President's Report & Results Half Moon Bay 7 Mar

Today we conducted a single stableford event at Half Moon Bay golf club and we had a field of 62 men and 21 women, this is perhaps a little disappointing, but as the weather was very hot we can expect that some would rather stay near the air conditioner.

The sponsor for the day was GOLF WORLD of Cairns and we are grateful for the vouchers provided to the winners and runners up.

I must also thank the Half Moon Bay club for providing a carton of beer as a prize in a free raffle for those at the presentations. The lucky player to take home the beer was Bob Turner.

Thanks also to Mike and Tarquin McManus for cooking the ever popular hamburgers to feed the hungry golfers.

After the game today we had a meeting of your committee where we spent much time discussing the dwindling membership of our club. We have decided to ask our members in a survey by email as well as at the games to seek your ideas as to what can be done better, eg.starting times, prizes and so on.

Other items on the agenda were a review of the Christmas breakup and our championships.

Next Tuesday will be the Tableland Summer of Golf event at Atherton.

RESULTS

LADIES WINNER; Lily Schirmer 34 points.

RUNNER UP; Chris Everall 33 points.

LADIES NTP; 4^th & 11^th Chris Everall, 9^th Lois Tait, 16^th Belle Gillan.

LADIES BALL WINNERS;

33 points, Kay Bergiel.

32 points, Cathie Coverdale, Judy Guzzwell.

31 points, Jenny Albertsen.

30 points, Doreen Minning.

29 points, Liz Edmonds.

28 points, Lil Benfield, Heather Forster.

MENS DIV1 WINNER; Russ Gill 39 points.

RUNNER UP; Jim Logan 36 points.

MENS DIV2 WINNER; Graeme Chappel 41 points.

RUNNER UP; Peter Wyatt 39 points.

MENS NTP; 3^rd Roger Smith, 9^th Geoff Maguire, 11^th Ken Baker, 16^th Evert Van Kleef.

MENS BALL WINNERS;

39 points, Frank Thelan.

38 points, Neil Sharkey.

37 points, Les Doolan.

36 points, David Ingram, Garry Castle.

35 points, Rod Cade, George Studham.

34 points, Eric Pilhljerta, Ian McLeod-Carey, Robin Tonks, Roger Smith.

33 points, Peter Johnston, Alan Dwyer, Roger Glover, Merv Elms.

32 points, Graham Morrow, Ken Baker, Lou Siedle, Keith Schirmer, John Gregan.

31 points, Tom Stager, Rod Ingram, Geoff Maguire, John Lucas, Don Thomson,John Lucas, Ross White, Kevin Ranger.

Next Game Half Moon Bay 7 Mar

All,

Our game next week is a single stableford at Half Moon Bay, sponsored by Golf World.

I'm advised that the full course is playable & in good nick apart from a temp green on the 15th, so hopefully we will not have too much rain in the interim.

Great burgers will be available as usual & the bar open, so see you there.

Louis

PS  As part of a joint initiative to modernize the Rules and make them easier to understand and apply, the USGA and The R&A have unveiled a preview of proposed new Rules of Golf.

The release of this preview begins a six-month feedback and evaluation period during which all golfers worldwide can learn about the proposed changes and provide input before they are finalized in 2018 and take effect January 1, 2019.

Players are reminded that the current 2016 Edition of the Rules of Golf remain in force when playing, posting scores or competing, until the new Rules are officially adopted by the USGA and The R&A in 2019.

