home > Events > Results

COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS & INTER DISTRICT TEAMS

The Hunter River senior & junior rep teams travelled to Queanbeyan to contest the above event over the weekend of 5 - 6 November, 2011. The tough Queanbeyan par 70 layout, provided a true test of golf with it's tight tree lined fairways and slick greens.

At the conclusion of the weekend the Hunter Junior & Senior teams returned creditable performances in this prestigious event.

Nathan Waters from Scone, was playing his first senior rep match having just graduated from the junior ranks this year, and showed his potential, to take the Country Championship from a field of 140 of the best country players. His one under par 139 (70 - 69) saw him crowned the champion by one stroke from Alex Pitty of the Central Coast. Nathan should have won by a bigger margin, but dropped 2 strokes to par over the final three holes.

Dylan Perry, who was promoted to the senior team returned the next best score for the Senior side, along with veteran Mark Hale, both finishing on 149. After 18 holes the Hunter side set the pace on 289,8 shot swing 6 shots clear of the eventual winners Mid North Coast. However Sunday was a different story, with the Hunter side capitulating to allow the Mid North Coast team to storm away with a 14 shot swing to win the Country Team Championship. The Hunter side finished 4th overall.

Hunter River who took the spoils on a countback from the Far South Coast in the Junior Inter-District Teams Championship, the two teams finishing on 295. Team members for the Hunter River were Thomas Bateman, Will Barnett and Hayden Gulliver.

At the end of play on Saturday the side were 3 strokes in arrears of the Far South Coast side, who were on 145 to our 148. The Hunter team could have been well in front but for a couple of nervous holes. Will Barnett fought back bravely to fire a 76 after a "quad" on the 7th hole. Not to be outdone Tom Bateman recorded a triple bogey 7 on the 1st hole after knocking his drive over the fence.

On Sunday the boys played tenacious golf to peg back the Far South Coast team. Hayden Gulliver was 6 over after 8 holes but stormed home in 2 under for a 74, whilst Will Barnett, chipped and putted his way around the 18 holes for a 73. All three of the junior team members finished in the top 8 of the event.

A pleasing aspect of our team members was their attention to improving the etiquette of the game by "doffing" their caps, when shaking hands at the completion of the round, as a mark of respect to their fellow players. This tradition has been revived and will be encouraged in all District events.

AMBROSE FOURS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 - McLINTOCK SHIELD

The winning team from the Vintage Golf Club continued that Club's regular strike rate in District events in 2011. The Club has been an excellent supporter of District events over the year and the winning team of Josh Knott, Matt Farley, Paul Fitzsimon (Captain) and Neville Peace turned in a record winning score of 55 strokes, 16 under par, to win by a 3 stroke margin.

Josh Knott provided the firepower for the team off the tee, utilising his awesome length off the tee positioning the team for relatively short approach shots to the green. On the 16th hole Josh positioned his 3 wood tee shot well down the fairway and then holed a half wedge for an eagle 2. After a "slow" start on the front nine of 29, team Captain Paul Fitzsimon cracked the whip, resulting in 26 strokes for the back nine. From hole 5 through to 12 the team had consecutive 3's and then topped it off with a 2 on the quarry. Scroll down to view the card.

Unlucky runners up were the youthful team of sMac Dawson, Jake Teague, Jarrod Broughton and Joel Harrison (Scone) on 58 strokes, which would normally win an ambrose event. The countback had to be applied to decide the runners up. A slow start of even par through the first 3 holes, then average pars on the quarry and 17th, against birdies on the other 7 seven holes on the back nine, were costly in the final wash up.

District Senior rep player Andrew Hamilton led his team from Kurri, to victory in the handicap event, winning by a ¼ of a shot on 52⅝. Andrew teamed with Leighton Wells, Steve Rowe and James Ellis to shoot 30 - 29 = 59 for the 18 holes. The team was the only side to birdie the 422 metre par 4 second hole on the day.

The team of Adam Jackson, Kurt Humphreys, Nick Evans and Mick Ervin, from The Oaks (aka Stonebridge) were runners up in the handicap event finishing on 52⅞, ¼ of a stroke off first place.

Hard working committeeman John Stewart achieved a PB with his eagle on the 6th hole, where he knocked a 6 iron into the hole off his own drive.

2011 DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS

The District's next golfing prodigy Dylan Perry, displayed his talent by taking out the District Championship, with a two under par, 69, around the Maitland course, to win by a margin of 5 strokes. An ordinary front nine of 2 over, thanks to a double on the third, and a bogey on 5, which was cancelled out by a birdie on the 4th, saw Dylan back in the field. Then the fireworks commenced on the back nine, with birdies on 10, 14, 15 & 18, for a 31 and total of 69.

Dylan is one of a crop of talented young golfers, nurtured in the Upper Hunter, which augurs well for golf in our District.

Runner up was Craig Melville, who shot a creditable 74 on his home track. Craig had a mixed bag of a round with 6 bogeys and three birdies to make up his 3 over par.

Another of the District's talented juniors Hayden Gulliver shot a 75 nett 70 to win the A grade handicap event. Hayden let's his Clubs do the talking, shooting a one over par on the inward nine, to secure the win in a 3 way countback.

Minor placings went to the Singleton players, Michael Fitzpatrick and Arne Coulston, who also finished on nett 70.

The B grade champion is Wayne Clements (Maitland), with an 80 off the bat, to secure his second B grade title, having won in 2007 which was also played at Maitland. Hitting off the 10th tee "Clemmo" shot a scary even par round of 35. The nerves crept in on the front nine to see him scratch around for a 45, 10 strokes worse, but held on to take the trophy, by one stroke.

The colourful Dale Troy (in case you missed him he was the golfer in the Ricky Fowler orange attire) from Cypress Lakes shot an 81 to finish one behind. A bogey on the easiest hole on the course (15th) was costly.

Dave Skinner from Maitland won the B grade handicap with a nett 69.Dave played consistently for an 83 off the beater, with his only blemish being a double bogey on 10th hole.

Runner up Mark Bewes from The Oaks, should have won the nett event comfortably, but consecutive triple bogeys on the 9th & 10th holes blew his chances, to finish 86 - 70. Glenn Randall from Maitland came in third on nett 71, edging Steve Leathley out on a countback.

