STEVE
GRABS THE SHIT IN A PUTT-OFF
17th
November 2007: This
time we had about three weeks notice that Shanksy
was once again heading for our shores. It meant that the SHanksy
Invitational Tournament (SHIT) would be held in 2007. “We had almost written the event off for this
year because we only hold it when he is in Australia” explained Harry as
he tried to justify the short notice. “What
with the BIT, the TSCC, the Ablaru, and the Melbourne Cup, Cup all
within six weeks of each other, it’s a pretty crowded golf calendar at this
time of year” added Mark trying to explain how lucky we were that he was
able to play that day.
An
Aspirational Event: Now
the SHIT is one of those events that nnomads Golf Club members really aspire to
win. This is partly because of the fabulous perpetual trophy that you get your
name on if you win, and partly because of the great prizes the winner walks
away with. For example, this year the winner was to walk away with a dozen
quality golf balls as well as the perpetual trophy. “Hold on, you didn’t know I was going to donate the golf balls until
the presentations. No one knew in advance” retorted Shanksy
when reading the previous line. “Yeah but
don’t let the truth get in the way of a good article” countered Fritz when
trying to explain why he felt compelled to compete in the 2007 SHIT. Note: As
usual, Fritz arrived just in time for tee off in the last group, after missing
the player briefing and photos, but that is another story.
Strong
Competitive Field: It was a high quality and very competitive
field that stepped up to the first tee that Saturday afternoon. The first group
off the mound included Harry (winner of the PIS 2007), Emile
(winner of the BIT 2007) and Mark V (2nd TSCC 2007). They were
followed by Pete (Past winner multiple MCCs), Mark F
(on the verge of a major win), Tom (present club champion 2006 and winner of 2nd
SHIT 2006) and Shanksy (sponsor).
Note: Shanksy is unable to compete
in most nnomads competitions because he lives in the USA
(or at least in Malibu, California
if that is still considered part of the US). The final group consisted of
Jack (winner of 1st SHIT 2006), Steve (winner TSCC 2007), Min (also
on the verge of a major win) and Fritz (guaranteed to be there in time for tee
off). All of these players fancied their chances in the 2007 Shanksy Invitational Tournament (see photos of player groups).
Limited
Interest in Mulligan’s Offer: As an aside, Shanksy introduced some quite unusual rules for this
event. In particular, the rule that any player could purchase a single
‘Mulligan’s’ (free repeat shot), which could be used for any stroke
during the game (from tee-off to putting anywhere on the course). The cost of a
‘Mulligan’s’ was $5.00. The proceeds were to be put on the bar at the end of
the game, for post game drinks, and the rest (if there is any and quite
unlikely), was to go to the club. The catch was that you had to pay for the
‘mulligan’s’ up front (or at least commit to paying at the end of the game.
Commitment was required on the 1st tee). Players could not decide
during the game. It was an upfront decision.
And
logically you may ask - how many of the eleven players took up the ‘mulligan’s’
offer at the beginning of the game? And the answer is - only one of the eleven
players and that player was Shanksy,
and he did use his mulligan’s and he did pay up at the end of the game. “Look I saw it as a revenue generator for
the nnomads. But Australians may not be ready for these more forward thinking
rules. They are big in California.
Australians don’t understand, but it adds strategy into the equation and if
there are enough people, it provides a great subsidy for the bar tab at the end
of the game” argued Shanksy
trying to position his rule as misunderstood. “I thought the lack of interest was more to do with the exorbitant
price. It was a price – value thing, or lack of it as I saw it” mused Pete
who had totally lost interest as soon as $5.00 had been mentioned. “Too much to be confronted with on the first
tee. I’m thinking about my golf, not a commercial transaction. I don’t think I
understood the value of the offer at the time. In retrospect, I would have gone
for it” cursed Emile who had
considered it at the time but didn’t go with it because no one else was going
for it, so it couldn’t be good value because no one else was going for it at
the time, so he wasn’t going to go for it either, which sounds like a smart
decision?
