OCTOBER UPDATE 2023

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Club Championships were aided by excellent weather and featured good fields throughout the four rounds. Whilst most of us were disappointed that our aspirations were not fulfilled some great individual scores were recorded over the four days.

Congratulations to 2023 Club Champions Ben Kirkby and Trim Munro for their strong performances over the four rounds to take out their respective divisions,  

Sam Carter got away to a very strong start with his second round Nett 62 and held on to take out the Presidents Trophy for the best overall four round nett total, adding to his victories as both the Junior Champion and B Grade Nett Champion.

All winners will be recognised at our Presentation Night on 4^th March so make sure this date is claimed in your diary for what again promises to be a great weekend for the Club.

Dippers Home Timber & Hardware and Suncorp Bank’s event sponsorship was appreciated by all that competed

LEGENDS PRO-AM 2023

On a course that proved a little tricky with some strong winds and hard and fast greens no one really managed to take the course apart. In form Chris Taylor struggled on Day 1 in the company of both the Club Manager and Captain but did bounce back on Day 2, in better company with a solid 3 under 69 for the best round of the event.

Overall winners however with two days of solid golf were Euan Walters and Tim Elliot, tied on 142 (-2), beating Andre Stolz and Murray Lott 143 (-1). An early favourite, Andrew Stolz held the lead and was looking well in contention before stumbling at the 14^th hole recording a triple bogey 7, to tumble down the leaderboard. No doubt experiencing that sinking feeling many of our club members have had throughout their golfing careers as they try and hold a good round together over the closing stages.

The amateurs event over 36 holes saw Scott Kirkby emerge victorious whilst Gary Taunton put some recent poor form behind him to take out the 36 hole handicap event. Lindy Goodman warmed up for her Ryder Cup European vacation with a strong performance in the Ladies section and claimed bragging rights for the extended plane trip with her fellow travellers.

I think the resounding opinion from both visiting professionals and local members was that it had been a great 2-3 days for the Club and Moree generally. Hopefully the feedback from these traveling ambassadors of the game will shed a little positive light for Moree as we battle the many unsavoury incidents we are all currently experiencing locally.

The event would not have been possible without the very generous support of Louis Dreyfus, Elders Insurance and all our local sponsors which was greatly appreciated. Hopefully Moree will be able to schedule a return event on the 2024 PGA Legends tour.

UPCOMING EVENTS

We have one further Championship events scheduled over the coming month. Members should make sure you find your playing partners early for this fun day;

AMBROSE CHAMPIONSHIPS – SUNDAY 5TH NOVEMBER WHICH WILL PRECEDE THE MELBOURNE CUP CALCUTTA NIGHT.

For those amongst us that are not big hitters on the course, perhaps don’t forget the 27 Hole Par 3 event on 12^th November which is always a great day.

Good Golfing and enjoy the Green Green Grass of your Club as we head into these drier months ahead.

The Captain

SEPTEMBER UPDATE 2023

RECENT EVENTS – 36 HOLE 4BBB CHAMPIONSHIPS

Congratulations to Ben and Scott Kirkby on an outstanding exhibition of Four Ball golf to spreadeagle the field and win championship honours.

The Baker/Fing pairing had been tipped in last month’s publication to demonstrate their youthful zest for big competition golf. They certainly showed their hearts were still beating and the adrenaline flowing from a dangerous attempt on their lives during the first round, by posting 50 points in their second round to blow away all competitors.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you once again to sponsor Nutrien Ag Solutions.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The September golfing calendar is packed with a list of feature events and a prize and trophy list like never before for those that have their game in order and their membership renewed.

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS  9 / 10 / 16 & 17 SEPTEMBER

With the course in excellent condition and sunny conditions forecast, fields are expected to be strong for Rounds 1 & 2 this weekend as players tee up with hope and aspirations of glory in 2023.

Defending champion Matt Moore enters without a lot of lead up form and is expected to face some tough competition as he seeks to ink his name on the Board in a 3peat this year. There are rumours that Des Kirkby has been very keen to get set with bookmakers to land a stable plonk, but the Picone’s were not disclosing which young colt has been the subject of the family money.

In another strong family stable attack, the early Saturday tee time suggests the Smith boys are looking to adopt Vo Rogue type tactics and lead the field a merry chase, although it remains to be seen how a Grand Final and Club Championship can be combined.

