Topic: Golf Talk / Rogerson wins 4th State title

Canberra based player, James Rogerson, wrote his name into the record books last weekend when he picked up his 4th State championship title of the year, winning the Queensland State Pitch and Putt Championships at Corinda in Brisbane. With the ACT and NSW championships, and SA Open under his belt, Rogerson took on a strong local contingent and held a narrow lead until the final round when he dashed away to a comfortable win.

He now approches the Victorian State Championships at Waverley in October before putting his skills to the test when the worlds best short course players come to Australia in November for the Australian Triple Crown, an event that is being billed overseas as the International Pitch and Putt event of the year.

In the Ladies division of the Queensland Championships, 13 year old school girl, Emily McLennan led all the way to down defending champion Sarah Atley, who finished third. In a stunning display of local youth, the first three placegetters in the Ladies division were all schoolgirls.

In the national rankings, Rogerson holds a commanding lead in the mens, whilst Sandra Hutchison retains the lead amongst the women, although the three Brisbane schoolgirls have now launched themselves into the national Top 10.

Corinda, fresh from their win over Canberra in the World Interclub League the previous weekend, broke all records in the battle for club honours and rocketed into 2nd place on the national interclub rankings, moving close to the leaders, Canberra International.

The national pitch and putt circuit now moves to Melbourne for the Victorian State Championships and then the action hots up with 25 of the worlds best players coming to Australia in November to take on the best that Australia can offer in the short game.

regards E.Tarik Australian Pitch and Putt Association

Topic: Golf Talk / World Interclub League 2007

The 3rd season of the World Interclub League of Pitch and Putt tees off on the first weekend of August with 36 teams from around the world taking part in the sports largest international competition.

In a unique competition that spreads itself around the globe, and over 5 months, WIL has become an intense battle that requires not only on course skills by the players but also a great deal of managerial skill given the competition stretches over such a long time span.

Current world interclub champions, Canberra International, will be defending their crown.

WIL is split into 4 major divisions and this year will feature over 400 players from 10 countries, and for the first time there will be a fantasy division that will include a team of players playing on a course in the online fantasy world of Second Life.

This years competition…

Champions League – Canberra International (Aust), St Patricks (Ireland), Southern Cross (Aust), P&P Kardinge (Holland), Corinda (Aust), Sant Cebria (Catalonia)

Division I – West Sant Jaume (Catalonia), Canberra Int B (Australia), WPPF ( International), La Grande Motte ( France), Valley View ( Australia), Estadio Espanol (Chile)

Division I – East Horsholm (Denmark), Glanville Guns (Australia), La Rosaleda (Spain), Stanley Park (Canada), Club Medico (Chile), Val St Jean (France)

Division II – West Sant Jaume 1994 (Catalonia), Country Golf Ees (Holland), Glanville Magpies (Australia), Southern Cross B (Australia), Caleuche (Chile), France III (France)

Division II – East Glanville Go Getters (Australia), France IV (France), Valley View II (Australia), Vancouver P&P (Canada), Waverley (Australia), Santiago Oriente (Chile)

Division III – Southern Cross C (Aust), France V (France), Glanville Cobras(Aust), Stanley Park- Spent (Canada), Valley View (Aust), Sant Jaume 2008(Catalonia)

Fantasy Division – New York Pitchers, LA Shakers, Tokyo Typhoons, Shanghai Steam, Dubai Sand Scrapers and Second Life Dreamers.

If you are interested in taking part in one of sports more unique competitions and you have a Pitch and Putt course in your area, drop us a line, the WPPF International team is still looking for a few players from anywhere in the world.

regards Lefty

Topic: The Lounge / Where have all the good threads gone?

Problem Mr D is that a good post is likely to be a controversial post and anything controversial draws a complaint from a timid soul and the post gets deleted.

If you look at the most popular posts they tend not to be interesting, they tend to be along the lines of
..."is Brand A ball better than Brand B" or something as fascinating as "what do you think of the new Blah Blah driver" which releases a huge amount of commercial advertising in the disguise of discussion - none of which has the slightest relevance to the improvement of ones game since the best players in the game could play with a K Mart 7 iron and a driving range ball and whip the pants of all of us.

