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Events | Administration | Members | Records | Previous SeasonsWeekly Reports: Season 2024–25 Your report fast track . . .
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 Ronzo reports . . . Another cracker of a morning … perfect for golf. “More perfect” for Robin, who waved his magic putter only 15 times and “more perfect" for Ron, who won the stroke event by one. It was obviously going to be a good day for Robin when he recorded no putts on the 1st hole and 1 putt on each of the last 3 holes and finishing 2nd on the podium.
Brian and Macca, with 17 putts, tried hard to match Bin. Brian, with no higher than 2 putts per hole, was consistent on the greens, but he had a “blue day” everywhere else, snaring the NAGA. Macca was amazing, registering two 3 putts in his 17 (oh what could have been) … and he did enough elsewhere to make sure Pinky was not challenged.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 Squancey reports . . . A perfect day for golf. Little breeze to talk about and the course looked in its best state since returning to Hamersley. Squancey rounding up the players to get a quick start as some idiot at his work had not read the memo that Squancey is on a course every Tuesday and will be available only from 10.00am.
Squancey, Ronzo and Dalbs tee off all hitting the middle of the fairway with Squancey hitting a big drive past the big tree on the left of the fairway. Ronzo and Squancey make the green in 2, only to discover that the greens had been sanded. Take my comment back on the condition of the course. Dalbs' 3rd shot ended up a couple of metres from the flag, but he must have thought that he had a croquet mallet in his hand as he continued to drive the ball past the hole, going down in 6 strokes. Ronzo and Squancey had similar results with the putter, going down in 5 strokes. Ronzo, Dalbs and Squancey again hit the middle of the fairway, but that's where the similarities stopped. Squancey hit 2 great shots and was on the green for 3 about 4 metres from the flag. Dalbs criss-crossed the fairway, and again with mallet in hand eventually going down in 7 strokes for another 1 pointer. Ronzo's 3rd shot landed left of the green and ended up having 5 strokes and picking up a 3 pointer. Ronzo 5 and Squancey 8 stableford points after 2 holes. Both continuing their battle from the Hunter Valley.
Squancey on the 12th par 3 hole landed his ball within a metre of the hole. Pressure got to Ronzo wiping, while Dalbs, continued his run of scoring 1 pointers. Squancey shaved the hole, missing the chance for the 2nd birdie, picking up another 3 pointer. Squancey’s run came to an end on the next hole where his drive landed in the waste area and had some wayward shots from there, resulting in a wipe for the 13th hole. Ronzo and Squancey played similar golf from there onwards. If their drives hit the fairway, they played to or better than their handicap. If their drives missed the fairway, they would pick up 1 point. Dalbs, wiped a couple holes, but was encouraged to comeback next week by picking up a 3 pointer on the 18th hole. The other group of Chris, Walks, Macca and Brian played to their handicap with the exception of Walks who played up and down golf, wiping 4 hole and picking up 3, 3 pointers.
Brian played consistent golf, scoring on all whole, picking up 2, 3 pointers. Chris with a handicap of 8, played quality golf and if he did not wipe the 18th hole he would have won the day. Paring 4 holes off the stick is quality golf. Macca played to his handicap and played particularly well on the par 3ths picking up 7 points on these 2 holes Round Results:
Resurgent Ronzo reports . . . Another perfect morning for golf and four were lucky enough to play. Macca and Walks – still enjoying NSW; Tom – Canberra duties; Dennis – unfortunately having a couple of days in “Charlies”, but the news with Dennis is all good; Litts on Presidential leave; and Steve still Platinum Sponsor. No interruption to our round from fallen trees today though the picture shows where the big branch came from. Note the cut up trunk (left background) and a pile of wood chips (right background) So how did we go …?
Squancey had a H.V.O.H. (Hunter Valley Open Hangover). He scored on all but one hole, but managed NTP and LD … the LD, according to him, every bit of 250 metres Brian was “tickled pink” to be driving his Land Cruiser without leaking oil. He managed 2 points or more on 6 holes, but on holes 14-15-16 managed only one point. The 18th will bring him back next time, beating the other three players with a great finish - 5 for 3.
Chris also managed 2 points or more on 6 holes, but scored singles on the other 3. The “Course-Marshall” upset him on the second par 5. He scored only 1 point there and on the next hole … after that he regained his composure.
Round Results:
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Rollicking Ronzo reports . . . A fabulous morning … a Fabulous Four … all we needed was some Fabulous golf and only 2 stokes separated the 1st three players. Someone would not make the podium and that was Macca who obviously aimed at the Hunter Valley. The highlight of his round was hitting one of the wire hoops on hole 14 …. such a skinny piece of rod and such a BIG“Ric-Oh-Shae” under a grass tree. Squancey and Ron had a very close battle off the stick … Ron 48 Squancey 49. Squancey was full of beans after the 1st of his cataract ops and commented he could read the number of the ball as it tumbled along the fairway. He cannot wait for the
Chris scored 5 or less on 7 holes but put himself out of contention on the 11th & 13th with a 6 & 7. Ron surprised himself parring 2 of the 1st three holes but had 2 terrible holes on the 16 & 17 scoring eleven where par was 6 … ouch !!!!!!!! OTHER HIGHLIGHTS/Lowlights
Macca and the author agreed the report would mostly be a “PICTORIAL” HAPPY HUNTING IN THE VALLEY … and the rest of you …. KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING‼ Handicapper's Note: The 17th hole was reduced to a par 3 due to a fallen tree. Therefore, any scores for that hole couldn't be considered for the Eclectic competition. As it turns out, no one would have improved their score!
Round Results:
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Macca and Ronzo led the way with Walks, Dalbs, Squancey and Jacko playing somewhere behind them . . . or so Squancey and Jacko thought! They reached the ninth tee and teed off, but Walks and Dalbs were nowhere to be seen. Turns out they had gone back to ask the group behind if they had seen Walks’ sand wedge. This club was subsequently found two holes away (from the hole it normally occupies in Walks’ bag). Ronzo loves this course and showed why by posting 18 points on the Dunes course (correctly, quite by accident – turns out there are some things you can train people to do, be a highly regarded statistician of long standing or an esteemed manager of a great metropolitan newspaper, but apparently not how to use multiple indexes). The love affair soured somewhat on Lake, with a wipe on the last leaving him on 13 points. After a shaky start with wipes on 2 and 3, Macca settled to score on the remaining holes of Dunes, turning with 11 (or 12). A threepeat of wipes to start Lake put paid to his chances but he did recover with 12 points.
