JUNIOR COUNTRY REGIONS

On the weekend of 16-17 December, 3 Bairnsdale GC juniors representing Golf Est Gippsland, travelled to the Bendigo region to compete in the Junior Country Regions Event held at Heathcote and Belvoir Park Golf Clubs.

Overall results saw: Scratch

 Noah  5th  overall
 Lachlan 47th
 Maddy.  14th

Nett: Noah 41st Lachlan. T 13th Maddy. T 5th

Congratulations Noah, Lachie, Maddy and their parents for making the trip and representing your club and our District.

Golf Australia is urging clubs and facilities to review their storage policies after a spate of fires in cart sheds over recent years around the country.

GA is encouraging clubs to utilise a new cart storage facility policy. See view details for a recommended template The policy recommends that all clubs and facilities cease to allow on-site charging of batteries for walk-behind carts.

Golf clubs around the country have already begun implementing this policy with The National and Shepparton in Victoria and The Grange in Adelaide, as well as many Sydney clubs already moving to ban the on-site charging of lithium batteries for buggies.

Yesterday, the Brisbane Golf Club lost its clubhouse to a fire started by a lithium battery, while Eastern Golf Club in Melbourne recently lost its clubhouse to a fire which started in the cart area, although the cause has not yet been identified definitively.

The Lakes Golf Club and Manly Golf Club in Sydney both suffered significant loss in April and August 2022 because of clubhouse fires subsequently found to be started by lithium batteries left under the buildings by members for charging.

The policy encourages clubs to pay closer attention to risks and take action, with the consequences of the losses in these fires extremely catastrophic.

The new storage agreement is a document that clubs can choose to use as a framework if they want to. It covers all member storage, carts and walk-behind electric buggies, with the overriding recommendation for members to charge and store their batteries away from the club and to review practices for charging or storing club-owned batteries.

Matt Chesterman, Golf Australian’s Head of Clubs and Facilities, can be reached at clubsupport@golf.org.au should your club or facility like to discuss your situation.

2023 GEG Mixed foursomes will be held at the South Pines Golf Club.

Entry forms available at your club or under the coming events section of the GEG website.

Entries close December 11th

Have you got a budding junior golfer who wants to go to the next level?

Gippsland Sports Academy run a Golf Program with head coach, Richard Cooney. This program is run over 5 sessions spread throughout the year as well as two special events - an inter Academy challenge held at the Sands Golf Club, Torquay, and a High Performance day held at 13th Beach GC.

All aspects of the golf game with skills sessions, strength and conditioning and on course preparation.

See view details tab to download a copy of the proposed program.

Need to know more? Contact Anita Pistrin of the GSA on 0411 435 819 to register your interest.

Tambo Valley’s Johanna Wyllie is the 2023 All Gippsland Women’s Champion.

Johanna, contested the All Gippsland Championship on the 31st October at the Phillip Island Golf Club.

With scores tied after 18 holes, Johanna and Rebecca Thomas then entered a sudden death playoff to determine the winner.

Three playoff holes were required before Johanna was able to secure victory with a winning par putt.

The 2023 PGA Associate National Championship has finished in dramatic fashion with Levi Sclater winning in a playoff over Xander Basson at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.

The pair were tied at 9-under after 72 holes, and a sudden-death playoff that lasted three holes was required to decide a winner.

Sclater played steady golf all week, while Basson, an international entrant from South Africa, climbed the leaderboard on the final day with a 6-under 66.

Originally from Sale in Victoria’s south-east, Sclater is currently in his first year in the Membership Pathway Program (MPP), working out of Rossdale Golf Club in Melbourne.

A long par save on the second playoff hole from Sclater meant that a third hole was needed. Basson went long with his second shot and was unable to get up-and-down which handed the championship to Sclater.

“I think I had two bogey-free rounds, and really didn’t do a heap wrong the whole week,” he said.

“It’s awesome to win, I’m super stoked.

“At the start of the day, that’s all I really wanted, and I just believed in myself and finally got it done in a playoff.”

Sclater’s win books him a spot in the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland later this month, where he will be teeing it up alongside the likes of Cam Smith, Lucas Herbert, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott and many more Aussie and international stars.

“I can’t wait to go up there and give it a crack with the best pros in Australia,” he said.

Levi was a junior member at the Sale GC and a regular in Golf East Gippsland Junior teams. GEG has also been very proud of Levi’s achievements and wish him well in his upcoming events

Darcy Johnson from South Pines GC today won the Primary School’s qualifying event held at Orbost GC.

28 children took part in the event played over a modified course, 9 holes.

Darcy shot an impressive 44 off the stick be be a runaway winner and will now progress to the Regional final . Tomorrow at Lakes Entrance GC there is a 2nd qualifying event and there are 30 players registered to tee it up.

Click on the view details tab to see the Orbost results.

After winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, former Bairnsdale GC junior, Jasper Stubbs, has received entry to the 2024 US Masteres at Augusta and The Open Championship at Royal Troon.

As a four year old, Jasper started his golfing journey as part of the Bairnsdale GC junior program and received his first handicap at 9 year old.

In order to support their children’s golfing talents the family moved to Melbourne so they could partake in the very successful Rowville Secondary School golf program. Jasper’s sister, Piper, is currently playing College Golf in the USA for South Dakota State University.

The final day of the Asia-Pacific championship was a gripping affair at Royal Melbourne GC where Jasper came from 6 shots back overnight, shooting a 69, to force a play off. After two amazing playoff holes, Jasper was successful in claiming the title

The Pro Am season will hit East Gippsland in December with Pro Am’s scheduled for Bairnsdale, Maffra, Sale and Yarram Golf Clubs.

Saturday 9th December - Junior Pro Am at Bairnsdale GC - No cost to enter.

Sunday 10th December - Pro Am, Bairnsdale GC - Entry $44 BGC member, $66 non members of BGC - AM field only.

Monday 11th December - Pro Am, Maffra GC - Entry $50 AM/PM fields

Tuesday 12th December - Pro Am, Sale GC - Entry $50 AM/PM fields

Saturday, 16th December - Pro Am, Yarram GC - Entry $50 AM/PM fields

Entry forms can be found under the coming events tab of the Golf East Gippsland Website

All Gippsland Championship for Women is to be held at Phillip Island GC on 30-31 October

For a copy of the draw, see the downloads under the view details tab.

The Golf East Gippsland Men’s Championships were played on Sunday the 10th of September at the Lakes Entrance golf course.

The course was presented in an incredibly good condition and is a credit to the Lakes Entrance golf club course superintendent, Brendan Dooley.

Local golfer Stuart Yates was victorious and was named the champion for 2023 with a great 27 hole total of 113. Sale GC member, Robert Walker, was runner up in the championship event with 115.

Orbost GC member, Blake Robinson, was the winner of the Golf East Gippsland Junior championship event, with Maffra GC member, Cooper Rimington the runner up.

Sale GC member, John Simic, won the Golf East Gippsland Senior championship, with Newry GC’s Alf Jessup the runner up.’

Group photo: Les Beckett (Lakes Entrance GC) Grade Runner up, Graham Wells (Lakes Entrance GC) B Grade Winner, Stuart Yates (Lakes Entrance GC) 2023 Golf East Gippsland Champion, Cooper Rimington (Maffra GC) Junior Champion Runner up, Robert Walker (Sale GC) East Gippsland Champion Runner up, Alf Jessup (Newry GC) Seniors Champion Runner