Round Two Southern Ports tournament...

Sitting 16th place and in range yesterday and then I fell off the mark on the last hole of each nine in the second round. Went all or nothing again and faltered on those two holes to fail in my charge for a par round or better. A 7 on the par 4, 9th and a 9 (OB with second shot) on the par 5, 18th did the damage. Having 25 putts was a win for the day. One round to go at Beachport and still a chance to make the daily winners list with a better effort. As the saying goes 'bugga' Had my chances and could not quite get there in the end. The tournament is great fun make no doubt. Mine was not the only frustrating round and many were much worse. It was not an easy day and the last four holes were played into a strengthening wind and in the end it was enough to break my concentration. One poor club selection that cost me all of the hard work of the previous 17 holes. Yet it was such great fun throwing everything I had into the effort. Fighting back from the triple bogie on the ninth hole. was a great buzz. The feeling at the end of the round is best described as 'stunned' It did not hurt and the bemusement I was going through was just as apparent on many other golfers faces in the clubhouse. To sum up how this event works is that the winner of the gross yesterday had a 74 off the stick and in the first round scored an 86. Playing off scratch and out of the running for the Gross Championship the golfer has bounced back onto the winners podium. My experience in 2011 was similar could not get over the line all tournament until the 3rd round and claimed a second place on that day. As disappointed as I was afterwards, to have had 25 putts was a great boost. In fact that was the benchmark of my confidence on the day. It was a combination of mental lapses and perhaps a touch of tiredness on the last hole that brought me undone. A days rest on Thursday will rejuvenate the energy level for another charge on Friday. Thankyou for your time and attention, "Hit 'em straight all" Geoff

First Round played in Southern Ports 2013

Monday 25th February 2013 Played yesterday and it was hard work. Struggled for rhythm off the tee from the start and compounded that with hitting the ball short on approach shots as well. Fortunately my short game was on target, almost freakishly so. Four chip shots literally rolled along the edge of holes and if they fell would have turned my game in a big way. There is one other factor which I will admit to and other players on the day also served up in chatting later. The nerves on the first tee threw many of us well into our rounds. It is an odd circumstance particularly for me. I have no concerns about nervousness, doing stand-up comedy is a great training ground in my case. Yet I could not get myself into a steady golfing standard on the front nine at all. The Robe course does have an added pressure facet. The first tee block is right next to the club house and an audience of 30 plus golfers rattles many, as does the 18th hole which is right at the front of the club house and there is a gallery of people on the patio watching as you putt out that cracks a few players as well. Photographs of the players and the day can be viewed at the Southern Ports facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.484921331568880.107710.406016909459323&type=3 Front nine was marred with a lost ball and two in trees, the fairway accuracy of Sunday was nowhere to be found and scored a 48 gross after nine holes. Went in the club house found a quiet corner and had a little chat with myself, as golfers do. Wanted a 40 on the back nine and scored a 39 to finish with 87 gross and 75 Nett. Sitting in 16th place on the table for the Nett championship and only six shots behind the leader (Nett 69) The Robe course ripped a few in the field apart with it's dual layout on the front and back nine. Both are very different in make up one flat the other hilly. With enough wind to add a special twist for any mistakes. Kingston on Wednesday and Beachport for the final round I am settled into the game now not as happy as I would like to be with the score. That is the fact though and I have full confidence in my game in getting the results to climb the table. Caught up with Alan Grant who beat me in the play off for the B grade title in 2010. One of the great parts of this event is the friendships made with other golfers that come to have a crack at the title. I m the thumbs up guy in the red shirt. Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Feb 25, 2013 - 06:00 AM I had been bordering on a sub handicap round for a few weeks while preparing for the Southern Ports 54 hole competition starting today. https://www.facebook.com/SouthernPortsGolfWeek Almost did not play in yesterday's club comp. it all came down to weather conditions. Fortunately the recent hot spell abated and moderate wind to move the humidity and cool down the walking made it a yes. Tidy 82 gross for 38 Stableford points has me down to 11.7 playing off 12 for the first round and on my home track to start the championship challenge this week. hit em straight all Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

Southern Ports Golf Tourney begins..