A Facility You Expect At The Best
Private Club: Now the ‘Growling
Frog Golf Course’ is an ACR 73 rated 5,328 metre links course. Graham Marsh,
the course designer, describes the Growling Frog as:
“A classic piece of land that truly reflects the unique beauty
and character of the Australian countryside. The course is nestled amongst
stately 300 year old River Red Gums on more than 300 acres, and surrounded by
abundant wildlife. It appeals to golfers seeking a different playing experience
to Melbourne's
traditional sand-belt courses, and presents a rare opportunity to experience a
level of quality and facility that you tend to expect at the best private
clubs.”
So
with a description like that, how could you not be attracted to a course like
this? “And that’s why I chose this
course. It’s in great condition, it’s a challenge and they will let us on” smiled
Shanksy agreeing with the Graham
Marsh description. “Well I’m not sure I agree with the wildlife
bit. All I saw were millions of flies and some very attractive women in the bar
afterwards” counted Min when asked to comment on how he found the course.
But the flies didn’t bother the rest of the field who had an extremely pleasant
day (see photos of on and off the course).
The
Course Took Its Toll: So within the context of a beautiful
panorama, on a magnificent course, and the perfect day on which to play golf,
most players died a death. No, that’s not true. That’s an exaggeration – Not!
In fact, half of the players ended up net 80+ strokes. A small group made up of
Jack, Min and Harry ended up around net 77 to 79 strokes, which was a long way
behind Mark F on net 74 strokes and two particular players on a net 73 strokes.
That was even with the card (that is, for the purposes of the nnomads Golf
Club, who use the ACR rather then the par in handicap calculations). Now Emile was one of those players. He got around the
Growling Frog in 111 strokes. Combined with his ridiculous handicap of 38, he
ended up net 73 strokes, and even with the card! Yaaaaaa!!! Steve was the other player involved. He
cruised around the Frog in 93 strokes off the stick giving him a net 73 after
his new handicap of 20. Yaaaaaa!!! “Look I
was very happy with twenty. It was good timing. It is a long time since I had a
‘2’ in front of my handicap, although I’m not proud of that.” smiled a
pleasantly surprised Steve who hadn’t realised his handicap had slipped out. It
helped put him in equal first place with Emile.
A
Putt-Off To Decide the SHIT: So the scene was set for a
play-off. Event sponsor Shanksy,
deemed the event would be decided in a putt-off to be held on the practice
green immediately in front of the club house. “Lucky for that because I don’t think many people would have walked
very far from the bar” suggested Jack who liked the idea of not moving very
far from the bar “As lawyers and ‘hanging
judges’ would think” sniggered Mark F, who privately tended to agree. “The hill provides the perfect stadium for
we spectators” dished up Tom who was coming to grips with not being the
reigning SHIT champion (but also preferred to be close to the bar).
So,
down on the practice green, a coin was tossed, heads, and Steve putted first
followed by Emile. Putt for putt
they went both completing the first hole in four strokes. “So, do it again” said the crowd, and back they went to repeat
the task for a second time. And this time there was a result. Towards the end
of the hole, Emile missed a
reasonably difficult shot to leave Steve with a gimme putt to win (see photos of the putt-off)
SHIT
2007 Presentations: That decided the winner of the Shanksy Invitational Tournament for 2007 and Steve
was the talent that had taken out first prize. It was Steve that was presented
with the fabulous perpetual SHIT trophy and a dozen quality balls. Emile gained a single ball as the unfortunate runner
up, as did Jack and Pete each for an NTP and Shanksy
for the longest drive (see photos of 2007
presentations).
