Hunter Valley Open

Sunday 23rd to Saturday 29th March

Sunday 23 March – On the Move

How seasoned golfing travellers pass the time

Our OTT mantra took us to a new away tournament (our 6th) and to new territory - the attractive Hunter Valley, one of the country’s pre-eminent wine destinations. The hopefuls came from everywhere . . .
Jacko and Squancey on the Red Eye; Jeff and Tom by car after meeting up in Sydney; Ronzo, Macca and Dalbs on the 6 a.m. after a wake-me-up coffee;

and . . . where's Walks?

Legend has it that his 4.10 am taxi didn't arrive. After 3 phone calls, a wayward taxi finally turned up to successfully deliver Walks 5 minutes too late for his flight. He managed to get on the next flight, book a hire car and
successfully navigate his way to Vintage, arriving at 10.30 pm very cheery! Wonder Walks had done it again . . . well almost. A flat front tyre the next morning was somewhat deflating.

The drill (the hills) and fill (the valleys) made for a smooth and impressive drive to Vintage

Meanwhile those travelling by bus were treated to biscuits, cheese, salami, cucumber and banana with Captain Squance in total driving control.

The "digs", nestled in a cool leafy street, really impressed as did the evening meal of pizzas and garlic bread at the Nineteenth.

5 star digs in 5 star (and gated) surroundings		Pizza at the Nineteenth

Personality of the week was discovered by Tom and Jeff when picking up the keys to the house. Entering the Vintage office, they fronted a counter to the right, introduced themselves and requested the keys. A surly, distinctly unfriendly character checked and grumbled "you're not on our list". "But we've booked a house at Vintage" the boys protested. Begrudgingly, Mr Hyde stood up, moved to another counter on the left, checked and burst into a friendly manner announcing he had the booking and Mr Jekyll welcomed them with open arms. Unbelievable!

Official proceedings began with Tom's Welcome to Country and Welcome to Jeff and a recognition of how fortunate we all are that we can enjoy such rewarding trips. Ronzo, the Novelties Man, waxed lyrical about each attendee and their quirks, producing a little "quirky" souvenir for each. Two such examples were:
for Squancey after a huge improvement in control over of the lingo on the course (presented with a candle to do Hail Marys); for Tom - "Ron, you don't care if there are no medals for the tournament". (He was presented with 5 packs of them!!).

And the celebrations started early – RDs 77th birthday was imminent and the signs were everywhere!   Pick-a-Sport ended the night with a laugh – Walks pulled off one too many, passed the extra to Ronzo and it proved the winning sport! And it wasn't to be Ronzo's last.

Monday 24 March – Vintage Golf Club

Under watchful eye

Breakfast of MYO and bacon and egg rolls and it was off to the very swank but very accommodating Vintage Golf Club in cool and overcast conditions.

The 1st hole (the monster) required a 150m drive over a lake. And there were quite a few more holes presenting similar water challenges with lots of sand, dog legs and sloping slick greens thrown in. Needless to say, copious balls drowned today.

It's a long way to rip a rarey	Some great drives . . .	. . . and a spot of trouble too

It was a morning of mostly mid-20s scores on an unfamiliar course. Ronzo was the man in a game of "missed opportunities - great approaches thwarted by missed putts or vice versa". Rued the possibilities but topped the day. Squancey seemed uncharacteristically inconsistent - great drives followed by some duffed efforts but he remained quiet all round. Macca was at times stymied by those reaches over water but a purple patch during the outward 9 held him in good stead. Walks had his moments with great drives considering his recent shoulder issues while Jacko had some
uncharacteristic troubles off tee and fairway but not that reliable short game. Tom showed signs of a lack of golf struggling to put a string of good shots together but, given the overall scores, his was a reasonable effort. Jeff was belting great drives for most of the round but often thwarted by sand problems and short putts with the odd "wet ending" shot while Dalbs was consistent with the fluffed shots all round mixed with the odd golf shot.

After the final putt fell, birthday boy shouted a round and it was back to base for a snooze, a delicious Chef Jacko Spaghetti Bolognese and green salad dinner, some excellent whisky and wine and a special presentation to Jeff (also presented to the day's NAGA - who shall remain anonymous!). And to every one's delight, particularly Birthday Boy, a magnificent rainbow birthday cake appeared. That was some birthday!! Thanks to you all for helping me celebrate it. The Treasurer declared a $50 Pick-A-Sport prize in honour of Jeff leaving and RD's birthday . . . and guess who won? (The Treasurer, of course!)

And the day's winners were:

3rd: Macca - 25; 1st: Ronzo - 29; 2nd: Squancey - 26

Tuesday 25 March – Hunter Valley Golf Club

A sleep in then off to Rydge's buffet breakfast at the Hunter Valley Golf Club. And what a magnificent spread it was with Walks getting into the pancakes - when the machine let him.

Well fortified, we teed off in overcast conditions and were greeted at the 10th tee by several heavy showers that left some back 9 greens damp and a snap rule of 2 putts on greens too wet to putt on.

And we're off . . .	. . . with water, water everywhere . . .	. . sometimes leading to a watery grave

Squancey started to put the foot on the accelerator with power drives and irons dominating and a few "bombs" and a few "just missed" putts thrown in. It was the first of only two occasions where a player played to, or better than, their handicap. Ronzo powered on, except for a mid-round slump, driving really well while Jacko reeled off more solid drives and irons than Vintage, though putting his fair share of balls in water, and that short game just kept on performing.

If it wasn't plenty of water, it was plenty of sand		What bunker?

Tom was off the tee with some great drives but consistency in his game was taking a beating. Macca produced an eclectic mix of solid hits and costly misses. Though he had some comfortable approach shots, putts were on and off while Dalbs continued his stumble along struggle street with a few good shots and putts to boast about. Walks went neck-and-neck with Ronzo over the outward 9 but seemed to tire and suffer a loose driver coming home. Jeff sadly had to leave us after the first nine but at least he avoided the very wet conditions that prevailed at that time.

Golfing done, the Magnificent 7 took advantage of complementary beers and ciders (well, excluding Ronzo) brewed on site by the Sydney Brewery before a leasurely drive back to relax.

It was business and then pleasure wolfing down Chef Jacko's Roast Pork, potatos, pumpkin, peas and gravy - absolutely delightful!!

Ronzo takes out the Pick-a-Sport (back to $20). Made drowsy by the droning on of the Budget Speech, the crew retired to the land of nod in expectation of the next day's Magical Mystery Tour.

And the day's winners were:

2nd: Ronzo - 35; 1st: Squancey - 37; 3rd: Jacko - 34

Wednesday 26 March – Lay day

It was MYO breakfast and out the door by 9.30. A short drive and we were at the Hunter Horse Drawn Carriage Tour joined by 4 other genial guests, our larger-than-life host Jade, a sturdy carriage and the "engine" – Rocky (left) and Jack (right).

Rocky proved the mainstay of the duo while Jack was somewhat lazy and much humour came from Jade's tactics to rouse him up from time-to-time. The gentle pace and clip/clop of horses hooves made for a slow and relaxed start as we were driven through lush wine country.

The precursor to premium Hunter Valley wines	Bonding at Lisa McGuigan Wines

Wine tastings at Tamburlaine Organic Wines followed by Lisa McGuigan Wines mixed with some hilarious banter with our 4 fellow travellers and Jade made for a scintillating and somewhat light hearted (and headed?) morning. But that's not all, finishing with cheese tasting at the Smelly Cheese Shop and chocolate sampling at the Pokolbin Chocolate Factory before saying our farewells and staggering (except for Ronzo) off to the Blaxland Inn Steakhouse for a delicious entree, main and dessert washed down with . . . you guessed it . . . MORE WINE (hic!). Jacko's delightful friends Neil and Claire joined us as we partied on well into the afternoon on what proved to be a sensational day out. Chris had excelled.

It was quiet at the clubhouse, apart from copious snoring! (Why am I sitting here writing this while the others are asleep?)

All awakened to a superb charcuterie sourced from Smelly Cheese and enjoyed fine Hunter Valley wines secured during the tour.

Finally, Poker was the rage though, at close, Macca, Dalbs and Tom couldn't claim bragging rights. It was one FANTASTIC DAY

Thursday 27 March – Cypress Lakes Golf Club

Fortified by Jacko's ham and cheese toasties (yum), we trundled off to experience the Cypress Lakes Golf Course. An attractive tree-lined entrance, welcoming golf shop and mild, cool weather made for a great start. The course looked in great condition with less challenging "over water" shots but heaps of bunker sand. It moved from rolling fairways and elevated greens over even terrain to climbing into hills with very eye catching vistas and some challenging holes. It proved to be the most highly rated course - a 9!

Squancey set about trying to establish a stranglehold on the title and a consistent round with hardly a fault completed his second round of bettering handicap. Walks was on fire over the outward driving amazingly well considering the crook shoulder but fell away a bit coming home, while the two genuine challengers Ronzo - happy off the tee but blew a big score with dodgy approach shots; and Jacko - some loose tee-to-green shots going out but a fine even effort coming home; were hanging in there.