The C grade champion for 2011 is Steve Oswald, from Maitland, with pair of "fat ladies" 88. Ossie just pats the ball down the middle and rarely strays off the mown portion, tactics which proved effective, as he won by a margin of 4 shots.

Drew Dewar from Singleton was runner up on 92. After a nervous 48 hits on the first nine, Drew settled down to shoot a more respectable 44 on the back nine.

C grade handicap winner was Kev Patterson (Maitland), who was the captain of the victorious Maitland Bercini Cup team. Kev shot a 95 - 69 to win on a countback, with a nett 33 on the back nine.

Unlucky runner up was newcomer to the game Alex Olsen of Dungog, who shot a nett 69 in his first district championship. Young Alex is the progeny of Jim & Judy Olsen, and has obviously inherited their golf genes.

In third spot was Tony Charlesworth from Singleton on nett 72. Two triple bogeys on the back nine cost him dearly.

Nearest the Pin winners: A - Stephen Kearney; B - Alan Mildew; C - Scott Gardiner.

2011 DISTRICT MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS - THE YEAR OF THE BUDGIE

Muswellbrook Golf Club hosted the Masters Championships, with all the winners, surprisingly coming from the senior golfers of the District. Early showers scared off only three players and the weather cleared to allow the field to enjoy top day for golf on a challenging golf course.

The 2011 Champion was local Gary Mears who streeted a quality field by 5 strokes with a one under par 71. An opening bogey was quickly reclaimed with a third hole birdie, only to be given back with a bogey on the 7th hole. The back nine of two under par 34 consisted of an ordinary bogey on 10, followed by birdies on 12, 14 and 16.

Gary will probably add another tattoo to his body to commemorate the win, to balance out the Dragon's tattoo after their grand final win last year.

A past winner Ken Roe came in runner up on 76. After 9 holes Ken thought he was just making up the numbers, with not so impressive 41 strokes on the card. The back nine was a different story with an inspiring score of 35, one under par.

Andrew Hamilton of Kurri came in third on 77 edging out Bryan Gulliver, of Maitland, who is the youngest "old fart" of the tournament, having reached the big 50 late in May.

The handicap prizemoney went to Peter Griffin from Paterson with a nett 66, which could have been better if not for disasterous double bogeys on 3, 7 & 18.

2008 Masters Champion James Hogg was runner up on nett 68 after the application of the countback . James shot a meritorious 78 and these days has the luxury of a 10 handicap to arrive at his winning score.

Third place went to Tom Hannah of The Vintage on nett 68. After 9 holes Tom thought he had struck the jackpot when he had 3 sevens (triple bogies) for a 48, but knuckled down to finish with 42 on the backnine.

Exciting news for the 2012 Masters is that an offer from Cypress Lakes to host the event, was locked in by the Committee, and should draw a capacity field.

              TWO MAN AMBROSE CHAMPIONSHIP

                         KING WARBURTON CUP

                     Muswellbrook Golf Club - Sunday 17 July, 2011     

The next generation of junior golfers put their wares on show, cleaning up at the 2 Man Ambrose Championship, hosted by Muswellbrook, which provided a real test of golf .          

Leading the way were the young pairing of Nathan Waters and Tom Bateman, from Scone, with a sizzling round of 60, 12 under par. After a nervous bogey start, the boys settled to shoot 5 birdies for a 4 under par for the first 9 holes. It was on the back nine where they really came alive, rattling off 6 birdies and an eagle for 8 under par. Their performance was even more meritorious as they were drawn with the pre tournament favourite team, of Hale & Marcheff who sat back and admired the golf.

Another youthful combination of Dylan Perry and Andrew McTaggart, from Muswellbrook, fired a 62 to come in runner up in the scratch event. Eight pars and 10 birdies was indicative of their consistency.

In Division 2 the scratch winners hailed from The Vintage, in the form of Steve Leathley and John Retallick with a 2 under par 69, their only blemish occurring on the final hole with an inglorious bogey. It is pleasing to see the Vintage players supporting the District events.

Scratch runners up in Division 2 were local stalwarts Eli Raad and Bruce Robinson who finished one stroke behind on 70. The two most difficult holes, the 7th & 13th were their only two bogeys, in what was otherwise a consistent round.

Once again youth came to the fore, when Will Barnett (Scone) and Brodyn Gargan (Muswellbrook) fired a 10 under par round for a nett 59 1/2 to win the Division 1 nett score. On the back nine the boys shot 6 consecutive 3's through holes 12 to 17, which included an eagle on 15. Their back nine score was 29 hits.

Handicap runners up, were two players usually featuring in the scratch trophies, in Mark Hale of Branxton and his big hitting partner Glen Marcheff of Singleton. Their nett score of 61 1/2 was only 1 1/2 strokes better than their scratch score.

The Division 2 nett winners were the fourball /ambrose specialists the Lucas family of Troy and Anthony on nett 59 3/4. The Kurri pairing playing off handicaps of 7 & 33 shot a 2 under par 70, a score players off lesser handicaps were not capable of.

Runners up in Division 2 were also a Kurri pairing in Dave Newell and Wayne Drayton on nett 62 1/2, edging out Rob Hampton and Bruce Pritchard from Dungog by 1/4 of a stroke.

MIXED  AMBROSE  CHAMPIONSHIPS

MUSWELLBROOK  -  22nd May 2011

The Kurri team of Andrew Wyper, Adele Johns, Kevin & Patsy fielding made a mockery of the "tough" Muswellbrook layout in the annual mixed ambrose fours championships. The winning score of 58, 14 under par was a model of consistency, recording 7 birdies on either nine for 29 hits each side. Their only blemishes were par's on holes 6, 9,11 & 14.

Scratch runners up were the locals led by Kymble Pascoe and team mates Brodie Mainey,Sue Wilks & Nicki O'Driscoll finishing with 60 hits and two shots in arrears. A slow start of 31 hits the opening nine was the difference between the two sides.

The only Maitland team to participate, were Missy & Ron Beavis who teamed with David & Heather Keith to win the handicap trophy with a score of 54 ½. A magnificent eagle on the 15th was tempered by a dropped shot on the very next hole, but they regained their composure to finish birdie birdie.

Nett runners up were Nathan Waters, Lyn Banks, Steve & Robyn Murray from Scone who finished on 55 ¾.. A sluggish opening nine resulted in a mediocre 34 strokes but the team from the Horse Capital came home with a withering run to finish with 28 hits on the inward nine and jump into second position without the need of a photofinish.

