Match Play Round 1

The weather forecast was for clear blue skies, little wind, a bit cool to start, but warming up to low to mid 20's. And so it was!  Once again . . . perfect golfing weather!!

The first round of the SOS Match Play competition attracted only 18 players providing today's point scorers a head start in the competition to determine who will end up in the quarter finals on 30 July!

There are two more qualifying rounds prior to the quarter finals, the second round being on 28 May and the third round on 18 June.

Gary Burgess (centre) supervises a handshake between match
 play opponents Earle Scarff & Mark Wilson.

Barry Treak & Frances Longhurst basking
 in the early sunshine!

Richard Osborne & Mark Hill are
 opponents in the 5th pairing to tee off!

On the Fairways

The only activity recorded on the fairways was taken by the blogger who managed to catch both Puggy and Goochy taking their second shots on the par 4, 8th hole. Both had hit awesome drives with Puggy's ball landing toward the front of the left side bunker and Goochy's landing in the middle of the fairway another 20 metres further up the slope!

The first video shows Puggy raking his way out of the bunker, while Goochy advances the 'LD - Mens' marker another 50 metres up the fairway to where his ball had stopped, some 80 metres from the pin!

This video shows Goochy's iron shot onto the green, in line, but a bit short, of the flag!

For Mark Smith and I it was inspirational stuff!!

Aaarrrhhhh! Those unmissable putts!

Presidents (not available)
Captains (sick leave)

Vice Captains Address

Tony Gooch brought the meeting to order and announced there were no birthdays to celebrate this week!

Tony advised there were 8 wins and one draw in the first round of the SOS Match Play competition.

Richard Osborne was announced as being the first to fall, pulling up stumps at the end of hole 11 after a relentless attack from Mark Hill!

Richard was handed the fines list to call out later in the meeting.

Each winner gets 2 points, while Earle and Mark W get one point each for the draw. 

Match Play Results

	Match Play Pairs			Score
1	Derek Longhurst	def	Stephanie Jeffares	2 /1
2	Mitchell Smith	def	Maureen Sundari	1 up
3	Peter Baird	def	Mark Smith	3 / 1
4	Glenn Kelly	def	Tony Gooch	3 / 2
5	Mark Hill	def	Richard Osborne	8 / 7
6	Barry Treak	def	Gary Burgess	1 up
7	Mark Wilson	-	Earle Scarff	draw
8	Gordon Gryzb	def	Frances Longhurst	3 / 2
9	Greg Bennett	def	Glen Pope	3 / 2

Golden Hole

This is the current condition of the Golden Hole marker!

The 24 carat gold foil has been rubbed off , it is water (or wine) damaged and someone has written the obscure message "I FOUND YOUR BALL IN THE BUSH". 

Needless to say, no-one won the golden hole this week so the money pool jackpots yet again and is now a respectable $112.  

If any members have a pot of gold paint you may consider donating a few drops to bring the marker back to its original dazzling condition!

The Tuart Course jackpot stands at $119.

Eagles & Birdies

One would have thought that the intensity of competition would have resulted in a greater number of birdies, or perhaps the odd eagle!  No so! Only 5 birdies and none on the index 1 to 4 holes.

Here are the better players on the day, and congratulations to Tony Gooch who bagged 40% of them!

Eagles & Birdies
	Hole	Placing
Tony Gooch	11, 14	Lost
Glenn Kelly	9	Won
Barry Treak	6	Won
Mark Wilson	6	Draw

Novelties

A nice spread of contenders and winners of the novelty events!

Congratulations to those whose golfing skills were on show, and to any others where blind luck played a part! 

Novelties
	Hole	Contenders	Winner
NTP	2	Maureen, Puggy	Mark H
LD - Ladies	7	-	Stephanie
LD - Mens	8	Mitch	Goochy
NTP in 3	12	Puggy	Popey
NTP in 2	15	Goochy	Gary

Ash Tray Collection

Richard did a professional job in calling out the fines list and was well supported by collectors Sammy and Shelley.

It appeared that everyone had fallen foul of one or (many) more mishaps!  However, it is all for a good cause and assisting SOS in its philanthropic endeavours!

Glen empties his wallet in the distance!

Richard in action.

Raffle

The raffle barrel was masterfully rotated by Puggy K under the careful eye of Sammy, the Treasurers assistant!

And the winner was . . . . Sammy ! !

Puggy and Sammy checking if the drawn numbers were in circulation.