Huge
Impact on 2007 nnomads Golf Club championship: A
week or so before the event, Brendan rang Harry to ask who was playing in the
SHIT at the Growling Frog. This was because Brendan (The phantom handicapper),
had just worked out the club championship results year to date. The results
showed that Brendan 
was
leading the field in the championship with an average net score of 74, a stroke
or two in front of the rest of the field. It also showed that Emile, who had only submitted two of a compulsory
three cards, had a lower average score than Brendan, around 72 strokes over two
sanctioned events. If Emile played,
he will have submitted the required three cards and thus would be well in the
running for the 2007 club championship. “Look
Harry, if Emile gets another 110
gross, with his obscene handicap of 38, he will win the championship for 2007.
If he plays, it is your responsibility to make sure he is nobbled,
got it” instructed Brendan who was beginning to realise he may have some
serious competition in 2007. And of course Harry took his responsibilities
seriously by partnering Emile in the
SHIT, and explaining to him why he was required to be nobbled,
which he was. “Look it not my fault that Emile played well. But his gross score of 111 should
place him well in the 2007 nnomads Golf Club championship.” smiled Harry at
the last committee meeting.
And
he was right. Emile now leads the
2007 club championship ladder (see club website) and there are only a few weeks
to the end of the year. And once again the SHIT had had a fundamental impact on
the nnomads Golf Club Championship, as it did last year. If the second SHIT
hadn’t been played last year in 2006, Tom wouldn’t have won the 2006 nnomads
Golf Club championship. If the SHIT hadn’t been run in 2007, Emile wouldn’t have been leading the 2007 nnomads
Golf Club championship ladder with only a few weeks to go and no other planned
events. “Surely we can fit one more event
in somewhere” suggested Mark F who could also be a 2007 contender if he
produced the right performance before the end of the year. “Sounds good to me but someone has to organise another event before the
31st of December. What about Min and a belated MOTT?” asked Tom who
was interested in stimulating as much competition in 2007 as possible. “I’m not sure it will make a difference”
mumbled Brendan somewhat dejectedly at the last committee meeting. And only
time will tell but at this stage my money is on Emile for 2007.
A
Stable SHIT in Future: A point of interest with respect to the
SHIT was that Shanksy said he was considering returning to live in Australia. He
also said that if he did this; the SHIT would have a permanent date on the
calendar. “Instead of popping up without
notice at different times of year, or twice a year, it would have its own date,
away from other major events” he dreamed. But that may or may not happen in
2008. In the mean time we put the Shanksy Invitational Tournament to bed until
the lad arrives once again on our shores, temporarily or permanently. But watch
out for it. It’s an event that pops up without notice and is one you wouldn’t
want to miss.
Results: SHanksy
Invitational Tournament 2007
|
Event
|
Course
|
Player
|
Gross Score
|
HCP
|
Net Score
|
Prizes
|
|
ShIT
|
Growling Frog
|
Steve
|
93
|
20
|
73
|
Winner after playoff
|
|
ShIT
|
Growling Frog
|
Emile
|
111
|
38
|
73
|
Runner up after playoff &NTP
|
|
ShIT
|
Growling Frog
|
Mark F
|
110
|
36
|
74
|
|
|
ShIT
|
Growling Frog
|
Jack
|
96
|
19
|
77
|
NTP
|
|
ShIT
|
Growling Frog
|
Min
|
109
|
31
|
78
|
|
|
ShIT
|
Growling Frog
|
Harry
|
105
|
26
|
79
|
|
|
ShIT
|
Growling Frog
|
Tom
|
103
|
21
|
82
|
|
|
ShIT
|
Growling Frog
|
Pete
|
102
|
20
|
82
|
NTP
|
|
ShIT
|
Growling Frog
|
Mark V
|
112
|
26
|
86
|
|
|
ShIT
|
Growling Frog
|
Shanksy
|
102
|
16
|
87
|
Longest drive
|
|
ShIT
|
Growling Frog
|
Fritz
|
121
|
28
|
93
|
|
Player groups
On and off the course
The final putt-off
2007 Presentations
www.nnomadsgolfclub.com