Only 68 players participated which is disappointing in comparison to the previous year when 92 players took part.

SAND GREEN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011

Little known Aberdeen golfer Greg Parkinson, from Aberdeen is the 2011 Sand Green Champion, winning the event by a stroke, with a 75 off the beater. Playing off a 9 handicap he shot consistent rounds of 37 - 38. His only real blemishes were double bogeys on holes 6, 7 & 11, but were offset by a brilliant eagle on the par 5 8th hole.

Runner up was visitor from Werris Creek Gary McBeath one stroke in arrears on 76, with a countback necessary to separate him from Brett Reid, a former local who has recently returned to town after a spell in Brisbane.

Josh Taylor (The Oaks) streeted the field in the nett event with and 87 - 57 score, finishing 7 strokes ahead of his nearest rival. Josh struck a purple patch on the back nine, the more difficult nine, where he reeled off five straight pars, starting at the 10th hole, to consolidate his round.

Wal Simmons, of the Kurri variety, came in second on net 64, edging out fellow members from Kurri Peter Collins, 65, and Brodie Collett on nett 67.

BAKER TRINDER SHIELD 2011.

The annual junior inter district match play series was hosted by the Central North DGA and played at the Tamworth course, providing a serious test of golf.

The Hunter boys acquitted themselves superbly by going through the round robin undefeated and defended the Shield they won at Scone in 2010. The team managed by Dave Parkinson and Pat Rigby, were housed at a remote sight, with no distractions, so the boys could concentrate on their golf.

A seeded draw, based on handicaps, saw our team start with a 7 - 0 win over Western DGA, who are in a re-building stage, and if remain together, will be a force to reckon with in coming years.

The Saturday afternoon match was against the home team Central North, and the Hunter boys were victorious to the tune of 5 matches to 2.

The final match between the top seeds was against North West which was also won by a 5 - 2 margin.

Overall the team only lost 4 individual matches from a total of 28.

IIn attendance for the presentation was Al Trinder of Tamworth, who along with his old mate the late Jim Baker were the instigators of the series, back in 1984. The event is the highlight of the junior golfing rep calendar, and has produced some topline golfers, who have moved on to the pro circuit and playing on the overseas circuits.

2011 HUNTER RIVER DGA JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

DAVE PARKINSON SHIELD

SINGLETON GOLF CLUB

SUNDAY 13 MARCH, 2011

JUNIOR CHAMPION: TOM BATEMAN (Aberdeen) 72 c/b

Fifty four juniors participated in the 2011 District Junior championships, which included visitors from Belmont, Buladelah, Charlestown, Chatswood, Everglades & Royal Sydney.

The junior champion for 2011 is Tom Bateman, with a returned score of 72, winning in a four way countback from Isiaih Wolferstan, Kade Hardy & Nick Gulliver. Tom had to undergo some anxious moments in the clubhouse after  he signed for an incorrect score of 71, which would have made him the outright winner. When his card was checked it added to 72, due to his marker putting him down for a 4 on the second hole, when his correct score was 3. This put him into the four way countback, which eventually saw justice done and he was awarded the title.

To sort the countback it was necessary to go to the final 3 holes, after all four players returned 37 for the inward 9 holes. The secondary countback of the final six holes saw Isiaih & Kade drop out, then Tom's 3-4-3 finish, over the last three holes gave him the advantage over Nick's 4-3-4.

Tom has learnt a valuable lesson today and will check his cards thoroughly in future.

Other age division results are as listed below.

AMBROSE FOURS - McLINTOCK SHIELD

Hot scores were returned by the winning teams who participated in the usually popular event. Only 84 players participated who were fortunate to play the  Muswellbrook course at its best. Due to the small field a shot gun start was utilised.

The winners with a record score of 13 under par, 59, on the difficult layout were Brodie Mainey (6), Andrew McTaggart (6), Paul Carey (17) and the mainstay of the team Ricky Munday (22). Starting from the 9th tee with a regulation 5, the boys "jumped out of the gate" blitzing the back nine, birdieing 8 of the 9 holes for 28 hits. They continued on with a further 5  birdies over the remaining front nine holes.

Scratch score runners up were the stacked side of Mark Hale (1), Tim Lawrence (0), Tony Lamb (7) and John Grant (27). A slow start over the front nine holes where they could only muster 2 birdies and an eagle, the balance in pars for 32 hits. They managed to match the winners on the back nine with 8 birdies for 28.

Popular nett trophy winners were Stubbsy Benkovic (6), Kymble Pascoe (0), Glass Chapman (15) and the youthful Wal Nicol (28). The well balanced team played balanced golf with 30 hits each nine for a 60 total, nett 53 7/8. Self appointed team Captain Stubbsy guided his more experienced counterparts with the maturity of an old timer.

Handicap runners up were Brad Bastick (5), Brodern Adam-Smith (10), Jaye Thomas (16) and Darren Smith (36). Only two birdies in their first six holes was a slow start, but a birdie barrage over the first 3 holes on the front nine got them back on track. Their scratch score of 63 gave them a nett result of 54 5/8 to finish one behind.

SCOTT HAYES WINS FIRST DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS

Scott Hayes from the Muswellbrook Club, took his first major title when he shot one under par n his home track to edge out previous frequent winner Mark Hale on a countback. Steady par golf interspersed with 3 birdies and 2 bogeys was enough to edge out Mark when the countback was applied.

Scott was ecstatic about the win and shared the contents of the Cup with those present in the Clubhouse.

The B Grade Champion was Adam Jackson from The Oaks with an 83 off the bat. A slow start saw an opening nine of 44 but a form reversal saw a neat 39 strokes required for the inward nine to win the title by a stroke.

Runner up was the evergreen Alan "Mildew" Mould on 84. An uncharacteristic opening 9 holes of 46 was more akin to the play of a 36 marker, but managed to put it together on the back nine with a 2 over par.

Popular winner of the C Grade title was youngster Bradey Hay of Singleton with a neat 90 strokes for the tough 18 holes. Playing in his first District Championship he got away to a nervous start, but gained confidence as the game progressed to shoot 47 - 43 and win the title by a one stroke margin.