The other gem is the "How did you play today" theme which seems to draw endless replies of little interest to anyone - but posters get a chance to tell us what they did at the course today. Nobody reads what the other players have written, or cares, but the thread blossoms on the egos of those posting regularly.

In the meantime golf is slowly choking due to changing lifestyles, a non existent global structure and a lack of water but these draw little interest as topics.

As many of you will know, I am involved in Pitch and Putt - golfs little brother, and am a Board Member of the international body controlling the sport, FIPPA.

If you want an interesting little post, perhaps readers might like to discuss the one thing that drives me nuts about golf, and which I think is the single most destructive influence on golf - the Amateur system.

Because Pitch and Putt is a golf sport we follow golfs amateur rules, generally, because many of our players play both sports and it is the easier path to take. (we do however have our own distinct rule book for the sport)

In my opinion the Amateur status rules are a farce and choke golf.

There are a few things to consider...

a) if a player wants to play professionally for a living, that is one thing. There are ways of registering a player for such a situation, as happens now.

b ) but if the rest of us want to play in an event which is offering a first prize of $10,000 cash for amateurs why cant we? Winning such an event does not mean I want to play for a living, it just means I would like the chance to win an event offering a $10,000 first prize.
$10,000 is not likely to cause any of us to give up our day jobs, so we are not being "professional".

c) of course, none of this applies to handicap based events. I personally dont think anyone should offer any sort of big prize for a handicap based event, but its a free country. If someone is stupid enough to offer money for an event based on handicaps they deserve all the cheats they will attract.

We live in a world where nearly all amateur sports of the last century allow athletes to play for money, but not golf. Why the hang up in golf?

see ya
ET

Topic: Sports Talk / Selection Process query

Hi all,

since some of the greatest sporting minds reside in here, I thought I would pose this question to the forum...

We are trying to create a selection process to select a three person team to play in the World Cup of Pitch and Putt next year in Holland.
The team can comprise men and/or women and a player can be a golfer or a regular Pitch and Putt player, but we need a process that will give women and equal chance of being selected - if they are good enough.

As the World Cup is played on a course 1200 metres long and comprises 36 holes of strokeplay followed by 2 days of matchplay we have selected three events as our World Cup selection trials.

a) South Australia Open in May - because it is the only event in Australia played on a 1200 metre course.

b ) First leg of the Triple Crown in November - the Australian Matchplay Championship at Terrey Hills - because it is being played on an unfamiliar course against the best in the world and involves matchplay.

c) 3rd leg of Triple Crown in November - the Australian International Open at Southern Cross in Canberra - because it is strokeplay against the best in the world.

We have decided to make b ) a compulsory component of the trials because it involves matchplay and then players can pick their best effort of the other two events.

The problem is - how do we allow for a woman to get selected???

In event a) we can put the womens scores with the mens scores to give a ranking. And we can do this is event c)

but event b ) is sex based matchplay with no way to compare the efforts of the women with the efforts of the men.

suggestions from the greatest sporting minds in the country are welcome...

regards
ET

Topic: Golf Talk / Test Match under lights

QUOTE: judgesmails @ Feb 23 2007, 01:28 PM

seems excitement is at fever pitch for this event...

one could say that whilst the minnows of the long game whizz in and out of Sydney for the Australian Open the international giants of the short game will be teeing off at the other end of town for a very demanding test of skill and mental toughness over ten days.

An opening night Test match under lights, then a rigorous 10 day programme that involves a 4 day Matchplay championship, a 2 round Night Championship and a 72 hole strokeplay championship to wrap it up.

An excellent test of skill and nerve, and endurance, for lovers of the short and long game alike and we are really pleased to have a Matchplay Championship as the major component.
There should be more matchplay- its the real contest!

regards
ET

Topic: Golf Talk / Test Match under lights

Sydneysiders will be treated to a short course feast this November with the curtain raiser to the Australian Triple Crown being a Test Match under lights on November 14 at the Terrey Hills course.

