June Women’s Newsletter

It has been another busy month on the golf course. There is always something going on and the colder winter months are no excuse not to get out and join in. El Nino is apparently going to be the condition for this year so the golf course will be drier than last winter with plenty of opportunities to play.

Points of Interest and Results

• Western Districts Tournament was held at Wellington over three days (16,17 and 18 May) and Duntry had 22 women attending. The weather was perfect for golf and the course was in ideal condition with  a reasonable amount of run. For such a small club the members had done a great job to put on such a enjoyable tournament – it was well organised and there was a happy and hospitable atmosphere. The presentation dinner was also a highlight with everyone in a very friendly mood. Quite a few of the Duntry girls stayed over for the tournament at Heritage Hill Resort – the old hospital- we stayed in the nurses’ quarters and with a large common room it suited our purposes to a tee (no pun intended). Duntry had two winners in the 36 hole events – Judith Barlow won the 36 hole scratch in Division 2 and was awarded the WDLGA Open Div 2 trophy as well as the Mabel McKenzie Salver for the closed event in Div 2.  Joanna Sangster gained 3rd place in 36 holes Div 2 handicap event. Other Duntryleague winners who took home daily prizes were Sally Heigh, Gen White, Lesley Williams and Meg Kierath. Congratulations to all. Next year the WD Tournament will be held in Orange at the Wentworth course so be sure to put this in your forward planning -14,15 and 16 May 2024.
• Par 3 Championships were held on Sunday 21st May. It was a cold and miserable day with intermittent rain so well done to all those who persisted. Thank you to our sponsors Beryl and Don Pearce who have been supporting this event for many years. For the women Jo KIngham was the best with 66 gross, runner-up was Janine Gallagher with 73. In the handicap event Mary Lee won with 49 nett, runner-up Kerry Kidd on 54.
• 23rd May saw the annual 27 holes Foursomes Championships being played. Thank you to our sponsors Burcher EFI, Pam Wright, Marilyn Maxwell and Dianne Smith. Susan Fenwick and Alison Duffield could not be caught with a great score of 132 gross to take out the silverware this year. Runners-up were Margot Sullivan and Virginia Conran with 141. In the handicap event Elizabeth Stair and Jan Bishenden had a successful day on the course with 112 nett, and Beryl Pearce and Marilyn Maxwell not far behind on 113 were the runners-up.
• The Qualifying Round for the 4BBB Championships was held on 30th May. This event is sponsored by Barb Chapman and the Collins Family and the best qualifiers are awarded the Dorothy Collins Memorial Trophy. The sponsors were on hand that day to congratulate the winners – thank you for your sponsorship. The winners on the day were Margot Sullivan and Elaine Cusack with a score of 61. Good playing girls. Runners-up were Jane Arnott and Mary Close with their score of 62, third were Denise Watts and Wendy Reid 63, and fourth were Sally Kay and Jo Hunter 64. Sixteen teams qualified to proceed to the matchplay elimination rounds held on 1st June, 8th June, 15th June and 22nd June. The weather was rather inclement on 8th June so some of the teams are playing their matches during the week and trying to ensure the schedule is kept in place so the final can still be played on 22nd June. As at 11th June still in the fight for the last and winning spot are Ann Williams & Sally Gordon,  Robin Thompson & Deirdre Horan,  Marg Fleming & Joy Ritchie, and Val Durack and Ros Davis.
• 6th June there was a versus Par event and the winners in their respective grades were Kerry Kidd +2, Ruth Swift  -1, and Cathy Murphy -1. In the 9 hole event Wendy Brown was the best with -1. The 9 hole event on Tuesdays continues to grow in popularity, which is great to see for those members who do not want to play the whole 18 holes.
• 13th June and the event was the Monthly Medal number 6 sponsored by Yates, Baker and McLean and Sally Kay had a very successful day taking out the Medal with 69 nett. Well done Sally. Other winners in their respective divisions were Susan Fenwick (71 nett), Margaret Fleming (74 nett) and Kerrie Wood ( 71 nett).   In conjunction the Veterans Country Championships were held and any player who is a paid up member of the Women’s Veterans Association and Duntryleague is their homeclub will automatically be eligible for this event. Our Vets Liaison Officer Lesley Williams will sort this one out and the prize will be awarded eventually at the end of year AGM.

