Heavy rain over the during the week saw excellent fairways and greens however, the course had softened appreciably and it looked as if the longer hitters were going to gain the advantage.  The round began under clear skies with virtually no wind but the humidity was quite high so the air was a bit thicker than expected.  The Par field made light work of these obstacles with a number of players carding excellent scores.  There were a number of birdies on the Par 5s and a very near miss for an eagle on the Par 4, 3rd.  Conditions for the John Laing Shield Final looked to favour Mick Nicholls Jnr, a consistent, long hitter but the pressure of a matchplay final can change the whole game.  Mick drove well but John’s ability to find the middle of the fairway, his excellent approach shots and a top short game around the greens made up for any lack of distance off the tee.  In the end it the final a bit of a fairy tale ending with 83 year old John Laing taking out the shield named in his honour.  On a steamy, sticky day the results were;

Par Competition;  Jim Patton (21) +5 from Hugh Drummond (22) +4, Mick Nicholls Snr (22) +4, Scott Williams (19) +2, Bruce Robb (34) +1, Rob Rea (18), Bob McLennan (13) & Chris vanDerVliet (25) all Square.

NTPs; 15th – Les Gaunt

John Laing Shield Final

John Laing (13) D Mick Nicholls Jnr (0) – 5/4

Fellow Life Member Peter Scanlon presents the John Laing Shield to 2017 winner, John Laing.

John Laing with 2017 Women’s Singles Knock Out Winner Elaine Scanlon

The Mixed Foursomes round began on the first really warm morning since last summer. The heat and complete lack of a breeze tested players.  The drying out of the fairways saw all players achieve extra distance off the tee but the short game had to be accurate or all gained advantage was lost.  Mixed foursomes made an interesting day for teams with players sharing alternating shots.

Winners; John Freestone (22)/Jan Harver (43) – 39 points from Hugh Williams (25)/Wendy Gosden (33) – 34 points on count back from Bruce Robb (34) Jenny Hartley (30)

The Eastern Golf Club hosted the State Final of the 2017 Silver Spoon.  This event was first played in 1921, until 1925 silver medals were given to each player and a gold medal given to the play-off winner. Today each player receives a silver spoon. Each club plays qualifying rounds with winners proceeding to the State Final. This year over 170 Victorian affiliated clubs participated with 109 of them being represented the final. Play began under warm conditions in Melbourne’s outer North-East however the mercury reaching 31C early in the afternoon.  There was little wind this became a factor for the players. In the afternoon session Darlene Baker was Romsey’s representative with Lorraine Robb as her trusted caddy. Because of the rising humidity and high temperatures Golf Victoria allowed all players to use motorised carts on a course that had very long distances between greens and the next tee.  Green side bunkers abounded but Darlene managed to avoid most of them. There was very dense rough just off the cut surface and players soon learnt to stay on the fairway or resign themselves to the fact that their ball would be lost in the unforgiving rough. In an afternoon field of 38 players Darlene scores 28 pts and was ranked a respectable, equal tenth.

The first really warm day of spring saw a strong field take to the course, there was a steady southerly breeze but it did not effect the players.  Again the fairway were in top nick and the 1st cut of rough was perfect, once golfers strayed a bit further off the fairway finding a ball was a little more challenging.  The two semi finals of the John Laing Shield proved to be hard fought and very close affairs.  The stroke event was equally tight, three players were neck and neck down the final few holes and one loose shot here and a chip-in there made all the difference.  On a beautiful late spring day the results were;

Winner; Anthony Freeman – 93/21/72 from Jim Patton – 95/22/72 & Scott Williams – 91/18/73

NTPs; 1st Kevin Dunn & 15th Jim Patton

John Laing Shield Semi-final results;

John Laing (20) D Bob McLenna (0) – 19th

Mick Nicholls Jnr (0) D Kevin Dunn (5) – 1up

John Laing Shield Final will be;

Mick Nicholls Jnr (0) Vs John Laing (13)

Wendy Gosden and Darlene Baker represented Romsey Golf Club at the 2017 Gisborne Tournament.  While the course was in good condition the greens were still recovering from recent coring and provided more than a few putting challenges.  For the first time this season the weather was quite warm and humid  but undoubtably not the last as summer conditions intensify.   The many bunkers across the course trapped a few unwary players whilst others managed to avoid every one.  Both Wendy and Darlene enjoyed the round and the company of their playing partners. Wendy earned a ball for her score of 33 Stableford points. Darlene played a stroke round with an equivalent score of 32 Stableford points.

