Ashby starts 2026 in style

THE 2026 trophy competitions for the women at the Blue Lake Golf Club started off in style with the top five scores under the 71 rating and two equal to their cards last Wednesday.

It was the first of nine monthly medals to be played in 2026, sponsored by Bev Pascoe, Grant and Dianne Perryman and life member Judy Collins.

Twenty-eight women contested the medal played in stroke format and was sponsored by Judy Collins and the recipient was Josie Ashby with a fine nett 65.

The weather was a lot more congenial than the previous few heat wave days making for a very enjoyable round and the top scores showed that.

Ashby 87/22/65 was also the Division One winner scoring pars on the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 13th and 15th holes in her 44/43 splits, playing six strokes under her handicap.

Runner up Karen Panagopoulos was also equal to the task signing for 90/22/68 with pars on the 1st, 2nd and 9th in her outward 47 strokes coming home with pars on the 15th and 18th holes in her inward 43 strokes, to finish 3 under her handicap.

Captain Ronda Edwards was not far behind recording 87/17/70 with pars on the 4th, 5th, 15th and 17th holes in her splits of 44/43, one stroke under her handicap.

Division Two winner Trudy-Anne Doyle 105/39/66 also presented a very respectable card playing five strokes under her handicap that Included pars on the 4th and 9th holes in her splits of 50/55 and probably looking at a handicap reduction.

Runner up Kristy Janeway is one of the 2025 ‘new’ to golf women and slowly dropping her handicap.

Janeway signed for 195/35/70 one under the rating with splits of 56/49 that Included a par on the 4th and a fine birdie on the par three 16th.

Long time player Trudy Herbert is often in the winner’s circle and this time it was third place posting 103/32/71 playing square to the card after splits of 54/49 after a countback with Beryl Mahoney nett 71.

Nearest to the pin 2nd shot on the 14th winners were Rosemary Martland (.79) and Johanna Gogan (1.27).

Josie won the pro-shot (.91) as well as the putts (27).

Birdies were recorded by Sue Agars 12th, Helen Myers 14m3th and Janeway 16th. Myers 13th, Edwards and Lesley McPherson 16th scored chip-in ferrets.JANUARY 24 RESULTS

Once again there were some excellent scores recorded when 19 women teed off in earlier time slots to beat the extreme predicted temperatures after the heat policy was activated under the Golf Australia guidelines and the stroke, monthly medal was replaced with the stableford event.

The winners had made a wise choice when five of the top seven all came in under their handicaps and and two equal to them.

The winner Alison Mullan, off a 45 handicap, posted an awesome 43 points (24/19) that Included three three pointers, three four pointers and two five pointers.

Runner up was her playing partner Wendy Burley, also with a great score, signing for 42 points off her 40 handicap (17/25) that Included five three pointers, two four pointers and a five pointer.

Third was Kate Brown 35 handicap posting 42 points (18/24) showing five three pointers and two four pointers, also an exceptional score in the top three scorecards.

Not far out of the running was 4th Mandy Bartholomew 40 points, 5th Helen Stratford 38 c/b 6th Ronda Edwards 38, 7th Kate Hommelhoff 36.

Nearest to the pin winner was Carol Downing (6.70)