Upcoming Events

• Pennants The second match will be played at Duntry against Bathurst on 16th June. Good luck to all our girls as this is a must win situation if we want to stay in the competition.
• Cowra Tournament 14 – 16th June. All out of town events will have notices with details on the noticeboard in the women’s rooms.
• 20th June there will be a stableford event called the WDLGA Spoon Event. The sponsors are some of the Country Duntry girls so thank you to Pauline Jani, Jenny Cutler, Cheryl Bennett, Judy Royal, Marg Ogilvy and Pam Evans. Winners and Runners-up in each division will have the opportunity to go to WD Finals Day on 28th September. We don’t know which course this will be held at until the Pennants competition is much more advanced.
• Thursday 22nd June the final of the 4BBB Matchplay Championships. This is sponsored by Maria Crawford, Ann Williams, Edna Sharp and Carol Reynolds. Thank you for your continuing support of this event . The winners will receive the Moira Johnson Memorial Salver. By tradition that afternoon we will celebrate not only the winners, but the  sponsors and everyone who was involved and also I guess the great game of golf itself. Even if you don’t play that day come along to be part of the celebrations as we will serve a glass of wine and some nibbles.
• June 25th Tournament at Dunedoo.
• June 27th If you were planning to go to Trangie Tournament this has been cancelled.
• 27th June will be an interesting event because our Captain Kerry has decided to put on a stableford multiplier. You have a partner and you multiply your score with your partner’s. eg if one of you get a stableford score of 2 and the other player gets a 3, your result for that hole would be 6. Don’t get too stressed out but remember that any score multiplied by a wipe (0) and the result is zero even if one player had a brilliant birdie !!!
• 4th July will be the next Monthly Medal. This one is number 7 and is sponsored by Beryl and Don Pearce.
• 9th July Sunday Far West Bowl and Tournament at Nyngan.
• 18th July will be Winter Wonderland sponsored by Gay Stone, Val Durack and Kerry Kidd. The formatt will be a 4BBB Stableford and it involves a 8.30 for 9am shotgun start. We have a shotgun start for this event because then everyone comes in at the same time and can enjoy the luncheon ( usually a soup, dessert combo).
• July 23rd Tournament at Trundle.
• August,  Saturday and Sunday 5th and 6th Tournament at West Wyalong.

Other News

• Start thinking about the Club Qualifying event for the Keno Ambrose. This is set down for Sunday 23rd July. A mixed team, a men’s team, and a women’s team  can qualify. If you want to try your luck at both the Women’s event and the mixed event another qualifying game will be scheduled for the following weekend 30th July. Of course you can only qualify for one, but no harm in trying for the second event if you miss out on the first Sunday. So 23rd July will be the mixed event and then 30th July the women’s and the men’s separate events. Winners will go on to a regional final (usually in September) and then ultimately may play in the final at Bonville later in the year.
• Preferred Lies are back on. To protect the course during the winter season preferred lies can be utilised. This time it will be on the fairways only AND for two club lengths either side of the fairway. Remember to mark your ball before taking your preferred lie no closer to the hole.
• Work on the 16th fairway. There are rope barriers in place on the 16th hole to prevent carts driving where the works are happening. These ropes DO NOT indicate GUR – they are purely to keep the carts away. However, you can take a drop away from the drainage lines if your ball is on one of the re-turfed lines. Consult with your playing group if unsure if you are entitled to a drop. This area will remain roped for most of the winter season.
• Similarly, on the first fairway drainage work will be commencing soon, and this hole may be reduced to a Par 3 for a while.
• If wet weather plays havoc with the 15th fairway, then you can take free relief if your ball lands in the wet area below the dam wall. This would be temporary water and the rule that applies is Rule 16 Relief from Abnormal Course Conditions.
• Lost Ball Rule. Some women are still confused by this one and baulk when they hear the two shot penalty option. So to clarify – when you have lost a ball under the rules of golf your option is to go back to the spot where you hit the lost ball from and hit again, with a one shot penalty. So if it was your tee shot that was lost then when you hit it again that is your third shot. This is called the stoke and distance penalty.  At Duntryleague we have another option – it is a local rule and may not be an option at other courses – always check the local rules when you are a visitor. The local rule is a time saver and let’s everyone get on with the game in a timely manner. You can drop another ball onto the edge of the fairway at the approximate spot and distance where you think your lost ball was going. This is for a two shot penalty, so if the lost ball was your tee shot, then this next shot becomes your 4th shot. You may be hitting your 4th shot but at least you haven’t lost any distance as you would if you took the first option. It really depends on the situation and how far you judge your original ball to have gone. This is one of the most used rules in the Rule Book – just about every game you play someone will lose a ball!! So it is worth knowing the rule. Not discussed here is  the 3 minute time limit and all the ins and outs of taking a provisional ball. Please take the time to read all of Rule 18 so you can understand this rule. There are also plenty of notes if you google ” lost ball in golf” and also videos on Youtube.

Happy Golfing. Cheers Sally H.