Saturday's winter golf once again proved that not even a stubborn inversion layer could dampen the spirits or the scoring.

The pesky cloud cover simply refused to vacate the basin, teasing players with occasional glimpses of blue sky while hanging around like that last guest who doesn't realise the party is over. Thankfully, the golfers paid little attention and got on with the serious business of accumulating Stableford points.

Leading the men's competition was Nathan Bradley, whose excellent 22-point round was enough to edge out Mike Gain on countback. Just one point further back sat a convoy of players on 21 points, proving once again how competitive the winter 9-hole format has become.

Men's Stableford Results

1st – Nathan Bradley – 22 pts – $30

2nd – Mike Gain – 22 pts – $26

3rd – Mike Rivers – 21 pts – $20

4th – Jesse McKenna – 21 pts – $20

5th – Adrian Januszkiewicz – 21 pts – $20

6th – Peter Adam – 21 pts – $20

7th – Richard Thomas – 20 pts – $15

8th – Thomas Martin – 19 pts – $9

9th – Geoff McDonald – 19 pts – $9

10th – Athol Stephens – 18 pts – $9

11th – Frank Garthwaite – 18 pts – $9

The ladies competition was equally tightly contested, with no fewer than four players finishing tied on 18 points. Kayleigh Woodings emerged on top, narrowly ahead of Jenny Browne, Lynda Baker and Ann McDowell in what can only be described as one of the closest podiums of the season.

Ladies Stableford Results

1st – Kayleigh Woodings – 18 pts – $13

2nd – Jenny Browne – 18 pts – $9

3rd – Lynda Baker – 18 pts – $9

4th – Ann McDowell – 18 pts – $9

Special Prizes

Nearest to the Pin Hole 7 – Mike Rivers – $20 Life Pharmacy Wilkinson's Voucher

The special prizes produced some memorable moments as well. On Hole 7, Mike Rivers cozied his tee shot in nice and tight to claim the Nearest to the Pin prize courtesy of Life Pharmacy Wilkinson's. It was one of those efforts that immediately causes the rest of the group to quietly put their clubs back in the bag and mumble, "That'll do."

Longest Putt Hole 9 – Peter Adam – $25 Neat Meat Voucher

Longest Putt honours were saved for the final hole of the day as usual, and Peter Adam made sure it was worth the wait. Facing a 20-footer up the hill on the 9th green, Peter calmly rolled it into the middle of the cup. A lovely way to cap off another fine round and collect the $25 Neat Meat Voucher in the process.

Congratulations to all of our winners and prize recipients. With the inversion layer eventually expected to move on and winter golf continuing to deliver close finishes and memorable shots, there are plenty more stories still to be written.

Bye for now,

Kelly and Mitch