The course was in great condition, the weather was perfect and the golf was very enjoyable.  Ir was a day of mixed competition; the final of the singles knockout was being played, one group played Par over 9 holes and yet a third group played an 18 hole Par Comp.  The fairways are beautiful and green with lovely cushioned lies, the greens are looking very good too and were consistent throughout.  There was quite a tussle in the singles knockout Final  (Jenny Hartley Vs Elaine Scanlon) with Jenny starting very well on the first with  lovely birdie to win that hole. Some ups and downs on the next few holes had the pair all square after 7 holes.  With some very good golf played by both women Elaine managed to hold steady and eventually win the match.  At last, on one of those beautiful spring day that we have been waiting for, the results were;

Winner 18 Hole Par; Darlene Baker -2 from Wendy Gosden -4
Winner 9 Hole Par; Leila Beasley -1
2017 Singles Knockout Final
Elaine Scanlon D Jenny Hartley  – 3/2

Play began with clear skies and a bitterly cold, gusting southerly to south-easterly wind; keeping warm and posting a good score was going to be a challenge.  Despite the fairways and greens being in top nick all players found the wind a real problem and it difficult to string more than a few good holes together. The stableford competition saw two players fighting out over the final few holes and it was really only many years of experience at Romsey that saw one player creep ahead.  The  quarter finals of the John Laing Shield were affected by injury with two of the matches being walk-overs.  The other matches saw a couple of low markers giving away plenty of shots; sensible, steady match-play saw both high markers through to the semis next weekend.  On a cold, windy afternoon the results were;

Winner; Bon McLennan (13) – 38 pts from Hugh Drummond (22) – 35 pts

Women’s Winner; Darlene Baker (21) – 33 pts

NTPs; 15th Mal Mottram & 16th – Bob McLennan

John Laing While Quarter Finals

Mick Nicholls Jnr (15) D Les Gaunt (0) – 5/3

Bob McLennan (0) D Ron Walker (10) – Walk Over

John Laing (20) D Mal Mottram (0) – 4/3

Kevin Dunn (0) D  Mick Nichols Snr (0) – Walk Over

The semi-finals of the John Laing Shield will be;

Bob McLennan (0) Vs John Laing (20)

Mick Nicholls Jnr (0) Vs Kev Dunn (4)

Romsey GC was unable to field a full team for the event but Wendy Gosden and Darlene Baker were individual entrants in C Grade and A Grade respectively .   The early morning was wet and miserable but fortunately the heavy clouds lifted and rather pleasant golf weather prevailed.  Both Wendy and Darlene enjoyed the day. Wendy was a member of the winning Tee Team with her playing group having a total of 101 Stableford points, Wendy’s contribution being a fine 38 points.

The winners of the 2017 Kyneton Bowl; Kilmore.

Two comps were ran simultaneously with a group of men playing Stableford and a group of women playing Mulligans .   A fun day was had by all with echoes of laughter to be heard across the course.
Winner for the Mulligans round; Jenny Hartley 89/30/59

Men’s winner; Hugh Williams 37 points (27)

A strong field took to the course for the October Medal and the 2016/17 Medal of Medalists. The conditions were almost perfect for golf, virtually no wind, clear skies and well cut fairways and greens however, if you did stray off the fairway and into the trimmed but thick rough it was quite a challenge to get the any distance on the ball and have it back into play.  Accuracy was key to success on the day and once on the green there were no excuses for three putts.   The Medal of Medalist field included numerous previous club champions so the competition there was going to be fierce.  Despite the beautiful spring day and the top condition of the course only two players were able to break their handicaps with one, the October Medalist, really showing the “youngsters” just how it was done.  On a beautiful mid spring day the results were;

Winner & October Medallist; John Laing – 104/33/71 from Les Gaunt – 80/5/75, Tony Freeman – 96/20/76, Mick Nicholls Jnr – 96/20/76, Rob Rea – 94/18/76 & Mal Mottram – 87/11/76

Women’s Winner; Darlene Baker – 93/21/72

2016/17 Medal of Medallists; Les Gaunt – 80/5/75

Least Putts – Dean Jones – 25

NTPs; 1st – Hugh Drummond, 15th – John Moody & 16th – Mick Nicholls Jnr

Women’s Singles Knockout Semi-final; Elaine Scanlon (33) D Wendy Gosden (36) – 2 up

2016/17  RGC Medal of Medallists Darlene Baker & Les Gaunt.

RGC Capt Scott Williams with October Medalist John Laing