2019 GBWGC Winter Trophy

ANOTHER TIED CONTEST!

It was the 12th running of the AGM Winter Trophy and a quality field of (lucky number) 7 headed South with warnings of dire weather predicted for the opening round. Titular Tom was down early to roundup Ronzo and get the Hawks Nest in ship shape for the annual golfing invasion.

The drive down was dry and pleasant with doubts about the "dire" bit – wishful thinking? Dark clouds were gathering while Trophy hopefuls gathered in the Lakewood Shores car park. It was not looking good.

Drowned Day 1, Binningup

Slugging away under leaden skies . . . .	. . . . and strong winds!

Dark grey cloud, cold howling wind - the weather boffins were right!. It wasn't looking good. But into the driving rain and howling wind we went making believe we could actually get away with it. As the rain streamed down and the strokes went up and the points went down, a strange thing happened. The second group of Macca, Dalbs, Jacko and Walks were leaning into the tempest when they noticed three wet, bedraggled, windblown and grumpy golfers heading for the shed.

On target . . .

Our lead group of Tom, Lethal and Ronzo had had enough and were intent on dribbling home to the dry and warmth of the clubhouse while the intrepid second group persisted, feigning a macho approach, making light of the dark and soaking up the uniqueness (and the rain) of their circumstances. While there were brief periods of respite, the fearless foursome, the "Creamers", actually enjoyed the experience while the
"Dreamers" were left to ponder. In the end, it was all a waste of time in respect of scores, none of which ended up counting toward the the final result, though Macca faired best with a respectable 14 soggy points.

The evening fish and chips/burgers (which came in instalments) and whiskies and wine warmed the cockles. No heading up to the shed this trip, everyone pleased to hibernate in the warm clubhouse. The highlight was Ronzo's evening spiel, included in which was the short-lived revelation that the Golden Buddha had been found. When unveiled, it turned out to be a Coles mini collectable which was presented to Jacko in recognition of his commitment to organising the Winter Golf. The search for the original continues.

Riotous Ronzo	Presenting the Buddha "Collectable"	Football must be on!

In search of cyberspace

Day 2, Sanctuary

Jacko was having one of those days . . .
. . . while Les was bunker jumping

Magnificent weather compared with yesterdays. We had the course almost to ourselves and it was in pretty good condition given the previous days downpour. Still plenty of sand and topped up lakes and we found them with monotonous regularity. Only one person played to handicap on each nine, Lethal on the first and Dalbs on the second, both scores making them joint leaders going into the ultimate round with Tom (17) and Jacko/Macca (16) in contention. Les was the most consistent, scoring 35 points on the day.

For some, it was all too much
GoGo Tom with apprentice	Black tie Day 2 winners

The after-golf festivities kicked off with a magnificent haute cuisine from renowned international chef GoGo Tom, the repast and fine liquor proving too much for some. The evening tradition continued with the black tie dinner of steak, sausages, potato, onions, corn etc etc before the serious matter of the AGM which we've yet to take seriously.

Day 3, Binningup
Walks was on the move – off home to a pre-tournament commitment – leaving 6 contenders for the title and only 3 points separating first and last. No comparison in the weather between Day 1 and the ultimate round and good scores were the expectation. Lead group of Macca, Jacko and Ronzo notched 1 point between them on the first – it was not a good sign. That trend continued for this intrepid trio, Macca wiping 5 holes, Ronzo 4 and Chris a meagre 2 both coming toward the end of his round, their collective efforts resulting in a 3-way 26 point final score tie for 3rd place which went to Ronzo on countback.

Is Tom in for a surprise!	Headed for the creek	Headed for the hills

In the second group, Dalbs jumped out early on the first with 2 points to two wipes. That stirred up the Lethal, his next 8 holes featuring some delightful hitting, the highlight being a pitch in from around 90 metres out for birdie and 4 points to square up with Dalbs after 4 holes. It was point for point from there on, Dalbs getting the critical break at the eighth to score 3 points to Lethal's 2, and it made the difference in the countback when both finished on 20 points. And the Little Master couldn't take a trick, the ghosts of the Day 1 tempest still resonating.

The comfort of home, a great meal from the Jacko Bar-B-Q and all was set for the announcements. Surprise, surprise it was another tie, Lethal and Dalbs each scoring 38 points. It was then that Lethal was introduced, in the cruelest way, to the countback system.

Masterchef	The last supper

Another classic Winter Trophy weekend:

• with thanks to Ronzo for his meticulous organising; Jacko and Tom for their culinary delights; and Tom for his Captaincy stewardship;
• with several "firsts" – the worst weather experienced to-date; a walk-off on the course in that tempest; the shed remaining vacant for the duration.