You see, yes, it has been Christmas - and New Year, too - and we all do have to have a sort of holiday when celebrating the festive season.

But there are still those dozen or so truly avid veteran golfers who just cannot give the game away...no matter what and there was no holidaying for them.

And you can be assured that they did enjoy their game even with the thermometer reading in the high (very) degrees. A cold shower does work wonders one supposes!

Anyhow, before I go into telling you who did win or get close during the short annual sojourn, on behalf of all us veteran members, I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year and do hope that your Christmas was a truly merry one.

On the Tuesday leading into the festive season, a 4BBB & Individual Stableford wet the appetites of 35 of us blokes who are aged 55 and various years more. There are/were two of us who have reached 90 and still going strong!

Winners on that 20th day of December 2016 were our club captain, Robert Dykes, who teamed with Max Gleeson to accumulate 39 points for the 14-hole round.

They got the top prize by just the one point more than Barry Pearson and Tony Sciberras, a combination who would have oh-so-carefully planned their way of attack.

Wayne Simmons and Marinus Tapper chimed in with 36 points, whilst retired printers Robert Johnston and Chris Hudson, along with Peter Campling and Neil Dodds, posted 35 points.

Individually wise 'twas Johnno and Simmons, both with 32-pointers, the respective A and B-grade winners, the latter having a sudden lucky run of success.

One does wonder what was in the water he sipped on that recent cruise Wayne (aka "Birdseed") did enjoy?

Visitor Scott Bealey, a good mate of our general officer, Terry Hyland, made his mark with the best shot (stroke) of the A-graders to take out the nearest the pin at the third hole.

And Scott is a Manly man, being from Dee Why and unlike Terry he does not strum the ukulele.

In B-grade, Mark Townsend stole the show with a shot to just outside (a metre or so) of the flagstick and the very same bloke sort of yorkered the eighth hole later on.

There was certainly no smile on his face when he found his ball deep in the right bunker guarding the hole. But, wait for it, he shimmied and shammied before blasting out and watching his ball drop into the hole.

Being an avid camera man, what a picture it would have been of a selfie before and after the event that ended with five points and a chip-in marked on his card.

Fancy that...a photographer without a camera ("it's in my car"). Next time Mark, eh!

Oh, others to perform chip-ins were Alan Macdonald, Doug Magennis and Bealey.

President Alan (Macdonald) hadn't lost his touch when presenting his weekly address and gave special attention to one member who dared to be out of uniform.

A stain down the front of his light blue T-shirt was no excuse whatsoever and one wonders what rule will apply when the annual Manly Sea Eagles Day comes up.