Next Week

The 2nd round of the Club Championship will be held on the Old Course on 14 May as a stroke event.

For those who were unable to play in Round 1, it is not too late to win one of the 5 Club Championship trophies on offer. Rounds 2 to 7 are yet to be played, but ensure you comply with the eligibility criteria contained in the SOS by laws. In particular, Members must play at least 11 games in the winter season, including at least 5 championship days. The blog for 16 April, under 'Next Week' contains additional details.

Captains Corner

At all Perth Golf Network Home Courses the aim is for players to complete their round in no more than 4.5 hrs.

This is a guide for new golfers to give you some great tips and help us improve speed of play.

See the bloggers email for a pdf containing this material in colour, plus diagrams etc. 

 

HOW TO PLAY READY GOLF

 

On the tee

First to the tee tee's off.

Let shorter hitters hit first.

Mark your card after you tee off or before if you are last.

Get your distance and have your club ready before you hit.

Watch your playing partners shots carefully.

Be ready to move to your ball as soon as you can.

 

On the Fairway

Head straight to your ball.

If you are on the fairway, help a playing partner look for their ball within the 3 minute time limit.

Think about how you are going to play your shot on your way to the ball.

Hit as soon as it is safe to do so.

Don't wait if a player is ahead of you but not ready.

Get ready for your shot, pick your club, get your distance while others are hitting.

Your pre-shot routine (including practice shots) should be no longer than 30 seconds.

 

On the Green

Read your putt while others are putting.

Finish off close putts within 2 feet.

Leave the flag in for long putts.

Putt as soon as you can, don't wait if a player is further away but not ready.

Leave your clubs close to the next tee.

Grab the flag if you are the first ball into the hole.

If you have fallen behind, 2 players should putt out and head to the next tee.

 

The First Tee

Be at the first tee at least 10 mins before your tee time.

Make sure you have your glove, tee's, balls, your rangefinder is handy, mi-score is

set up with your playing partner and you are warmed up and ready to hit.

 

Pace of play is Everyone’s Responsibility

Pace of play, rules and etiquette are the most important aspects of the game of golf.

All PGN members should take the time to know the basics.

We all need to take responsibility for our speed of play.

Enjoy your golf, but make sure you allow others to enjoy theirs.

 

At Our home Courses Encourage ‘READY GOLF’

“Ready golf” is a term used in stroke play, which indicates that players should play when

they are ready to do so, rather than strictly following the procedure of “farthest from

the hole should play first” in the Rules of Golf.

 

Keep Up With the Group in Front

Please try to stay within half a hole of the group in front.... ie: when you are getting

to the tee box the group in front should be playing their shots on the fairway.

 

3 Minutes to Find Your Ball

If you haven't found your ball within the allocated 3 minutes, head to the fairway

and play 4 in line with where the ball is lost or finished.

You will be playing your 4th shot from this position.

 

Pick up if you can no longer score

Most of our comps are stableford. So if you cannot make a point with your next shot.

Just pick up your ball and move on.

 

Pre-Shot Routine and taking the Shot

Try to get your pre-shot routine down to 30 odd seconds. Limit your practice swings to 1 or 2 at most.

Practice your routine outside of comp. days.

Do the same for your putting routine.

Practice the process - pick the line, have a practice putt and get the ball to the hole within 30 seconds.

 

Use Your Brain - Play smarter and score better

Play to the fattest part of the fairway.

Lay up when you have to wait.

Aim for the middle of the green.

Avoid trouble where you can.

Use your handicap to your advantage.

Play shots you know you can make.

Don't be too hard on yourself - enjoy the fresh air & good company.

 

The Low Marker is Responsible

The player with the lowest handicap in each group is responsible for the speed of play.

If someone asks you to speed up, don't take it badly.

Ultimately if you slow the group up you are actually slowing up every player behind you for the rest of the day.

Once time is lost it is lost forever!

 

Move Quicker in a Cart

When a group is using golf carts, the driver should drive their partner to their ball,

let them get their clubs and instead of waiting on them to hit, drive to their own ball

and get ready to hit themselves.

 

ALWAYS Ask for a Ruling

If you are in a sticky situation and not sure what to do . . .

ask your playing partners for a ruling. If you are still unsure, play 2 balls and ask the pro shop

for a ruling after your round.

 

Mi-Score  -  Round Timer

You can keep an eye on your round time as you go in the Mi-Score app.

Your round timer is on the top left of the score entry screen.

If you look like you are falling behind, please make an effort to speed up.

 

End