Home track gives edge

The "home course advantage" was very apparent last Sunday, March 13, when the annual Committee Day for Wairarapa clubs was held at the Carterton course.
With most of the Wairarapa golf clubs entering multiple teams for this event, the day was most successful and enjoyable.
However the Carterton club took out four of the first six places in the teams competition with Castlepoint, taking third and fourth places, splitting the four Carterton teams.
For the record the winning Carterton team comprised Viv Lord, Ngaire Taylor, Matt Casey and David Wills.
Nearest the pin prizes were won by Jeanne Taylor and Jim Sutherland and four players - David Wills, Julie Donderman, Jim Sutherland and Marion Wylie - scored holes in two.
MEN - SATURDAY:
A stroke and shootout round was played by the men of the club on Saturday, March 12, and both Eddie Birchall and Joe Skillcorn - who played in the same four in the higher handicap division - returned the best nett rounds of the day - mere 62's! Eddie shaded Joe on countback.
In that division both Craig Miller and Graham Hutchby scored nett 67's and both R O Bentley and Wayne Gillespie nett 69's.
In the lower handicap division Ray Clarke's nett 67 won the day from the two Russ's - Morgan and Sadler - who both shot nett 69. Craig Wilson and David Sadler both had nett 70's while Matt Casey completed the prize list with his nett 71.
The Marquis of Normanby Hotel Men's Nearest the Pin contest was won by Craig Wilson and the "All Teed Up" ball for men went to Bill Shakespeare.
No less than twelve players - seven men and five women - achieved holes in two.
WOMEN - SATURDAY:
A medal round was also played by the women of the club last Saturday with the bronze division women revelling in the long running conditions to post the best nett results of the day.
Viv Lord's nett 65 was the best women's score of the day winning the bronze division.
Bernice Parker and Shirley Carew posted nett 69's while Colleen Southey was on her own on nett 70.
Lesley Sadler was the only player to score a nett 71 in this division but Suzanne Fuller and Beth Gordon both returned nett 72's.
Beth Gordon also won the nearest to the pin prize.
VETERANS - TUESDAY:
The veterans group hosted the veterans from the Te Marua Golf Club in the annual trophy match on Tuesday, March 15, together with a visiting group of nineteen golfers from the Tauranga area.
That scoring was very hot is evidenced by the fact that, although there were 22 prizes handed out, any player who did not score at least 38 points missed out and some who did score 38 also missed out!
Dave Edhouse (Te Marua) had the day's best stableford score of 44 points but four players - Joe Skillcorn and R O Bentley (both Carterton) and Dennis Grover and Russell Birtwhistle (both Te Marua) all came in with 42 points.
Two visiting ladies from Tauranga - Angela Richter-Visser and Alison McKegg - together with Graham Steffert (Carterton) all returned 41 point totals.
John Jefferies (Te Marua) and Arie van Zanten (Carterton) both scored 40 points.
The Ladies Nearest the Pin contest on hole 12 was won by Wayne Clarke (Tauranga) and the Men's Nearest the Pin on hole 15 by Francois Richter-Visser (Tauranga).
Nearest the pin in two on hole 10 was Chris Connor (Carterton).
The trophy, which is traditionally contested annually on the challengers' course, returned to the safe-keeping of the Carterton Club with Carterton scoring an average of 35.65 points and Te Marua, 35.17.
WOMEN - WEDNESDAY:
A stableford round was played by the Wednesday women on March 9 with Shirley Carew returning the day's best score of 39 points, winning the bronze division.
Second in that division was Margaret Thompson, with 36 points, while Marion Matheson, Kate Keen and Marge Robson all came home with 35 point scores. Suzanne Fuller completed the bronze division winners' list with 34 points.
In the silver division Nadine Jansen led the way with her 36 point score from Corrie van Zanten on 31.
Marge Robson scored the only hole in two while longest drives were achieved by Shirley Carew, in bronze one, and Sue Braiden, in bronze two.
FOOTNOTE:
The Carterton Golf Club lived up to its reputation as the friendly club on both of the major occasions of the week.
The Committee day was exceptionally well run by the match committee, even with the multiple team member changes which seem to be par for the course for this kind of event. Finance Convenor, Ray White, did not play in the event but must have put in many hours of preparation.
The Te Marua/Tauranga Tuesday also required some sterling work on Ray's part, this time as Veterans' Captain.
There is no doubt that many organisations in our community are totally reliant on volunteer help, and willing volunteers are worth a very great deal!