C grade runner up was Graeme "Fire" Flanagan from Muswellbrook. A disastrous quintuple bogey 10 on the 10th hole put paid to any chance Graeme may have had of a win.

The A Grade handicap winner was Bobba Dial (Muswellbrook) on a countback, on nett 69, from the injured Tony Lamb of Branxton and the "hungry" Nick Gulliver of Maitland.

The man of few words David Beldham of Kurri was the B Grade nett winner with a score of 67 from his chauffeur Leighton Wells who was two strokes in arrears. In third place was Paul Fitsimmons from The Vintage on nett 70.

Popular supporter of District events Scott Gardiner from Singleton returned the best score of the day of nett 65 to win the C Grade handicap trophy from Trent Williams from Dungog on nett 69  and Matthew Oliver from Singleton on nett 70.

ZONE 2 REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010

The District hosted the 2010 Regional Championships over the weekend of 21 & 22 August, 2010, hosted by Muswellbrook Golf Club in their centenary year.

A quality field of of 108 low marker golfers participated including representative teams from our neighbouring Districts, Central Coast, Lower North Coast and Newcastle, vying for the Jim Baker Shield.

A shotgun start was utilised on both days. Conditions on Saturday were tough, with an icy westerly whistling across the course keeping officials within the Clubhouse.

After the first 18 holes the leading score was 71 (one under par), shared by Mark Hale (Branxton), Brent Soutar and Davy Morgan (Central Coast). One shot back on even par were local Kymble Pascoe and Callan OReilly  (Toronto).

As is the norm in this event the top eight players are seeded for the final round on Sunday.

Play comenced at 7.30 am on Sunday in perfect conditions for golf. The westerly wind had blown itself out and under a warming sun conditions were conducive to low scoring.

Strangely, only one player performed in the benign conditions. Callan O'Reilly came from one shot back to return a 7 under par 65 and win by the ridiculous margin of 9 strokes. Callan turned 3 under par and the proceeded to add a further 4 birdies to his bagful. His bending exercises on Saturday evening definitely appeared to assist his Sunday golf, whilst others who trained with him amazingly showed no benefit.

Runner up was John Fitzpatrick from Morisset Club on 146. An opening round of 75 had him 4 off the leaders, but a one under par 71 on Sunday saw him leapfrog the other leaders as they floundered.

The Junior Champion was Clayton Bridges of Belmont with a two round total of 150,  6 over par. His two rounds of 76 - 74 provided a one shot win over a fast finishing Nathan Waters of Scone. Nathan was heading for an ordinary day after the opening 9 holes on Sunday, but five birdies in concussion on the back nine to finish one over par for the round and runner up to Clayton.

Local identity Gary Mears won the Seniors Championship with rounds of 77 - 76 = 153. "Budgie" was heard to comment on the ideal pin placements. Derek Field of Scone quinella'd the event for the District with his two round total of 155 to be runner up.

Jarrod Hartman (Port Macquarie) took the 36hole handicap trophy on 141. A closing round of 80 -67 edged out Toukley & Central Coast stalwart Dave Willett on a countback.

The historic Sandy Cameron Shield for the best Club team of four was won by the Muswellbrook No. 1 side consisting of sMac Dawson, Scott Hayes, Kymble Pascoe and Andrew Partridge. Their winning score was 449.

The inter district teams event for the Jim Baker Shield was won in "Steve Bradbury" fashion by the Hunter River team when the favourites Newcastle along with the Lower North Coast sides has players disqualified due to simple technicalties, such as failing to sign cards.

This took both teams out of the equation leaving the Hunter River side to fight it out with the Central Coast, but with a 42 stroke advantage after the opening day the Hunter were untroubled to win the Shield.. A zealous local official later calculated the results including the scores of the defaulting players and found that the Hunter would have won it in their right had they not been disqual

The full table of results are below:

2010 MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS - BEN OWEN CUP

Sweet swinging Maitland member Peter Gibbs scored his first major District title when he cruised around the course in 4 over par, 75 to win the 2010 Masters Championship. On a slow track combined with slick greens and a few tricky pin placements conservative golf was the order of the day.

Teeing off in the first group of the day, Peter was able to maintain a level head to play to the conditions. His round only included one birdie and tempered by 5 bogeys. Peter can consider himself unlucky not to make the rep side for the Regional championship but his decision to declare Newcastle as his home Club has precluded his selection. Hopefully the Newcastle DGA selectors will be watching his form.

Golf refugee, Robbie Logue (no home course), from The Oaks Club, came in runner up one shot in arrears on 76. Steady par golf interspersed with 5 bogeys were the story of his day. The bogey 6 on the 15th hole, which is rated the easiest on the course was a costly one.

Gary "budgie" Mears from Muswellbrook, appeared an also ran after a front nine of 41. The back nine saw a fight back and after the 16th hole was right in the picture, being one under par for the nine, but fell away to 3rd place with a bogey bogey finish, for a total of 77.

Recent retiree Mick Sarquis from Maitland is showing the benefit of additional golf, when he returned a  68  to win the 18 hole nett event. An ordinary front nine of 44 followed up with a triple on 10, double on 14 had him finishing amongst the middle of the field, until he laid on two birdies on 16 & 17 to provide the winning edge.

Another Oaks refugee, Ron Stewart was runner up in the nett event with a score of 69 one ahead of Sooty. Balanced golf of 9 over par on each nine provided a total of 89 strokes, nett 69.

Muswellbrook golf tragic Elie Raad came in 3rd place for the nett event on 71 on a countback from Maitland member Reg Crick.

KING WARBURTON CUP - 2 MAN AMBROSE C'SHIP

The final District event to played on The Oaks layout, prior to the closure of the course, to enable major renovations to the course layout  to commence was played on Sunday 18 July, 2010. In 16months time we look forward to returning to the new layout.

Winners of the King Warburton Cup, were the ever consistent Mark Hale and his partner Tony Lamb from the Branxton Club. Their winning score of 63 was 9 under par for the 72 layout. Ten birdies and a solitary bogey on the 4th hole provided the pair with a 5 stroke margin over father & son team of Paul & Cameron Benkovic. Their nines of 32 out and 31 in was red hot golf.

Paul & Cam got off to a slow start of even par for the front nine but came alive with a stunning 3 under par on the inward nine.

