El Caballo - Stableford
A great field of 27 starters braved the initially chilly conditions at El Caballo. The early arrivals made a beeline for the fire to warm up whilst others headed for the driving range. The fog closed in as many groups teed off which added a further challenge to a course known for punishing bad shots. Despite the chill, despite the fog, and despite a shower that made the last few groups a little nervous, three young blokes took home the prizes, with one effort standing out from the rest.
Anyone shooting a round of 79 would have reason to smile once the day was done, and Marc Geddes was no exception. Resplendent in his cricket cream attire he seemed to take a liking to the course, racking up several of the novelties along the way. 35 points carried the day giving him his first win for the season.
Filling the other podium spots were the irrepressible Dave Thomas and serial podium pest Jack Wagner. His recent Broome trip must have done the Pirate some good as a 32 point round saw him on the podium. Jack is in a good vein of form at the moment, making the turn with 36 off the stick. He couldn’t quite maintain the rage through the second nine, but still did enough to secure a podium finish.
As most of us are aware there are one or two club members who can play a decent round whilst either hungover or still slightly intoxicated. The scribe can recall an example a while back where the winner at The Cut was still half-cut from the night before. This ability is definitely one attribute that Sunday’s NAGA recipient does not possess. Whilst a few were rolling in wondering if their low-20s score would see them stone cold last, Mark Ellis went super-low to come in with 11 points and blitz the field. In truth, an effort like this would probably have him reaching for the bottle again…
The scribe couldn’t quite back up his win from the week before. Pars on 7-10 with another on the par 5 14th weren’t enough to repair the damage of three wipes and some poor shot selection. A near slam-dunk second shot on the ninth (with a dented green to prove it) was probably his best shot of the day. 30 points was the final return from a round that could have been much more. At least he’ll have a couple of weeks at work to think about it…
Once again, the team at El Caballo laid on the country hospitality which was appreciated by all those who braved the cold start to the day. After the presentation of prizes and novelties (and Stafford belatedly remembering he had two scorecards in his back pocket) the putt-off made a long overdue return. An eager crowd gathered to see if anyone could claim the prize. Despite a few decent efforts the jackpot lives on to grow a little bigger.
Next week is Monthly Medal time again at Collier Park. Make sure you respond on Teamer quickly so we can secure our times for Sunday.