The Presidents Cup outright nett honours competition has seemingly evened out in recent weeks. Toby Teece-Tapscott with his newly elevated role as Board Member was a quiet tip to become the second board member in three years to lift the Bill La Haye Trophy. A recent course scorching 47 points to win his knockout match and a lowly Sunday event which enabled the handicapper remove three shots that could prove telling over 72 holes, and will also open-up C Grade honours, as Toby now takes on the competitive B Grade field.

After a somewhat depleted field in 2022, the Ladies events have once again drawn strong nominations. Trying to tip Lady’s over 72 holes is a skill this scribe would prefer to leave to others better qualified, however, it would not be surprising to see the names Munro, Girard, Baker, Bailey or Fing among the winners when the final putts are holed on championship Sunday.

Once again Dippers Home Timber & Hardware are a valued sponsor of this major event whilst we also welcome a newcomer to our sponsors in Suncorp Bank, through local Agribusiness Manager Joe Cobb.

VETERAN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS 14 & 28 SEPTEMBER 2023 

Following a necessary date change to accommodate the Pro-am this event will dovetail with our Club Championships, enabling those in form to perform, rather than being a backup for only the fittest having endured 72 holes and being towelled up by the Club’s young guns in their respective grades.

LDC LEGENDS PRO-AM 20 & 21 SEPTEMBER 2023

Thanks to the enormous effort of staff and members, organisation for the LDC Legends Pro-am is continuing towards this much anticipated event which will showcase Moree and our outstanding golf course to a much wider audience.

In excess of 60 PGA Legends Tour members will join sponsors and local members in what promises to be an exciting show of talents. Timing is such that we could well see our 2023 Club Champion going head to head with the Pro’s for local bragging rights at the end of the event.

Headlining the Legends line up will be Andre Stolz – the current leader of the PGA Legends Tour Order of Merrit and no stranger to the Moree fairways and greens.

The field also includes former winners of the NSW Senior Open Championship and NSW Seniors PGA Championships;

Mike Harwood

Grant Kenny

Brad Burns

Steve Conran

In form Chris Taylor backed up his recent Bribie Island pro-am win by taking out the 54 hole PNG Senior Open in a play-off and must be one of the early favourites.

Entries are now open for club members who would like to take their place alongside these legends as they stride the fairways and strive to avoid the fear of “Cobby’s Creek” and have their name etched on the inaugural Moree Legends Trophy. Please see Darren or Adam in the Proshop to be added to the entry list, which is limited.

For those unable to play but perhaps wanting to have an interest in the event there will be a Calcutta held on the final round with the draw and auction on Thursday evening after Day 1 results are finalised.

To everyone competing throughout September the best of luck for some success and glory.

The Captain

AUGUST UPDATE 2023

LDC LEGENDS PRO-AM 20 & 21 SEPTEMBER 2023

After a lengthy hiatus Moree will return to the PGA schedule, hosting the PGA Legends Tour, with a two-day Pro-Am event. This has been made possible as a result of generous support by the Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) providing sponsorship which enables the Club to offer $25,000 in prize money for the professionals to compete for over two days.

Amateurs will be able to compete for a generous array of trophies in both gross and nett events over 18 and 36 holes.

In addition there will be Holes in One offered for both Professionals and Amateurs for a total prize pool of $80,000 over the two days. This will be sponsored by Elders Insurance Moree in conjunction with local club member Donna Gilmour.

A range of local businesses have come on board to support the event and everything is shaping up well for the event. This will be a great opportunity to showcase the Moree Golf Course, and recently added automated watering system, to a large selection of professional golfers whom we hope to make advocates in promoting the Club to travelling golfers throughout NSW and Qld.

If you are interested in discussing Pro-Am sponsorship opportunities please see Simon Payne to discuss the available options.

At the time of going to press there were 55 professionals nominated. Entries include “The Open Championship” runner up Mike Harwood, whilst many locals will be interested to see notable entries in Simon Gough and former Moree Club professional Greg Coulter.

Entry nominations for Amateurs will open from 1st September.

GOONDIWINID INTERCLUB VISIT – POSTPONED

 Unfortunately, a clash of date for Goondiwindi Golf Club resulted in them being unable to field a team to travel on the scheduled day. This event will now be re-scheduled to a more suitable date later in the year, likely to be in November.

KENO NSW QUALIFYING 

The mixed event held in July resulted in Ken and Di Amos triumphing and now entered to represent Moree at the Regional play-offs to be held in Tamworth later in the year.

MIXED FOURSOME CHAMPIONSHIPS

A strong field competed for honours and defending 2022 champions Di Amos and Dave Marshall were once again victorious with some great golf demonstrated over the 27 holes. Nett winners were Kirra-Lee McNamara and Kurt Daley.

Our champions will be congratulated by event sponsor Ian & Bronte Treloar, and all members at Club presentations in March 2024.

UPCOMING EVENTS

36 HOLE 4BBB CHAMPIONSHIPS 12 & 13 AUGUST 2023

This weekend will again see players seeking championship glory over two days. At this stage it is difficult to pick an early favourite for championship honours from the nominations to date. Noticeably defending champions Scott Kirkby and Matt Moore are yet to nominate. If they do not compete this will certainly throw the event wide open, with a number of our other low markers still fulfilling Rugby commitments this weekend.

The Michael Seery / Michael-Slack-Smith is a strong pairing that could contend for nett honours, however, their grouping with the Cobb / Meppem pairing is an added handicap that most golfers would find difficult to overcome.

The Ladies event appears wide open from current nominations but the strong Baker / Fing pairing would seem hard to beat if their overall consistency in events this season is a reliable form guide.

There are still plenty of places available and your correspondent suggests finding a partner and enjoying what look like excellent golfing conditions on a course that is in excellent condition.

Good luck to all those competing and thank you to event sponsor Nutrien Ag Solutions.

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

These time honoured events are fast approaching, over 72 holes on 9/10 – 16/17 September and no doubt we will see members taking to the practice greens and fairways tuning up their games in anticipation. Once again Dippers Home Timber & Hardware are a sponsor of this major event and whilst their newly renovated store may not be able to offer an improved swing in their product range Bec and her staff will be only too happy to see any of our event winners spending their vouchers in store.

The Captain

If you are visiting Moree, please take a look at the links below to find accommodation options and information about our local attractions. Our members think a trip to the local artesian baths after a round of golf is a great way to unwind. So too, is a sample of local produce and a sip of fine coffee.

SEPTEMBER UPDATE 2023

RECENT EVENTS – 36 HOLE 4BBB CHAMPIONSHIPS

Congratulations to Ben and Scott Kirkby on an outstanding exhibition of Four Ball golf to spreadeagle the field and win championship honours.

The Baker/Fing pairing had been tipped in last month’s publication to demonstrate their youthful zest for big competition golf. They certainly showed their hearts were still beating and the adrenaline flowing from a dangerous attempt on their lives during the first round, by posting 50 points in their second round to blow away all competitors.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you once again to sponsor Nutrien Ag Solutions.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The September golfing calendar is packed with a list of feature events and a prize and trophy list like never before for those that have their game in order and their membership renewed.

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS  9 / 10 / 16 & 17 SEPTEMBER

With the course in excellent condition and sunny conditions forecast, fields are expected to be strong for Rounds 1 & 2 this weekend as players tee up with hope and aspirations of glory in 2023.

Defending champion Matt Moore enters without a lot of lead up form and is expected to face some tough competition as he seeks to ink his name on the Board in a 3peat this year. There are rumours that Des Kirkby has been very keen to get set with bookmakers to land a stable plonk, but the Picone’s were not disclosing which young colt has been the subject of the family money.

In another strong family stable attack, the early Saturday tee time suggests the Smith boys are looking to adopt Vo Rogue type tactics and lead the field a merry chase, although it remains to be seen how a Grand Final and Club Championship can be combined.

The Presidents Cup outright nett honours competition has seemingly evened out in recent weeks. Toby Teece-Tapscott with his newly elevated role as Board Member was a quiet tip to become the second board member in three years to lift the Bill La Haye Trophy. A recent course scorching 47 points to win his knockout match and a lowly Sunday event which enabled the handicapper remove three shots that could prove telling over 72 holes, and will also open-up C Grade honours, as Toby now takes on the competitive B Grade field.

After a somewhat depleted field in 2022, the Ladies events have once again drawn strong nominations. Trying to tip Lady’s over 72 holes is a skill this scribe would prefer to leave to others better qualified, however, it would not be surprising to see the names Munro, Girard, Baker, Bailey or Fing among the winners when the final putts are holed on championship Sunday.

Once again Dippers Home Timber & Hardware are a valued sponsor of this major event whilst we also welcome a newcomer to our sponsors in Suncorp Bank, through local Agribusiness Manager Joe Cobb.