Division 2 scratch winners were Vintage members Shane Walsh and Nev Peace on even par, 72 edging out another father and son team of Mark & Dean Lauder from Paterson, who finished a solitary stroke in arrears on 73.

Early Division 2 favourites Mal Newman & Dave Parkinson failed to live up to their form and will be overlooked for representative selection for coming rep events.

Two four markers, Muz Flannigan and Mark Harrison, from The Oaks, took out the nett event in Division 1 with a 63 nett. The pair actually had the second best scratch score (65) but were awarded the nett on the basis of the trophy value.

John Goodwin (Kurri) and Mark Killick (Branxton) paired up to win the Division 1nett runner up prize on 64¾ after a scratch score of 70.

Locals John Hickey and Dusty Lawless are in a purple patch of late. Their winning score to win the Division 2 nett trophy of 63¾ gave them a narrow win by one stroke over Kurri "greenie" big Al Mudd and his partner Dean Latter.

MIXED AMBROSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

SUNDAY 23 MAY, 2010 - SINGLETON

A capacity field of 92 players took to the course at Singleton to compete in the Mixed Ambrose Championships.

Highlight of the day was a magnificent hole in one by Missy Beavis of Maitland on the final hole. The pin was tucked away behind the bunker in the back left of the green, in a seemingly impossible position. After a few anxious moments looking in the creek to the rear of the green for her ball, her playing partners discovered it in the hole for an ace. Well done Melissa.

Winners of the 2010 Championship were Kurri golfers Chris Ford and his mum Sue, Tricia "Killawarra" Wyper and Tim Lawrence, with a record score of 57, 12 under par. An average front nine of 30 was followed up by a blistering back nine of 27. Four birdies and eagles on both par fives equated to an 8 under for the nine.

Scratch runners up also hailed from Kurri, providing the Club with the quinella. Andrew & Renae Wyper teamed up with Kevin & Patsy Fielding to finish 4 strokes behind on 61.

The nett winners were David & Gail Smith and Tracey & Steve Rachell from TheVintage club on nett 51 5/8.Hero of the team was big hitting scratch marker Steve, who was assisted by the ample handicaps of his playing partners. It was pleasing to see The Vintage members supporting the District events.

Runners up in the nett were a "combo" team from the Denman and Scone Clubs.  Jake Teague, Errol Lockwood, Sue Wilson and Vicki Pascoe combined to finish with a creditable  54 1/4.

2010 SAND GREEN CHAMPIONSHIP

District Captain Dave Parkinson was more surprised than anyone when he took out the 2010 Sand Greens title at Merriwa. An ordinary outward nine of 40 was backed up with a more consistent 38 on the back nine to take the Championship by a stroke. On current form Dave has impressed the selector (himself) and is knocking on the door for representative honours.

Michael Googe of Muswellbrook was runner up one shot in arrears on a countback on 79 from  tournament favourite and sand green exponent Phil Ledgerwood of Murrurundi.

Peter Barwick of Muswellbrook was the nett winner on a countback from second favourite, Howie Lane of Murrurundi. Mal Newman of Singleton benefitting from a handicap blowout thanks to the new system came in third on 67.

Special mention should be made of the Merriwa Lady members who started the field, provided the entertainment and refreshments at the halfway house on the course, provided a delicious afternoon tea and completed the match results by the time the District officials hit the Club house.

BAKER TRINDER RESULTS

In one of the most keenly contested Baker Trinder Shields the Hunter River junior side claimed victory when Nathan Waters won the Shield on the third play off hole.

At the conclusion of the round robin series Central North, Hunter & North West were tied on 4 points each from two wins apeice. Central North & Hunter had 13½ games each whilst North West dipped out of the equation with 13 games.

North West could have won the event but for one of their players conceding the 11th hole, which he should have won, when he suffered a memory lapse and forget his opponent had drowned one in the greenside dam. From that point the match swung dramatically and eventually went to his opponent. Had he maintained his momentum they would have finished on 14 games and won the Shield.

In the final round the local side were heading for a flogging, but comebacks from Cameron Benkovic to square his match and Nick Gulliver hanging on grimly to win his, plus a comprehensive 6/5 win by Dylan Perry was sufficient to scrape into the playoff.  The Shield had to be decided by sudden death play off between the two number one players, Baxter Ward and Nathan Waters.

The innovative officials decided to make the 18th hole the playoff hole as they do in PGA Tour events. This backfired  when after two attempts no result had been reached. The two players were then sent up the par 5 first hole, where Nathan, with his opponent on the green in regulation, fluffed his greenside chip onto  the putting surface but made amends by canning a twenty foot snake for birdie and a win.

Congratulations to the team on the win. Special thanks to Scone for hosting the event at short notice.

2010 JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

The District Junior Championships drew a disappointing field of 53 young golfers to Kurri on Sunday 14 March, 2010. This included young girls vying for the Newcastle Hunter Ladies Golf Association, who combined their junior championships with our Districts, for the first time.

The winner of the NHLDGA Junior Championship was Aliza Huff of Belmont with a spectacular 77 off the stick, whilst fellow clubmate, Layne Flannery won the nett event on nett 73.

The 2010 Junior Champion and winner of the Dave Parkinson Shield was Cam Benkovic from Muswellbrook on 72, parring the course off his 3 handicap.

Nathan Waters (Scone) has certainly hit his straps this year and continued his form with 74 hits to take the Boys 16 - 17 years scratch trophy. James Towns from Maitland (no relation to Geoff or Jono) returned the best nett score for the division, with a fine 67.

Branxton's Adrian Chomiszak was successful in winning the Boys 14 -15 years Scratch with an impressive 75 hits, whilst Jack Clark of Singleton won the handicap trophy with a nett 68.

Isiah Wolferstan also hailing from Branxton, returned the equal second best score of 74 to convincingly win the Boys 13 and under scratch trophy. The "Mighty Midget" from Maitland Hayden Gulliver scooped the net trophy with a nett 70, and took the side bets off his big brother once again.

4 MAN  AMBROSE  CHAMPIONSHIPS

KURRI -  1st NOVEMBER 2009

Mark Hale continued his dominance of District events this year, when he teamed with fellow Branxton members Peter Callingham and Mick Ross, and just to top up the team in called in the "big gun" Glenn Marcheff from Singleton for the District Ambrose Fours Championship.

Their winning score of 17 under par, 55 was a record for this event, which will stand for some time. To save space it is easier to advise that the only pars (3 of) they had were on the long second hole and the 8th & 14th par threes. Eagles on 7 (almost holed out) and 18 made up the balance of the round. Apparently an eagle chance went begging on 12 when a relatively short putt went begging.

The Scone team of Derek Field, David O'Donnell, Wayne Phelps and Chris Waters were scratch runners on 11 under par 61. The team played consistent golf for their rounds of 30 out and 31 in. Birdies and pars made for a neat card.

Burglars from Maitland Adam Roy, Peters Gibbs, Adam McKenzie and David Bell won the nett score trophy with their round of 58 nett 54 1/4. Two mirrored rounds of 29 strokes each nine, blemished by 4 pars cost the team any chance of a scratch victory.

Popular runners up were the Aberdeen team of Peter Cooper, Peter May, John Golledge and Tony Strong finished half a stroke behind on 54 3/4. The team's individual handicaps ranged from 11 to 18, but played like single figure markers for their 10 under par scratch round.

With record breaking scores such as these it was obvious that it must have been a perfect day weather wise aided by a course in tip top condition.

"THE PAPERBOY" DELIVERS

Josh "The Paperboy " Knott delivered the goods when he won his first District Championship with a fine one over par 73 on a testing Oaks layout. A string of birdies through holes 6, 7 & 8 set up a one under par 35 for the front nine, faltering slightly on the inward nine with 2 over par.

Junior rep Connor Walton, from the Kurri Club, finished one shot back on 74. A slow start saw an opening nine of 39 backed up by 35 shots on the back nine, with birdies on 14 & 16, for his two over par.

Andrew Campbell (Singleton) won the A grade handicap event with a nett 69, which included a disasterous double bogey 7, on the "gimme" 6th hole, to edge out Maitland's popular Peter Gibbs on 70. Peter has recently joined the Newcastle Club and there is a rumour he may be lost to District Golf.

Third place in the nett event went to promising junior Nathan Waters of Scone, also on 70. Nathan is a member of the District junior side and has really hit his straps this year.

In B grade Paul Smith (The Oaks) returned from a week of golf at the North Coast, complaining of a sore foot, to shoot an 84 to win the B grade Championship Cup. Paul hobbled around the course for rounds of 42 each nine provided a two shot margin. Paul received little sympathy for his sore foot from those in attendance at the presentation.

Consistent B grader Mark McKenzie from Kurri, was runner up on 86. 45 strokes on the back nine saw his chance for the title fritter away.

The B grade nett winner was Brendon Bendeich, (Branxton) with a 72. Brendon backed up a horror 48 on the front nine with a 41 to win on the countback from veteran Boss Hogg (The Oaks).

Chris House (Kurri) took the third place money on nett 74 and would be pleased with the result after a double. triple on holes 10 & 11.

The 2009 C grade champion "Drop dead" Fred Wakeman, turned in a winning round  of 88 with unintentional assistance from the runner up Steve "Fluff" Clark Senior. Off the 11th tee Fred's drive was heading OOB over the fence with the assistance of the westerly wind. A fortunate  rebound off Steve's roof saw the ball back in play, saving him the usual penalty of stroke and distance and resulted in a one shot winning margin.

Fluff could have recorded his first District title, but for 7's on the tough par four holes 8 & 15.

Graham Drennan from Singleton played well for his nett 69 to win the C grade nett. Graham's winning margin may have been more than two if not for five ugly 7's on his card.

Runner up was Laurie Castle from Paterson, on nett 71, who had a miserable 51 on the back nine, but backed it up with a 44 on the front nine.

Third place in the C grade nett went to the promising junior from Branxton, Josh Tracey, also finishing on nett 71. On current form Josh will be featuring in many District events in the coming years.

TWO MAN AMBROSE C'SHIP 2009 - KING WARBURTON CUP

HALE BERRY WINNERS

Mark Hale (Branxton) co-opted Mitch Berry (Kurri) to fill in at the last minute, after his original partner became  unavailable. The pairing came up trumps to win the Championship event. Mark is in the midst of a purple patch, having recent wins at Singleton & Murrurundi Opens.

They teamed together to record 9 birdies, but two blemishes, in the form of bogeys on 5 & 14 narrowed their victory margin to a single shot.

Runners up were the short priced favourites Jeff & Andrew Wyper, who were considered unbeatable on their home track. Andrews booming drives combined with Jeff's deft short game carved up the front nine in 5 under par, but the pair went to sleep on the inward nine, managing a disappointing one under 35.

Defending champions Connor Walton and Cameron Benkovic were unavailable to play due to attendance at the JNJGF State Age Championships on the South Coast.

Division I handicap winners were the experienced pairing of Mark Newman and Anthony Fay from Singleton. their round of 4 under resulted in a winning nett score of 63 3/4.

Runners up were late entries Bobby Walker and Marty Smith, from Maitland, who played with gay abandon to return a nett score of 65.

Division II scratch winners were Kurri pairing of Clay Babic and Scott Harris on 72 off the stick, an even par round. After a nervous opening nine holes, they were 3 over par, but played above their ability on the back nine to reverse it for a 3 under par.

All Black fanatic Phil Howell teamed with an injured "big bird" Joel Craig to come in second in the Div II scratch, two shots in arrears on 74. The pair had to overcome a six way countback to achieve the placing.

The Div II nett winners were great supporters of District events, the Pink brothers, Col & Rob. Playing on their home course they returned a nett 65 1/2 to win by 3/4 of a stroke from the Paterson team of veteran Roy Bishop and his youthful protege Greg Valentine.

2009 MIXED AMBROSE - BRANXTON GOLF CLUB

SUNDAY 17 MAY, 2009.

An excellent field of 96 players turned out for the championship event , one of the most popular on the District calendar.

A record score of 11 under par, 59 was returned by the winning team from Kurri, led by Andrew Wyper, who was solidly backed all day by Kevin Fielding, Renee Bean and Patsy Fielding.

Highlight of their round was Andrew's drive on the 10th hole, where his three wood from the tee found the narrow putting surface. It made for the easiest of birdies.

Runners up were the Singleton team of Dan Storey, Peter Vitnell, Helen Storey and Sarah Mouatt on 61. Dan and his team have been  great supporters of this event and usually finish in the money.