Highlights of the proposed Rule changes include:

• Elimination or reduction of “ball moved” penalties: There will be no penalty for accidentally moving a ball on the putting green or in searching for a ball; and a player is not responsible for causing a ball to move unless it is “virtually certain” that he or she did so.
• Relaxed putting green rules: There will be no penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits an unattended flagstick in the hole; players may putt without having the flagstick attended or removed. Players may repair spike marks and other damage made by shoes, animal damage and other damage on the putting green and there is no penalty for merely touching the line of putt.
• Relaxed rules for “penalty areas” (currently called “water hazards”): Red and yellow-marked penalty areas may cover areas of desert, jungle, lava rock, etc., in addition to areas of water; expanded use of red penalty areas where lateral relief is allowed; and there will be no penalty for moving loose impediments or touching the ground or water in a penalty area.
• Relaxed bunker rules: There will be no penalty for moving loose impediments in a bunker or for generally touching the sand with a hand or club. A limited set of restrictions (such as not grounding the club right next to the ball) is kept to preserve the challenge of playing from the sand; however, an extra relief option is added for an unplayable ball in a bunker, allowing the ball to be played from outside the bunker with a two-stroke penalty.
• Relying on player integrity: A player’s “reasonable judgment” when estimating or measuring a spot, point, line, area or distance will be upheld, even if video evidence later shows it to be wrong; and elimination of announcement procedures when lifting a ball to identify it or to see if it is damaged.
• Pace-of-play support: Reduced time for searching for a lost ball (from five minutes to three); affirmative encouragement of “ready golf” in stroke play; recommending that players take no more than 40 seconds to play a stroke and other changes intended to help with pace of play.
• Simplified way of taking relief: A new procedure for taking relief by dropping a ball in and playing it from a specific relief area; relaxed procedures for dropping a ball, allowing the ball to be dropped from just above the ground or any growing thing or other object on the ground.

President's Report & Results Gordonvale 21 Feb

Today we played our first single stableford event for the season and a field of 54 men and 22 ladies enjoyed a lovely day at Gordonvale Golf Club.

The course is in good condition although the ball needed to be hit all the way as there is not much run on the fairways as can be seen by the scores returned below. I would like to remind all golfers that you are not going to win anything if you don't hand in your card. Vice President/ acting Treasurer Greg protested when he was not awarded a ball and was promptly given one to stop the wailing. Shortly after he returned it because his card was still in his hip pocket!!

The sponsor for today was KENNEDY'S BETTA HOME LIVING of Mcleod street Cairns, and we are pleased to have them as sponsors again this year.

RESULTS

MENS DIV 1 WINNER, Ross White 36 points.

RUNNER UP, David Lawler 35 points.
MENS DIV 2 WINNER:  Rod Ingram 38 points  
RUNNER UP:  Harvey Blanch 36 points c/b

MENS NTP, 5^th Ron Barnes, 8^th Peter Wyatt, 14^th Ross White, 17^th Robin Tonks.

MENS BALL WINNERS,

36 points; Graham Morrow.

35 points; Kevin Ranger, George Atkinson.

34 points; Bill Foster, Ian Schofield,Rod Cade, Keith Schirmer, Eric Pihlhjerta.

33 points; Lou Siedle, Bob Turner.

32 points; Neil Sharkey, Robin Tonks.

31points; Graham Ross, Tom Stager, Gary Long, Rick Gooderham, John Gregan.

30 points; Allan Dwyer, Peter McMenamin, Des Jones, Barry Butt, Roger Smith.

WOMENS WINNER, Cathie Coverdale 33 points.

WOMENS RUNNER UP, Georgie Jarrad 30 points.

WOMENS NTP, 5^th & 14^th Cathie Coverdale, 8^th Betty Lou Pitt, 17^th Belle Gillan.

WOMENS BALL WINNERS,

30 points; Judith Guzzwell.

28 points; Heather Forster, Jenny Albertsen, Kay Bergiel.

27 points; Joy Evans, Suda Woodward, Belle Gillan.

26 points; Doreen Minning, Lily Schirmer, Andrina Wilson.

25 points; Lil Benfield, Di Diversi.

Next Game Gordonvale 21 Feb

All,

Our game next Tuesday is a single stableford at Gordonvale, sponsored by Kennedys Betta Home Living.   (Btw, if you get a voucher & go into any sponsor's premises, please make a point of introducing yourself as a member of FNQVGA & thanking them for their support.  A little thanks & recognition goes a long way towards ensuring continued support.)

