It was a beautiful winter’s day when Narrandera Golf Club hosted Juniors on the Move on Sunday August 21, with bright sunshine and no wind.
All round, outstanding golfing conditions greeted the players and the course was in excellent condition. The rolling hills, bunkers and undulating greens presented a reasonable but fair challenge to all players.
Trouble, in the form of dense pine forest, was ever present for those that deviated too much from the fairway in play.
Narrandera Golf Club were thanked for allowing the use of their course and facilities, and for donating a Bendigo Bank drink bottle to each player and feeding the hungry players at the completion of the round.
Young golfers will no doubt be locking in the Narrandera’s Juniors on the Move event for 2023.
There was a total of 12 players from all around the region, with three making their Juniors on the Move debut. The average score was 49nett for all players and 41 for those players with a JNJG JOM handicap.
Braxton Ivanoff again took the win with an outstanding 32 nett. This has continued his recent winning streak and run of good form. Runner up was Bentley Busby with an excellent 35 nett. A second runners up prize was awarded to Emerson Buchegger with a highly respectable 36 nett.
Braxton also won the combined boys/girls nearest to the pin with an excellent shot into the 99-metre 16th hole that finished about 4 metres from the pin. Emerson Buchegger was ultra-unlucky with her great shot measuring 4.5 metres from the hole.
Funnily enough, Braxton did three-put the hole after his splendid first shot.
The long drives were also hotly contested with Braxton, Lawson Buchegger and Luke Dennis all smoking drives off the 6th tee.
Brax and Luke unfortunately just missed the fairway while Lawson took an ultra-lucky A-grade sideways bounce off a tree to finish just on the mown section and take the glory.
Emerson Buchegger saved her best drive of the day for the long drive hole and easily claimed the prize in the girl’s division. She even out-drove her brother although he did hit the tree which cost him a metre or 50.
The handicapper did have some work to do.
Braxton Ivanoff’s red-hot form has seen his JNJG JOM Handicap come down to scratch.
This a great achievement and something that needed a mention and it will be interesting to see how he goes playing in the Howlong Junior Open this Sunday against some of the bigger kids from the MDGA.
A great day was had by all players, parents, and sibling spectators.
The parents should also get an honourable mention for escorting the players around the course and keeping an eye on scoring and general golf etiquette.
The rescheduled Junee Juniors on the Move has been locked in for Sunday, September 18 with a 10am tee-off. This is the last event for the year.
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 1 September 2022.
