SOS Golf: Vice Captains Choice - 3 clubs and a putter

Nerves were on edge as 19 SOS members assembled at the 1st tee of the Old Course for a game of stableford using only 3 clubs! The putter was mandatory to protect the greens, but many found it could be usefully applied in difficult situations well away from the greens! Some opted to keep their driver, which was fine on the tees but using them on the fairways proved to be a hit and miss affair!

Meanwhile, guest Alex Mancini was allowed a full bag of clubs as he was completing his 3rd round prior to applying for SOS membership. Welcome back Alex.

Conditions at the start were chilly and gusty with cloud cover. Those with only one layer of clothes wondered if autumn had actually arrived however, by the 3rd hole the clouds disappeared, the wind abated somewhat and clear blue skies made for a very pleasant day's golfing!

Peter swings his warm up stik at the 1st tee white markers, having
already used his 3 wood off the green tee without a warm up!

On the 4th(?) hole, Gerry and Frances' tee shots
landed within a metre of each other

The Golden Hole, worth $78, was sooooo nearly claimed by Frances, her
ball being an inch too far from the 16th hole cup!

Keith in the jungle!
Almost unheard of for Keith to be so far off course!

Using a 3 wood off the Par 3 6th tee only got Peter's ball half way to the green.
Using an 8 iron, and avoiding wrapping the shaft around the tree, the
ball only made it another 15 metres or so, resulting in three strokes to get on the green!

Presidential Address

SOS President, Gerry Tessier, welcomed those present to the post match meeting, including guest and Member nominee, Alex Mancini.

Gerry raised the suggestion that SOS may like to help support the Charlies Angels Foundation by making a donation and generally raising awareness of the Foundation's work in providing support to bereaved families. SOS long term committee member and sponsor, Glen Pope, and his daughter became involved with the Foundation in recent times.

The suggestion was well received by those present as was Gerry's following fund raising method.

For the next two weeks all Ash Tray collections and Raffle proceeds will be donated to the Charlies Angels Foundation - we count on you to be generous and if you are not joining the competition in the next two weeks you can delegate someone to make a donation on your behalf :).

Next week Glen Pope will provide additional information on the Foundation, while an outline can be found at the end of this blog.

SOS T SHIRTS

1. OLD STYLE (pre Anniversary, but still very stylish)

There are several pre anniversay T Shirts still available at a cost of $20 each. Details are:

2 x Mens SM Long sleeve

2 x Mens M Short sleeve

1 x Womens size 10 short sleeve

Please see Shelley is you wish to purchase one of these 'superceded' SOS shirts.

2. NEW STYLE

If you wish to acquire a new style SOS T-Shirt please make sure you place your order with Shelley Yeo well before March 3. You will need to provide Shelley with the size of shirt and elect for short or long sleeves.

A single, Polo Style, shirt is available free to accredited SOS members as at 31 December 2024.

Players currently becoming members shall pay $20.

Anyone else, or those requiring a second shirt, will need to pay $40 for a short sleeve or $45 for a long sleeve shirt.

If you will not be needing a new style shirt, please let Shelley know so she can cross you off the list.

Please note the cost of each new T Shirt in the March 2025 order will become lower as the number purchased goes up. As the SOS Committee looks to produce a new T Shirt every 3 years or so members should condider the merits of purchasing an additional shirt with the current 'free' shirt. Orders for additional shirts can be made mid term however, a minimum of 10 shirts is required and the unit cost is much higher!

Finally, if for any reason if you do not want to get a new shirt, please send a quick email to Shelley, to avoid unnecessary expenses to the club.

The Results

Leaving 71% of your clubs in the boot of your vehicle can be a cathartic experience, as many found out! Club selection was no longer a complex and stressful mathmatical equation, factoring in distance, elevation, fairway terrain etc. ; just grab a club and give the ball a whack!

Those that had ditched their driver for a 3 wood regularly found their tee shots going further and straighter. How else do you explain that during the Ash Tray collection no-one admitted to losing a ball?

Glenn, aka Pugdog or Puggy, won the competition by scoring a very commendable 36 stableford points followed 4 strokes behind by Shelley and Gardi on 32 points.

Interestingly, 13 players managed to better on the back 9 than the front 9. with 5 players scoring better on the front 9. Only Goochy managed to score equally on both, carding a solid 30 points in total.

Frances and Peter's chances of a podium finish were dashed by a very poor front 9, each scoring the same 12 + 19 for a total 31 points.

Gardi 3rd - Pugdog 1st - Shelley 2nd
The winners were grinners!

Shelley Yeo was flying the SOS flag when she met Aussie PGF pro and LIV competitor Lucas Herbert at the LIV golf tournament held at Adelaide's Grange golf course recently. Lucas tied for 31st place with an even score over the three rounds (54 holes). For those unfamiliar with the 'LIV' name it is the Roman numeral for 54.

Shelley Yeo & Lucus Herbert

Meanwhile, back on the Old Course . . . .

Shelley uses her driver to take a swipe at her ball on the fairway!

The post match gathering was a colourful affair with Steph flaunting the latest in fashionable golfing attire.

TEMU's Ambassador at large, Stiff
displays their latest golf attire!

Another Temu offering available on-line . . . .

Novelty Holes

Karl announced the results of the Novelty holes which were dominated by today's competition winner, Puggy, who presumably had his driver in the bag to take out the longest drive!!

Hole 2 NTP - Goochy

Hole 3 NTP in 3 - Puggy

Hole 6 NTP in 2 - Steph

Hole 10 LD - Puggy

Hole 11 Longest putt - Shelley

The Golden Hole was worth $78 and very nearly won today by Frances who's ball landed 1 inch away from the tip of the flag stick. The 'pot' therefore jackpots to the next game on the Old Course.

Birdies

Only 4 birdies from 3 players, perhaps suggesting only 3 clubs and a putter is not as effective as a full bag!

Puggy - 4 & 10

Keith - 14

Peter - 15

Raffle

There were 54 raffle numbers purchased providing a 1 in 5 chance of holding a winning number!

Raffle Master, Puggy, spun the barrel and the $10 Wembley gift card was won by Karl Wolzak.

Ash Tray Fund

Derek won the bag of lollies and read out the list of fine categories and managed to raise $24.95 from those present wishing to atone for their transgressions, which included several four putts, trees to fairway etc. No-one admitted to losing a ball!