Dalbs was not a fan of Dunes, scraping together 10 points, an NTP and an LD, before heading to Lake where he fared considerably better with 15 points and another NTP. With a 4 pointer at the second, Walks was looking like the man to beat, but Dunes was not giving up that easily and gave him a stingy total of 11. Another 4 pointer on Lake theeatened to resurrect his game but he too could only manage 15.
With a nod to a recent 60th anniversary .. “The dunes were alive with the cries of Squancey, with the greens further cause, for a thousand tears”, at least for the first five holes, after which he turned 3 points into 12. This Renaissance Man threatened to run away with the event but a wipe at the last left him agonisingly short with 18 points. Jacko had the flat stick working (except when going for birdie/par), scoring on every hole for 17 on Dunes and 16 on Lake, with another LD to add to his tally.
From a very early age we are told to beware of the Bogey Man, and Jacko did nothing to dispel this myth, taking the day with 15 bogeys and 3 double bogeys for 33 points. Ronzo with 31 and Squancey on 30 took the remaining podium spots. Marg won the apres golf with her coconut slice No count-backs
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 Squancey reports . . . Well, another fine morning with Macca, Dalbs, Jacko, Ronzo and Squancey keen to tee off. The course was very quiet so we decided to play as a group of 5. No wind to speak of, so a perfect day to get in some valuable practice for the up and coming, “Not the Mornington Masters”.
That was not expected - it was more of a scattergun approach with not 1 player landing on the first fairway. Maybe the group was trying to increase their handicap for the Masters. Squancey, who had been playing atrocious golf over the past 4 or 5 weeks and with a 15-points handicap, managed to recover, sinking the ball in 5 strokes and picking up 3 points. With the exception of Macca, who wiped the hole, the others also took 5 strokes, picking up 2 points each. The next hole Ronzo joined Macca playing some indifferent shots, ultimately wiping the 11th hole. Jacko and Dalbs were playing to handicap, although they could have picked up more points if it was not for their putting. Squancey was hitting the ball well for a change. On the green for 3 and down for 5, picking up 4 points with the help of a generous handicap. On the 12th par 3, the golfers must have been tiring as all tee shots landed short of the green. Squancey’s and Ronzo’s balls landed within a metre of one another. Ronzo made a great chip, running the ball within inches of the hole, ending up some 2 metres past the hole. Ronzo challenged Squancey to do better, and he did. Another 3 pointer. Ronzo's problems continued, only picking up 1 point. Macca, on the road to recovery, picked up 2 points while Dalbs continued to play to his handicap and Jacko’s putting continued to cause problems.
On the 13th tee all had reasonable drives with the exception of Ronzo. He did not come to play today. Squancey landed in the waste area and unfortunately did not have a clear shot out of it. He hit the ball to the other side of the fairway some 150 metres out from the green. The next shot required to be kept low to avoided branches overhanging the fairway. A tracer shot ended up on the bank, 1 foot off the green. Down for 3 points. Squancey has now amassed 13 points in 4 holes, while Dalbs had 8, Jacko had 6, Macca 4 and Ronzo 3. Things were about to change. At the 14th Squancey was expecting his drive to be just off the righthand side of the fairway. It had rolled further into the tree line than expected. No clear shot to hit it down the fairway. Next shot crossed the fairway onto the other side and again into the tree line. Squancey should have claimed it as unplayable, pick the ball up and placed it on the fairway. His next shot he made the right decision and place the ball on the fairway, still about 150 metre out from the green. Squancey’s 5th shot landed on the green and rolled about 3 metres past the pin. Down for 7 picking up 1 point. From there Squancey picked up 2 more 3 pointers, one 2 pointer and a wipe on the last hole where his drive went 50 metres and for a while looked like he was going to pick up the longest drive. Macca’s drive was just on the fairway. Squancey's issues on the last hole did no stop there. He manage to hit Dalbs’s ball (great shot from 130 metres out. Landed a metre from the pin) and was penalised 2 strokes, ending up wiping the hole with a final 22 points.
Round Results:
Monday, February 17, 2025
The absence of a few trippers reduced the field to 5 players, but they were all quality! A warm morning was forecast and the Uncomfortable Index rose persistently as the round progressed. All but one were assembled at the 1st tee when the cry went out "Where's Dalbs?" A screech of car tyres and a screech of buggy tyres and the breathless lad arrived just in time to tee off having been subsumed by heavy traffic. The course was a mixed serving – tees somewhat churned up, most fairways like carpet, greens varying between smooth and furry with the par 3 4th a shortened hole while the green undergoes refurbishment. It was Walks, Macca and (huff, puff) Dalbs leading off with Jacko and Squancey to follow and tidy up. Walks, like the weather, warmed up quickly. Three great shots at the opening par 5 had him 0.67m from the hole and a 5 point birdie kicked off his round. As he progressed, it soon became obvious he was missing the opportunity to frolic in the sand on the nearby beach but he made up for it with at least 4 plays in bunker sand getting out of them all well. Two wipes on the homeward journey thwarted his winning ambitions but still finished strongly with a 3 point closer.
Dalbs was striking the ball reasonably consistently over the journey in a reasonably consistent round, he being the odd one out by scoring on every hole. A large part of his success today was attributable to an unusually (mostly) sharp short game, particularly shots into the green that were quite Jackoesque. Speaking of whom, Jacko was on a roll neatly carving out bogeys over the first 4 holes in a steady display. The 5th (Forrest St) hole proved troublesome as did the 6th (did the smell of Il Lido coffee put him off?) with doubles, but with that even temperament and steady determination bounced back for birdie and 4 points at the not-so-easy par 4 7th and bogey at the par 3 8th. A wipe at the last wasn't factored into the game plan but he was generally pleased with the majority of his round.
Squancey has been thereabouts over the past two weeks but he struggled to tame his game today managing only two bogeys. Five doubles and two wipes didn't make for a happy outing by the sea but some days at golf, "these things happen".
Round Results:
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 The seven likely lads were joined by Walks under threatening skies and a cool breeze as they retired to the 10th tee for the decisive Championship round. Six shots separated first and last at the turn, and it would appear the biggest chance to success was to at least better par, something missing the previous week.
Walks joined Pinky, Scobes and Ronzo and with three bogeys amongst them, their start looked promising. Pinky then rattled off par and the signs were promising before a strange and title ending pattern emerged . . . triple/quadruple/double . . . par/bogey . . . triple/triple. Ronzo eased into his round and by the 13th tee looked ready to make a charge. Three mid-round triples (Aaaaaggghhhh!!) put a nasty spanner in the works but, to his credit, he stormed home in that racy buggy with 3 bogeys to save face. After the first of his 2 bogeys at the 10th, Scobes struggled, his card littered with 6's - and a couple of extra triples - after which he announced he needed a holiday and now plans to head South for a few weeks to recover. The normally relaxed Mr Walker must've been super-relaxed after his travels, control over those massive drives somewhat missing and 4 blow out holes proving very expensive. With a revised 16 handicap, it could get scary in future rounds . . .
Mid-round leaders Macca and Dalbs teed off with Jacko (2 strokes behind) and Squancey (3). All seemed well with Macca after the first. But, in one of those inexplicable turn of events, try as he might the clean, straight shots largely dried up and travel from tee to green proved a very costly affair though his placid nature remained unchanged (somehow).
Jacko was having his off target moments from tee to green. But his ability to recover well and with the short game mostly on song, rattled off 7 bogeys/par/double. Giving the half way leaders 5 handicap strokes was going to take a few less "off target" moments but despite the difference, he came very close.
Dalbs had the start he'd hoped for, some reasonably steady golf producing 5 bogeys (and a triple) over the first 6 holes. Couldn't maintain the rage, closing with 3 doubles to finish 1 shot over but, in a championship where no player bettered their handicap in either round, his effort proved sufficient to take his second Championship title. Coffee and delicious Ronzo fruit cake to follow took the cake! It also now appears that this Championship created club history – the first in which no player managed to better their handicap.
Club Championship – Final Results Round Results:
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Scobes starting haphazardly and under fire from behind to score a 9 on the first. He recovered well and settled into his usual accuracy - he greened on the fifth and parred, but a second 9 on the difficult sixth plunged him into NAGA position with 43, pipped by Ronzo on countback. It was then the Fab Four's turn . . . Ronzo was an early heady mix of tree bound drives and big fairway energy efforts that produced short “pop-ups” or relatively short “runners”- and double figures on the 2nd. After 4 holes his 13 handicap had evaporated, but to his credit he persisted, finishing with four bogies, a countback win and a container of delicious biscuits.
Squancey’s up-and-down recent form continued, mixing powerful drives and fairway shots with @&#$?&! drives and %@#! fairway shots with a couple of putts that just missed. Just 3 shots back though – anything can happen! For next week's final round only 6 strokes separate leaders Macca and Dalbs on 37 from Ronzo and Scobes on 43. Anybody can take out this Major!
Leaderboard at Halfway: Results to be officially recorded:
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Walks reports . . . Instead of Joondalup, we gathered at Maylands. Although it was going to be a heatwave day, the early morning conditions were quite acceptable, with a blustery easterly wind taking the edge off the heat. First group was Walks, Macca, Jacko and Scobes. Second group was Pinky, Dalbs, Squancey and Ronzo. And it turned out to be an unusual day with regard to scores. You could say all players came in with below par scores. NAGA on the day was Dalbs with a miserly 9 stableford points. He had one 3 point par early in his round but the rest were six 1 point holes and two wipes.
Three players finished on 15 stableford points each, and on the countback Squancey was seventh, Jacko was sixth and Ronzo was fifth.
Another three players finished on 16 stableford points, and on the countback Scobes was ranked fourth, Macca third and Pinky second. Results:
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 Jacko reports . . . No need for jumpers, with the warm humid morning in stark contrast to the cool windy greeting of the previous week. Seven starters and thanks to some intense lobbying by Macca, we actually had a tee time allocated this week.
Walks, Macca, Dalbs and Squancey led the way with 4 drives up the middle of the fairway, although Squancey was the only one to take advantage with a par. However a couple of 8s saw his chances take a nosedive before pars at fourteen and sixteen put him back in the mix with 50/38. The par 5s had Macca feeling like he’d gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson, but a par at sixteen put a bit of the old spring back in his step and he finished with a 52/39. By comparison, Dalbs’ round was a little more pedestrian but the loss of 2 handicap strokes the previous week hung like a millstone around his neck and dragged him to a 51/40 finish. Walks had bookend bogeys but the large volumes in between contributed to his 59/45. However he did save his best drive for last, taking the LD for the second week in succession. Macca and Walks apparently had a sequence side-comp going, honours going to Macca with scores of 3 to 9 against Walks’ scores of 4 through 9.
Scobes Pinky and Jacko brought up the rear with 3 more drives up the fairway. Unfortunately Jacko’s only travelled about 50 metres but he did recover to eke out a bogey. Scobes’ wedge let him down (3 times) on his way to a double bogey and he struggled through the next 3 holes, but he found some belated form and stormed home for a 52/38. Pinky started with a par but 2 double bogeys and a quadrupole with 4 putts (3 from inside a metre) had him verbally throwing in the towel after 4 holes. However pars at the next 2 holes renewed his interest and he finished with 49/26. Jacko had one swing-thought, don’t lose a stroke for Joondalup, but followed up his slow start with pars at the next 2 holes and an NTP. A double bogey and another par in a sea of bogeys blew apart his pre-game plan and left him with 43/35.