This is the first time a Pitch and Putt Test Match is being staged in the evening under lights and will feature an Australian team up against a Rest of the World team.

The Rest of the World team will be selected by FIPPA, the sports governing body, and will include at least one player from each of the participating nations at the Triple Crown.

To balance this, the Australian selectors are hoping to pick an Australian team made up of at least one player from each State that has a representative at the Triple Crown. This is of special significance for players in States like WA and Tasmania where there may only be one participant, if any at all.

The first and third legs of the Australian Triple Crown also take on greater significance as they will be selection trials for the Australian team that will compete in the 3rd World Cup of Pitch and Putt in 2008.

regards
Eero Tarik
President, Australian Pitch and Putt Association

Topic: Golf Talk / ACT Championships

Good to hear Im not the only one who plays on the fairways at this course :-)

give the Southern Cross (Philip/Woden) course a go - different kettle of fish but it gets VERY busy.

just as an aside, the course record at Canberra Int is 40 (last February) - or 14 under par, and the best this summer is 43, 11 under par - so the variable conditions still allow the better players to show their mastery and one of the resident course pro's knocked off a lazy 45 in a social hit the other week.

see ya
ET

Topic: Golf Talk / ACT Championships

QUOTE: LowFlyingHawk @ Jan 21 2007, 09:33 PM

They will want to do a lot of work at Canberra International if they want that to be suitable. I played out there a couple of weeks back and it was in pretty ordinary condition.

hi LowFlyingHawk, no water = no fairways

yes, the fairways at Canberra International are now a magnificent shade of hard dry yellow, but I gather that this is not unique around the country in all forms of golf, sadly.

One might remember that in Pitch and Putt the good players dont use the fairways other than for walking over as the ball is supposed to go from artificial tee area, through the air and land and stop on the green :-)
Which is all very nice, in theory

Anyhow, the tee areas are excellent (being artificial), and the greens are well watered.

At Southern Cross, where they do have adequate water, the course is a lovely shade of green and in great condition.

I imagine that for those who invented the sport of golf the conditions at either of these two courses would appear luxurious so I like to see every course as simply a new challenge where all players tee off facing equal conditions whether they are magnificent or otherwise - it all just adds to the mental side of the contest.

Anyhow, heres hoping some Canberra golfers take up this different challenge and pop down and give us a lesson in the short game :-)

see ya
ET

Topic: Golf Talk / ACT Championships

If there is anyone living in Canberra and surrounding areas who would like to put their short game to the test against some of the best players in the world, the ACT Pitch and Putt Championships will be held over the weekend of the 17th and 18th of February.
Played over 72 holes and 2 different courses (36 holes at Southern Cross followed by 36 holes at Canberra International) this gives golfers a chance to pit their short game skills against some of the best short course players in the world. [a team from Canberra International are the current World Interclub League Champions].

There are male and female - open, junior and senior - divisions and entry is only $50 which includes green fees.

This is an excellent warm up for those considering entering the Triple Crown which will be held in Sydney and Canberra in November this year and for which we have a guaranteed field of the best Pitch and Putt players in the world coming to Australia, something the golfing community cant brag about too often these days. At least in the shorter form of golf the elite players are desperate to play in Australia.

It is also pleasing to note that the current Australian Pitch and Putt Womens Champion has just finished =17th in the Australian Junior Female Golf Championships.

We look forward to seeing some of you in Canberra for the ACT Championships.

for full entry details I am assuming it is appropriate for you to contact me through this forum...

regards
Eero Tarik
President, Australian Pitch and Putt Association

Topic: Golf Talk / Canberra club wins World Interclub League

WORLD INTERCLUB LEAGUE

The competition started back in August -24 teams from 9 nations and 4 continents, and last weekend we saw the climax of that epic battle as some of the world's best short game players fought it out for honour for themselves and their club.

The final round of the World Interclub League has produced drama, excitement and some fantastic performances - and it has produced winners.

First we must congratulate the winners - the World Interclub Champions for 2006 are...
Canberra International, from Canberra in Australia.

In the final round of the Champions Division, Corinda(Brisbane) 205 defeated Southern Cross(Canberra) 207, Sant Cebria (Catalonia, Spain) produced the 2nd best score ever with an amazing 192 to wins its game over La Rosaleda (Canary Islands) and Canberra International 197 defeated last years Champions, NPPV (Holland), 217 to take this years title.

The final standings were...
Canberra International -8pts
Sant Cebria -7 pts
Corinda -6pts
Southern Cross -5pts
NPPV -4 pts
La Rosaleda -0pts

In Division I we had a very close and exciting finish with Danish club, Horsholm, coming from behind to snatch victory in dramatic fashion. Catalan club, Sant Jaume had not lost a game all season, but in the last round they were defeated by Canberra International B, 208 -212, and with Horsholm defeating the Glanville Cobras 206-215, it was Horsholm who won the Divisional title.

Congratulations to Stephen Carden and Horsholm in their first season as a club - World interclub League, Division I Champions and they will now be promoted to the Champions Division next year.

The final standings were ...
Horsholm -12 pts (average strokes 206.71)
Sant Jaume -12 pts (average strokes 208.86)

Canberra International B -10 pts Glanville Cobras -9 pts and then came Val St Jean (France) -6 pts, Stanley Park (Canada) -3pts, Colegio de Medico (Chile) -2pts and Balyang 0 pts.

The final results for Division II have not been made available yet as we have some results still to com in.

Again, congratulations to all teams and players for taking part in this exciting season, and especially congratulations to the Canberra International A team and Horsholm.

E.Tarik
World Interclub League of Pitch and Putt

Topic: Golf Talk / Australian Triple Crown

I should point out that before posting this to the forum I sent a copy to the Administrator, explaining who I was and the intention of the post, and asked if it would be ok to proceed.

The Administrator gave his consent.

My reason for posting here is that in other parts of the world, Europe especially, many low handicap club golfers also play Pitch and Putt competitively so that they get the best that both sports offer.

Golf offers a significantly attractive and long established club scene for players whilst Pitch and Putt offers the lure and challenge of playing internationally at the highest level as both an individual, in International Opens, and in major teams events like the World Cup - there is a growing trend around the world for players to play both sports.

Amongst those reading this post there might be a man or woman who will step up to the tee at the next World Cup in Santiago, Chile wearing the Australian colours. As someone who experienced this thrill earlier this year in the World Cup in Barcelona it is an experience of a lifetime and hopefully one that a forum reader might aspire to.

regards
pandpoz

Topic: Golf Talk / Australian Triple Crown

oops...

forgot to add that for Australian players the Triple Crown will be the first leg of the national trials for selecting the Australian team to play in the World Cup in Chile in 2008.
(both men and women are eligible for selection and play against each other in the World Cup)

regards
ET

Topic: Golf Talk / Australian Triple Crown

==========================================
Australian Triple Crown - November 2007.
==========================================
Dear Friends,

the Australian Pitch and Putt Association invites you to take part in the inaugural Australian Triple Crown, to be held in Sydney and Canberra from November 15 -25, 2007.

The Triple Crown is a unique challenge to the world's best individual short game players...
3 Major Events over 11 days and played on 3 courses.

Crown I - Australian Matchplay Championship -15/16/17/18 November
(Terrey Hills, Sydney)

Crown II- Australian Night Championship -20/21 November
(Canberra International, Canberra)

Crown III - Australian Open Championship -23/24/25 November
(Southern Cross, Canberra)

Each event is open to international players as well as Australian Pitch and Putt players and golfers. A player winning all three events wins the Triple Crown.

For further information about the Australian Triple Crown please view this link...
http://www.australianpitcha...

Our promotional video of the Triple Crown can be also viewed or downloaded
at the same location

we look forward to your interesting in this new and exciting event - a chance to mix it internationally with the best short game players in the world.

for further information about entry details admin@australianpitchandput...

regards
E. Tarik
Board Member, FIPPA - Federation of International Pitch and Putt Associations
President, APPA - Australian Pitch and Putt Association.