Fun, Games and Golf for Juniors at 13th Beach

Report by Mitch Taht

A cold morning greeted the 9 member Junior Pennant squad as we assembled at the Club for an earnest 7am departure. A fleet of four vehicles set off for the renowned 13th Beach Golf Links in Barwon Heads, situated just outside of Geelong, Victoria. What would have been a relatively straight forward journey was severely hindered by numerous amounts of road works, often reducing the speed limit from 100 to as low as 40.

As we arrived at our destination, the boys snatched at the opportunity to take advantage of some of the magnificent facilities on offer at ‘The 13th Beach Bunker’.  These included a pool and spa, a billiards table and a fully equipped home theatre system.  A quick trip to the Barwon Heads pub for a $9.90 schnitzel sealed off a great day of travel.  As ‘mother’ of the house, David Brand rounded the troops, and, after a brief meeting, tucked us all into bed.

The boys awoke to a cold and blustery Tuesday. The Beach Course was tough enough but the conditions would further add to what was to be a difficult challenge. Matchplay was the format for the morning round and some solid golf was on display. Todd Williams, Mitchell Taht, Braeden Kelly and Hayden Booth all recorded wins.

The Creek Course was the next hurdle that the boys were faced with. After going down in a tight contest in the morning, the ever improving Jake Hurst put to bed any doubts about his ability by firing an even par 36 points, showing that he is a genuine scratch golfer. A barbeque dinner prepared by parents, Jack Starkey and Byron Williams, went down a treat. Something told me that we would need all the energy we could get in order to conquer the feat of playing 36 holes of golf in two consecutive days.

It was the usual suspect in Todd Williams winning his game of matchplay on the Wednesday morning, however, new names made the winners’ list. Sam Williams, Josh Hodgson, Jake Hurst and Jack Hynes also recorded wins on the challenging Creek Course layout. All the boys entered the club stableford competition on the same afternoon, to be held on the picturesque Beach Course. It was Mitchell Taht this time who took the chocolates, bogeying the final two holes to shoot a 1 under par 70 (40 points) – unfortunately it was not enough to knock off former Melbourne legend, David Schwarz, who had played earlier in the morning firing a stunning 43 points of a 5 handicap.

Adrian Wickstein’s impressive mathematics skills calculated the pairings for Thursday’s matchplay rounds. The final was to be contested by Junior Pennant Captain Todd Williams and young up-and-comer Hayden Booth. Experience proved valuable as Todd edged out his opponent with one hole to play. The battle for fourth was a rematch of Tuesday with seasoned campaigner Mitchell Taht taking on the promising Jake Hurst. Although even in the first 9 holes of the match, Jake won in a very convincing fashion to claim his spot on the podium.

Thursday afternoon saw a visit to Torquay and the surf shops, with many taking the opportunity to grab a bargain.  Todd Williams was the biggest spender, although some financial assistance during the trip from certain unnamed individuals may have helped in this regard!  A long-winded trek to Bell’s Beach saw excitement turn to disappointment as the one foot swell did nothing for the famous beach’s reputation.  Dinner at a small pizza bar that night finished off a great week of activities for the boys and some final rest a relaxation in the spa and pool before bed prepared everyone for the big drive home on Friday.

Special mentions must be given to Will Starkey and Josh Hodgson for winning Adrian Wickstein’s “shot of the week”.  

All the juniors would like to thank the Club and the Glenelg Golf Club Foundation for their ongoing support of junior golf.  Also many thanks are extended by the juniors to Paul Duregon, Jack Starkey, Byron Williams, David Brand and Adrian Wickstein,. The boys could not have asked for a better week away and I am sure that the memories that were made will last a lifetime.

Bring on Pennant Season 2012!

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