Only one count-back and the field umpire was overruled by the DRS. Coffee without snacks yet again (come back Ron, we all miss you). Results:
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 Dalbs reports . . . There were 7 stepping out on a morning that threatened a spot of precipitation but that quickly morphed into consternation as two groups headed off to the 10th . . . but they weren't ours!! Where's Macca? He finally materialised from the pro shop very frustrated at having learnt that GBWGC didn't have any bookings for 2025!! Our great friend Vikki stepped into the breach and got us inserted into the 10th tee queue behind the initial two groups but a future conversation with Sam at Hamersley will prove interesting.
That familiar left-handed toss and the Captain sent Squancey, Scobes and Dalbs off in the first group. And what a start, all three with great drives and par scores for 3 point openers. Dalb's run continued, keeping the long shots relatively straight and consistently potting those one metre putts to be just 4 shots over after 7 holes. It was a soft landing over the last two with doubles but a win felt good. Scobes was flying over the first three but things (including a few drives) went a little wayward over the middle stretch before the ship righted itself with 5 points over the closing 2 holes. Squancey had occasional fits of the diabolicals over his journey. Took to the trees on too many occasions being stymied on two holes; his drive on the 14th striking the thinnest of metal loops protecting some GUR and stopping stone dead; and his LD attempt interrupting the following group approaching the 8th green. It was a convincing NAGA effort.
The foursome of Macca, Jacko, Walks and Pinky followed. Walks was all aflutter, blasting two 3 pointers but then went into remission with 5 pts over the next 4 holes. Exercised his talent for fast finishing with 9 pts over the final 3 with par on the testing 17th enough to win the countback against the in-form and consistent Pinky. Brian has been striking the ball well and today was no exception, striding to the 17th tee just 7 shots over and with 17 pts, including par at the 16th. Struck trouble on the closing holes with triple/double but had done enough to ensure his handicap continued on the slippery slope south. Jacko had two pars after the first 3 holes and a solid score loomed. But (why is there always a 'but'?), doubles on 3 of the 4 hardest holes for 1 point apiece cast a sobering shadow, but not before scoring his third par at the 16th. Macca may have NAGA'd but still threw in 5 good efforts, continuing his love affair with the par 3s by parring both. His struggles with the number '7' on 4 of the first 5 holes made the difference but his strong finish was all the more commendable given he felt very tired at the finish.
The best was saved until last when we sat down with coffee to recognise Walks' significant golfing achievement - 500 games with GBWGC. Great mate Macca did the presentation, handicapped as he was by having left his specs in the car and making do with some borrowed from Scobes. They helped, to a degree, with much humour from focal slip-ups along the way.
Results:
Tuesday, January 7, 2025 It was bloody hot - 34.5°- and the results reflect the game.
All played poorly with all that wear and tear . . . but no one seemed to care.
Results:
Tuesday, December 30, 2024
Pinky reports . . . The final round of the year saw 6 starters. Walks had driven all day the previous day from Carnarvon with a sprained ankle and a fully stretched new knee from some climbing adventure to be there. Put Macca’s comment about the length of his drive to Rockingham in perspective. The ball toss resulted in Chris, Squancey and Walks heading off from the 10th tee on a beautiful and warm sunny morning with a cooling breeze that was even more appreciated by all as the day warmed up. Chris had the best round of his group with his usual all round sound game. Winner of both Longest Drives, he had 3 pars on his first 9 but only 1 on his second to finish with 33 points. Squancey, by his own admission, didn’t have a good day off the tee but the rest of his game allowed him to come in with 30 points. Walks started off slowly with 5 one point holes and two wipes on his first nine but even though he was slowing down across the grass he came home with only one wipe and three one pointers to score 25 points overall.
The second group comprised Macca, Dalbs and Pinky. Macca and Dalbs had a seesawing day, competing as the round unfolded, to realise their expectations that one of them would end up with the NAGA prize. Macca had a mixed day off the tee and demonstrated an uncanny ability to find his way into quite a number of green side bunkers which proved more than a match for him. His last few holes proved a bit of a challenge in the hotter part of the round but he ended up with 25 points for the day, even with 4 wipes and 4 one point holes. Dalbs started out with some great shots of the tee but unusually found plenty of trouble on the fairways and around and on the greens. A couple of bunkers were not his friend either. Unusually for Dalbs, his round included 7 one pointers and 4 wipes. Unlike Macca he scored 24 points and was therefore outright winner of the NAGA prize. AS an aside, Macca prevailed on a count back from Walks who had also come in with 25 points.
Pinky had started the day determined to do better than the lowly 9 points he’d scored the previous week and in a major upset for the bookies, he produced the round of the day to finish off a mixed 2024 of golf. He played consistently throughout his round, driving pretty well on most holes, picking up the only NTP prize won on the day but the major improvement was in his play from 130 metres into and then on the green. As his round progressed, his partners seemed to get more excited than he did and Macca commented as the headed to the clubhouse that ‘he was pleased he’d been here for this round’ and that he and Robin had managed to beat him with their combined score. With 22 points on the first nine and 25 points on the second, Pinky stormed home with what was thought to be a matching score of 47 points for the Club record.  All in all, a very good end to the 2024 season for the GBWGC and all celebrated with a well earned cold drink on the balcony of the clubhouse.
Results:
Tuesday, December 23, 2024
Macca reports . . . 40 degrees forecast, seven participants, and one of the oldest Majors to compete for on the storied Back 9, Wembley Old Course. When the players gathered at the 10th tee it was strangely quiet, perhaps as a result of the sign stating “Course Closed for Maintenance”. The seriously myopic group were booked in to play, had payed, and were ready to play, so play they did!