The nett trophies were keenly contested with the width of a cigarette paper separating the first three placegetters.

The Singleton team of Barney & Louise Morrissey,Alf Ferguson and Jenny Delaney pipped the local team of Eddie Barrett & Mrs Barrett, Don Gilroy and Janene Aird by 1/4 of a stroke for the first prizemoney.

One of the Kurri groups almost had to play in a three after one of their team members mysteriously disappeared prior to hit off and could not be found.

Realising the team couldn't aFord to venture onto the course as a three a desparate search was put into place. Fortunately her cries for help were heard from within the Clubhouse, where she had spent a penny and became entrapped by a rogue locking malfunction on the cubicle door. It took the services of a handyman to remove the imprisoning lock to release Sue in time to hit off.

2009 SAND GREEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

A field of 41 players turned out for the annual camel grass championships, hosted by the hospitable Murrurundi Club.

The course was in magnificent conditions with the slickest browns seen in many a year, which caused many a three putt. The elements were against good golf with the field experiencing the four seasons on a couple of occasions during the 18 holes.

Little known member of The Oaks, but regular visitor to Murrurundi Mark Penfold shot a 6 over par 74 to be the 2009 Sand Green Champion.

Previous winner Andrew Wyper played well below his best to come in second on 78.

Local sand green exponent Phil Ledgerwood took third place on 83 strokes.

All handicap trophies went to players from our sand green courses, which supports the theory "horses for courses".

Mick Day of Murrurundi was the only player to break his handicap with a fine nett 64, whilst fellow local Brett Reid came in second on 68.

Dan Vero, one of eight players from Merriwa, won third trophy on nett 69.

On a lighter note a regular competitor on the District circuit who tows his personal cart to all events, turned up at Murrurundi, with cart intact on the trailer, but somehow managed to leave the key at home at Singleton. All attempts to start the cart proved fruitless, until a competitor Cameron Henderson overhead  Mal's plight, reached into his wallet and produced a spare key, saving the day.

BAKER TRINDER SHIELD 2009

The Hunter District junior team made the journey to Dubbo to contest the Baker Trinder Shield, an annual round robin matchplay event between 4 neighbouring Districts.

After two comparatively easy wins in the opening rounds on Saturday, the team were scheduled to meat Central North on Sunday morning, with the winner taking the Shield, as Central North had also chalked up two wins.

In what was a close match, our boys went down by the margin of 6 matches to 1. The Central North team always held the upper hand throughout the encounter, no matter how hard our team fought to gain the ascendancy. Five of the lost matches went to the last hole, an indication of the closeness of the teams.

Best for the Hunter side was Connor Walton, who won all three matches, whilst Matt Kelly wins the bravery award for hobbling around 54 holes with an in grown toenail.

The team was managed by Dave Parkinson and Pat Rigby, who were in awe of Nick "Seagull" Gulliver, who won the eating award on Saturday evening by demolishing a serve of garlic bread, a large plate of pasta, two bowls of unwanted vegetables and sundry fries.

Special thanks to John Chomiszak, the "official" photographer.

DISTRICT JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS -

 The Oaks - 15th March 2009

The fast improving Matt Kelly from The Oaks clinched the District Junior title with an even par round of 72. Two weeks ago Matt was playing off an eight handicap, but through his commitment to practice has reduced his handicap down to four over  the past two weeks.. His up and down round included 3 birdies and an eagle on the 14th, which were countered by 5 bogeys. As a result of his win Matt was rewarded with selection in the District Junior side to travel to Dubbo to participate in the Baker Trinder Shield.

Next best scratch score went to Cameron Benkovic (Muswellbrook) on 74 on a countback from Kyle Blinco (Scone) also on 74. Rumour has it that Cameron will become well acquainted with the family mower Rover in the coming weeks.

In the young ladies division the scratch winner was Aliza Huff (Belmont) on 79. Her outward nine was a mixed bag for a return of 41 strokes (4 over par) but stormed home in one over par on the back nine to clinch the win.

Runner up was Erin McMaugh from the Concord club, one stroke back on 80. Her round included an eagle 3 on the par 5 6th hole, turning in 38. A double bogey on the 14th hole along with sundry bogeys resulted in 42 hits on the inward nine.

For the first time a Cadets event was introduced, which attracted a field of 8 players. The players enjoyed a 9 hole event under the watchful eye of Pat Rigby, who initiated the event and walked the 9 holes with them. The Cadet event will become a regular feature of future Championships.

The Championship was well supported by visitors, especially those who travelled from the metropolitan Clubs of Avondale, Concord, Monash and Muirfield.  Neighbouring Clubs who supported with entries were Belmont, Charlestown, Morisset, Muree, Shortland Waters and Waratah. Your support is appreciated.

AMBROSE FOURS CHAMPIONSHIP - McLINTOCK SHIELD

114 District golfers took to the course at Cessnock for the popular ambrose event. The course was presented in excellent condition, but most players found it difficult to get the ball up to the hole on the unusually slow, but true greens.

Obviously the winners didn't have this problem returning a record winning score of 16 under par. The Lucas family, Anthony Snr,  Jnr & Troy teamed up with the newly crowned Kurri B Grade champion Matt Rieck to record 4 pars, 2 eagles and 12 birdies .

Scratch runners up were the composite junior side of Cameron & Brody Benkovic, Connor Walton & Daniel Rigby. The boys played solid golf for a scratch score of 58 and could be considered unlucky not to win the event.

District Senior Martin Jolly led his Kurri team of Chris Ford, Matt Cluff & Eden Hayes to a nett 53 1/4 to nudge out the Branxton team of Errol Munzenberger, Kyle Mounser, Phil Carter & Paul Smith by half a shot.

2008 District Championships – Kurri Golf Club

Sunday 24 August, 2008. 

Branxton member Mark Hale made it two in a row when he returned a 3 under par 69 to win the 2008 A grade District Championship. Mark played his usual consistent game with four birdies and a glitch on the 15^th where he made the only bogey of his round.

Runner up 5 strokes behind was Andrew Harrison, from Singleton, on 74.

The A grade handicap winner was Martin Smith (Maitland), who edged out fellow member Bryan Gulliver, both players finishing on 69. Junior Cameron Benkovic came in with a nett 70 to take the third placed money.

