Parkes Golf Club
By Peter Bristol
Saturday’s Results
Saturday was the annual Parkes Services Club Social Club sponsored Fourball event and we are again thankful for their support in providing trophies for our golfers to compete for.
This group can be seen on Sunday mornings competing and having a good time. This year it was a multiplier where both players need to score to maximise the team score.
Eighty players turned out on a course in good nick and starting to provide a bit of run.
The event looked like being a very tight run event with Duncan Constable and Jack Matthews sitting in the clubhouse from lunchtime awaiting presentation that evening.
They had compiled a very good 84 and were just one ahead of the Denis Howard and Rob Hey and the pairing of Craig Dunn and Peter Bristol. Both these teams believing they were in with a chance until reaching the ProShop to see the leaders already posted.
Then came the veterans – John Fowler and Richard Hamilton - out there using their guile and skill to gouge out an 89 to swamp the clubhouse leaders and take out the event in style.
The Nearest The Pins on Saturday were –The Idlerite 1st by Rob Hey at 262cm, Griffins Leading Edge by Josh Duffy at 171cm, Parkes Ready Mixed Concrete 9th by Troy Thomson at 273cm, the Harvey Norman 11th by Dale Matthews at 248cm, the 17th by Phil Smith at 6cm. The winner of the lucky 4th this week was Phil Smith at 6cm, pert near a hole in one.
There was also an individual in conjunction and Matt Clarke was the winner with a very impressive 41 points.
Ball winners were Duncan Constable and Jack Matthews 84, Craig Dunn and Peter Bristol, Rob Hey and Denis Howard 83, John Green and Mark Kelly, Trevor Chatman and Ian Ward 81.
On Sunday there was a start of a new tradition with new Pro team of Zac and Maddie Kelly suggesting the long weekend Sunday deserved a social event of sorts and so the Grand Final Day Cup has been established.
This is a two person Ambrose, with each player hitting at least seven tee shots, with a scratch and net event prize.
The endeavour looks to be a successful ongoing event with 56 players teeing it up with the shotgun start providing a social finish with all players finishing around the same time.
In the scratch event it was a tight run affair with the well performed team of Michael Thomas and Sam Standen going 5 under with a 67 to win the event by a stroke from Jake Thompson and Blake Parker who were smashing it everywhere to give themselves the birdie and eagle opportunities.
Matthew Spedding and Cam Standen were on the same score and unlucky not to go lower.
Peter Amor and Andrew Bourke as well as the wily pairing of Peter Magill and Rob ‘Baron’ Cheney finished on 69.
In the net event 62 was the number as 3 teams tied before the countback was needed to separate them with Matthew and Cam coming out on top just beating Michael and Sam and Peter and the Baron.
All in all a great day and positive feedback from the participants.
Veterans Golf
By John Dwyer
It was a classic day for golf when Forbes hosted last week's twin-towns veteran's competition which saw local Stephen Uphill win the day with a well compiled 40 points for the 18 holes.
But it was not an easy win as he had to survive a count-back from fellow golfer Alex MacKinnon who also bought his A game, while hot on their heels on 39 points was Parkes' Gordon Pritchard who has been in rare form over the past month with his dwindling handicap reflecting this.
With the Forbes course in top condition and the weather picture perfect 27 players faced the starter - 17 from Forbes and 10 from Parkes - with Forbes also comfortable winners of the twin-towns shield by 235 points to 205.
Uphill completed what was a good day by winning the A grade nearest-to-pin on the ninth hole with Bill Bourke from Parkes the B grade winner. No A graders threatened the pin on the 18th, while Pritchard was closest in B grade.
The ball sweep went to 34 points with the winners as follows: 39 - Gordon Pritchard (P); 36 - Ken Sanderson, Bede Tooth and Bruce Chandler (F); 35 - Alf Davies (F); 34 - John Dwyer, Bill Bourke and Nym Dziuba (P) and Scott Kirkman (F).
This week it is back to Parkes for the 18 holes competition.