Curlewis News

We're Tee-Riffic

CURLEWIS golf course has been known as one of the region's hidden gems, now it can claim to be just a gem in its own right.

The club has been rated at number 50 in Ausgolf and The Golf Course Guide's top 100 Australian public access golf courses for 2012.

Four other layouts were rated inside the top fifty with Barwon Heads (No. 8), both Beach and Creek Thirteenth Beach courses (Nos. 9 and 29 respectively) and Torquay's Sands course (No. 48) making the cut.

The Curlewis course has come a long way since being plagued by drought just a few years ago, manager Mathew Loughnane said.

"We have always been known as a hidden gem, now we are just a gem," Loughnane said.

"Three or four years ago we were hit by drought and it really hurt.

"We put in a treatment plant and changed a few things and we have never looked back since. It is going to put us on the map and people are going to want to play here."

The club received praise from The Golf Course Guide editor Selwun Berg.

"Major improvements at Curlewis and a new course at Ballarat saw them enter our top-100 list," Berg said.

Loughnane said the club's signature was its fantastic front nine.

"We have been told that the front nine is like the sand belt clubs in Melbourne," he said.

"We have been regarded as one of the best designed courses in the state and now we have the condition to back that up.

"It is probably our biggest selling point. People look to play at Barwon Heads and Torquay and now getting in the top 50 means that they will notice us and play here, too."

As reported by Ryan Reynolds in the Geelong Advertiser on 5th November 2011

2011 Club Championships

Congratulations to the following 2011 Club Championship Winners:

Mens:

A-Grade: Liam Drady

B-Grade: Eric Fleming

C-Grade: John Matthews

Veterans: Clem Powers

Junior: Josh Groom

Womens:

A-Grade: Wendy Tottenham

B-Grade: Val White

C-Grade: Helen Lymer

Best Nett Aggregate & Veterans Nett Agregate Joint Winners: Helen Lymer & Sandra Shaw

Senior Veterans Nett Aggregate Winner: Anna Chrnside
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Greta Volum Singles Knockout

The final of the prestigious 2011 Greta Volum Singles Knockout was held on Tuesday 28 June.  The finalists were Jay Magee and Gill Morrison.

Jay had defeated Bernice Schaeche and Grace MacNeill-Wallis to win her way through to the final.  Gill had defeated Judy Donnellen, Val White and Cheryl Egberts on her way to the final.

After a close and exciting match that displayed the skills of both players, Jay was successful on the seventeenth hole winning 2 up with 1 to play.

Congratulations Jay for playing an excellent match to win the event.  Commiserations to Jill who was also runner-up in 2010.

Margaret Jones 4Ball Knockout Results

 Congratulations to Denise Kelly and Elaine Buckley on winning the inaugural Margaret Jones 4Ball Knockout. In a close fought match Denise and Elaine prevailed on the 18th green winning 1up

The prestigious 4BBB board event was recently named in honour of Margaret Jones in recognition of the many years of distinguished service that Margaret gave to the club as both an official and outstanding player.

The final was played on Tuesday 30^th August 2011.

The finalists were Denise Kelly (h’cap 18) and Elaine Buckley (h’cap 20) playing Bernie Thomas (h’cap 16) and Jenny Travers (h’cap 23).  Bernie being the low marker conceded shots to the other three players.

As a taste of the excellent golf that was to be played throughout the final, the first hole was halved with pars from Elaine and Bernie.

The next two hole were both halved with bogies.  The highlight being a pair of ducks that hissed and flapped their wings at Bernie when she wheeled her buggy close to them.  Bernie was so focussed that she didn’t appear to notice!

The fourth hole was halved with pars following excellent shots by Bernie and Denise.

The first mini break occurred on the fifth  when both Denise and Elaine put their second shots into the trees on the right side.

The sixth hole was halved with 6’s (nett 5) by Jenny and Denise.

Elaine recovered from a wide drive into the rough on the seventh hole with a sensational second shot and pitch to win the hole with 5 (nett 4).

The match was again square.

Bernie played an excellent tee shot to within 2m on the eighth.  Both Elaine and Denise drove into the left front bunker.  Elaine played a magnificent bunker shot and sunk the putt for a par.  Bernie’s putt for birdie just missed and the hole was halved.

 After both pairs recorded bogey 5’s on the ninth, the match was all square at the turn.

The high standard continued on the back nine.

On the tenth, Denise putted in from just off the green for a par while Bernie chipped so close that the putt was conceded.  The hole was thus halved with pars.

On the eleventh hole the approach shots of both Denise and Elaine ran through the green into the rough.  Bernie won the hole with a bogie 5.

Elaine and Denise won the twelfth hole with a par after Denise played such a great chip up to the pin that the putt was conceded.

The match was square again!!

Bernie won the thirteenth with a par after her tee shot finished pin high about two metres from the hole.

The fourteenth was halved with bogies.

The fifteenth hole provided plenty of excitement for the large gallery that was now following the match.

Elaine drove through the trees on the left. Her second shot spectacularly flew under the overhanging branches and over the dam to land on the fairway.  Her third shot was onto the green and she sank a long putt to win the hole with a birdie.

The match was square again.

Not to be outdone, Bernie produced her own birdie on the sixteenth after her second shot finished just off the back of the green. She then confidently putted her ball into the hole for a birdie three.

Bernie and Jenny were once again one up.

Not to be outdone, Denise produced her own birdie at the par three seventeeth.  With the pin on the middle level of the tiered green, Denise’s beautiful tee shot finished about one and a half metres past the pin.  She calmly putted the ball straight downhill into the cup.

Coming to the eighteenth the match was again square.

After four good drives into the wind, Denise and Elaine placed their second shots in the ideal position - in the centre, short of the green.  Bernie and Jenny both faced tricky third shots over the left front bunker after their second shots drifted left.  They both struggled to land their chips onto the green while Denise produced an excellent chip.  Two putts later and the match was won.

Congratulations Denise and Elaine on a fine win.  Commiserations to Bernie and Jenny who played excellent golf and were only ever behind after the eighteenth.  The match was played in great spirit and was a fitting climax to the inaugural Margaret Jones 4BBB knockout..

Parent/Child Results Results

The Parent/Child and Grandparent/Grandchild Tournament was played in great conditions on Sunday 21^st August with the event attracting a field size of 24 players.

The event was played in fantastic spirits with parent and grand parents having an opportunity to play with their sons or daughters and grandsons or granddaughters.

The winners on the day were once again Michael and Claudi Hazell, back to back winners, who used the conditions to their best advantage, with a score of 47 points. In second place was a local Curlewis pair, Ron and Wendy Maloney who fell one short on 46 points.

The best front 9 was won by Bob and Kevin McFarlane from Barwon Valley who had 22 points, while Stuart and Connor McKee from Curlewis had the best back 9 with 22 points.

The nearest to pins were won by the following 8^th hole J Arnott and 17^th hole J Arnott.

Overall the whole day was a great success with the players enjoying the course as it is in fantastic condition. A special mention must also go to the Club caterer who provided the players with a tasty meal on completion of the round.

Curlewis Plate (Ladies) Results

Congratulations to the Kooringal  team on winning the Curlewis Ladies Plate for 2011. The three person combined stableford event was played on Monday 2 May in perfect weather conditions with 26 teams competing.

Clubs represented were Apollo Bay(3 teams), Anglesea, Barwon Heads, Barwon Valley (2 teams), Clifton Springs, Colac, East Geelong, Elco Park, Gisborne, Inverleigh, Kooringal, Lonsdale (2 teams), Ocean Grove, Portarlington, Queens Park, Queenscliff, Sunshine,  The Sands, Torquay, 13th Beach, The Sands, and Werribee Park.

Kooringal won with a total score of 105 pts, from Ocean Grove and Anglesea  with 99 points.

The winning team members were Helen Grieve 34 pts, Katrina Valkoff 38 and Kaye Rowe 33.

Individual winners were:      A. Grade: Jenny Kenny (Werribee Park) - 39 pts.
B. Grade: Katrina Valkoff (Kooringal) - 38 pts

Nearest the Pins

4^th:     M.Adams

8^th:     J Barclay

13^th:    K Valkoff

17^th:    K. Dove

South West District Ladies Golf Association Merit Award

5 Points:       Glenda Deans (Anglesea)

4 Points:       Sue McLean (Queens Park)

3 Points:       Jeanette Barclay (Portarlington)

2 Points:       Sally Schaller (Ocean Grove)

1 Point:         Eunice Percy (Lonsdale)

Beatrice Uttley Moore Results

After a delayed start due to fog, the final of the Beatrice Uttley- Moore Foursomes Knockout was played in perfect conditions on Tuesday 29^th March – the finalists being Anne Howard / Gail Hendry v. Shirley Barker / Bernice Schaeche. After 9 holes Anne & Gail were 1 up  and remained so until the 12^th when Anne sank an extraordinary putt which almost became the turning point of the game with Anne and Gail going on to win on the 15^th. Gail also won this event last year.

Congratulations to Anne and Gail on winning this prestigious Curlewis Ladies event.

Drummonds Extravaganza

Nett
	Player 1	Player 2	Player 3	Player 4	Score
Winner	B Stacey	B Hall	A Smith	L Buchanan	53 3/4
Runner Up	R Bradley	D Pohl	J Bloomfield	R McHenry	56 5/8

NTP's
Player	Hole
S McNamara	4th
P Sproules	8th
P Humphries	13th
J Falk	17th

Longest Drive
Player	Hole
J Timmins	12th

Annual Open Results

2010 Parent/Child and Grandparent/Grandchild Day

The Parent/Child and Grandparent/Grandchild Tournament was played in great conditions on Sunday 22^nd August with the event attracting a field size of 34 players.

The event was played in fantastic spirits with parent and grand parents having an opportunity to play with their sons or daughters and grandsons or granddaughters.

The winners on the day were Michael and Claudi Hazell , a first time winner, who used the conditions to their best advantage, with a score of 47 points. In second place was a local Curlewis pair, and past winner, Janice and Ashley Humphries who fell one short on 46 points.

The best front 9 was won by Peter and Steve Readman from Gisborne who had 24 points, while Michael and Fiona Watach from Queens Park had the best back 9 with 22 points.

The nearest to pins were won by the following 8^th hole Jill Pring and 17^th hole Louise Watach.

Overall the whole day was a great success with the players enjoying the course as it is in fantastic condition. A special mention must also go to the Club caterer who provided the players with a tasty meal on completion of the round.

2010 Curlewis Junior Open

Curlewis Junior Open; In cold, albeit fine conditions, the Curlewis Junior Open was played on Monday 2^nd July 2010 at the Curlewis Golf Club.

The Open attracted a quality field, including boys from 15 different Golf Clubs which included Huntingdale, Sanctuary Lakes, Kingswood, Kooringal, Commonwealth and as far as Rosanna.The Open, sanctioned by the VGA as part of the Geoff Ogilvy trophy, quality field reflected in the scores.

Local player Tyron Cover from Ocean Grove Golf Club shot a fantastic 1 over 73, that included two birdies, and upstaged Tyler Fent from Commonwealth by two strokes who shot a three over 75.

Tyron Cover - Curlewis Junior Champion

Tyler didn’t go home empty handed as he was the Nett Champion with a great Nett score of 70. Runner Up in the Nett was Mathew Wilson who finished on Nett 73.

Special mention to Rob Braddley and his groundstaff who consistently provide outstanding playing conditions for the players, the Club heard nothing but praise in regards to the course from all the players and parents. The Club would also like to thank the Curlewis Junior Open major sponsor, Loan Market Home Finance Brokers (Lance Ractliffe), who provided wonderful support, and all the players and parents who supported the event.

