It was a hardy, some would say fool hardy, group of golfers who hit off in the club’s stableford competition.  A few wise heads had looked out the window and phoned to cancel their round.  Heavy drizzle drifted across the course for most of that afternoon and umbrellas had to be used very carefully or a gust of wind would have them heading north.  Both dams were full to overflowing and there was casual water on almost every fairway however, the greens had held up well and were only a little slower than usual.  The cold air, drizzle, gusting wind and very soft fairways made for an extremely challenging round; anyone who was able to play near their handicap had a top round.  On a cold, damp afternoon the results were;

Winner; Davie Kenney (22) – 33 pts from Steve Wilkins (18) – 32 pts, Anthony Lakey (20) – 31pts & Andrew Clement (9) – 31 pt

NTPs; No NTPs due to Covid-19 restrictions.

As a further response to the Covid19 virus the Wednesday comp is currently being held as a week long “running” competition. This is
an attempt to offer opportunities to play on the course, and to optimise social distancing. Further changes include filling the holes with foam noodle pieces which prevents the ball resting in the bottom of the hole and allows golfers to remove their ball without contacting any other surfaces.
Our volunteers continue to do an amazing job and the near perfect condition of the course is a credit to them and is something all members appreciate.
Weather conditions were such this week that some holes were filled with rain water that forced the foam to float above the level of the cup so holing out was a new experience!!
The weekly comp was played over two days as chosen by individual members. A highlight of the round was Jenny Hartley’s chip in birdie on the third.
Conditions were very heavy with casual water across many fairways and preferred lies needed to keep clumps of mud off the ball. Many a time balls driven off the tee or fairways were plugged where they had landed without any further length which was a winter challenge for all. Darlene showed all the back yard chipping practice during lockdown has been useful by scoring the best round for the week.

Results
1st; Darlene Baker  (21)     34 Stableford Points
2nd; Jenny Hartley   (23)    29 pts
3rd; Beryl Coke        (27)    28 pts

Mother Nature put on a stunning late autumn day for the first weekend round of golf in seven weeks; clear skies, plenty of sun and virtually no wind.  The golfers of Romsey were keen to get back on the course  and handled the Covid-19 restrictions very well.  Groups teed off at ten minute intervals, all scores were checked and agreed to verbally and players forwarded a pic of their card to the captain at the end of the round.  Romsey Park and the golf course are currently in spectacular condition, trees trimmed and all grass well under control.  The colder air and the softer fairways meant that all  players lost distance so correct club selection was vital.  The greens were in good nick and putted very true, if a little slow early in the round however, most players were not too concerned with the scores, they were just happy to be out and about again.  On a stunning day the results were;

Winner;   Mitch Atlas – 83/10/73/Andrew Laing – 91/18/73 from Pat Chisholm – 86/12/74 & Jim Patton – 91/17/74

NTPs; 15th – Mick Squire

After a seven week hiatus some cautious reductions to the Covid19 restrictions have allowed a return to golf.  This news was gladly received by many golfers across the state not least of all by those at Romsey Golf Club.
It was obvious to all who played that a dedicated band of volunteers have not had a holiday and have been busy maintaining and improving the course. The fairways have a beaut cover of grass and, along with the surrounds, have been regularly mown.  The greens are in tip-top condition. The extension to the first green has come along well and is a great improvement.    A big thank you to all who have worked so hard on the course. The whole of  Romsey Park looks wonderful.
The morning rain deterred a number of golfers but a few hardy souls hit off early to participate in a stroke event. Others chose to return in the afternoon to play in the sunshine.  Dean Jones was not deterred by the weather conditions or a lack of practice and had a great round.  On a very challenging morning
the results were;
1st; Dean Jones –  72/5/67
2nd; Steve Wilkins – 100/19/81
3rd; John Freestone – 102/19/83

Golf cancelled until April 13th as per GolfAus directive.

The cancellation of golf in Victoria was later extended until May 11th.

