KEN Klem was showing so many pearly whites in the Nambucca Heads Island Golf Club it looked like he’d swallowed a piano after a brilliant round in the Golf NSW Mid North Coast Men’s Championship.

The eight-marker had four birdies on the home run for a mighty 73 to win the Div 2 gross from Kempsey’s Dan Jones (8) on 78.

Nev Newman (9) won the Div 2 nett with 68 from Drew Glasson (9) on 71.

South West Rocks’ Andrew Kirkman (+4) won the battle of the big guns with 71 to take the Div 1 gross from Sawtell’s Max Neal (+1) on 72.

Troy Herbert (4) claimed the nett with 72 on a countback from Macksville’s Bea Lavender (4).

In Div 3, Kempsey’s Stuart Phillips (11) won the gross with 84, edging Nambucca’s Chris Knight (11) by a shot. Geoffrey McCann (16) took the nett with 71 ahead of John Morgan (15) on 73.

Stephen Doherty (17) enjoyed a rails run in Div 4 only to come a cropper with a 7 on the last with a ball which didn’t get wet. His 85 gross was enough to be runner-up to Joe Street (16), a single shot ahead.

Darren De Joux (19) from Lakeside Golf Club Camden nabbed the nett with a sizzling Route 66 ahead of rising Nambucca star Harrison Lee (21) on 72.

Island Club Captain Ray Guiana (25) had 98 off the bat to win the Div 5 gross from Kempsey’s Harry Mainey (23) on 102. Bryce Pike (31) claimed the nett with 67 ahead of Heath McKenna (29) on 75.

Pike also scored the pin 5, Chris Knight on 7, Cooper Patricks on 8, Matt Baker on 13, Craig Rogan on 15 and John O’Shea on the last.

Keen to escape the noise of a looming Federal Election in the Bush Capital, Carlo Sciacca (18) from the Belconnen Magpies club in the ACT had an outstanding plus 5 to win the Macksville Mitre 10 sponsored par event on Saturday, 22 February.

It was the best score of the day and just enough to head David Bartos (19) on plus 3 in Div 2, while the dangerous Trent Baade (15) saluted in Div 1 with plus 3 ahead of Deidre Fletcher (14) on plus 2.

Phillip Smith scorched round the back in 40 off the stick to finish plus 4 and take Div 3 from Dale Hanson (23) who birdied the 5th on his way to plus 1.

Par competitions are said to favour A Graders, but grinning under his trademark bucket hat was the club’s youngest regular golf member 13-year-old Maddox Herbert (38) who has family bragging rights after carding minus 1 to best his sibling Ashton and dad Troy.

The comp was the first chance of five rounds to qualify for the Nambucca Skins finals, and the ball run went down to pennant player-in-waiting Jai Wassens on plus 1.

Late-starter Stephen Kimber scored the putt from afar on 1, while Graham Long won the pin on 5, Roy Louis on 7, John Morgan on 8 and Geoffrey McCann with a fringe-gripper on 15. Hans Jansen helped himself to the Pizza This Pizza That voucher on 13 and Chris Knight took the $100 Pro Pin on the last.

It was warm and sticky and the scoring was hot in the Macksville Mitre 10 medley stableford on Thursday, 20 February.

Glen Crow’s (11) purple patch bloomed on after he stormed Div 1 with 41 points from Garry Johnstone (14) on 38. Crow’s 75 off the bat included 11 pars and a birdie on the 6th.

Nathan Ison (15) shattered the glass ceiling of bettering 80, with 41 points and 79 off the stick to take Div 2 from Stephen Doherty (17) on 37. In Div 3 Keith Elphick had a day out to win with 42 points from Craig Riddington (29) on 37.

Peter Bush nabbed the Ecomist longest putt on 1, while the pins were collected by Max Neal on 5 and 18 (the latter a tidy $85 Pro Pin earner), Andrew Donovan on 7, Garry Thurlow on 8, Peter Thompson on 15 and Peter Moxon gulped the pizza on 13.

Club Director of Golf Henny Oldenhove’s rich run also surged on as the 17-marker carded 34 points to pip Elizabeth Hobday on a countback in the women’s single stableford on Wednesday, 19 February.

Nambucca’s Linda Piccin (32) has also been in irresistible form, winning Div 2 with 39 points, also on a countback, from Debra Gersbach.

Dianne Hopkins (36) cruised to victory in Div 3 with 36 points from Shayne Scott (42) on 29.

The pins on the 8th went to Elizabeth Hobday and Robyn Dyer while Kerri Jackson nailed it to 20cm and we shan’t mention the first putt. Angela Paton took the pin on 13 and Jackson was in the headlines again, picking up the $45 Pro Pin on the last.

Starting the week on The Island with a bang was Kempsey’s Rodney Kinnear (19) with 43 points to win the Macksville Mitre 10 medley stableford on Tuesday, 18 February. Runner-up was the always thereabouts Denise Paluch (14) on 42 points with an excellent 78 off the stick including birds on 8 and 10.

Catchya on The Island if the river doesn’t grab you first.

By Chris KNIGHT