Sunday 24th February. The practise and training period has passed, Monday is the first round of the Southern Ports Golf Week 54 hole championship. The past weeks have been all directed to being in the best form possible for this my 4th crack at the title. With two 2nd placings in C Grade 2010, B Grade 2011, 2013 again has me in A grade and up against the gun golfers. The gross championship is well out of my reach my 12 handicap is far behind the scratch and single digit scoring potential. My goal is the Nett Championship and with 54 holes in three days, consistency is the goal. The first round on Monday is played at my home track this year so I will have a local knowledge advantage. Unfortunately unlike other years I have not managed to get to Wednesdays venue, Beachport, for a few rounds prior to the tournament. The plus side is that I have the course on video and these reviews in past seasons will be enough to give me some playing advantage. The final days play on the Friday is at Kingston where I have been playing weekly in my preparation. :Last Saturday I had a Gross 84/Nett 72 in the competition and am well versed in the nuances of this course. It all comes down to golfing ability of course and this event is great fun as well with golfers from intra and interstate all vieing for the various titles.This year my biggest change has been increased fitness that has been worked on since November 2012.The weather is sensational here at the minute as February and March usually is on the Limestone Coast. Significantly warmer than usual in fact which is great for swimming and this is also very draining on the golf course so my fitness training is already giving me an advantage. Yesterday was the LOOM WINES Mens Pinehurst Comp. played at Robe best described as Sun, Fun and Golf. A great day had by all as the pictures in the link to the Southern Ports Facebook page show. For some it is a fun way to get form on one of the courses. For others who cannot play in the weeks competition for various reasons as they have in the past it is a day to at least be part of the event. It is a very sociable week and I had a great time catching up with faces that I had not seen for a year. Of course a bit of good natured 'sledging' was part of the catching up. Make no mistake this is a competitive event at heart and every golfer is having a crack at winning something. Even in 2012 I managed to get a second place at one event and that was a big effort. Moving into A Grade is a major step up, The lower grades are as competitive but the ability is at a lower standard. Today is a swim in the morning and depending on the weather I may or may not play in the 18 hole competition at Robe. As I discovered last weekend two hot days in a row take a bit more out of me. This 54 hole tournament is about staying power not an 18 hole sprint. Thankyou for your time and attention “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff

A hot training session...

Thursday 14/2/13 Travelled to Adelaide yesterday night this gave me time to get to the Drummond Golf Driving range at West Beach this morning. Wanted to put in a session with the golf swing tool that has ben a vital part of my practise the past month. Hit 60 balls and the results were again exactly what is wanted. Easy swing staying to the corrects path and the ball going straight to the target. Was flaming hot work and that took a toll on my desire to do more than 60 balls. Summer heat wave settling in for the next few days and looking forward to returning to Robe and the coole climate by the ocean Friday. This has been my quota in the past week per session and I am not going to increase it either. Keeping in mind that my fitness needs to be maintained not harmed in the next 2 weeks. What is important to note is that I have put the hybrids away except for the 3 and 4 which are remaining in my bag. The rest are all Titliest AP2 irons which I have not used for 6 months. The improved fitness as well as recovery from injury has been hinting that this was a possibility for a coupke of weeks. This week I have played 3 9 hole rounds and used the irons to very good effect. This is definitely a result of using the training tool as well. The better 'feel' with the irons is what I need to increase green in regulation. This in tandem with my fitness has enabled a more aggressive approach to my game that is much needed. Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff

A great golf course to play, Heywood, Victoria

10/2/13 Sunday. Returned form playing Heywood, Victoria last night was a great day and well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive over to play. Fronting up again to play at home this afternoon as well. The training and fitness program of the past two months is delivering the result planned. Missed getting the week before game report on line as well. The usual Kingston then Robe competitions were played on Saturday and Sunday. The first day I really let loose off the tee and pushed my limits with hitting the ball as hard as possible. The previous weeks exercise routine had been a bit more than was comfortable and was a little drained to tell the truth. The poor score did not bother me again. I have been using this round to develop a course strategy at Kingston as well as test the limits of my improvement. As usual after the Kingston round I get on the Robe track and reap the rewards of the day before practise session done in a competition round. Some may find this a little confusing to be playing in a competition round and deliberately adopt a mind set of 'this is practise'. I am not interested in protecting my handicap my goal is to get it lower and this requires a major change in my game play in tandem with the skill improvements. So far every week it has worked, a poor score on day one is countered by a good score the next day using the knowledge gained from taking the path less travelled. This weekend I stepped up another level in going to Heywood. This round included pride in playing well besides enjoying the atmosphere and catching up with mates at their home club. A gross 86 with 33 Stableford points and beating most of the field for a 5th place not a bad result. First time on the track and that made the result even better. Today I am backing up at Robe and going hard for another par or better round. Thankyou for your time and attention “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff