Round 6 – Home Win 4&3
Sunday 5 March 2023: It’s always an exciting day at the Coast when both the Majors and the Mixed teams play on the same day. It was a beautiful day enjoyed by a colourful crowd following both teams. The Coast Majors played host to Bexley at Home and had a WIN 4&3.
The win was not enough to get a birth in the Finals as Glenmore Heritage went through from our section. We finished 2nd and witnessed many strong performances from everyone in the team. The future is looking bright with many good players available for next season.
7 – Alman Ogane (caddy Olga) Alman had trouble with his rhythm throughout his match being 2 down at the turn, and finally ending with a Loss 5&3. Will this send him back to Bonnie Doon for more tuition? Thanks to Olga and Tony P
6 – Simon Laird (caddy Wayne Smyth) – Simon was keen to put his first points on the board for the team, after limited opportunities. Redemption was his, as he played well all day going on to a Win 2&1 Thanks to Wayne Smyth on the bag.
5 – Paddy Kelly – (caddy Doug Wesney) Paddy loves a tight contest all day and that’s what he got with only a point either way all day. Bexley dropped their No.1 player from last week in to Paddy’s lap (ouch!), before Paddy felt defeat in a Loss 2&1 . Thanks Doug.
4 – Merv Danne (caddy Scott Haywood) – Merv patched his body together for one final effort this season. He was 4 up after 9 holes before cruising in for a Win 4&2. Well done Merv. Thanks Scott!
3 – Kevin Isch (caddy Glen Hetherington) – Kevin also had a tight see-sawing contest all day. He hit off the 18th tee 1 down. He loves nothing more than a grandstand finish in front of the clubhouse, winning that hole for a well deserved All Square . Glen – thanks again!
2 – Cooper Smith (caddy Scott Knowles) – Another exciting contest happened here too. Tight all day before the match finished All Square. Thanks Scott
1 – Conrad Weber (caddy John “Wacho” Wachman) – Conrad also had a battle all day before finishing on 17 with a Win 2&1 to get the points. Thanks Wacho
The three best points contributors for the season were:
1st Conrad-5.0 2nd Kevin-3.5 3rd Merv-3.0
Thank you to Bruce Jennings who managed the team on my behalf at short notice.
He told me there was a good crowd of supporters – amongst them were Warren Hogan, Ray Macey, Michael White, Tish Curtis, Greg Pointer, Steve McDermott and Paul “Gums”McFadyen. Apologies for missing anyone. It was also great to see the Majors come out of the clubhouse to support the Mixed team as they swung through the 8th green.
Finally, I have thoroughly enjoyed managing the Majors team for 2023. I had great support from within the team and outside the team. I always love getting asked how the team is doing!
Thanks especially to Merv and Conrad who made my life as manager easy.
And, our magnificent band of caddies – it was great to see every player had a caddy on the day – at home and away – we even had too many caddies for our last game.
The team is already making plans for next year – with Cooper Smith being made Captain! Well done, Coops.
Maurie Rivett – Team Manager 2023
Round 5 – Away Loss 4.5 to 2.5
The Major pennants team travelled to Bexley on Saturday 25th February 2023. The course recently had tree lopping services onsite for a week – but it wasn’t obvious. All games were played in good spirit but Bexley prevailed in the end to hand us a Loss of 4.5 to 2.5. Close, but no cigar! We know its always tough on the road and most of our Coast teams don’t like trees, but the boys gave it a good crack.
We returned to our regular batting order, including the return of our Fly-In-Fly-Out golfer in James Brady, who seemed more concerned that he hadn’t bought enough glitter glue for the Mardi Gras that night.
We are a slim chance of getting through to the finals. Glenmore lost away as well this weekend. Its likely we’ll need a 7-0 score-line at home, and we have done it before. 😉
7 – Alman Ogane (no caddy) after sacking his caddy from the previous week, Alman had a tough opponent that handed him a Loss 4&3
6 – James Brady (caddy Glenn F Grainger) – James was looking forward to keeping his unbeaten run in tact when the limousine picked up off Bondi Beach. He was reportedly flying the flag of the Union Jack on his budgie smugglers – but alas, the flag only ever flew at half-mast all day. James went down in a grinding encounter for a Loss 2&1
5 – Paddy Kelly – (caddy Doug Wesney) Paddy jumped out to good lead in the front 9. He was never headed and held on to record a good Win 4&3. They just couldn’t agree on their opponent’s name all day.
4 – Merv Danne (caddy Scott Haywood) – Merv played a tough opponent in an even contest across the front 9. The back 9 proved more challenging and it doesn’t take much to get behind in a match, but the contest finished in a Loss 4&3
3 – Kevin Isch (caddy Glen Hetherington) – We all heard a new pronunciation from the Bexley proshop when Kev was called to the 1st tee. “From the Coast – Kevin Iz-Itch”. Kev played a +2.0 marker who proved tough to contain all day. He was 3 down at the turn but fought back, eventually finishing on 17 for a Loss 2&1
2 – Cooper Smith (caddy Gary Kennedy) – Cooper was feeling good with Gary Kennedy back on his bag. This match was tight all day, always hovering around Square. They got to 18 for a drama filled finish with Coops’ ball floating floating on the breeze left of the green in an impossible position – the chip was good and his opponent missed the putt to end the contest All Square
1 – Conrad Weber (caddy John “Wacho” Wachman) – “From the Coast – Conrad Wee-ber”. This was a birdie fest all day. Again, this was tight before Conrad prevailed for a Win 2Up. This seems to be his signature on Away games.
