SOS Cup, Round 1

So, we had rain, sunshine, drizzle, wind - a true four seasons in one day sort of day.

Melburnians will know just what our day was like.

The greens are still showing characteristics of their coring and sanding, when they feel like it. Very much two speed greens, which can make putting a little awkward.

At least, that's my excuse. One of them, anyway.

Unplayable? Nah!

Some good scores, some less than impressive. But that's golf.

Next week, Shelley will reimburse those of us who played on the cored and sanded greens.

Funny, none of those SOS blokes seem to mind if I hit up on them...

And next week will be the last week that your scores qualify for the consistency and eclectic trophies this year.

So, the novelties.

	NOVELTY	HOLE	CONTENDERS	WINNER
	NTP in 2	3	Colin, Shelley	Lynne
	NTP in 3	6	Colin	Peter
	NTP	9	Vickie	Gary
	LD	18	Malcolm, Shelley	Gary

A special mention for Derek, who managed to hit not only his partner's cart, but Kerry and Lynne's as well - on different holes. And yes, they were both parked well out of range and line.

And spare a thought for Max, who having pulled off the Golden Hole last week, managed to miss this week's by inches only.

Gerry has put in his third card, with a creditable score of 76. We look forward to playing many happy games with him.

	PLAYER	SCORE	BIRDIES
	Derek	85	7
	Max	82	12
	Paul	79
	Vickie	78
	Kerry	77
	Gary	77
	Gim	77
	Shelley	77	9
	Earle	77
	Stephanie	76
	Richard Y	75
	Lynne	75
	John	73	9
	Greg	71
	Colin	69
	Peter	65

A great round there from Peter, who seems to have a knack for pulling these winning rounds out of the hat when it matters.

And a big thank you to Richard Osborne for his generous sponsorship, and congratulations to him for being selected again to play for Australia in the Master's Hockey competition.

Next week, second round of the SOS Cup, this round played on the Old Course.

And for those of you who don't believe there's an element of luck in every good golf score, take a look at these:

Club Championship, Round 7

Well, that's it for the Club Championship. If you've played six or seven rounds, your best five scores will count - if you've only played five, that's your score. Any less than five rounds, you're out. 

Harsh, but fair.

The overall results will be announced at the Annual Dinner on the 17th of November. If you can't wait till then, go back through your back copies of the West and add up the scores.

Glove on both hands, Steph? It wasn't that cold.

That spot of drizzle at nine o' clock got us all a bit worried, but that was all. A bit humid and overcast, but nothing to worry about.

When you picked up your cards this morning, you'll have found a brief summary of the new rules that come into play on January 1st. We'll no doubt be hearing more about them nearer the time.

We're always keeping an eye on membership numbers, and there'd be no harm in bringing a few new players along. Do you have a friend who you think would enjoy playing with us? Bring him or her along as a guest for a Saturday afternoon, see if they like the look of us.

Sharing a ball this round...times are hard

John has spent the last week calculating the virtual 4BBB competition from the Country Cup - he's matched every player against every other player in a notional 4BBB pairing. My limited maths suggests that's (20X20) -20 pairings, ie 380 different 4BBB's to calculate.

This may explain why no-one's seen John all week.

Oh, and the result? Somewhat remarkably, the winning pairing was Derek and Ian, who managed to score 51 points between them.

The point, which I missed so others may have too, is that in a successful pairing, you complement each other's score. No point both having a great score on the eighth, then both wiping the ninth - you want to have your best scores on different holes. 

Some discussion about where you measure to on the ball for nearest the pin, Golden Hole, etc. Only significant if two very close contenders, but whilst it really doesn't matter to which point we choose, obviously it's important that we all measure to the same point.

So - measure from the edge of the cup to the front of the ball, and place the marker there. That's your distance. Won't make a blind bit of difference unless someone else is within a couple of millimetres of your ball, but it can/could happen, and we don't want any arguments, do we?

Birthdays to celebrate this week - Bernie, John and Jan. 

	NOVELTY	HOLE	CONTENDERS	WINNER
	NTP	2		John
	NTP in 2	6	Gary	Don
	NTP in 2	13	Vickie, Gary, John	Stephanie
	LD	15	Vickie, Gary, Peter	Colin
	Golden Hole	16		Max

We welcomed Gerry back this week, who came in with a very creditable 92 off the stick. 

Don apparently fined for turning up to the afters. Just can't win, can you?

Congratulations to Max, for winning the day on countback from Gim, and a great shot on the Golden Hole, a mere couple of handspans from the pin. 

	PLAYER	SCORE
	Thomas	83
	Derek	80
	Jan	79
	John	79
	Vickie	79
	Peter	78
	David	77
	Richard Y	77
	Kerry	77
	Lynne	77
	Earle	77
	Shelley	76
	Paul	75
	Colin	74
	Stephanie	73
	Don	73
	Greg	71
	Jack	71
	Gary	70
	Gim	68
	Max	68

And many thanks to Dave for your generous sponsorship this week. Looking forward to seeing more of you now the house is nearly finished. 

A couple of winning smiles?

Next week, it's first round of the SOS Cup on the Tuart - that's right, another stroke competition over two successive weeks, so make sure you hit those provisional balls if in any doubt.