A pleasant drive to Esk with the countryside lush from recent rain and perfect weather for golf with a breeze that required some adjustments to club choice to ensure that the desired result was achieved, at least sometimes.

The field of 56 (49 men and 7 ladies), slightly limited because of the non-availability of Buggies, arrived early and enabled an early hit-off. Play proceeded at a steady pace and most finished at about the 4 hour mark. One new member had his first game with us.

Like the countryside, the Course had good grass cover, but the use of preferred lie was appreciated in some areas. The work done on the Greens, including the recent scarifying, has them weed free and with a consistent grass coverage. In the coming weeks they will be a pleasure to putt on.

The ‘al fresco’ welcome Tea/Coffee and scones were enjoyed in a relaxed pre-game atmosphere. Lunch was again well organised with sweets an Esk bonus. The bottles of home made jam on offer sold well.

Has it ever happened before. Today all three winners had 39 points, and the three runners-up all had 38 points. Les Smith’s 38 points had him one point away from his third win this year. The small field limited the Pin Shots and John Osborne’s 44cms and Angie Arumugam’s 41cms were too good for the rest of us to beat. Each week John Hunter is still having to deal with too many cards displaying wrong handicaps, many from players whose clubs print their cards for them. Erring players are being advised of this, and it is hoped that no one loses a competition because of playing off a higher handicap than the legal one.

Photos.

1. The Course in good condition and evidence of more work in progress.

2. Relaxing and sampling the hospitality before the game.

3. More earnest discussion on the game ahead here.

4. There should be rails at every hole to help pass the time on the Tee.

5. Is he trying to kick the ball in? The other two are keen to see the result.

The next game is an 8.30am Shotgun start at Laidley on Monday 4th April. The following one is at Gailes on Monday 11th April, also an 8.30am Shotgun start. Both Timesheets are now out.