VETERAN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS 14 & 28 SEPTEMBER 2023 

Following a necessary date change to accommodate the Pro-am this event will dovetail with our Club Championships, enabling those in form to perform, rather than being a backup for only the fittest having endured 72 holes and being towelled up by the Club’s young guns in their respective grades.

LDC LEGENDS PRO-AM 20 & 21 SEPTEMBER 2023

Thanks to the enormous effort of staff and members, organisation for the LDC Legends Pro-am is continuing towards this much anticipated event which will showcase Moree and our outstanding golf course to a much wider audience.

In excess of 60 PGA Legends Tour members will join sponsors and local members in what promises to be an exciting show of talents. Timing is such that we could well see our 2023 Club Champion going head to head with the Pro’s for local bragging rights at the end of the event.

Headlining the Legends line up will be Andre Stolz – the current leader of the PGA Legends Tour Order of Merrit and no stranger to the Moree fairways and greens.

RECENT EVENTS – 36 HOLE 4BBB CHAMPIONSHIPS

Congratulations to Ben and Scott Kirkby on an outstanding exhibition of Four Ball golf to spreadeagle the field and win championship honours.

The Baker/Fing pairing had been tipped in last month’s publication to demonstrate their youthful zest for big competition golf. They certainly showed their hearts were still beating and the adrenaline flowing from a dangerous attempt on their lives during the first round, by posting 50 points in their second round to blow away all competitors.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you once again to sponsor Nutrien Ag Solutions.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The September golfing calendar is packed with a list of feature events and a prize and trophy list like never before for those that have their game in order and their membership renewed.

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS  9 / 10 / 16 & 17 SEPTEMBER

With the course in excellent condition and sunny conditions forecast, fields are expected to be strong for Rounds 1 & 2 this weekend as players tee up with hope and aspirations of glory in 2023.

Defending champion Matt Moore enters without a lot of lead up form and is expected to face some tough competition as he seeks to ink his name on the Board in a 3peat this year. There are rumours that Des Kirkby has been very keen to get set with bookmakers to land a stable plonk, but the Picone’s were not disclosing which young colt has been the subject of the family money.

In another strong family stable attack, the early Saturday tee time suggests the Smith boys are looking to adopt Vo Rogue type tactics and lead the field a merry chase, although it remains to be seen how a Grand Final and Club Championship can be combined.

The Presidents Cup outright nett honours competition has seemingly evened out in recent weeks. Toby Teece-Tapscott with his newly elevated role as Board Member was a quiet tip to become the second board member in three years to lift the Bill La Haye Trophy. A recent course scorching 47 points to win his knockout match and a lowly Sunday event which enabled the handicapper remove three shots that could prove telling over 72 holes, and will also open-up C Grade honours, as Toby now takes on the competitive B Grade field.

After a somewhat depleted field in 2022, the Ladies events have once again drawn strong nominations. Trying to tip Lady’s over 72 holes is a skill this scribe would prefer to leave to others better qualified, however, it would not be surprising to see the names Munro, Girard, Baker, Bailey or Fing among the winners when the final putts are holed on championship Sunday.

Once again Dippers Home Timber & Hardware are a valued sponsor of this major event whilst we also welcome a newcomer to our sponsors in Suncorp Bank, through local Agribusiness Manager Joe Cobb.

VETERAN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS 14 & 28 SEPTEMBER 2023 

Following a necessary date change to accommodate the Pro-am this event will dovetail with our Club Championships, enabling those in form to perform, rather than being a backup for only the fittest having endured 72 holes and being towelled up by the Club’s young guns in their respective grades.

LDC LEGENDS PRO-AM 20 & 21 SEPTEMBER 2023

Thanks to the enormous effort of staff and members, organisation for the LDC Legends Pro-am is continuing towards this much anticipated event which will showcase Moree and our outstanding golf course to a much wider audience.

In excess of 60 PGA Legends Tour members will join sponsors and local members in what promises to be an exciting show of talents. Timing is such that we could well see our 2023 Club Champion going head to head with the Pro’s for local bragging rights at the end of the event.

Headlining the Legends line up will be Andre Stolz – the current leader of the PGA Legends Tour Order of Merrit and no stranger to the Moree fairways and greens.

The field also includes former winners of the NSW Senior Open Championship and NSW Seniors PGA Championships;

Mike Harwood

Grant Kenny

Brad Burns

Steve Conran

In form Chris Taylor backed up his recent Bribie Island pro-am win by taking out the 54 hole PNG Senior Open in a play-off and must be one of the early favourites.

