The story of the asterisk

Our 2010 champion's name will be added to the lime jacket with an asterisk due to the fact, as regularly promoted by Billy, that his driver is in fact illegal under the rules of golf. The basic issue is that the design of the ERC II club head effectively has the effect of a spring and is considered non-conforming. Full information is available on the following link:

http://www.randa.org/rules/equipment/drivingClubPolicy

Perhaps Billy's poker winnings will go toward a driver that will enable him to avoid having to explain the asterisk for future wins??

Other Award Winners

Bushman Award - Adam - for managing to avoid the fairway for most of the round as well as an unexpected birthday gift

Bradman Award - Meek - wiping 7 of the last 9 holes had to be rewarded somehow

Crooked Putter Award - Ngy - left too many putts short to stay in contention - time to replace the broomstick

Shortest Drive Award - Digger - didn't manage to make the ladies tee on one of his drives, though only barely beaten on this occasion by John as well as the biggest fall from grace for a defending champion in the history of the event

Our 2010 Champion *

Congratulations to Billy. We look forward to your defence in 2011

The full finishing order is below (Rank, then point score, handicap assigned and handicap played to - the final number is what you would have needed to score 36 points, or nett par, on the day)

1. Billy - 37, 15, 14

2. Foca - 36, 24, 24

3. Spud - 34, 30, 32

4. Josh - 32, 40, 44

5. Rod - 31, 32, 37

6. Eagle - 30, 18, 24

6. Doc - 30, 26, 32

8. Ngy - 28, 17, 25

8. Kingy - 28, 19, 27

10. Digger - 27, 27, 36

11. John - 20, 54, 70

12. Leo - 18, 45, 63

13. Adam - 16, 27, 47

14. Matt - 13, 36, 59

15. Meek - 12, 36, 60 (I presume the $200 won in the calcutta will be invested in some clubs for next year)

2010 Championship Day

Finally we get to the championship day. Will 12 months of 4-times a week practice by Ngy be enough to finally deliver on his promised win or will one of the rookies take advantage of the generous handicaps to break through.

The Saturday round showed that while the course was challenging there would be an opportunity to post decent scores, with 40 points the anticipated target.

A slightly earlier start had everyone arriving for the pre-round breakfast with everyone going through their routine to psych for the day. Whether it was Rod's barista skills or Doc's B&E's, everyone was able to get a heart-starter. Of course Stu stuck to his routine of sleeping in to 45 minutes before leaving time.

The group assembled for the traditional photo - the handsome devils are below:

After 9 holes the leader, Spud, was on 21 points, with a scattering between 13 and 20 points. It was clear that the muggy conditions and sleep deprivation from the previous 2 nights (especially for Ngy) was starting to take a toll with the 10th to 15th holes proving to seperate contenders from pretenders. The last three holes were critical with Foca bursting through with 9 points, Billy recovering from some missed opportunities with 8 points and Spud holding par with 6 points.

In the end Billy held on for a one shot victory, finally breaking the run of wins by the over-55 years brigade. Once again a worthy winner after the debacle of allowing a 70 year old to win last year. Plenty of good memories and pre-planning already underway for the 2011 event.

Saturday - 2 man Ambrose

Shaking off the effects of the night before and with the benefit of a hearty B&E breakfast, the crew teed off around 12:30 for the 2-man ambrose comp. After the ceremonial tee off from 2009 champion the Digger, the teams worked their way through the course. Certainly an enjoyable round with plenty of challenging holes. Good news is that it was more forgiving than recent venues with all teams posting respectable scores.

Winning team on the day was Billy and Spud, marking up 43 points, followed by Eagle and the Meek on 40 and Doc, Leo and John on 37. Stu made his displeasure at the outcome known

Plenty of eyes on the starters to make sure the handicaps were set for day two. Most telling was the clear indication that the Eagle is back, carrying the Meek through the round - evidenced by the Meek being forced to carry the Eagle's clubs to the car after the round. It's only fair.

After announcing the groups for Sunday the Calcutta was run with a pot of $200 up for grabs. Most interest settled on the "contender" group with Eagle and Billy taken for $30 each and Doc and Ngy at the $20 mark. John has decided to carelessly waste Doc's inheritance with investments in the Digger and Matt, as well as a brave splurge on his son. Time will tell. Once again the day was closed with some poker with a field of nine for the first round, dropping to six in the second round. Doc and Billy the winners, leaving everyone else to take an early mark in preparation for day two

2010 Tournament Begins

The lads have arrived on the South Coast of NSW for the 6th FocDoc. Biggest field to date with 15 starters and all keen to add their name to the fabled green jacket.

Friday was the unofficial launch with 7 starters and special guest Brendan (Bill) Williams over from NZ, at Kangaroo Valley. The plan was to play 9 as a nice warmup, but due to a slow start and some fantastic views the first group pushed for 15.

FocDoc rookies Josh and the Meek showed some glimpses of form, though not enough to worry the handicappers. Foca dusted off the clubs and described his half round as "troubling". Billy looked good and played to his low marker expectations.

The traditional Trans Tasman between Doc and Bill ended in a tie, meaning the trophy stays west of the ditch for the time being.

Below, some fantastic views with foreground action of the Meek aerating the tee box and Billy knocking one just past the flag.

The group congregated at Mollymook in the evening for the traditional launch over a few drinks and plenty of banter. After the hand-back of the jacket from last year's champion, the Digger, the 2010 kit was unveiled and day one pairings announced.

One of the regular highlights is the first night poker comp with plenty of early interest. Billy and Josh combined to take the early rounds, but it was der Adler (the Eagle for those not tortured with Year 9 German) who showed patience to drag out the final round and finally close with a full house at around 4am to walk away with a $380 pot. The picture below tells the story.

Notes from the Rough - 3 weeks to go

After a week off we're back and starting to count down the days, rather than weeks, to the event. Doesn't seem all that long ago that it seemed ridiculous to be giving 6 months notice to a golf weekend but it is almost upon us.

No surprises that Ngy has been busy on the course, carding some decent scores in recent weeks and even making his debut for the Mac Grange pennants side yesterday. After a slow start he was 3 down with 5 to go but clawed back to win at the 18th. Don't be fooled with the news that Ngy won on a Sunday - he didn't play on Saturday!!

Just spoke with Rod who informs me that the Eagle scratched himself from a round yesterday. Clearly not prepared to waste any shots when it doesn't count. Rod forged ahead and played nine that justifies his 27 handicap.

On Saturday Doc, Kingy and Ichiro had a crack at the revamped Mac Grange. Actually, revamped is the wrong term as that implies that some effort has been spent in improving the course. It is definitely a tougher layout, but primarily a result of the rough being allowed to grow to knee height, punishing any shots away from the short stuff. All struggled on a day when over a third of the field refused to submit a card. Thankfully a more pleasant layout awaits at Mollymook.

As part of the run-up to the FocDoc, the unofficial practice round is being held at Kangaroo Valley (http://www.kangaroovalleygolf.com.au/golf) on Friday 19th March, teeing off at 11am. This is for those who want an excuse to take an extra day off and enjoy a light-hearted round. We have a few spots left so get back to me to confirm a spot. The plan is to head straight to Mollymook after the round to await the arrival of the remainder of the group.

Finally, if you haven't arranged your transport to and from Mollymook, let me know if you need any help finding a ride.

Have a great week, and see you all soon

Cheers,

Doc (and Foca)