Anthony Lucas Jnr from Kurri was no surprise as winner of the B grade Championship when he carded an 80 off the stick to win by a shot from up & coming junior Hayden Gulliver from Maitland. Hayden’s nett score of 68 was sufficient to win the handicap trophy.  

Mark McKenzie also from Kurri, was awarded the B grade scratch runner up trophy when he shot an honest 82 off the stick.

Handicap runner up in B grade was another junior Brady Benkovic on nett 71 and bringing up third spot was veteran Dave Curry from Branxton on 73.

The 2008 C grade champion was Graham Groizard of The Oaks with a gross score of 91. A couple of early blips in the form of a double and triple bogey in the first four holes would normally unsettle any golfer but Graham knuckled down to consolidate his round for a fine win.

Runner up in the scratch was septuagenarian Kevin Coleman on 92 from Kurri.

Handicap winner, not to be outdone by his son, was Anthony Lucas Snr with an incredible nett 66. The two Anthony’s will no doubt be pleased with their handicap reductions.

Perennial C grader, Steve “Ossie” Oswald from Maitland won the handicap runner up on nett 74, whilst Tim Clark from Dungog was third on nett 75.

HOGG CLAIMS MASTERS JACKET

All round sportsman and card sharp James Hogg, from the Oaks and Cypress Lakes, won the 2008 Masters Championship held at Dungog, on Sunday 17 August, 2008. His sparkling round of even par 70 on the tricky layout  gave him a clear 3 shot margin over defending champion Gary Mears from Muswellbrook.

James had been spied spending many days on the Dungog course leading up to the event. Pundits thought he was practising when in actual fact, he confided he was taking measurements for his SureShot GPS. However the GPS proved to be fallible, when he came up two feet short of the pin on the 9th hole for his second shot.

Third place in the scratch went to Rob Logue of Cessnock on 75.

Phil Howell from the Kurri Club struck form to win the handicap event with a nett 68. Phil was drawn in the same group as Dave Parkinson and luckily didn't become infected with Dave's notorious J Arthur Rank.

Beaten into second place also on 68  was Col Bagnall (the Second) from the Dungog Club who was relegated into minor placing by the countback system.

Regular on the Hunter District Circuit John Stewart and President of The Oaks, came in third on 70.

Special mention should be made of the Dungog Club for their hospitality and condition of the course, the Denman team who ran out of petrol at Jerrys PLains and the participation of members from Cypress Lakes Club, which was a first for that Club.

2008 TWO MAN AMBROSE  - Maitland Golf Club 20 July 2008

Two members of the District Junior side, teamed up to win the King Warburton Cup, in the two man ambrose championship, held at Maitland.

Cameron Benkovic (Muswellbrook) and Connor Walton (Kurri) shot a 10 under par 61 to win the title by two strokes from veteran Martin Jolly and colt Chris Ford, both from the Kurri Club.

The boys had an opening nine holes of 31, registering birdies on 1, 4, 5, 7 & 9. After a slow start on the inward nine, they strung together 6 birdies from the 13th to the 17th, for their total of 10 under par.

The Division II scratch was taken out by Joel Craig and ambrose exponent Phil Howell, both hailing from the Kurri Club. Their winning score of two under par gave them a two shot advantage over Muswellbrook pairing Chris Lawler and Andy Jackson.

Division I handicap winners were Steve Lill and Jono Towns (Maitland) on nett 60 1/2 from the Branxton pairing of Mark Hale and Wayne Jordan, half a stroke back.

The in form Geoff Towns, teamed with Brad Ehlefeldt (Maitland) to return a nett 62 3/4 to edge out fellow Maitland members Ben Finucane and Adam Melville by 1/4 of a stroke for the Division II nett event.

A pleasing field of 94 players supported the event.

SAND GREENS (CAMEL GRASS) CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008

The 2008 Sand Green champions is Martin Smith, who tasted victory in his virgin game on the "browns". After victory in his first match for the District against Newcastle last year Marty was again selected to represent  against Central Coast which will be played on the sand greens at Murrurundi. To gain experience he entered the Sand Greens Championships and came away with a surprising victory with a hard fought 77 off the bat.

Runner up was his Maitland compatriot Steve Lill on 78, with Muswellbrook junior Kyle O'Keefe one shot back on 79.

The handicap event was keenly contested with hot scores being returned by the leaders.

Handicap winner Mal Newman (nett 63) had a point to prove when he was snubbed by the selector to represent the Senior side in the match against Central Coast. Mal found the the fairway with regular monotony then trundled his trusty 8 iron near the pin . He came unstuck mid round when he left his 8 iron at the drinks tent but came good when he retrieved it on the second time around.

Runner up was local Des Vero who had the event wrapped up until Mal, who was playing in the last group pipped him at the post by a shot.

Crackers Avard was third in the handicap event with a nett 66 on a countback.

A field of 37 players made the journey to Merriwa, where they were treated to the warm hospitality of the Merriwa ladies and members.

It was also very pleasing to see juniors from Muswellbrook & Scone making the effort to play in the event.

AMBROSE FOURS – McLINTOCK SHIELD

MAITLAND GOLF CLUB SUNDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2007 

 The final District event for 2007 attracted a capacity field of 136 players to enjoy the excellent condition of the Maitland Course.

The scratch event was keenly contested, with the R & A countback rules having to be applied to decide the eventual winner as three teams finished on 12 under par 59. 

The Muswellbrook team of Bobba Dial, Greg Tearle, Wayne Marshall & Gary Thomas snuck in with a 7 under par 28, on the inward nine to take the championship. A barrage of birdies through holes 12 – 17 set up their win. 

The bridesmaids for 2007 went to the senior team led by retiree Dave Parkinson, ably assisted by Mal Newman and Zig Grzanka who co-opted youngster Steve Lill to return a best ever score of 59. Steve’s shot selection and reading of the greens was invaluable to the older brigade. 

The handicap winners hailed from Aberdeen and won by half a stroke with a brilliant score of 53 1/8. Team members were Peter Cooper, Tony Strong, John Golledge & Simon Newton. The boys cruised through the front nine 5 under par but came alight on the back nine with a 6 under par 29. 

Handicap runners up on 53 5/8 were The Paterson team of Dean & Mark Lauder, Greg Kellner and Alan Thompson.  

With an average handicap of 19 the team played scintillating golf for a 63 off the bat.