WHEN is too much golf nowhere near enough?
When you are Gianni Giurastante.
The 23-year-old shearer from Millicent started playing the game just 19 months ago, on a handicap of 36.
But after winning Saturday’s monthly medal at the Mount Gambier Golf Club with a superb net 64 from his 10 handicap, he saw another three strokes disappear and he will be off seven next time out.
Club professional John Martin said that level of improvement in the relatively short timeframe was, “as good as I’ve seen”.
But Giurastante said he hoped the transition to a single-figure handicap was just the first step in the golfing journey he has put no limits on.
“I just love the game,” he said.
“I’m going to move to Adelaide soon … I really want to make something out of it.”
Outside of the recent shearing season he has either played or practiced almost every day since he took up the game.
That includes Saturdays at Attamurra, at least two other competitions in the region during the week and even regular weekly trips to golf clubs in Adelaide to test himself out.
Last Saturday he started his round on the 10th hole and shot 36 off the stick on the back nine, with five pars, two birdies and two bogeys.
He was still on track to shoot an even par 72 after compensating for a bogey on the second hole with a birdie on the third.
But that possibility ended after a bogey on the fourth and a double on the par-three sixth after finding the greenside bunker with his tee shot.
He grabbed one shot back with a birdie on the par-four ninth hole to finish with 74 off the stick.
“I was driving it well, my irons were good and the pace of the greens meant you could attack the pins,” Giurastante said.
As it turned out his net 64 was only just good enough, with newcomer David Pick one shot behind.
The former top cricketer for the Yahl club, who only hung up his bat after taking up golf in November, was desperately unlucky not to win his first monthly medal.
Playing off a 17 handicap, he was on track to break 80 off the stick before making a quadruple-bogey eight on the 17th hole.
While those two scores were outstanding, an incredible 38 players in the excellent men’s field of 135 either matched or beat their handicap.
They included Stacy Fiegert who finished second to Giurastante in A Grade after shooting an even-par round of 72 for a net 66 off his six handicap.
While Pick took the honours in B Grade, he was just one shot ahead of 15-handicapper David Bruhn who had a net 66.
Dyllan Lane took the honours in C Grade with a net 69, one clear of Matthew Bowering.
Saturday also saw the Barney Larkin Medal of Medalists contested, with the winners of each monthly medals in 2020 taking part.
The winner was Jim Douglas who shot 102 off the stick to finish with a net 71 from his 31 handicap.
Good scores were also the order of the day in last Thursday’s stableford competition, with 29 players in the 108-strong field matching or beating their handicap.
Leading the way was Tim McLean who signed for 44 points after shooting 78 off the stick on a 14 handicap.
Consistency was the order of the day, with 22 points on each nine, the highlight being a short birdie putt for four points on the difficult par-four 13th hole.
Victory was just reward after he had 43 points on his own in the previous Saturday’s 4BBB competition, out of a total of 47 with playing partner Leigh McCracken.
Finishing just two points behind McLean on Thursday were Robert Sims and Dave Evans on 42, Sims taking second on a count-back.
Meanwhile Sunday saw the club’s first short course competition contested on the par-62 layout which has been officially rated and sanctioned by Golf SA.
Tim Kenny and Kevin Cook led the way with 59s off the stick and 43 stableford points – both playing off a reduced handicap of four – Kenny taking top spot on a count-back.
The highlight of his round was an eagle-two on the 11th hole, normally a par five but converted to a par four under the short course format.
