is to have no more good ideas!

The COVID-19 closure caused the cancellation of the annual competition with the WA Blind Golf Club however, a donation of $200 was made to their club and the President noted most SOS members would have had the same experience playing with fellow members! Barry Treak, James Weaver, Dave Williamson and Vickie Scarff were given special mention.

Paul Gardner was also mentioned for creating several 'firsts'. In the second round of the match-play competition he was reported for being so far under the influence that he could not see his ball, tee, fairway or opponent and had lost the match by the 9th hole! In yet another club history making event he was the first husband to be placed on Gumtree for sale that evening!

     Bernie and Stephanie  . .  match play finalists !

Yet another first for the club history was the Matchplay final being battled out between all female finalists! The Kiwi's prevailed over the Irish with Stephanie Jeffares over-powering Bernie Caffrey. The President noted that an inquiry continues to investigate the spirit in which the final was played as there appeared to be far too much giggling and friendly chat rather than the normal tantrums, sledging, pins and voo doo dolls that members are used to. The Committee has amended the Constitution so that, from 2021, all match play finalists must be third generation Australians!

    The culprits !

In the same spirit, a recent member was renamed 'Pug Dog' (from 'Pig Dog') and presented with a ball marker to assist in the transition and to make him feel more at home in the club!

Departures

The President noted departure from the Wembley Pro Shop of long time friend of SOS, 'Jimmy', and that Patches will also be leaving soon.

But the saddest of the departure news for the 2020 calendar year was the announcement of big personalities, close friends and all round good guys, Paul and Kerry Gardner!  Their gamesmanship, friendship and commitment to the club will be forever remembered and sadly missed. Members wish them well in their UK adventures which has begun with a number of weeks of lockdown and Paul transitioning back to a 'winging pom' ! ! !  In Kerry's absence the Club President has appointed a wildcard and side kick to run the club's social events for the rest of the season.

Paul and Kerry

Hospitals & Medical 

The President also recalled several medical events during the year including Treasurer Shirley Yeo's operation to rectify herniated neck discs. Shirley is in recovery mode and hoping to play again early in the new year.  Francis Longhurst also undertook surgery and, according to Derek, has a much improved demeanor! 

Earle Scarff recently drove himself to hospital after suspecting he was having a stroke!  Upon arriving and confirmation that he had suffered a mini stroke doctors asked why he had driven himself in such an emergency, to which Earle replied 'you would completely understand if you experienced my wife's driving' ! Other references to Earle's driving abilities are considered unfit for publication!

The President noted these procedures are to be expected throughout the careers of high performing athletes and are commonly regarded on the circuit as knocking the rust off!!

New Arrivals

The SOS club was pleased to announce several new arrivals through the 2020 calendar year, including:

Tony 'TJ' James aka 'the chunky monkey', deep divot maker and known to kidnap fellow members at the 19th hole.

James 'Leavers' Weaver brought the big game to the club, on one occasion sending his tee ball on a par 4 over the head of the President who was putting on the distant green!

Glenn 'Pig Dog' (now 'Pug Dog') Kelly filling the shoes of the departed 'Gardi'; full of quirky comments and 9th on the big hitters list.

Gerry 'Swagger' Tessier bringing a calm demeanor to all on-course actions. Offers putter for sale to fellow players when putting poorly but embraces same after a good putt!

Birgit Reinhardtz brings a no-nonsense game to the club; almost offered immediate membership after stating on the membership application that she likes golf but loves wine! Identified as possible future Blog Master.

Alana 'Giggles' Birch has an infectious giggle and is an ambassador of how the game should be played. In event of poor shot, giggle at it, find it, do it again!

Paul and Maureen Boquest are expected to apply for membership after completing their qualifying games and members are are on notice to be on their best behavior until they have both paid their membership fees.

Social News

The COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing restrictions limited the number of social events but a 'sausage sizzle' at Perry Lakes was held as soon as the lockdown rules were relaxed. As BBQ facilities were still off limits, the social committee substituted with ham sandwiches and sausages joined the trophy deferral program!

The annual Christmas in July event was delayed until September with Paul and Kerry again hosting the event which had a strong turnout, fantastic food, great company and copious amounts of booze! The 'hat of the night' was awarded to a member who acquired all the materials from a hospital theatre!

Engagements

The SOS Club was thrilled to learn of the engagement of our very own Irish girl Bernie Caffrey. It is a short engagement with wedding soon to be held. Stephanie Jeffares, who heads up the ladies toilet gossip circle has stated it is a shotgun wedding and Bernie is with child!  This has since been discounted and chalked up as another of Stephanie's blond moments ! !

     Bernie defending her dignity !

Lost and Found

Lost :  1 x Diggers Trophy . . . found in the Course Marshall's cart

Lost :   256 golf balls . . . never found

Found :   180 golf balls, none belonging to us

Lost :   2 x poms to the UK - The Gardi's

Found :   2 x poms from the UK - welcome back Keith and Carol Barrow

Lost :  4 x Guest golf cards from the Country Cup

Missing :  Richard Yeo, Ross Campbell & Rob Grey believed to be in the Maylands area

For Sale

1 x electric golf cart with golf ball damage . . . contact Vickie Scarff

1 x putter working intermittently . . . contact Gerry Tessler

1 x husband also works intermittently . . . contact Kerry Gardner

1 x electric golf buggy near new with water grass weed, duck shit and some water damage . . . contact Glen Pope

2020 Wet Buggy Award

Glen Pope receives water rescue equipment

from Bernie and Stephanie to supplement his golfing gear!

Tables at rear vacated as President's Speech nears end ! 

The President thanked committee members for their efforts during the year,

particularly to Shelley Yeo, for her tireless work as Treasurer. 

Presentation of 2020 Club Championship Trophies

 SOS Club Captain Gary Burgess presented the trophies for 2020 

Club Champion Trophy  -  Don Beasley

Handicap Champion Trophy  -  Don Beasley

Consistency Trophy - winter & summer  -  tied by Brett Fordham and Derek Longhurst

Ladies Champion - Stephanie Jeffares

"B" Grade Champion - Gim Ong

"A" Grade Champion -  Frances Longhurst

Handicap Champion -  Paul Gardner

Gary holds Paul's trophy

Club Champion 2020  -  Tony Gooch

Congratulations to Tony Gooch for winning

the 2020 SOS Club Champions Trophy

SOS Golf Group - Season Results 2020

The dinner event concluded with the release of the 21 page report containing the SOS Golf Group 2020 Seasons Results, which included the awards made tonight.

This report contains an awesome amount of information on each members performance throughout the current year as well as historical information and is compiled by Greg Bennett with assistance from Club Captain, Gary Burgess.

Only a limited number of copies are printed, so if members wish to read the full report they should seek a pdf version from a Committee Member.

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