⛳ Introduction – Three Hours I’ll Never Get Back!

Well, what a Wednesday that turned out to be!

With the computer systems down, we went back to the good old days of manually completing scorecards. Unfortunately, what followed was three glorious hours of manually entering every single card into the system!

I’d like to extend a massive thank you to everyone who filled out their scorecards neatly, correctly and legibly. You made my job considerably easier, and your efforts were very much appreciated.

And to those who didn’t… well, what can I say? I’ve seen ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics that were easier to decipher!

Seriously though, next time the computers decide to have a holiday, please make an effort to complete your card correctly. Even if you only record the strokes, that’s perfectly fine! Just make sure the information is accurate and readable. I’m the Men’s Captain, not a forensic handwriting expert!

IMPORTANT – Outstanding Competition Fees

For anyone who didn’t pay on Wednesday due to the computer issues, a list will be placed behind the bar showing outstanding competition, green and Pro Pin fees.

Please check with the bar staff and settle any outstanding amounts. Much appreciated!

🏆 Division 1 – Some Seriously Impressive Golf!

John Faust (HC 12) produced an absolute cracker, recording 43 Stableford points and taking out the Division 1 runners up voucher. But here’s the impressive part – John went around just five over par off the stick! Playing off 12, that’s some seriously sharp golf. John, are you sure you’ve been telling the handicapper everything? Outstanding effort!

And then there’s Nick “Bronco” Davis (HC 16), who absolutely tore the course apart with a whopping 44 points! to Win Division 1. Bronco has certainly rediscovered his mojo, storming back towards his peak form in the back end of 2026. Whatever you’ve been doing lately, Nick, keep doing it! A sensational performance and the Division 1 Winner voucher according to the official report.

🏆 Division 2 – Plenty of Points on Offer!

Martin Dobney (HC 20) claimed the Division 2 runners up voucher with 37 points, putting together a solid performance.

Meanwhile, Steve Archdeacon (HC 22) posted an impressive 39 points to collect the winner’s voucher. A very tidy effort, Steve, and another excellent score on the day!

🎯 Ball Rundown

Congratulations to everyone who picked up a ball. Plenty of respectable scores throughout the field!

• Stuart Irving (17) – 39 points
• Brendon Marshall (11) – 39 points
• Nigel Luxton (14) – 38 points
• Les Browning (13) – 38 points
• Mark Kenny (14) – 36 points
• Daniel Minogue (25) – 36 points
• Jim Storey (23) – 36 points
• Paul Quinlin (22) – 36 points
• Alwyn Phillips (21) – 35 points
• Ken Wood (27) – 35 points
• Alan Simpson (11) – 35 points

🎯 Nearest the Pins

Some excellent accuracy on the par threes, with the following players collecting two golf balls each.

Hole 2

• Patrick Hayes
• Chris Harding

Hole 7

• Jared Brown
• John Bryant

Hole 11

• Trevor Neil

Hole 12

• John Faust
• Denis Crowe

💰 Pro Pin

John Faust – $73 Pro Shop Voucher

Apparently, 43 points and five over par weren’t quite enough for John. He also decided to help himself to the Pro Pin!

Leave something for the rest of us, John!

🎟️ Raffle Winners

Congratulations to our lucky raffle winners!

• Les Browning – $50 Voucher
• Perc Dempsey – $25 Voucher
• Walter Fisk – $25 Voucher
• Keith Cooper – $25 Voucher

👏 Final Word

A big congratulations to all our winners and prize recipients, and thank you to everyone who participated.

Despite the computer problems, the competition went ahead, the scores were recorded, and we eventually got there! big shoutout to Katrina who handled the day and Paul Q for the end of day admin.

Let’s just hope the computers are back on speaking terms with us next Wednesday, because after three hours of entering scorecards, I’m seriously considering charging an administration fee… or at least requesting a stiff drink!

See you all out on the course! ⛳

Men’s Captain

Patrick

⛳ SATURDAY STABLEFORD – POINTS GALORE AT BANORA!

🏌️ FINALLY! GOLF, CARTS AND SOME GLORIOUS GREENS!

Well, would you believe it? We finally managed to get out on the course, play some golf AND have carts back on the fairways! Someone must have had a quiet word with the weather gods because it’s been a long time coming!

And how good are the greens looking? Absolutely spectacular! Beautifully green, rolling true and a real credit to the work being put into them. If you missed a putt today, I’m afraid you might have to find another excuse!

Unfortunately, finding a sand bucket proved considerably harder than finding the middle of the fairway! Some areas had sand but no buckets, while others had neither. Not exactly ideal when we’re all trying to look after the course.

A genuine thank you to everyone who kept their carts off the rough, repaired their divots and fixed their pitch marks. These little things make a tremendous difference, particularly with the course in its current condition.

We had 86 players take to the course today, and judging by the results, someone forgot to tell everyone that Stableford points are supposed to be difficult to earn!

It was an absolute POINTS BONANZA, with several scores breaking the magical 40-point barrier and the ball rundown stretching all the way to 36 points!

