From Tony Durkin
BONVILLE LEGENDS: Headland members Brad Reddan and Graeme Warne have established almost legendary status at the difficult Bonville course near Coffs Harbour following their recent win in the four-day Bonville Annual Interclub Invitational. For the good mates, who have been regular partners in the tournament for a dozen years, this was their second successive win and followed a runner-up finish in 2016. Points are accrued over four days in four separate events – two 4BBB Stablefords, a Fourball Aggregate and a Two Person Ambrose – with points allocated to the top 10 finishers each day in the field of 70. The winners receive one point, two points for second, three for third and so on up to 10 points, and the Headland duo finished four points clear of the field on 13, with a win, a second, a fourth and a sixth placing over the four days. Last month Bonville was rated 35th in Australia’s Top 100 golf courses.
WEDNESDAY DOUBLE: Wes Houk lives on the seventh fairway and says he would be lost without golf, but in recent times had become somewhat disillusioned with his cherished game. However successive wins on consecutive Wednesdays has brought a smile back to the 30-year member. Ten days ago he scored 41 stableford points to win B grade and this past week returned a nett 68 – the best score in any grade – to win the A grade Monthly Medal. Both times he shot 82, and after his first win his handicap was reduced from 15 to 14, hence his grade elevation. Wes, whose lowest handicap was nine (8.5 AGU) 15 years ago, plays regularly in the first group each Wednesday and Saturday morning, as well as occasionally on Mondays with a group of mates.
CHEEKY BIRDIE: Barrie Whelan is a confirmed bird watcher, but he has never seen anything quite as fascinating as a couple of weeks ago during a practice round at Headland. Teeing off from the third, his drive landed among a flock of corellas – as many as 100 according to Barrie – and locating his ball became an issue. Eventually he spotted it, in the possession of a bird who he reckons was either in a playful mood or was nesting. He said he watched the bird for almost 10 minutes as it rolled his ball, chewed it, sat on it and even kicked it – yet none of the others showed any interest whatsoever. But, unfortunately, the antics did not prove to be divine intervention – Barrie did not birdie the hole.
PRO SHOP WIN: Spending long hours together in the Headland Pro Shop obviously doesn’t affect the relationship between Matt Douglas and Nate Smyth. The duo teamed together to win Thursday’s Fourball Aggregate Stableford with 68 points in the heavy conditions with Matt the main man, contributing 36 points from his one-over par round. For Nate, now playing off a nine handicap, it was successive trips to the victory dais on consecutive Thursdays.
HOLDEN SCRAMBLE: Captain Brendan Duncan said his Headland team would have needed to birdie every hole at Pelican Waters yesterday to win the Queensland regional final of the Holden Scramble. Headland’s team of Brendan and his brother Matthew, Michael Goodluck, Scott Walker and Headland’s assistant pro, Matt Douglas, had an unblemished round of nine birdies to return a nett 56.6, and finish eighth in the field. Kingaroy, with an incredible score of 48.4 nett, will represent the district in the final to be played at Twin Waters from May 18 to 21.
CAPTAIN BEATEN: Following a week of golf in New Zealand Headland men’s captain James Kidd felt the pressure yesterday in the monthly ‘beat the captain’ event. And, as a result of his 32 stableford points, 19 players in the field of 43 shared in the spoils with each having $2.50 credited to their account for beating his score. Matt Doyle, with 39 points, won the day on a countback from Sean Hanna.
PENNANTS UPDATE: Only one of the four Headland men’s Pennant teams played at the weekend and the news was not great. The A Grade team played Maroochy River at Hervey Bay and tasted defeat, 5/2. Mat Walkenhorst was the only Headland player to register a win, beating his opponent 3&2. The other point for Headland came from squared matches from Glenn Kelly and Jaidyn Dalziel. Next Sunday A Grade plays Noosa at Caloundra, B Grade plays Tin Can Bay at Noosa Springs, the Masters meet Maroochy River at Cooroy and Headland Juniors are at Mt Coolum, against Noosa Springs.
LADIES PENNANTS: Headland’s weekend Pennant team followed an opening weekend win with a drawn match yesterday – 2½/2½ against Pacific Harbour on the very wet Noosa layout. Monica Antony won 7&6, