Once again the weather Gods were smiling and after a couple of hot and unpleasant near 40 degree days, things cooled down considerably for the 14^th annual On Course Hacker Cup and players were welcomed to very comfortable mid-twenties afternoon. And in one of the most even Hacker Cups ever contested, at first we thought we had a four way tie for the title and needed a countback to find a winner.

When cards were handed in four players showed 46 points on their cards – Gavin Foster, Elliot Green, Tim Gallagher and Andrew Peacock. Elliot and Tim had non official handicaps so were ineligible to win the major prize so it was down to Gavin and Andrew.

Originally it was though first time contestant Gavin Foster won on count back from long time player Andrew Peacock. However upon further investigation and a recounting and rechecking of the scores on their cards, Gavin actually had 48 points, with Andrew on 47, so there was a margin of one point (both Gavin and Andrew gained 5 bonus points so effectively they had 42 & 43 points – a very good day).
“Ceddy” won the non-handicap Open trophy with 44 points, narrowly from Elliot and Tim once the six random holes were checked against allocated handicaps and scores were recalculated.
Speaking of good days, we had our very first hole in one with long time participant Ted Boltong achieving the feat on the par three 17^th. The group was actually looking for Ted’s ball when they got to the green, not seeing it anywhere on the dance floor and assuming that it had gone through the green. However after the casual suggestion of one player to look in the cup – there was Ted’s ball and glory was his!

Prizes
NTP 3^rd – Aaron Madin
NTP 6^th – Mark Skehan
NTP 13^th – Anthony Alio
NTP 17^th – HOLE IN ONE, Ted Boltong

Longest Drive – Ralph Janke
Open Trophy (non handicap) – Ceddy
Lady Champion – Val Jones
Hacker Cup Chamion – Gavin Foster (pictured above with yours truly)
Hacker Cup Runner-Up – Andrew Peacock

Special mention and thanks go to major Sponsor On Course Golf. If you are looking for golfing equipment check On Course Golf via their website or at one of the hundreds of pro shops dotted around Australia.
OnsongSwing donated one of their Golf Training Aids and this was the prize for the “Beat the Hacker Hole”. We raised over $500 on the day and a total donation of $600 will be made to the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal. A big thank you to OnSong Swing company owner Vern Johnson for the great prize (check out www.onsongswing.com for more information on this revolutionary golf training aid).

Life Members and Hall of Fame
Kathy Kerr, Shane Robertson, Peter McNiece, Norm Bertram and Mick Chilcott were all inducted as Hacker Cup life members and in a moving ceremony, Livi Lanu was inducted as the seventh Hacker Cup Hall of Famer.

2019 Date
The date has been set for 2019 – keep January 19^th 2019 marked in your diary and get along to the 15^th annual Hacker Cup.

IMAGES - Top to Bottom
Our sponsor (geoff Zarth from On Course Golf on far left)
New Hall of Famer - Livi
Our new Life Members
Some of our more attractive competitors
Bernie showcasing his horrible pants
Some of the Boys