And once again, the morning players appeared to get the pick of the conditions. At this rate, the afternoon crew might start demanding a handicap allowance for surviving the weather!

🏆 DIVISION 1 – THE POINTS WERE FLOWING!

Phil Cook (18) put together a terrific performance, collecting 41 points to claim Division 1 honours and the $50 winner’s voucher. A fantastic effort, Phil!

Not far behind was Jack Malone (15), who returned an excellent 40 points to secure runner-up and a $35 voucher. Forty points and still finishing second! Tough crowd out there today!

🏆 DIVISION 2 – SOMEBODY CHECK JOHN’S SCORECARD!

Well, somebody certainly had their Weet-Bix this morning!

John Maconachie (25) produced the standout performance of the day with a whopping 45 points, comfortably taking Division 2 and the $50 winner’s voucher.

Forty-five points, John! That’s not a Stableford score, that’s a telephone number! Outstanding golf!

And spare a thought for Bill Mann (20), who put together a brilliant 42 points, only to discover that wasn’t quite enough to take the chocolates! Bill collected runner-up and the $35 voucher.

Congratulations to all four place getters on some tremendous scoring!

🎯 BALL RUNDOWN – 36 POINTS TO GET A LOOK IN!

With scoring like that, it was always going to be a tough day to sneak into the rundown. Even playing to your handicap wasn’t enough!

Congratulations to our ball winners:

• Tony Waller (23) – 41 points
• Michael McKay (16) – 39 points
• Charles Huff (13) – 39 points
• Kevin Bartlett (17) – 38 points
• David Haime (20) – 38 points
• Kyle Harrison (13) – 37 points
• Patrick Tregellas (8) – 37 points
• Les Browning (16) – 37 points
• Darren Hubery (19) – 37 points
• Luke Coe (22) – 37 points
• Nathan Simpson (15) – 36 points
• Graham Hopkins (19) – 36 points
• Stephen Robinson (27) – 36 points
• Ken Mount (16) – 36 points
• Michael Kemp (8) – 36 points
• Shane Vanderlight (11) – 36 points
• Cem Okan (15) – 36 points

Well done to everyone who made the list. And to those who scored 35 points and missed out, there’s always next week!

🎯 NEAREST THE PINS

Some excellent shooting at the pins today, with a few familiar names making an appearance!

• 2nd Hole: Luke Coe and Gerry Martin
• 7th Hole: Perc Dempsey and Nathan Simpson
• 11th Hole: Brian Springfield
• 12th Hole: Terry Foster
• 16th Hole: David Haime and Rick Culpitt

Congratulations to all our sharpshooters, each collecting two golf balls!

💰 PRO PIN

Nathan Simpson – $80 Pro Shop Voucher

Well done, Nathan! A nice little payday for a well-placed shot. Between the Pro Pin and an NTP, you’ve done rather nicely today!

🦅 EAGLES NEST

Jack Malone – 6 Golf Balls

Jack managed to snare an eagle on the 15th hole, collecting six golf balls from the Eagles Nest!

A runner-up finish and an eagle in the same day. Not a bad afternoon at the office!

🎟️ RAFFLE WINNER

• Patrick Hayes – $50 Voucher
• Anthony Mike – $125 Voucher

Congratulations, Mr Mike ! Enjoy your winnings!

⚠️ A SERIOUS WORD ABOUT OUR RAFFLES

Unfortunately, we need to address an ongoing issue with our Saturday raffles.

Once again, the raffle money did not balance, with this Saturday’s collection being $13 short.

This is particularly disappointing, and frankly difficult to understand, considering raffle tickets are sold for $2 each. A $13 discrepancy simply does not add up.

This is not an isolated occurrence, and it needs to improve.

Please remember that our raffles are not simply about winning a voucher. The money raised contributes significantly towards funding our free golf days, Christmas parties, open bars and dry tills. These are benefits that all our members get to enjoy.

When money is missing from the raffle, it ultimately affects the funds available to provide these benefits.

We ask everyone to please:

• Ensure you place the correct amount of money in when purchasing tickets. Tickets are $2 each.
• Take a moment to count your money and tickets correctly.
• If you notice someone making a mistake, politely remind them of the ticket price.
• Above all, be honest and respectful towards your fellow members who consistently do the right thing.

It is unfair to the overwhelming majority of members who contribute honestly when the raffle continues to come up short.

We should not have to repeatedly raise this issue over something as straightforward as a $2 raffle ticket.

Please, let’s do better. These raffles are for the benefit of everyone, and we need everyone’s cooperation to keep them running successfully.

👏 UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Congratulations once again to all our winners and ball recipients, and thank you to all 86 players for supporting another great day at Club Banora.

Let’s hope the weather continues to cooperate, the greens keep rolling beautifully, and we can all enjoy a few more uninterrupted days of golf.

And perhaps next week we’ll even have sand AND buckets in the right locations! Now wouldn’t that be something?

Confucius says:

“Man who searches for sand bucket on golf course may find enlightenment… but he won’t find a bloody bucket!” 😂

See you on the fairways! ⛳

Capt Patrick