The course is in good condition, but without much run & with water still in the drains along with thick rough.  The greens are the best they've been for some time. Hopefully we won't get too much rain beforehand so the mowing regime can keep up with the grass growth.

Also, Trevor Miller, the Captain at Gordonvale has offered a prize for the best male & female golfers based on their scores over the 7 games played there.  Full details are still to be settled, but the prize is likely to be a Gordonvale shirt.

See you there.

Louis

PS  For those wanting to fit in another game, the first round of the FNQ Drummond Golf Cup is next month.  They advise:

On Sunday 26th March we'll be running the first round of our four part Far North Queensland Drummond Golf Cup at Atherton Golf Club. 

The day's format will be an Individual Stableford event with both Men's and Women's A, B and C Grade divisions. All players must hold AGU Golflink handicaps. There will also be great prizes and Nearest The Pin competitions on all par 3's! Come and be part of this exciting new event and support golf courses in Far North Queensland! 

To download an entry form click on the link below or for more information contact the team at Cairns on (07) 4041 4223 or email cairns@drummondgolf.com.

Misc

All,

Remember that our next game is not next week but the week after.  (However, if you turn up a week early I'm sure Gordonvale will welcome you for a social game!)

Dates to put in your diaries are 25-28 May, when the Great Barrier Reef Masters Games are held here in Cairns.  Golf is one of the games & Half Moon Bay will be the host course.  Details & registration forms are at http://www.gbrmg.com.au/.

Greg Ferry advises 'On Thursday 25th May we have a 12.00noon shotgun start 4 person Ambrose Event. On Saturday and Sunday 27th and 28th May we have an Individual stableford event with tee times from 8.00am to 12.00noon.'

Louis

President's Report & Results Mareeba 7 Feb

Today was the opening day of our 2017 season and we began with a 4 ball better ball at Mareeba Golf Club. We were fortunate to be playing Mareeba as they have not had the amount of rain the coastal clubs have endured so the course was quite playable, although playing a little longer than usual.

There were 57 men and 10 women in the field today which was a little disappointing considering many golfers have been missing their game lately due to the weather. Hopefully the field will increase in a fortnight at Gordonvale and don't forget the tableland summer golf is at Millaa Millaa next Tuesday.

We are pleased to welcome 2 new members, being Russ Carlyon from Bowen club (although resident in Cairns) and Judy Gusswell from Gordonvale.

The sponsor for today was CAZALY'S AFL CLUB and we are pleased to present the winners and runners up with meal vouchers redeemable at Barassi's restaurant at Cazaly's.

RESULTS.

WINNERS; Jim Logan & Vaughan Edwards 43 points.

RUNNERS UP; Harvey Blanch & Rick Gooderham 42 points c/b

NEAREST THE PINS MEN; 4^th Greg Gibb, 8^th Brian Brown, 13^th Marcus Morse.

WOMEN; 4^th Andrina Wilson, 8^th Jenny Albertson, 13^th Jothi Naidoo.

BALL RUNDOWN;

42 points, Lou Siedle & Graham Chappel.

41 points, Ian Schofield & Ron Barnes, Evert Van Kleef & Marcus Morse.

40 points, Keith & Lily Schirmer, Andrina Wilson & Robin Tonks.

39 points, Roger Smith & Russell Carlyon, Greg Gibb & Robin Tonks.

38 points, Bruce Jenner & Frank Thelan, Rod Cade & Graham Morrow, Rama & Jothi Naidoo,

Peter Johnson & Ian Tindall, Lois Tait & Di Diversi, Dennis & Maurie Lankester.

37 points, Graham Ross & John Evans, Tom Stager & Garry Castle, Allan Dredge & Peter Wyatt

36 points, Don Thomson & Keith Sanderson

Mareeba Good to Go

All,

Mareeba is in good condition & carts are allowed on the course.

They have not had as much rain as the rest of us down here, so see you there bright & early tomorrow.

Louis