PDA

View Full Version : Country Victoria golf over Xmas



macleod
3rd January 2005, 08:37 PM
Whilst down in beechworth victoria i got the chance to pop out to 2 of the local courses for a bash.

I'd played at Wodonga 2 years ago, which had the softest most receptive greens (a la early days the glades) during the heigth of the drought....tres fun.

This time my 17 yeard old bro-in-law and I popped along to the local beechworth golf club, inaugerated 1899 apparently, and a full sand scrape course. having never played one before it was a great experience, especially on the etiquette of post putting scraping.

The course is laid out over some suberb natural terrain, this being kelly and granite country, and some of the holes were quite long for what i thought was just the local have a bash course.

not the greatest nick, but by god if you ploughed a it of cash into the course and upgraded to grass greens you'd make a killing. There's so much spare land around it play with....g69 could have a field day!

interestingly enough, recently the club was assessing the option of using a bunch of money they had to either upgrade to grass greens, or expand the current clubhouse (drinking hole). They opted to make the drinking hole a better place to hang out :)

Second, i reconnoitered the layout of Myrtleford Golf Club and Bright. I really wanted to get to Bright, but my father-in-law was so late in picking us up in the Pajero it was a write off and Myrtleford beckoned as the easy option...since i was driving and all....the pop-in-law technically being current disqualified...go figure.

I'd heard a few things about Myrtleford last time i was down and it didn't disappoint. Set slightly back in the hills of the Ovens Valley with views of mt buffalo it was an awesome country course with topnotch greens. $20 for 18 holes and my cool hire clubs were a set of pgf concorde blades, on a handy dandy rack with a handle...best configuration for carrying clubs ive seen in awhile!

The greens were receptive and very quick bent grass. Great fairways too. The course only has one bunker on it, on the cracker 9th hole, dogleg left to an uphill elevated green and it's perfectly placed to boot! like a lovely sandy mirage......wayne (the dad-in-law) managed to get into it though. he called a halt to his own game at the clubhouse once he discovered the $2.50 heavies and mark and me persevered on.

he hadn't played in 8 months and it took us almost 3 hours on the front nine with him....we did the back in just over a hour after he stopped for 'refreshments'.

there are a number of parallel holes on the course, which in some patches makes it a little repetitive, but the native trees and surrounds more than make up for those bits and the back nine had wider holes to boot, allowing for some nice snap hooks in cow herds for over eager guys. the lack of bunkers was offset by plenty of ball eating trees, and the occasional grass bunker or deep grass mound guarding some of the greens.

the beechworth sand scrape had some cool hazards too, special favourtie was the hairy speed bumps on steroids placed just off some of the fairways. nestling a ball aginst them meant taking some high loft to get over, or play off the side of them ;)

unfortunately i didn't play very well at all with my hire clubs, but scraped by a 94 on the myrtleford course...i'd love to play again this year with my own clubs. as for playing beechworth with my own clubs....mmm...nah... :D

country golf...just get into it eh?

Ably complementing each outing was a spot of rabbit shooting post match with the bro-in-law, bagging a nice brace of furries for the dogs. i especially like my headshot on mr.fluffy with the 22...although hitting it with the shotty or the 30-06 would have been more entertaining for us both!

goughy
3rd January 2005, 09:00 PM
Way to finish a post macca :smt078

I'll never look at rabbit stew the same way again :roll:

AndyP
3rd January 2005, 09:17 PM
I'm really tempted to try one of these sand-scrape courses when I visit my parents in country Vic this year.
So what's this post-putting etiquette?

macleod
3rd January 2005, 09:34 PM
I'm really tempted to try one of these sand-scrape courses when I visit my parents in country Vic this year.
So what's this post-putting etiquette?
just the way you smooth the surface back out was fun.

apparently you don't worry so much about the outer areas, as your allowed to clean your line of putting up before the putt.

just use the rake and create an outward sprial around the hole for a bit to make it purty.

i know there's more rules, but i didn't read the specific posted club ones....someone else with experience might pop some up?

which country part of Vic? I'm going back again this year a few times as well....

macleod
3rd January 2005, 09:47 PM
Way to finish a post macca :smt078

I'll never look at rabbit stew the same way again :roll:
maaate, you have to learn how to skin a bunny, it's awesome fun and easy to boot!

ok, depending on where you've taken mr. fluffy drawers vermin, be that a nice headshot removing the right side of his face and making him jump around like a dolphin on ekiies out of the grass....or a nice meaty body shot, assess the pelt.

take the skin as a pinch in the middle 'shoulders' upwards slight so the skin is separate to the meat itself, insert your trusty pocket knife through the hide, (young bunnies and nice and easy, older male ones take a bit to puncture) and the slice upwards through the skin.

you can now peel the hind quarter skin like a wet sock (honestly, it feel exactly like peeling off a wet sock...with a bit of tearing...). then the front portion, removing the head, severing the vertebrae but normally with the young uns you can twist the head off easily.

remove the fluffy tail wit de knife, the the hind legss below the 'knee' where the fur won't have come off...his socks technically i guess..., keep the front legs on at this point you need them for the next bit.

nature has provided a neat line right down the belly, insert the knife point, tip only and slice down to the genitals exposing the innards.

some people will take the front legs and then simply flick the insides out but theres a better way...albeit a little more 'hands on'.

scoop out the lower portion of the intestines and other fun bits...normally it should just all come out attached easily. the heart and lungs can be detached firstly before this downward movement by reaching up inside and feeling for the sconnective tissue just above the heart/lung arrangement.

if you reach in a feel this 'wall' of tissue, you can just pinch and pull down which should bring the lot out. otherwise remove the lower parts first, then reach up for the heart/lung combo.

push down inside his back passage to remove any remaining 'material' that might be stuck after intestines were removed. clean inside the cavity but should be like a whistle now. beware the occasional twitch they get well after death and dressing....they can still go the jump! ;)

remove front leg socks and your done! ready for jointing in the case of a nice provencale style, bit of verjuice, maybe lemon thyme in a clay pot...hmmmm....

say, anyone here got rural property they have a rabbit issue on?

jaster
3rd January 2005, 10:06 PM
:smt078 to the rabbit skinning thing :roll:

I grew up on sand scrapes, they use to call me MR one putt on the old sand greens...pity they call me Mr two putt these days :wink:

macleod
3rd January 2005, 10:15 PM
yeah, the putting thing threw me on the first green. mark mentioned i should give it a good whack, but even after seeing the sand consitency i misgudjed and it went about 3 feet...on a 12 foot putt.....another whack....4 feet and then in the hole on the last.

once you line it up and you've cleared your line it was easier to just bash it straight!

AndyP
4th January 2005, 08:19 AM
which country part of Vic? I'm going back again this year a few times as well....
My parents live in Swan Hill, and I will probably be visiting in April.