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)

From the Rough - 5 weeks to go

Another busy week for me, playing alongside Ngy, Ichiro and Kingy on Saturday, and backing up to play with Rod on Sunday. Now I just have to work on the sleep deprivation and my FocDoc "fitness" regime will be complete

Final arrangements are complete for the event shirts (thanks Matt) and a special gift from our corporate sponsors (thanks Spud, Ichiro and Billy). Now I can put my feet up and watch the days tick by until the 19th March.

After a soggy week and some persistent drizzle Macarthur Grange was humid and more of a challenge than usual with the rough seemingly sprouting to 20 cm over the past week. Anything off the short stuff was hard work, assuming you could even find your ball. Reminiscent of the inaugural FD at Mt Broughton.

Once again Ngy was the pick, scoring 40 stableford points to finish 2nd in B Grade. Even more impressive was his ability to scramble in the back nine - after carding 46 in the front nine he came home with a 37 off the stick to stay in the low 80's and reduce his handicap to 16. As you can see below he had his share of trouble but kept his head to finish strong.

For the C Graders, Doc finished with 36 (3rd), Kingy 33 (7th) and Ichiro 31 (9th) to re-claim the cat bell.

Sunday's round was at Beverly Park and was played in similar conditions, with increasing precipitation in the final few holes. Doc hit the ball well through the round and managed to get out of some tricky lies amongst the trees but wiped on 2 double-holes to finish with 34 stableford points and 4th place. Rod showed some good (and some bad) shots, struggling in the conditions with a score of 19. Clearly the pressure of playing alongside one of the official handicappers was too much - or was he simply trying to convince me that a 27 handicap was too low. Hopefully I'll get another look pre-tournament to know for sure.

Clearly the interest in playing some quality golf is strong amongst the field and we should see some interesting duels on day two. If you can, get out and swing a club at a course or driving range - the standard is increasing and you don't want to be left behind.

Have a great week. Till next,

Doc (and Foca)

Ngy's recon to Hyatt Coolum

A few weeks back Ngy found a reason to be at Coolum and couldn't resist the temptation to slip in 9 holes. As this is on the shortlist for possible 2011 FocDoc venues I asked for some notes.

As you'd expect the course was in good condition with some tricky holes and water in play on a few holes. After an adventurous 1st hole carding an 11, Ngy played +5 for the remaining 8 holes with 4 pars and a birdie.

Highlight of the round was the 7th (see below) which was a tap in birdie

Looks like an interesting course and a genuine test for the regular players whilst providing a challenge for the irregular players in the field, especially as the back 9 has more water in play. As it was recently rated the 16th best public access course in Australia it may be worth further consideration

Notes from the Rough - 6 weeks to go

A wet weekend saw common sense prevail and most of us stay undercover. I did say most of us..... Ngy and Kingy (aka the Duck) were fortunate to have better weather on their side of the fence (i.e. Campbelltown) and carded a mixed round with Ngy hitting an 88 for first place in B Grade and Kingy struggling with 100 (his highest score in a long time) in an attempt to cling onto his C Grade status.

Many of you will be aware that Ngy also scoped out a possible 2011 venue for the FocDoc, Hyatt Coolum on the Sunshine Coast last week. He's obviously torn the place up as he goes silent when I quiz for details. Clearly Ngy is the pre-tournament favourite once again - though we know he can't back up when it matters.

One of the benefits of the wet weather is that it gave Leo a chance to update our website (thanks Leo). Check out the site for some updated info on past events and photos from every year to date.

http://www.focdoc.com/FocDoc.html

Till next week,

Doc (and Foca)

Notes from the Rough - 7 weeks to go

I've decided to go back to the blog format to give me a chance to add info without filling your mailboxes as well as spare you all from Ngy's responses. There is a comments section at the bottom of each posting so you can read and add thoughts on the post and news of the week. Enjoy.

Plenty of golf preparation underway with Matt, Spud, Ichiro and Ngy taking part in a charity golf day at Concord on Thursday. Looks like Ichiro, despite his protestations to the contrary, is improving with every round and looks likely to be down to a 20 handicap by March. Matt emerged from a long break with the clubs to impress the lads whilst Ngy appears to be heading in the opposite direction - all of those sneaky sessions at Mac Grange appear to be catching up with him and he may need a spell to recapture his form from late last year. Finally, Spud put pressure on the team, delivering his 3rd drive on the 18th (each player needed to contribute at least 3 drives under Ambrose format) but managed to make up for it with solid golf closer to the pin. The team finished mid-field but enjoyed the opportunity to play a decent course on a school day.

Saturday comp saw Ngy, Ichiro, Kingy and Doc at Mac Grange. Once again Ichiro led the pack, scoring 2 inside his handicap (Par format) with Doc and Kingy 2 shots outside handicap and Ngy trailing at 3 outside. All scored in the low to mid 90's, hitting the ball well but all struggling to hold some putts. Overall a decent round with the only worry the fading form of Ngy.

See below for the update and pics from the Oz Day round at Mac Grange

Til next week, Doc

Australia Day @ Mac Grange

Ngy, Kingy and Doc ventured to Mac Grange for the Oz Day Cup. Playing 2BBB with Doc as the swinger the teams fell just short of taking out the cup with 45 and 43 points against the winning team score of 50. Individually we all left a few too many points out there with at least half a dozen tap-ins each.

Kingy was the pick with 35 points, Doc 33 and Ngy 32. Ngy did not leave un-rewarded, with the cat-bell being handed on. For those unaware, the worst score off the stick when the three of us play (plus Ichiro) for the final 6 holes of the round receives a pink cat bell that has to be attached to their bag through the next round. Congrats Ngy - the cat-bell is where it belongs.

Doc was fortunate to nail the NTP for the 14th hole, picking up a half dozen balls. A cracking shot that set up a run of 3 straight pars and a bogey on the way home, effectively saving an otherwise lacklustre round. Regardless a good day out and some additional fine-tuning for the big one in 8 weeks.

A few pics from the day:

* the lads lining up at the start of the day

* Ngy performing a 'haka' of some description to get fired up for the round

* Kingy saving a nett par on the 9th