Most contests went deep, and our boys remain in good spirits. Thanks to our travelling caddies who do a great understated job for our players. Thanks to our limousine driver and supporter, Bruce Jennings. Unable to join us today were Wayne Smith, Jack Lloyd and Simon Laird, while Tony Podvorec is still out Injured. Paul McFadyen couldn’t make it this week.
Round 4 – Loss 5.5 to 1.5
The Major pennants team travelled to Glenmore Heritage Sunday 19th February 2023. It is a long course featuring the 6th hole, the longest in Australia, a Par 5 600metre monster. All games were played in good spirit but Glenmore was too good for us on their home turf winning the contest 5.5 to 1.5
After shuffling our batting order it was not enough to overcome a strong Home side. We now lie a close second in our section and will rely on other results to go our way to get through to the finals. The boys are very determined to beat Bexley twice in the next two weeks. Will we need to re-activate our Frequent Flyer in James Brady? Stay tuned!
Reserve – Simon Laird played in the Reserve position for a solid 4&2 Win, revelling in the humid playing conditions, and forcing his opponent to retain the “losing swimming goggles” for their shameful end of season “swim in the course lake”.
7 – Conrad Weber (caddy John Wachman) accepted an unaccustomed role playing at number 7, finding a tenacious opponent who took him to 18, with Conrad prevailing for a Win 2Up.
6 – Alman Ogane (caddy Tony Podvorec) – Alman was in a fight all day, with his caddy, before finally succumbing to a Loss 3&1.
5 – Wayne Smyth –Wayne had difficulty adjusting his ball flight to the course layout, but his opponent ended up shooting 2 under while the contest was played, finally ending early for a Loss 7&6 to an in form scratch marker
4 – Merv Danne (caddy Scott Haywood) – Merv was feeling the humid conditions all day and played some great golf to come away with a Half on 18
3 – Paddy Kelly (caddy Doug Wesney) – This was another game that was close all day. They were still all square after 12 holes until Paddy’s opponent finally took control to hand him a Loss 3&2
2 – Kevin Isch (caddy Glen Hetherington) – Kev is still playing well at the top of the order. After being down 3 early in the round he found his grinding rhythm, getting back to All Square before finally tasting his first defeat of the season, going Down 2&1
1 – Cooper Smith (caddy Glenn F Grainger) – This was a contest of the two big hitters. They traded holes all day with only one hole halved all day. The contest finally ended in a 3&2 Loss for the Coast
Most contests went deep, and our boys remain in good spirits. Thank you to our lone travelling spectator, Bruce Jennings for supporting the team and handing out regular water supplies. Unable to join us today were Jack Lloyd and James Brady, while Tony Podvorec is still out Injured.
Maurie Rivett – Team Manager 2023
Round 3 – Halved 3.5 to 3.5
The Major pennants team played Glenmore Heritage at The Coast on Sunday 12th February 2023. It was great to see that all players had a caddy again and we had a few spectators as well. After 120mm of rain last Thursday, the course was presented in excellent condition today. Both teams acknowledged the great work of the Greenshed.
The Match was played in difficult windy conditions and the result was Tied at 3.5 points each.
Reserve – Jack Lloyd (caddy Anthony Lloyd)played in the Reserve position for a 5&4 victory
7 – Simon Laird (caddy John Wachman) had his first game in the team to come up against a red hot scratch marker for a 5&4 loss. Simon played well, his opponent, even better
6 – James Brady (caddy Glenn F Grainger) – James was keen to play this match as a ‘Fly In Fly Out’ affair, only arriving in Sydney from Melbourne yesterday afternoon. He is proving unstoppable at the moment. He flexed his muscles late in the day to Win 3&2 and deserved the ‘Ragusa Uber’ back to the airport immediately after his game
5 – Wayne Smyth (caddy BenSpicer Marks) – We welcomed Wayne to the team for his first game of the season. He had a tight tussle all day to go to 18 for a solid Half. His opponent had to drain a birdie on the final hole to win it
4 – Alman Ogane (caddy Tony Podvorec) – Alman seemed to be All Square all day. However, his opponent managed to sneak away to a late win with Alman going down 2&1. There was a common cry of “Where’s Olga” throughout the following crowd
3 – Paddy Kelly (caddy Doug Wesney) – This was another game that was close all day. With his opponent having a massive hangover and nearly missing his tee time, Paddy played well and the game ended in a Half
2 – Kevin Isch (caddy Glen Hetherington) – Speaking of “unstoppable” this was a great struggle between two scratch markers. Kev managed to grind out many wins across the back nine before a Win of 5&3. His good form is well deserved off the back of a solid preseason and good preparation. And … his secret weapon was back.
1 – Merv Danne (caddy Scott Haywood) – Merv was striking the ball well again today. After narrowly missing a putt on 16 where he went 1 down, he took it to 18 with his opponent crumbling, going in the dam off the tee and then following with a shank from the drop zone, while Merv hit the green in 2. A great Half at No.1. “Captain for A Day” excelled in his new role
Unable to join us today were Conrad Weber and Cooper Smith, while Tony Podvorec is out, Injured.
The team is still top of the Group at the halfway mark of the season. We thank our fantastic caddies and great supporters, and a special mention is warranted again for the Greenshed. It was great to see board members Anthony Ragusa, George Neou and Steve McDermott in the crowd, as well as our Director Of Golf, Jason King. Our last home game is against Bexley on Sunday 5th March from 7.00am
Maurie Rivett – Team Manager 2023
Round 2
The Major pennants team played Carnarvon at Carnarvon on Sunday 5th February 2023. It was great to see that all players had a caddy again and we had a few spectators as well. The course was presented in very good condition and we achieved a rare Away win of 5 to 2.
Jack Lloyd played in the Reserve position for experience and came away with a 4&3 victory
James Brady (caddy Glenn F Grainger) – after relocating to the Gold Coast James is racking up the frequent flyer miles. He had a tough tussle all day with only ever one hole the difference all day. James ended up with a valuable half point to continue his good run.
Alman Ogane (caddies John Wachman and Tony Podvorec) – He was well in front across the front nine before settling for a 1Up victory on 18.
Paddy Kelly (caddy Bruce Dominish) – Paddy had a tough match with his opponent who was determined to return the favour of a loss from the previous weekend. This result went to Carnarvon 3&1.
Merv Danne (caddy Scott Hayward) – Merv was in front all day, striking the ball well with 3 birdies across the front 9. He went on to win 3&1.
Kevin Isch (caddy Glen Hetherington) – Kev moved up to the number 3 slot and continued his good form with a solid 3&1 win, even without his “secret weapon” following him around. Could he move higher up the rankings?
Cooper Smith (caddy Gary Kennedy) – We saw a new standard in caddying this day, with Gary running 100 metres to check out the green on hole 13. He then jogged back and reported the information to Cooper. Will Scott Knowles get the caddy job back? Cooper shot out to be 3up before his opponent clawed back the margin to square the match
Conrad Weber (caddy Wayne Smyth) – Captain Conrad played good golf all day – he got in front and was never headed to end the day a 3&2 winner
A big thank you to Bruce Jennings, one of our Rep Teams’ major sponsors, who was out of bed early to pick me up and support the team again.
The team is in good spirits and playing well in this division to be top of the table early in the season. This week sees us hosting Glenmore Heritage on Sunday 5th March from 7.00am, followed by the Mixed team later that day.
Maurie Rivett – Team Manager 2023
Round One: Versus Carnarvon at Home
The Major pennants team played Carnarvon at The Coast on Sunday 29th January 2023. After a rigorous pre-season, we won 6&1, but the result doesn’t reveal the many struggles that took place during the contest, with the strong number of supporters getting many of the matches to swing our way.
The team was proud to wear a black ribbon on their caps as a mark of respect for the passing of Steve Green and dedicate the victory to him.
James Brady (caddy Glenn F Grainger) – after having a stellar series of results in the Club Championships he earned his way on to the team based on merit. He was in front all day and won his game 3&1, even though he may have been confused about what game he was playing.
Alman Ogane (caddies Olga and Tony Podvorec) – He was down through the first 9 holes before squaring the game at 12 and moving through to solid 3&2 win.
Paddy Kelly (caddy Doug Wesney) – shot out to 4up after 8 holes before engaging cruise control and winning 4&3.
Kevin Isch (caddy Glen Hetherington) – After having a breakout score off the blues on Saturday he inexplicably seemed to forget how to putt, finding himself 4 down early before righting the ship to win 2up.
Merv Danne (caddy Scott Hayward) – This was possibly the best game of the day, with great golf played. Ask Merv about his eagle on 6! This match was tight all the way around and all-square on 16 before two excellent birdies from his opponent saw Merv lose, 2 down.
Cooper Smith (caddy Scott Knowles) – The “Vice Captain” was down through 8 holes but fought back strongly across the back 9 to record a solid 4&3 victory.
Conrad Weber (caddy Wayne Smyth) – Captain Conrad took on a lower handicapped opponent and gave him a “True Coast welcome” finishing up his game on the 12th hole, 7&6
Reserves: Although Tony Podvorec, Wayne Smyth, Simon Laird and Jack Lloyd didn’t get a game today, they are playing well and pushing the team for a spot of their own.
The Majors team really appreciated the crowd of supporters. In the 10 years I have been following this team I have never seen a larger amount of support, a credit to the spirit and culture of the Coast members. Well done and thank you!
The next game at home is on Sunday 5th March from 7.00am against Glenmore Heritage, followed by the Mixed team later that day.
Maurie Rivett – Team Manager 2023
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