Tom, Ron, Brian and Ga Little were in the first group and the fairway looked superb. Not so the golf. The President had a particularly slow start as did Brian but Tom and Ron each scored 3 pointers and were looking good. Ga wiped the first two holes then settled into seven one and two point holes for a total of 12 points. Brian reportedly had a shocker after a couple of weeks of good and improving golf. His four wipes and one bogey led to 9 stableford points and a convincing NAGA, though others thought they deserved the title more. After his promising start, Tom wiped two holes, and had three 1 pointers, and ended with a total of 13 points. When interviewed after the game he stated his long layoff and the pressure of impending hosting duties had adversely affected his swing. It was Ronzo who had an excellent round with an impressive three pars but his somewhat wayward 11th and 12th holes let him down...just! The second group, Dalbs, Squancey and Macca, had a mixed first hole with Macca holing a four for four, and the others scoring one point between them. After his slow start, Dalbs ratcheted up his game scoring a notable 15 points in holes 14 to 18 for an admirable 20 point total. Squancey had no luck and couldn’t put, or putt, two good shots together. His good game just didn’t happen, yet the first group didn’t hear a sound out of him perhaps because the second group fell behind somewhat while searching for mislaid balls. The more difficult South of the River games coming up should suit him better! Macca, ruing his 14 handicap, unusually managed a consistent round with two pars, no wipes and a winning 23 point total.
The biggest query arising from this competition was how can seven experienced, though aging golfers fail to achieve an NTP or LD so convincingly? The quality of the course could not be blamed as it played as though it needed no maintenance and the game was over before the serious heat arrived. A delightful Christmas celebration and over the top presentations at the House of Joseph was enjoyed by all!
And before the final announcements, Dalbs was completely gobsmacked (and still is) when the Joseph's served up his favourite dessert – Frangelico Affogato. Results:
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 Walks reports . . . 8 starters fronted up for a very early 5.30 am start on the opening day of the speccy looking Hamersley Golf Club and Leisure Centre. The event was stableford but there was also a matchplay contest to be played between Macca and Squancey. Lead off group was Ronzo and Dalbs in a smart new cart with the two match players, Macca and Squancey, running behind.
Match Play Contest Stableford Contest Squancey only managed to rack up 10 points and was NAGA.
Ronzo was not his usual deadly accurate self. Apparently, he went from one tree line to the tree line on the other side of the fairway on more than one occasion. He had no pars and 3 wipes for a total of 11 points. He did drive his smart new cart with skill though. Pinky was another one that was constantly in the tree line. He hit several trees and always skewed deeper into the bush. Had 13 points. Three players finished on 14 points and required complex countback checking to rank them in ascending order.
Dalbs finished fourth. He started off with a par but he was another player that spent a lot of time in the trees. Macca’s good form resulted in 20 points and second place. And the winner was Walks with 21 points. Nature was kind to him. He drove into the tree line three times in his round and each time the ball ricocheted back on to the fairway. At coffee, the President excelled, producing a magnificent chocolate birthday cake with which to celebrate Ronzo's 77th birthday. In windy conditions, and after a few attempts to light the candle (Pinky almost suffering third degree burns of the cupped hands), the Great Man made a wish and blew hard. CONGRATULATIONS RONZO!
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Macca reports . . . A great early start to a hot day was moderated when we reached the tenth "green" to be met by a scene akin to the Sinai rather than the Maylands peninsula - more sand than the set of 'Lawrence of Arabia'! Nevertheless all competitors eventually remembered how to score Par Bisque, and some even remembered they were playing on the back nine with some great river/city views. Par Bisque is more a test of mathematical acumen than golfing prowess and it is noted that a high handicapper evidently has an advantage - today the highest handicappers filled the first three places in descending order of handicap. Macca and Pinky each scored six +s and two -s forcing the Captain and Auditor to count back four holes, several times, to separate their +4 scores.
Walks had six +s and three -s to beat Jacko to third on five +s and two -s in another countback. Ronzo started with five +s but three -s dropped him to fifth ahead of Squancey whose equal score was finally determined by yet another countback. Dalbs had an honourable +1 NAGA score with three +s and two -s. He warmed up in the latter holes but had tree trouble earlier.
Jacko, with 43 off the stick, was his consistent self with more balls for LD and NTP. Other stroke scores were between 49 and 52 - reasonable golf considering the state of the greens. Results:
Tuesday,December 3, 2024 Litts reports . . . It was cool and overcast. It warmed up a little later on but there was also some degree of humidity causing most of the players to strip down to the polos a little later in the round. The day started with the traditional ball toss but there was spirited debate about the number of players. It was thought eight initially but we settled on seven after much discussion. There was also some confusion about the makeup of groups with some haggling to accommodate the match play of GS vs DS. Eventually Messrs Little, Walker and Jackson were delegated to hit off in group one and the other four followed on in group two - i.e. Pinky, Squancey, Scobes and Macca. Play got underway but it was relatively slow play with a slow twosome in front but it became obvious that they were also held up by the group in front of them. We remembered the memorial service for Sue Jack this morning Perth time. Author’s Note: we sometimes take things for granted and we missed both Dalbs and Ron today because of the little things they do each game day. For example: summary, photos and morning tea. We’re looking forward to seeing them both back shortly. Match Play
General Play
Group 2: The star of the group was Squancey who had 21 points after a remarkably consistent round. He was playing off a ten handicap and managed three three pointers and six two pointers. It was amazing stuff and he was unlucky not to win. He was relatively quiet during the round so the group ahead knew something good was happening. Macca scored 16 points with no wipes. He started relatively slowly but hit form in the middle stages with eleven points in five holes. Scobes scored an honest eighteen points. The highlights were in the 10th and 18th holes where he scored four pointers. It was in the middle stages that his form dropped off a little and, as described above, that was where the match play was won and lost. Pinky (12 points) took out the NAGA today. He started slowly with just three points in the first four holes which was difficult to recover from. Pinky has had back-to-back NAGAS which qualifies as a mid-season slump. It’s the car’s fault! We have no doubt we’ll see him bounce back to form shortly.
Results:
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Litts and Pinky and Ronzo and Scobes were eager to battle out their Match Play rounds. From their drives off the 1st tee, it was obvious that they all had been practising over the last week. All managed to hit the centre of the 10th fairway, and with good distance. Ronzo and Scobes picked up 3 stableford points, halving the hole for Match Play, while Litts and Pinky picked up 2 stableford points, also halving the hole for Match Play. Litts carried on playing consistent golf, scoring on all holes, parring 3 holes and finishing with a birdie on the 18th. While it appeared that Litts would blitz Pinky in Match Play, this was not the case. Pinky would be playing very good golf or very bad golf. He managed to wipe 3 holes but won 4 holes in Match Play by outplaying Litts. Litts managed to win Match Play 1 up. Both Ronzo and Scobes played consistent golf, picking up stableford points on all holes, and playing to their handicaps. Ronzo and Scobes picking up 19 and 18 stableford points respectively. Off the stick, Ronzo had a great round picking up 3 pars and 1 birdie while Scobes picked up 2 pars. Match Play is a funny game, as from these results you would have thought Ronzo would have won the Match Play, but he when down 3 and 1 to Scobes. The second group teed off hoping to emulate the 1st group's drives. This was not the case as Walks and Macca dribbled their drives down the fairway while Chris towed a hook left and Squancey hit his fade into the tree for a lost ball. Was this to be the pattern for the remainder of the day? Macca and Walks didn't recover, picking up 1 and 0 stableford points, while Squancey's 2nd shot (to be his 3rd shot for lost ball) put his ball just short of the green, finishing up 6 shots and scoring 2 stableford points. Chris's 2nd shot placed his ball about 60 meters from the green and typically his next shot would put his ball on the green allowing him to either par or bogey the hole. Chris uncustomarily left his ball short of the green, resulting in 6 stokes and picking up 1 stableford point. The 11th hole was a different story. Walks and Squancey made par on the hole while Chris and Macca were 1 over par. With the exception of picking up only 1 stableford point on the 12th and 17th, Squancey managed 3 points on all of the remaining holes. The long putts from just on or off the edge of the green on the 13th and 15th (15th including hitting his drive out of bounds) enabled Squancey to par these holes picking up 3 stableford points each. Squancey ended up on 22 stableford points. Macca played consistent golf for the remaining holes picking up 2 3-pointers and a 4 pointer on the par 3, 13th. Macca also ended up on 22 stableford points, but came in 2nd to Squancey on count back. Walks, apart from the 1st hole, managed to score on all of the remaining holes, picking up 3 2-pointers, 2 3-pointers and making par for a 4 pointer on the par 5, 14th. Chris’s drives where not up to his typical standard. His ever-reliable draw was not working, which left him just off the right hand side of the fairway or in the tree on the right hand side. Recovering from there impacted his score, but he still ended up with 17 stableford points. However, whenever it counted, Chris made good, picking up nearest to the pin and longest drive.
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
The first group hit off and struck immediate trouble. Walks with a wipe and Macca with a 1 pointer. Pinky was steady with a 5 for 2. Walks hit his straps on the 11th with 3 points and played consistently until his round reached its zenith with a par on the par 4 15th. His finish was a bit of a let down with just 3 points for the last two holes, finishing with 20 points. Macca meanwhile was taking a while to find the accelerator until managing three 3 pointers between 14 and 17. He finished square with the card on 18 points. Pinky was a model of consistency with a string of 2 and 3 pointers interrupted only by a wipe on 14 and a bounce back par on the par five 17th. His morning’s work produced a 20 point result. Group 2 got away to a mixed start, although both Dalbs and Ron managed pars on the par five 11th. Jacko was cruising early, but consecutive 1 pointers on 13 and 14 put the skids under his round. He rebounded impressively with a birdie on the par four 15th and a par on the par three 16 but the damage had been done and he ended up with an 18 point total. Ron continued his good work with 4 three pointers and only one blemish with a 1 pointer on 15. He got it to the house on a very creditable 22. Dalbs was a man on a mission and recorded 2 and 3 point scores on every hole to the 18th after his early par. A score of 23 points made him a contender.
The final group jumped out of the blocks with 3 fives on the 10th and looked in good form. Disappointment for Squancey on the subsequent four holes, but a few well aimed expletives saw him back on track with pars on 15 and 18 and solid scores in between. The outcome was a score of 19 points, with a few others left out there. Litts was swinging sweetly (in the old fashioned way) and compiling a competitive score including a chip in birdie on the par four 15th. However, it was not to be with 1 pointers on 16 and 17. A solid 3 pointer on the last saw him home for a 21 score, but it could have been much more. The latecomer, Scobes, started strongly, amassing 9 points on the first 3 holes including a par on 11. A stumble followed with 1 and 2 pointers to follow on 13 and 14. Three 3 pointers in the last 4 holes, including a second par on the par three 16th contributed to a competitive 23 point total.
Results:
Tuesday, November 5, 2024 Pinky reports . . . The early morning was quite cool with a hint of a shower at some stage but this hadn’t deterred 9 starters for the fifth running of the Melbourne Cup Day day. The groups of 3 were formed by the traditional ball throw and the competition began.
Walks, who had expressed surprise that Dennis had returned from his northern exploration not looking like the man from Borneo, led off with Macca and Dalbs. Walks had an up and down round scoring 14 of his 18 points on 4 holes, while Macca and Dalbs played steady golf over their round ending on 18 and 17 points respectively.
The second group comprised Dennis, Chris and Squancey. Like the previous group they all played pretty steady golf with Dennis claiming the NTP prize and finishing with an 18 point round, Chris won the LD prize, picked up a birdie on the 15th hole and finished with 18 points. Squancey, who had an up and down round with three 3 pointers and three one pointers finished with 18 points overall and also won the unofficial loudest competitor prize. The final group of Ron, Litts and Pinky worked their way around the course pretty methodically, all playing steady golf with the odd poor shot or putt, mixed in with some good golf shots that kept their respective point score ticking over. They finished with scores of 18, 17 and 21 points respectively.
The overall outcome for the day saw Walks working feverishly on count backs to separate two 17 pointers for the NAGA and then six 18 pointers purely for bragging rights, with Pinky the overall winner on 21 points. Interestingly so far there have only been 2 winners of the Melbourne Cup day event ; Walks twice and Pinky now three times. Incidentally, it did rain for several minutes midway through the round but it didn’t seem to impact scoring much, if at all. Results:
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Ronzo reports . . . Over the previous 24 hours the numbers had shrunk to six … easy ... two groups of three!
