At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them

And that was exactly right because this fiercely contested and memorable event didn’t finish until the sun was going down!

 

25th April 2007 – Anzac Day: It was a truly beautiful day for golf, which was fortunate because that Wednesday was the day when the Anzac Day Medal would make its debut as a fully sanctioned nnomads Golf Club championship event. As most Members probably don’t know, the Anzac Medal was played at Yarrambat in 2006 and Jack won it convincingly.  However the event wasn’t a club sanctioned event at the time and thus didn’t contribute to the club championship calculations. “No one told me it had to be sanctioned and all members need to be invited to play. I just did a phone around and away we went” moaned Brendan at the time, but that’s another story.  This year The Anzac Day Medal was the first nnomads Golf Club sanctioned event on the 2007 club championship calendar.

A Top Class Field of Competitors: As would be expected a high quality group of competitors were attracted to the event, and particularly when they were told about the fabulous Anzac day medal and other prizes on offer for the winners (see photo of Anzac Day Medal to the left). 

The first group off the tee contained the existing title holder Jack along with the event sponsor and the lowest handicapper in the field, Brendan. They were joined by a couple of past championship event winners in Steph (winner of the BIT in 2006) and Steve (Winner of numerous Melbopurne Cup Cups over many rears and runner up in the MCC 2006). This meant that the first group should have been extremely competitive.

The second group off the tee contained the current nnomads Golf Club champion – Tom, along with two players who had recently exhibited stunning form in the nnomads weekly competition, being Harry and Mark.  Thus the second group represented the ‘in form’ players at the time.

Readers will note that Fritz, who was also booked to compete in the second group, unusually, didn’t arrive at the very last minuite to tee off with seconds to spare. “Yeah the car died on me last night so I can’t make it.” he was quoted from his bed when rung from the 1st tee in the early afternoon. “I still expect him to arrive after we have all teed off” mused Mark as he wandered off down the first. 

A Top Class Course: Last year’s winner, Jack, was given the choice of where to play this year’s event. He chose the Growling Frog which is an ACR 73 rated, 5,328 metre, links course and a real favourite with nnomads Golf Club members.  The weather on the day was surperb and the on course conditions werte perfect. This created the perfect environment to run the first nnomads Golf Club champoinship event of the year. “Now get serious Stu. The waiting arround was painful. It was just fortunate that the ‘on course’ buggey had plenty of burbon and coke” countered Tom when commenting on the conditions of play after the game (see On And Off The Course at the Anzac Day Medal). And he was right because it was a slow round with a lot of waiting arround. The last group teeed off on the 18th hole in semi darkness. But did it really matter? No! Most of the players took it in their stride, partook of the odd refreshement or two along the way and were all smilling at the end of it all.

The Club Champion Maintains His Form: So who was surprised when the club champion Tom, won the event at the end of the day? Well it was difficult to tell in the dark, as was adding up the scores to determine the winner. Fortunately, Steph’s eyes were up to the task and a winner was able to be calculated and confirmed. The final analysis showed that Tom got around the Growling Frog in 96 and with his bandit handicap of 23; he gained a net score of 73 which was even with the ACR. “Looks like going out by one stroke last week made all the difference” observed Tom as the final results were read out confirming him as the winner.

Next best on the day was Brendan who got around The Frog in an impressive 86 strokes (lowest off the stick by a long way). With his handicap of 12 strokes he ended up net 74, just one stroke behind Tom. “Look I was happy to walk off the course with an 86 and I was happy to win a ball or two” conceded Brendan as he was confirmed in second place. Harry followed up one stroke back on a net 75 strokes with the rest of the field at least three strokes further back. “Are there are no prizes for third?” inquired Harry as he realised he was unlikely to win a ball.

In addition to the main event there was a Nearest the Pin competition on every par 3 hole, a total of four NTPs overall. However, only Steve and Tom managed to get a ball on a couple of those holes winning a ball each for their efforts. Brendan won the longest drive which was run on the eighth hole. He also won a ball for his efforts, adding to his two balls for 2nd place.

Presentations in the Car Park in the Dark: But the attention during presentations was on all on the winner Tom, and quite rightly so. Tom won the last nnomads Gold Club championship event of 2006 (also run at the Growling Frog). He won the nnomads Gold Club championship overall in 2006 and now he has won the 1st nnomads Golf Club championship event for 2007.  “He is a worthy winner” stated Jack as he pinned the Anzac Day medal on Tom’s chest in the dark at the back of the Growling Frog car park with minimal blood (see The Presentations).  No comment, no comment thanks” said Tom as he brushed aside the media when asked for an interview.

Tom Leads the 2007 Championship: So there you have it folks. The first championship event for 2007 has been completed and Tom is in the lead with an average score of 73 strokes. As most members will know, the nnomads Golf Club champion for 2007 will be the player with the lowest average net score at the end of the year across at minimum of three official nnomads Golf Club championship events.  It is calculated as follows:

The gross scores of each player's best three net scores from all Official nnomads championship events entered, are added together, resulting in the total gross score. The handicaps used to get these best three net scores are also added together, resulting in the total handicap. This is then subtracted from the total gross score, to give the players total net score. The total net score is then averaged, giving the players average net score. The Player with the lowest average net score at the end of the year will be the club champion. Entrants must compete in a minimum of three Official nnomads Golf Club championship events in the relevant calendar year.

Rise to the Challenge: The nnomads Golf Club committee would like to congratulate Tom on his fabulous win in the Anzac Day Medal and indeed all other winners on the day. The committee also wants to call on all members and associates of the nnomads Golf Club to rise to the challenge and give Tom some stiff competition by contesting as many club championship competitions as possible in 2007. The next club championship competition is likely to be the Monarch of the Tullum (MOTT) which will be run in late June after the Uralba Open (see Min for details), although there is a hint of a new club sanctioned event to be run some time in May (details to be announced shortly, maybe). But one thing is for sure; the Anzac Day medal is a welcome addition to the nnomads Golf Club calendar and is here to stay. Put it in the dairy for next year and see you there!

 

Results: The Anzac Day Medal 2007

 

Event

Course

Player

Gross Score

HCP

Net Score

Prizes

ShIT

Growling Frog

Tom

96

23

73

1st place (3 balls) and 1 x NTP (1 ball)

ShIT

Growling Frog

Brendan

86

12

74

2nd place (2 balls) and 1 x LD (1 ball)

ShIT

Growling Frog

Harry

102

27

75

 

ShIT

Growling Frog

Steph

98

20

78

 

ShIT

Growling Frog

Steve S

101

18

83

1 x NTP (1 ball)

ShIT

Growling Frog

Mark

121

35

86

 

ShIT

Growling Frog

Jack

108

18

90

 

 

On And Off The Course

The Presentations