From rolling fairways, elevated greens (with sand) and a spot of trouble . . .
. . . to hilly country with some challenging holes

Tom shot his best score of the Open with some cracking drives/irons and a generally good putting effort thwarted by too many "off" shots. Macca had a great first 9 with exceptionally good drives but may have tired, falling away over the inward trip while Dalbs' struggles continued in all aspects in an eyecatching NAGA effort.

A well earned relax on the course terrace with drinks, tasty nibbles and more humorous banter followed. It was an anxious moment when Squancey couldn't find the van keys and wandered off in search. The van eventually appeared, the result of Squancey removing his cap for a pensive scratch of the head and out fell the keys!!

Quiet time at the ranch then off to Amanda's on the Edge restaurant for set 3 courses of fine dining with wines included. And fine dining it was in a tranquil setting beside a field of grape vines.

Perfect setting in perfect comfort to end a perfect day		And Ronzo got his mocktail!

Courses couldn't be faulted - piquant flavours and well thought out and balanced courses. Top chefs . . . and Jacko's organising had done it . . . YET AGAIN. And Ronzo won Pick-a-Sport . . . YET AGAIN!

And the day's winners were:

2nd: Walks - 35; 1st: Squancey - 37; 3rd: Jacko - 34

Friday 28 March – Vintage Golf Club

BLT for breakfast and we were off in an endeavour to better our previous effort at Vintage Golf Club. Cool, overcast weather with light to variable winds made for a great return. At least we now had familiarity with this demanding course.

With a 5 point buffer, Squancey played steady golf without being brilliant and, for the third consecutive round, came home with the highest score to savage the field and record a very convincing Open win. The other podium positions were a contest between Ronzo and Jacko. Ronzo "choked" on the outward starting with 3 wipes, but steadied the ship mid round though tiring toward the end but still chalked enough points for a second placing. Jacko (in the humble opinion of my local spy) may have been influenced by the effort taken during his organisational efforts and had more wipes than we usually see. Dalbs recorded second place for the round with a satisfying return to form on the outward before reverting back to his disfunctional form. Tom continued his excellent driving form, those pesky "over-the-water" shots a breeze, but too many "chunky" shots took their toll while Walks showed signs of tiring throughout the round and never quite recovered. Macca
	Stalking a "just missed" second putt at the 18th . . .	. . . and finally picking up for a decisive Open win
used some cunning tactics to help with those stretchesof water but it generally wasn't his day.

Very challenging water hole	Swank golfer and swank digs for Hunter Valley tourists	The Sandman
. . . Mixed fortunes at the closing hole . . .

Back home we settled in to the concluding presentations:

The day's winners were:

2nd: Dalbs - 29; 1st: Squancey - 34; 3rd: Ronzo - 28

And the overall Champion and Runner Up were:

Clear Champion Squancey	Happy Runner Up Ronzo

Presentations flowed, including:

Longest Drive: Ronzo - 220m Nearest the Pin: Jeff - 3m Colouring Comp: Dalbs Each person who attended: A Blaxland Inn stubby holder For his excellent organisation and those superb meals: Chris - a Blaxland Inn Apron
The Black Tie Dinner was another Chef Chris feast of Steak, Sausages, Peas, mashed Potato and Corn, followed by demolition of the remaining birthday cake dolloped with ice cream. Some also enjoyed a Lisa McGuigan Botrytis Semillon Sweet Wine. And Macca was the stand out (stand up) item . . .

More fun and games with those "Inspirational" key rings presented to all who hadn't received one except Tom who was presented with a special - a picture of the new home (Taj Mahal); and a picture (of Litts) to inspire! Ronzo concluded the evening's formalities with a series of deep and meaningful quotes mainly related to golf.

And Macca cleaned up BIG TIME at cards as the rain pattered (all night) on the roof.

Saturday 28 March – Homeward Bound

Non-stop overnight rain . . . and . . .	. . . Lake Vintage

Clean up and clear out as the light rain persisted. Our good fortune with the weather was highlighted on the way to breakfast, Vintage fairways and greens littered with casual water and not a player in sight. After a fortifying breakfast at Nineteen, Walks and Macca took off for a tyre change in Maitland and a few days in Sydney with their girls. Very competent driving by Captain Squance saw the Fab 5 safely through the rain and copious wheel spray to Sydney airport to disappear their separate ways. It was a amazing week of golf, great fellowship and the enjoyment of a very hospitable and attractive Hunter Valley. A magnificent Hunter Valley odyssey was very successfully concluded.

May The Force Continue To Be With You