Chris, Squancey and Brian enjoyed the outing for very different reasons. Chris was happy to report that he putted for birdies on three holes getting none, won the Long Drive by killing 160 worms (his calculation) … apparently the drive never left the fairway … Brian reported that it was a clever ploy not to run off the fairway. Chris was ecstatic that he improved his eclectic by parring the last hole. Brian claimed after the round that it was a" good walk "… apparently hitting 10 trees along the way. Interestingly Jacko said it was WAY MORE THAN THAT‼
Results:
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 It was the dawn of Match Play and some interesting tussles about to unfold in cool, comforting weather. Eight starters with Ronzo and Squancey onlookers while Litts fronted Walks, Pinky took on Dalbs; and Jacko was up against Macca. Litts went 1-up on a shaky Walks after the first but the Phantom steadied and they went stroke for stroke until unlucky no. 13 for Walks saw Litts 2-up, luck reversing on the 14th for Walks to claw one back. The Pres had had enough and par, par, birdie was enough to sink a wayward Walks and secure a 3 and 2 win.
Pinky was on fire against slap-happy Dalbs and immediately went 2-up. The thin one appeared nonchalant getting one back at the par 3 12th before going stroke-for-stroke at the 13th. By some strange quirk of fate, and despite Pinky sinking four 3m putts in an outstanding display, Dalbs slowly gained wins over 3 of the next four holes and, after the last putt at 17th, had the match 2 and 1 with a handshake to follow. But wait! While waiting to tee off at the 18th, a casual card check revealed a terrible truth. The "stroke-for-stroke at the 13th" wasn't a squared hole – Pinky had an extra handicap stroke to actually win that hole! Dalbs was but 1-up with 1 to play and immediately proceeded to misfire his drive into the bush and misfire all subsequent shots while Pinky remained steady as she goes and squared the match which came down to a countback won by last years Match Play champion! Jacko needed to be at his scintillating best against Macca who had the advantage of a handicap stroke each hole. The Pace Cracker took full advantage, both going stroke-for-stroke over the first three and he was 3-up heading to the 13th tee. Jacko played bogey golf over the next two to square the holes but, after finishing stroke-for-stroke on the 15th, Macca eased out to 4-up with three holes remaining and the result was settled.
Ronzo and Squancey could relax and enjoy a non-Match Play day out. They obviously over-relaxed with an almost 'Double or Nothing' day out, chalking up 11 doubles between them. Squancey's up-and-down day was perfectly illustrated over the last three holes - quadruple, birdie (our season first), double. Coffees went down a treat as did Ronzo's self made Chocolate Hedgehogs!
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 Jacko reports . . . A fine misty rain greeted us in the carpark this morning but dissipated before we hit the tee, leaving us with a warmer start than in previous weeks. Like water off a duck’s back, Walks blithely ignored the muted grumblings of having to fill in our own card details, while he ploughed ahead with the toss, carving us up into a threesome and a foursome.
Walks, Litts and Macca led the way with mixed results. Walks opened with his traditional booming drive and with 7 points after two holes it was looking like a case of “catch me if you can”. But that was where the fairy tale ended and reality slapped him in the face, scoring just 10 points over the next seven holes for a total of 17. Litts, in stark contrast, had a very subdued start with just 3 points after two holes but he played himself back in to the game posting 8 points over the last three holes to hit the sweet spot of 18 (keeping handicap while scoring maximum consistency points). Macca, first up from a spell, hit the middle ground posting 5 points for the first two holes, then opened up with two 3 pointers before settling back to come home with all 2s for a total of 21.
Squancey had the ball on a string from the get-go but that string did mess with a few of his putts. He still managed 20 points and an NTP going into the last hole but his first 1 pointer for the day left him tied with Macca on 21. Jacko, for the most part, has been managing his handicap with the BO coming up next month and for four holes he held it together posting 2 points each hole. But an inexplicable brain-fade saw him notch up 3 points on four of the remaining holes, closing with 22. Only two count-backs this week and the one that mattered was correct. Coffee/hot chocolate, with a lemon slice provided by Marg, rounded out the morning.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 Ronzo reports . . . What a cracker of a morning weather wise but shock horror - how would we manage…NO Home Captain…NO Away Captain…SILLY US we were handed cards with the players name AND handicap already written on the cards… who else but The President For Life (another thing the P.I.T. could learn.) Off we went in two groups with Bin and Ronzo tearing away in their FWD, followed by Litts, Squancy and Chris. Would you believe that at the end of the day these two groups could not be separated …both groups had scored 41 points each…fun indeed. Well it was for Ron and Bin…both played above their handicaps with Ron putting his lights out ...
…but not so the 2nd group. The most fun they had was Squancey taking out the NTP (apparently just missing the Birdie) and Litts winning the LD by a “monstrous” margin over Squancey. Chris’ claim to fame was that he was the ONLY one in the group to not play an “incorrect ball” on the eleventh or 2nd hole we played. Surprise, surprise ... they all wiped the hole. With golf out of the way, it was time to enjoy “The Extras” that go with the COT GBWGC (Completely Over the Top) . . .
…..and of course the stand in captain did an exceptional job, made very easy as there were NO count backs !!!
Results:
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 Jacko, with wry smile, reports . . . Squancey got such rave reviews for the previous write-up that it seemed a no brainer to just copy/paste/change names so . . . Well, another great day, a little bit cooler than last week, but still perfect for golf. The full complement of players eager to tee off although it was touch and go if
Walks, Litts and Jacko led off in the first group with two in the left rough off the tee and one 60 metres short of the green, but all halved the hole with bogeys. Unfortunately things went rapidly downhill from there for Walks until a regulation par on 15 saw him blot his copybook with a plus before reverting to form and finishing 4 down. Litts was cruising with another half and 2 pluses but 3 wipes and 2 halves at the back end left him 1 down. Jacko has been clinging to his 10 handicap playing to net par for the first two weeks, and was going for the trifecta with a plus and a wipe to follow his half. Somewhere after that point he obviously forgot his carefully mapped out strategy and threw in another 3 halves and pluses to finish 3 up.
