The day

Relatively light traffic both ways for the encouragingly high pre-New Year round turnout of 37 Tee Setters provided a solid basis for an enjoyable day at Matoa and the year’s closing Monthly Medal – especially when added to the recent success of remedial work on the course’s long damaged areas twixt fairway and rough.

Despite the absence of all of the Singing President, the Former President of Almost Everything and our lovely secretary, Brenda, things were hardly to miss a beat.

One thing amiss, however, was Matoa’s toilers being unable to locate our banners for both Long Drive and Nearest to the Pin; we have not had too much luck with them over the year as both sets bought and paid for now appear to have grown a set of legs. No matter, the club stepped up to the plate with some substitutes and staff to look after the process.

The only other hiccup was the Web Guy, forced by absences to stand and initially failing to award a couple of the minor prizes. He protested this was due to their presence on the “hidden” second page of the “Skill Prizes” screen. As he wrote the application, this seemed disingenuous at best.

A gentle reminder at this point that we really do not have time to look through everyone’s cards to discover when you might have got your first birdie, eagle, par for HC >30 etc.

If you don’t record the fact in the special little section of the card we thoughtfully provide you with, then no tears when you don’t get a prize.

Remember that the number recorded on the form should be the hole number “as played” and NOT the actual hole number (though it will of course be the same if you start off 1) . As an example, you start on 10 and get a birdie on 13 – you would enter “4” against 1st birdie below “Hole #” and NOT 13.

One Newcomer to report in the shape of Carolyn and Paul Taylor’s visiting for the holidays son, Leighton. Welcome to Tee Set, Leighton, you know where to find us now.

13 Welcome Backs in a list headed by Debbie Minicola who added a whole new dimension to being late by only joining her group on the 7th hole due to a late business interruption. Full marks to Debbie for carrying on playing on her own for 6 holes to complete her card after everyone else had finished!

The play

Simon Reynolds shot the lights out with a career best 71 off the stick to take 42 Stableford points, only to find himself sharing the Monthly Medal with Tom Alcedo who must have been pretty close to his own best ever to match Simon’s 42 points. Brilliant, well done both! In addition to the prize money, one of them will get the Slaney’s meat voucher and the other 6 of Santis’s Premium Pies.

With 2 Monthly Medal winners leaving the field open, Geoff Thompson. Craig Edwards and Carolyn Taylor picked up Low Net in Grades A, B and C respectively – and allowed Mike Garwood to pick up Low Gross in his last game with us before resuming his peregrinations.

An astonishingly low 23 putts from Geary Bowles was enough to give him Low Putts, though only two ahead of Geoff Thompson on 25 – a number that would have won Geoff the glory in any other week but this.

Harold Hayne took 1st Birdie as Geary was otherwise engaged and Newcomer Leighton was finally awarded Most Improved while his Mum took 1st Pr HC >= 30.

1st Sandy was not to be awarded for the very simple reason that there weren’t any for the first time in living memory 😦

A rather paltry 4 skirts and clearly none of them in the least embarrassed about it which rather misses the point, Dede marked her return after medical leave with a modest total of 42 putts to take Monster Putter while Leighton Taylor made his Mum pay for his Most Strokes “award”, an outstanding feat with 13 on just one hole on the front 9, and which set him up nicely for Most Improved on the back.

Finally, Special Prizes, where Long Drive went to Steve Hulbert (pictured right providing great support for Craig Edwards Grade B win) for whom this was his swan song before returning to Australia, while Nearest to the Pin went to Simon Reynolds less than a metre away from the hole and playing with Mike Garwood amongst others.

Mike was in fact a trifle unlucky as, following Simon, he dropped his ball directly on top of Simon’s causing his own to fly off into the distance while of course Simon’s was replaced where it lay 🙂

The 2015 schedule

You may already have noticed that we have updated the schedule page for 2015 and, in an unprecedented display of transparency that you should not expect to see oft-repeated, we have exposed some of the thinking behind it.

The principle features are a shift in emphasis to the West to take advantage of the JOOR, and  the de-linking of the general Tee Set programme from the Interleague at Jagorawi, though we will of course continue to support the Interleague through the strong and vigorous participation of our own team of 8 heroes – when we hope to finally realise the dream of punching our weight and winning the bloody thing.

Captain of the Interleague team for 2015 has been confirmed as VP Simon Reynolds; whether you are good or not so good, Simon may be knocking on your door as we like to put out a mixed ability team, not least because a biggish handicap can be a very potent weapon in the hands of someone capable of producing their best on the day.

The Tee Set website in 2014

The friendly folks at WordPress have kindly prepared this statistical summary for us where you will be amazed to see that we have had visitors from 107 countries over the course of the year – and be somewhat bemused by the inclusion of the Sydney Opera House.

Next up

Gading Raya’s kind offer 1 million walking plus extortionate cart fee for next Sunday was an offer we could refuse and, instead, we are off to the renamed but still delightful Karawang International, now “Lotus Lakes”, still out on the Cikampek Tol where the VP of Excellent Discounts has been able to swing us an 11:17 start off two tee boxes for just 600,000 roops including shared buggy. Well done, him, great price for this quality of course so sign up here as usual to take advantage of a price you will never see again.

Have a great New Year … and see ya Lotus Lakes … Tee Set