Club stalwart gives juniors great start

Surely Arthur Sandford must be one of the unsung heroes up at the Masterton Golf Club.
Virtually every Sunday morning, between 9 and 10am, for the past four years, he has taken his Junior Golf Clinic.
Professional Jimmy Napier has been his faithful assistant, while Megan Barker, when she is available, is also a big help.
The group varies in size, but usually consist of between ten and fifteen youngsters, mainly boys, but with a smattering of girls. Twenty five marks the best turn-out ever, but the last two weeks have seen a surge in numbers, with no fewer than 19 new faces.
Ages vary from 4 ? years up to about 15. There is no charge, while the Club will also provide equipment if necessary. After the morning's clinic is completed, the more experienced members of the group usually take the opportunity to play a few holes. Although there is no obligation, many move on to become junior members, taking advantage of the attractive graduated system of subscriptions.
It is worth noting that Masterton men's top Wellington interclub team, Division 2, is made up 80 per cent of Juniors. Two of them, Courtney Gane and Wade Walker, started their golf in the Sunday Clinic, while others have certainly attended on occasions.
The Clinic offers the chance for young people to learn the basics of the sport. It is then up to them to decide whether to maintain their interest in the future. Certainly, Arthur Sandford, backed by his small team, and the facilities offering at Lansdowne, will have given them a great start. Give the Office a call for more information.
I must make a habit of popping up to Lansdowne late on Sunday afternoon. Apart from the surprisingly large and congenial crowd present, there were two items of interest to learn up in the 19th last Sunday.
Firstly, Phil Rutene was the man of the moment, after playing the perfect shot at the 8th hole. This was Phil's third hole in one, achieved with a 9 iron, although you'd have to be a bit sceptical about his claim to have spun it back 10 feet, to get in the hole.
The other news related to the final of the Jimmy Shearer, fought out between the Birds, Jo and Tweet, and the Clarksons, Edith and Derek. It was a grand match with Edith playing a dominant role in the Clarksons 2 up victory, this despite having to concede 18 shots to their opponents.
Edith and Derek went into "Devil's Corner" (11th hole) 2 down, but came out at the 14th one up, a break which proved decisive. They halved the 15th, won the 16th, lost the 17th and then won the 18th to end a fine contest.
Last week a dozen 9 holers took part in a stableford round, which was dominated by Ann Kite. Her 22 points was way ahead of second placed Rayanne Dimock on 14 points.
Last Saturday saw Trust House "Famous Grouse" Whisky Day, with fine conditions and the irresistible lure of a bottle of Scotland's finest, drawing a field of 80, the biggest turn-out for quite a while.
Results:
Group 1: Murray Wolland 40 pts 1
Henry Stechman 40 pts 2
Robin Carseldine 40 pts 3
Charles Anderson 38 pts 4
Gavin Harris 37 pts 5
Herb Ruhe 37 pts 6
Group 2: John Gold 37 pts 1
Harry Bateman 36 pts 2
Arthur Sandford 36 pts 3
Peter Connell 36 pts 4
Women: Edith Clarkson 1
Liz Armstrong 2
Nearest the pin prizes went to Robert Stewart at the Alex McLeod 8th hole, to Wade Walker at the Fire Services 11th, to Alan Sandford at the Money Managers 18th, and to Vicky Duffy at the Office Depot 8th hole.
On Monday, in mild conditions 50 Vets took to the fairways for their weekly stableford.
Results:
Women: Cynthia Smith 24 pts 1
Sue Blathwayt 24 pts 2
Barbara Hullena 23 pts 3
Men Group 1: Gerald Blathwayt 27 pts 1
Charles Anderson 26 pts 2
Graeme McIsaac 25 pts 3
Men Group 2: Brian Jury 26 pts 1
Gerry Verhaart 24 pts 2
Brian Henson 23 pts 3
Nearest the pin prizes at the Fagan Ford 8th hole went to Beryl Stuart and Brian Henson.
On Tuesday about 40 women took part in a stableford event, played in cool, but fine conditions.
Results:
Silver: Robyn Guildford 35 pts 1
Bev Seymour 33 pts 2
Bonze A: Carol Morgan 36 pts 1
Janna Blundell 27 pts 2
Bronze B: Pam Williams 35 pts 1
Helen Newland 29 pts 2
Nearest the pin prizes went to Sue Dalziell at the Graeme Jones Car Rental 8th hole, and to Robyn Guildford at the Write Price 18th.
On Monday, Round 7 of the Women's Pennant competition was played on the Royal Wellington Golf Course. Conditions on the day were superb, and the bird life remarkable. Native pigeons, tuis, pukeko, kingfishers, paradise ducks, were abundant, but unfortunately the Masterton teams' results didn't match the weather of the surroundings.
The silver division went down 1/5 to Te Marua with Pauline McKenzie supplying the only bright spot on the day with her win. This marks the last round for the season for the team. The Bronze team did a little better gaining 2 points, through a win to Shirley Simpson and halves to Dara Carthew and Cindy Giles. However, despite making a good effort this season, the team was not quite able to muster enough points to make the Pennants play-off.
Next Sunday sees the final round in the Tilson Salver, with Masterton facing Carterton out at Riversdale. This is a key match in the competition, with Masterton holding a slender lead at this point over their nearest rivals ? yes you've guessed it, Carterton.
Next Saturday, August 6, features a stroke round, coupled with a Markham's shoot-out qualifier, and a further round in the Challenge Shield competition.