The second group of Dalbs, Squancey, the Little Master and Brian fared slightly better on the opening hole with 2 halves and 2 pluses. Dalbs found form with 4 more halves and 3 pluses but a wipe at 17 relegated him to second with 2 up. Squancey managed another plus at 15 but 3 wipes on his card put him 1 down. Tom reeled off 3 wipes after his opening half hampered by a bout of Golfer's Elbow but clawed his way back with 4 halves and a plus to end with 2 down. Brian was 2 up after 2 holes but 4 wipes shattered his dreams although he did manage to staunch the bleeding and finish with 3 halves for a 2 down and a Long Drive on 18.
Six for coffee although it felt like something was missing (come back soon Ron
Results:
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 Squancey brilliantly reports . . . Well, another great day, a little bit cooler than last week, but still perfect for golf. The full complement of players eager to tee off although it was touch and go if Dalbs would make it in time. After an extended and in-depth discussion on what colour tee marker we should tee off from, it was agreed by all that we should tee off from between the white markers. With the tee markers creeping their way towards the 10th green, it won’t be long before we start using our putters to tee off from the 10th. Tom, Brian, Dalbs and Walks were the first to tee off with Walks making another one of those magical long drives. Squancey had a consistent round, scoring on all holes with only one hole not playing to, or better than, his handicap. He had a purple patch from the 13th to the 16th where he scored 4, 3 pointers including 3 straight pars. This was achieved by sinking 2 monster putts on the 14th and 15th. Squancey amassed 21 points for the round.
Pinky too played a consistent round of golf with only two holes not playing to, or better than, his handicap. 1 point on the 13th par 3 hole and a wipe on the 14th par 5 hole were the only blemishes on his card. Pinky amassed 19 points for the round.
Results:
Tuesday, September 17, 2024 The Ghost Who Walks reports . . . Start of a new season and conditions were perfect. The new clubhouse is nearly complete externally and it is looking impressive.
There were 7 starters. The first group comprised President Litts, Jacko and Macca, followed by Squancey, Dalbs, Pinky and Walks. Some works were being undertaken on the tee boxes on the 10th and 11th fairways and thus all red, white and blue tee markers were grouped together. This caused some confusion for the first group as they progressed to the 12th and 13th tees. They continued to tee off from the long blue tees until it was confirmed that white tee markers were the usual standard for our competition. Scores were as follows: And on the podium:
Walks won the day with 21 points. 4 pars, plus a three-point bogey, set him up for the win. As the second group approached the last hole, Macca got a great surprise when a mass of signs around the green announced his 500th game.
This was followed by a presentation over coffee.
Results:
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(Squancey announced Chris’ handicap was 7). Chris’ 7 and three 6s didn’t help. His two pars were very “Chris like”.
Brian is unable to continue his assault on the Golden Putter next week
Round Results: 
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
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Ron had a morning out, scoring 2 or more on 8 holes … 
Jacko reports . . . The annual Joondalup Classic, albeit a little later in the season than usual, and there were just 6 contenders with several of our members dispersed around the country. We exited the pro-shop playing as two groups of three, but the cart nazi decided we would be playing as a two and a four.
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Round Results:
Dalbs played to just under his handicap, picking up 9 points for the remaining holes, ending up with 17 points. Jacko played to just over his handicap, picking up 11 points for the remaining holes, ending up with 17 points. Macca played to his handicap, picking up 10 points for the remaining holes and ending up with 14 points. Ronzo made 7 points on the last 5 holes, but just to tease Ronzo to come back next week, he made 5 of those points on the last 2 holes.
Four survivors slumped into air-conditioned comfort at Il Lido nestling amongst the Cottesloe cuties. The coffees, both iced and hot, went down a treat.
Club Champion: ROBIN DALBY
The brickworks were developed by Robert Law and King Atkins and opened in 1927 when the Maylands peninsula was largely undeveloped. The only other significant structure at the time was the Maylands Aerodrome, and both were surrounded by farmland. The Maylands site was considered ideal with an abundance of clay, close to the Perth central business district but isolated from suburban residential areas. In the 1940s it was claimed to be one of the most modern operations in Australia at that time.
When in maximum production, the site comprised two large-scale clay pits which were excavated nearby, two Hoffman Kilns with a 34m stack, two Pug Mills (where the clay was mixed with water into a paste), extensive drying sheds, a lunch room and a gate house. When operations ceased in 1983, the clay pits were turned into artificial lakes (Lake Bungaree and Lake Bungana).
Winner on the day was Walks with 17 stableford points. He had 3 pars along the way and seemed to be cruising until he threw out the anchor on the last hole, and wiped the hole. However, an ordinary total of 17 points was good enough to win the day. 
Results:
Scobes reports . . . The Spring Classic is a time honoured event with a record of high scoring and some runaway triumphs. Before that tradition could be extended there a few minor issues on the 10th tee. Walks was sporting the “home” shirt for an “away” contest and Squancey was totally out of uniform, though this was overlooked as he was wearing a shirt carrying a Raggamuffin insignia (see the yet to be published report on the Binningup Open 24). Oh, and where the hell was Scobes? In the carpark as it turned out when contacted by a rather stern Jacko.
(in two months it will be over) ... apparently Brians’ drive on the 8th will bring him back next week. Squancey was very thankful for Brians “Good Walk”… it saved him from the NAGA … apparently, according to unanimous reports from his playing partners, Squancey enjoyed lot of “Sex & Religion” during his outing. It was pretty obvious why he did not hang around for “coffee & slice” … but he did return from the carpark to return the NTP flag which no one won in 2 attempts at both the par 3’s.
NEXT WEEK IS AN EARLIER HIT OFF 
Results:
Oops . . . bit too far left
Results:
Macca made good use of his handicap. Played consistent golf picking up 5, 2 pointers and 2, 3 pointers, but a wipe and 1, 1 pointer dragged his score just down below par with 17 points.
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