2010 Curlewis Plate (Ladies)

 Inverleigh won with a total score of 111 pts, runners-up Gisborne 110 and third Clifton Springs, 109.

Winning team members were P. Montgomery 43 pts, D. Humphries 39 and D. Morgan 29.

Individual winners were -

A. Grade P. Montgomery - Inverleigh - 43 pts.
B. Grade T. Crockett - 13th Beach - 40 pts NTP's 8th H. Brodie - Royal Melbourne 17th M. Bagley - Bannockburn

2010 Curlewis Plate (Mens)

The 2010 Curlewis Plate was played on Friday 30^th April 2010 after a three year absence. It was a quality field of fifteen team coming from Midlands, Bannockburn, Barwon Heads, Clifton Springs Portarlington, East Geelong, Lonsdale, Curlewis, Glen Waverley and Elcho Park. The winners of the Curlewis Plate were the team from Portarlington, comprising of Brian Grubb, John Rowe, Tom Scarff, and Jim Bibby, who’s three best Stableford scores were 107 points. Runners-up were the team from Lonsdale, comprising of L Smith, J Manley, S Prior, and M Evans, who scored a total of 106 points.

The individual best scores for the day were 3^rd Darren Pohl 37pts, 2^nd T Godfrey 38pts, and 1^st B Grubb 38 pts. NTPs 4^th J McCaskell, 8^th G Bishop, 13^th L Smith, 17^th G Geyer, Longest Drive G Bishop.

In what was a fantastic day all players had nothing but praise for both the golf course and the groundstaff.

2010 Drummonds Day 4 Person Ambrose Results

In mixed weather c0onditions the every popular Drummonds 4 Person Ambrose was played on Monday 8th March 2010. In what was looking like a repeat of the ProAm day the weather was once again threatening, but lucky for all competitors the rain stayed away and made for a fantastic days golf. The results as follows:

2010 KFC/Pizza Hut ProAm Results

Grant Scott blasts field in wintry conditions to take out Curlewis pro-am

WET and wild conditions provided few concerns for Nelson Bay pro Grant Scott as he fired a six-under par round of 66 to take out yesterday's Curlewis pro-am.

A red hot putter spurred Scott to a four-shot clubhouse lead over the morning group.

He eventually won the event by three shots from Victorian youngster Leighton Lyle, the younger brother of US PGA Tour member Jarrod, who was the only other player to break 70 for the day.

Many of the field wilted in the conditions, with a number of players posting scores in the low to mid-80s.

Scott enjoyed a sensational morning, despite teeing off when the course was at its wettest.

"I didn't hit it as well as I have been but I putted really well," he said after his round.

"I drove in at 20 past six and the course was saturated but it dried out after five or six holes and it was all right after that. The greens were a little bit slower and it just meant you could be a bit more aggressive and run them at the hole.

"I'd been playing well but hadn't been putting well, so it's been frustrating. That was the first time I'd broken 30 putts in over a month, so it was good."

The afternoon field included seasoned professionals David McKenzie, Terry Price and Mike Clayton and an assorted of class players.

But noone threatened to match the New South Welshman, who only turned pro 12 months ago after an impressive amateur career.

Scott missed the cut at the recent Victorian Open, but has been in good touch on the pro-am circuit.

He plans to play out the pro-am season, including today's Lonsdale event, before setting his sights on trying to gain a Canadian Tour card.

Tournament co-ordinator Brett O'Farrell said the course had stood up well after 13mm of rain fell overnight and into the early afternoon.

"We've tried to dodge the weather but the course itself has held up pretty well. It's soaked up the rain and to be playable is a real testament to it," O'Farrell said.

The late groups were not spared either, with heavy showers drenching the course during the early stages of their rounds.

Article written by Daniel Breen (Geelong Advertiser)

2010 Professional Winner - Grant Scott