The first day of the running competition for the March Monthly Medal was held amid even more stringent rules regarding Social Distancing in response to Covid-19.   All payments were made via card to avoid  handling cash, the clubhouse was no longer accessible so we met outside, flags stayed in for the entire round, players kept their own card and verbally checked scores at the end.  No handshakes or high fives and a two metre distance between players who teed off in pairs only. Each player messaged women’s captain with their final scores and she then passed the final results the handicapper.  Hopefully these rules will allow us to continue to enjoy our golf.
Daily results were; 
1st.           Wendy Gosden      104/28/76
2nd.          Beryl Cole               103/26/77
3rd.           Jenny Hartley         101/23/78

A beautiful early autumn day greeted golfers as they teed up for the quarter finals of the Algie Mitchell Shield and the club’s stableford round.  Measures to reduce the chance of spreading Covid-19 were clearly explained before hit-off.  There was a flippant wind from the SE but it seemed to have little effect on play.  Recent rains and milder weather saw the course green up considerably and there were far fewer bare patches on the fairways.  The quarter finals of the Algie Mitchell Shield were all close with all four of the groups heading to the 10th “all square”.  At the end of the day three semis went to 1up and the other 2up.  The Stableford round saw some wonderful golf followed by close meetings with trees deflating many players.  The eventual winner picked up four birdies to have a very memorable round, he felt it was an enjoyable day to be out on the course.  On a wonderful autumn day the results were;

Winner; Steve Wilkins (17) – 39pts from Scott Willians (15) – 36pts

NTPs; 1st – Roger Baker, 15th – Pat Chisholm

Algie Mitchell Shield Quarter Finals  results;

Jim Patton (0) D John Freestone  (1) – 2up

Mal Mottram (0) D Bob McLennan  (5) – 1up

Andrew Laing (0) L Davey Kenney (1) – 1up

Bob Dwyer (20) D Anthony Lakey (0) – 1up

Algie Mitchell Shield Semi-finals (April 4th) will be;

Jim Patton (9) Vs Mal Mottram (0)

Bob Dwyer (19) Vs Davey Kenney (0)

The Kilmore Challenge Bowl  was held amid several cancellations of district events and “Social Distancing” becomes the new norm.   The clubhouse and all buggies had been thoroughly sanitised, golfers were reminded to remain apart from each other and handshaking was discouraged.  These restriction had little effect on the golf as scoring was very good. The RGC team of Wendy Gosden (39pts)/Jenny Hartley (33pts)/Elaine Scanlon (33pts) – 105 pts were runners up in the bowl.

The 2020 Kilmore Challenge Bowl winners were; Lancefield – Carol Mee(41pts)/Florence Meyer(37pts)/Sandra Stevens (35pts) –  113.    Congratulations to the Lancefield team who attributed their great scores on the day to their previous day’s hit out on the Romsey Course.

The top five for Player-of-the-Year points were Chris Doherty (Trentham) – 43 pts, Carol Mee (Lancefield) – 41pts, Wendy Gosden (Romsey) – 39 pts, Glenda Woods (Seymour) and Maureen Warrener (Woodend).

A great day was had by all as Romsey Golf Club hosted visitors from Lancefield Golf Club for a friendly game of 4-person Ambrose. The weather was very conducive to good golf, the fairways were great and apart from some late season bird damage the greens were quite good. Numbers worked out perfectly to have two Romsey and two Lancefield players in each group and whoops and cheers could be heard across the course as long putts dropped and approach shots landed close.
All players were reminded that in this time of Covid19 concern, social distancing and general precautions were required so there no picking up of someone else’s ball and the flags remained in the hole at all times to minimise double handling.   Lunch was served after the round and at the large tables that usual accommodate 8 people we maintained our distance by having only four chairs at each table.

Results for the day on the 12 Hole Old Course

1st; Jenni Vennel, Carol Mee, Denise O’Meara, Darlene Baker                  46/10.08/35.92

2nd; Di Brennan, Robyn Stevens, Lorraine Robb and Beryl Cole                  50/10/40

3rd; Sandra Stevens, Lyn Murchison, Wendy Gosden, Jenny Hartley    52/8.83/43.17

It was a beautiful Autumn day  when a large number of players from many different clubs traveled to Gisborne to compete in the annual Gisborne Challenge Bowl.  Romsey was represented by Wendy Gosden(27) 32pts and Lorraine Robb(40) 30pts. A Gisborne player made up the team. The fairways were very good and provided some run, the greens were tricky but good and the bunkers gobbled up golf balls. Lorraine had a NTP.

The 2020 Bowl was won by a team from Gisborne with 103 pts.

At the end of the game players nodded their thanks instead of shaking hands.