A swing and a swig

By Glen Atwell
AT Pakenham Golf Club last Thursday, the ladies teeing off in the Yarra Ridge Challenge had a taste of excellence and it had nothing to do with their golf skills.
In the inaugural Yarra Ridge Challenge, the famous winery put on a bumper day for the 26 starters.
Club member Kay Jones said the rain on Wednesday night had turned some golfers, and potential wine drinkers away from the event.
“It poured down the night before, so the 39 entries turned into 26, but it was still a terrific day,” she said.
The Yarra Ridge winery provided the winners with trophies and, of course, a number of bottles of the good stuff.
“It was really great, they provided us with prizes and everything, the club was really the winner,” Ms Jones said.
The golfers played 18 holes and the soft conditions didn’t help some players.
Pakenham Golf Club secretary, Adele Mahony admitted she didn’t perform too well on the course, but brought her best game to the wine tasting afterwards.
“It was a bit wet underfoot, that didn’t help,” she said.
Ms Mahony said it was probably the best idea to leave the wine tasting until after the competition had been completed.
“Looking back, it was probably a very wise move,” she laughed.
June McCardel won the tournament and scored a Yarra Ridge prize pack, including a hat and more importantly, a nice bottle of wine.
Lyn Murray placed second and Kay Jones third, both took home a basket of goodies from the Ridge.