The second part of round two of the 2020 Summer Cup saw players walk to the tee with misty, drizzle falling.  Wet grass on the fairways made sure there was little run and putting required courage or balls ended well short of the cup.  Wind initially came from the west before moving to the south.  Every now and then the drizzle thickened and grips became slippery leading to some unusual shots that required very imaginative golf  to get back on the fairway or on to the green.  Despite the conditions a number of players were able to post very respectable scores.  On a cool, misty afternoon the results were;

Winner; Darlene Baker 2 under C/B Dave Kenney, from Anthony Lakey & Pat Chisholm – Even & Mal Mottram 1 over

NTPs; 15th – John Freestone

The summer weather continued to surprise as a thick drizzle accompanied the players for most of the round.  The fog became so thick at times that players were hitting out of sight and hoping for the best.  This Second Round of The Summer Cup was a stroke round and scoring well in the changed conditions was tricky.  With a birdie on the 5th, along with a run of pars from the 13th through to the 16th Darlene Baker managed to come out victorious.
On a cool, foggy morning the results were;
Winner; Darlene Baker – even from John Freestone – 2 over & Beryl Cole  C/B from Jenny Hartley – 5 over

NTP; 16th – Darlene Baker

A strong field took to the course for the second part of the The Summer Cup’s round 1.  The round began with a steady wind from the south which wandered across to the east (very unusual) then back again.  Many members had been hard at work raking up leaves, small branches and bark, both cleaning up Romsey Park and giving golfers a better surface from which to play.  Despite the wind a number of players were able to card good scores, however, the stand-out performance came from current club champion Mick Squire;  On a breezy, mild summer’s day the results were;

Winner; Mick Squire (4)  +4 from Rob Rea (19) & Sherif Abdel-Sayers (27)  both +3, Mitch Atlas (11) , Dave Kenney (29), Hugh Drummond (21) & Mal Mottram (9) all +1

Women’s Winner; Lis Manktelow (24) +1

NTPs; 1st – Mick Squire, 15th – Mal Mottram & 16th – Hugh Drummond

A near perfect day for golf on our course that is looking very good for this time of the summer.Scoring well was a challenge  for the good field of 15 players who took on the challenging Par format. The day’s results were;
Winner; Dean Jones (6)  -1 from John Freestone (21) -2 C/B Lis Manktelow (24)   -2
Social Golfers; Best score – Jan Harver from Colleen Duller
NTP; 15th-  Bruce Robb

With a predicted temperature above the club’s extreme heat level and a  90% chance of 20-40mm of rain an early start was called.  Players teed off at 8.30am with a gusting wind from the N/NW.  As the round progressed many a wary eye was cast to the west looking for the dark clouds that would herald the downpour, umbrellas were at the ready.  Despite the dire predictions the round was played in reasonably good conditions.  The greens and surrounds  continue to be in top condition and the fairways had weathered two days of extreme heat quite well.  It was a day for the long hitters but accuracy around the greens was vital.  On a windy, surprisingly dry morning, the results were;

Winner; Mitch Atlas – 78/11/66 from Andrew Evans – 80/12/68, Dean vanDenHeuval – 81/13/68 & Chris Lingard – 73/1/72.

Women’s Winner; Darlene Baker – 95/22/73

NTPs; 15th – John Freestone, 16th – Mitch Atlas

RGC Play-9 Winners; Mitch Atlas – 37/5.5/31.5 & Dean vanDenHeuval – 41/6.5/34.5. The RGC Play-9 winners will now represent us at Yea in the DDGA final later in the year.

The January Medal competition saw perfect conditions for golf early on  although the temperature increased as the round progressed. The course was in amazingly good condition with a good grass cover across most of the fairways.   A small amount of damage had been inflicted by corellas on a few of the  greens but this is minimal compared to recent years and hopefully close to the last of it.  The Monthly Medal Running Competition results :
JanuaryMedalist;  Jenny Hartley – 94/22/72 from Darlene Baker – 94/20/74,  C/B Pam Drummond – 106/32/74
Daily comp;  Chris Manktelow – 104/35/69 from Lis Manktelow – 95/24/71
Least putts Darlene Baker – 29 C/B from Lis Manktelow.
Nine Hole winner; Jan Harver with Colleen Duller a close second.

It was a cheerful, almost boisterous, crew who teed up for the club’s Australia Day Stableford event. There was plenty of excellent golf but few players were able to string more than a few good holes together.  The inconsistency of the golf became a point of great hilarity in some groups while  others felt the full weight of the disappointment that came with a miss directed drive or a fluffed chip however, one player was able to rise above the pack and card an excellent score.  The conditions were excellent and the course remains in top condition given the times of the year. On a beautiful, summer’s afternoon, the results were;

Winner; Mick Squire (4) 42 pts (70 0ff the stick) from Jim Patton (18) -36 pts and Mal Mottram (9) – 36 pts

NTPs; 15th – Mal Mottram &16th – Andrew Clement

The recent rains and milder weather saw pleasing growth across all of Romsey Park and most golfers took advantage of the good conditions.  The greens, apart from those attacked by the corellas, were again in top nick and the surrounds continue to the best they have been in many years.  A number of players took advantage of the morning tee-off times to get out on the park early and enjoy the beautiful summer’s morning before heading to Hanging Rock for the Elton John Concert.  The large field who teed up for the the January medal enjoyed the  conditions with some players really giving their handicaps a work-over.  Few played better than evergreen veteran Les Gaunt (6) who, after a few ordinary holes to begin with, pared or birdied the final 11 holes.  An early score of nett 68 looked to be pretty good but as the groups came in it became apparent that 68 was not safe.  On a beautiful, still afternoon the results were;

Winner & January Medalist; Ron Walker – 92/26/66 from Chris Manktelow – 104/36/68, Andrew Clement – 78/10/68, Bob Dwyer – 108/36/72 & Les Gaunt – 78/6/72

Women’s Winner; Lis Manktelow – 100/24/72 from Pam Drummond- 114/32/82

NTPs; 15th – Les Gaunt, 16th – Jim Patton

Least Putts; Andrew Clement – 26

Texas Ambrose was the day’s competition, there was a stiff northerly wind combined with quite humid conditions so a nine hole comp was welcomed by those in the field.   Summer run was in evidence with long straight drives rewarded with a few extra metres. The greens were very consistent and strong, bold putts were the order of the day.
Results
1st;     Wendy Gosden/Hugh Williams/Bruce Robb – 45 pts
2nd.;   Lorraine Robb/Elaine Scanlon/Darlene Baker – 44pts
3rd;     Jenny Hartley/Beryl Cole/Pam Drummond – 29 pts