St Leonards Golf
Round 20 saw us return to North Ryde Golf Club. A
number of our players are members at Nth Ryde, so it’s a bit of a home
ground for them. We got back to our usual 8.30 hit off. It was a shock
for all when Mr Handicapper showed up before 8am! His dependence on a
good sleep prior to play was starkly revealed as he found himself
awarded the Bradman. Well done, Pete, for at least showing up early!
The weather was sparkling. A typical spring
morning, a little cool and pleasant in the sunshine (not at all like the
stinker we were subject to on Wednesday). It did start to get a bit
hotter towards the end of the game. Fairways were ideal, but the greens
were still recovering from coring a few weeks back and caused the ball
occasionally to jump strangely (well, that’s my excuse, as I putted very
badly). The breeze was a bit stronger on the back 9, I suspect not too
much impact though, as Mr Handicapper advised half the players did
better than their handicap.
We had one of our biggest turnouts this year. We had 18 starters with one late withdrawal giving us 17 teeing off. Play was well-paced with no delays. The scores were on the high side for our usual results. Of particular mention is Wil Lazar with a sensational 50 points! Wil made par on 9 holes and recorded the second highest score in the 25-year history of our club. I feel sorry for Peter Robertson and Steve Greene who had good rounds, all to no avail. There was an error on Peter Robertson's card. On the 2nd, Peter scored 5/3, not the 5/2 recorded, giving him 43 points. Even so, Peter still came in second. Steve Greene was also flying with 10 pars and two birdies, 3 over off the stick, but had to settle for 3rd place with 40 points. Mark Messenger did not get a spot with 39 points but with wipes he lost two shots!
In the doubles it is little surprise that Wil and Rey won with 52 points. Might be one for the Honour Roll. Peter Robertson's extra point came into play with our score (ie Peter's score combined with that of your present correspondent) going up to 47. Phil Liddell with Dave Plowes and Phil with Les Pitman also had 47 points but Peter and I got second place on a count back.
Phil and Les also had a
matchplay, won by Phil 6&4. It was always going to be tough for Les
coming back from injury.
It was a good day had by all. North Ryde has a
nice clubhouse with an excellent choice of meals. A good finish to a
very pleasant round of golf. Thanks to all who were there.
The fairway is
your canvas; swing boldly and create your masterpiece —
Unattributed
Handicaps
