Forty-seven Melbourne Member Clubs involving 712 players teed up today (Sunday 4 March) for the 2018 Golf Victoria Pennant Season under bright blue skies and with a moderate southerly breeze keeping the temperature on the cool side. The first round of Men’s, Women’s and Colts Pennant commenced while the first round of Friday Women’s Pennant gets underway on Friday 16 March.
The Pennant season is structured around seven weeks of “Round Robin” match play contests between clubs at one venue in each division every week. At the conclusion of the seven rounds, the two leading teams in each division contest a final to decide the champion.
In all divisions of Women’s and Men's Pennant, each club is represented by seven players with Colts teams consisting of five players aged under 24 as of January 1. At all Pennant levels, the competing clubs are divided into divisions with a promotion/relegation system in operation to determine divisions for the following season.
This season, 31 clubs are participating in Women’s Pennant, 47 in Men’s Pennant, 38 in Colts Pennant and 32 in Friday Women’s Pennant, in arguably one of the strongest club team golf competitions in the world.
Commonwealth Golf Club commenced the day as reigning Division One Men’s, Women’s and Colts champions after recording the only treble in the history of GV Pennant in 2017. However, while the club’s Women’s and Colts teams got off to winning starts, the Commonwealth Men’s team were soundly beaten by Kingston Heath five matches to two.
With only one round played, it’s far too early to note early season favourites although Yarra Yarra (Men’s Division 2); Medway (Men’s Division 5); Whittlesea (Men’s Divisions 6) and Northern (Women’s Division 4) all enjoyed the perfect starts by winning every match of their respective opening contests.
Given the scheduling of the Australian Men’s and Women’s Interstate Teams Matches in early May, the 2018 finals will be played on Sunday 6 May for teams not involving Victorian State players and Sunday 20 May for the Division 1 Men’s and Women’s finals and any other Division where a final would involve a team containing a Victorian State player.
The finals on May 6 will be played at The National (Long Island site), Kew and Eastwood while the 2018 Division 1 Pennant Finals on May 20 will be played at Cranbourne. While the Division 1 Men’s and Women’s Finals have already been scheduled, the remaining 13 finals will be allocated following the final round of contests on 29 April.
The 2018 Friday Women’s Pennant Finals will be played on Friday 11 May at Woodlands and Yarra Yarra continuing on from the successful introduction of finals for this competition in 2015.
Pennant now takes a one-week hiatus due to the Victorian Labour Day long weekend and will resume on Sunday 18 March at the following venues:
Men/Colts
Division 1 – Southern
Division 2 – Heidelberg
Division 3 – Gisborne
Division 4 – Riversdale
Division 5 – Box Hill
Division 6 (Men’s Pennant Only) – Yarrambat
Women
Division 1 – The National (Long Island site)
Division 2 – Sandhurst
Division 3 – Latrobe
Division 4 – Kooringal
Head to www.golfvic.org.au/pennant for draws, results and all things pennant!