Entries are now open for club members who would like to take their place alongside these legends as they stride the fairways and strive to avoid the fear of “Cobby’s Creek” and have their name etched on the inaugural Moree Legends Trophy. Please see Darren or Adam in the Proshop to be added to the entry list, which is limited.

For those unable to play but perhaps wanting to have an interest in the event there will be a Calcutta held on the final round with the draw and auction on Thursday evening after Day 1 results are finalised.

To everyone competing throughout September the best of luck for some success and glory.

The Captain

AUGUST UPDATE 2023

LDC LEGENDS PRO-AM 20 & 21 SEPTEMBER 2023

After a lengthy hiatus Moree will return to the PGA schedule, hosting the PGA Legends Tour, with a two-day Pro-Am event. This has been made possible as a result of generous support by the Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) providing sponsorship which enables the Club to offer $25,000 in prize money for the professionals to compete for over two days.

Amateurs will be able to compete for a generous array of trophies in both gross and nett events over 18 and 36 holes.

In addition there will be Holes in One offered for both Professionals and Amateurs for a total prize pool of $80,000 over the two days. This will be sponsored by Elders Insurance Moree in conjunction with local club member Donna Gilmour.

A range of local businesses have come on board to support the event and everything is shaping up well for the event. This will be a great opportunity to showcase the Moree Golf Course, and recently added automated watering system, to a large selection of professional golfers whom we hope to make advocates in promoting the Club to travelling golfers throughout NSW and Qld.

If you are interested in discussing Pro-Am sponsorship opportunities please see Simon Payne to discuss the available options.

At the time of going to press there were 55 professionals nominated. Entries include “The Open Championship” runner up Mike Harwood, whilst many locals will be interested to see notable entries in Simon Gough and former Moree Club professional Greg Coulter.

Entry nominations for Amateurs will open from 1st September.

GOONDIWINID INTERCLUB VISIT – POSTPONED

 Unfortunately, a clash of date for Goondiwindi Golf Club resulted in them being unable to field a team to travel on the scheduled day. This event will now be re-scheduled to a more suitable date later in the year, likely to be in November.

KENO NSW QUALIFYING 

The mixed event held in July resulted in Ken and Di Amos triumphing and now entered to represent Moree at the Regional play-offs to be held in Tamworth later in the year.

MIXED FOURSOME CHAMPIONSHIPS

A strong field competed for honours and defending 2022 champions Di Amos and Dave Marshall were once again victorious with some great golf demonstrated over the 27 holes. Nett winners were Kirra-Lee McNamara and Kurt Daley.

Our champions will be congratulated by event sponsor Ian & Bronte Treloar, and all members at Club presentations in March 2024.

UPCOMING EVENTS

36 HOLE 4BBB CHAMPIONSHIPS 12 & 13 AUGUST 2023

This weekend will again see players seeking championship glory over two days. At this stage it is difficult to pick an early favourite for championship honours from the nominations to date. Noticeably defending champions Scott Kirkby and Matt Moore are yet to nominate. If they do not compete this will certainly throw the event wide open, with a number of our other low markers still fulfilling Rugby commitments this weekend.

The Michael Seery / Michael-Slack-Smith is a strong pairing that could contend for nett honours, however, their grouping with the Cobb / Meppem pairing is an added handicap that most golfers would find difficult to overcome.

The Ladies event appears wide open from current nominations but the strong Baker / Fing pairing would seem hard to beat if their overall consistency in events this season is a reliable form guide.

There are still plenty of places available and your correspondent suggests finding a partner and enjoying what look like excellent golfing conditions on a course that is in excellent condition.

Good luck to all those competing and thank you to event sponsor Nutrien Ag Solutions.

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

These time honoured events are fast approaching, over 72 holes on 9/10 – 16/17 September and no doubt we will see members taking to the practice greens and fairways tuning up their games in anticipation. Once again Dippers Home Timber & Hardware are a sponsor of this major event and whilst their newly renovated store may not be able to offer an improved swing in their product range Bec and her staff will be only too happy to see any of our event winners spending their vouchers in store.

The Captain

If you are visiting Moree, please take a look at the links below to find accommodation options and information about our local attractions. Our members think a trip to the local artesian baths after a round of golf is a great way to unwind. So too, is a sample of local produce and a sip of fine coffee.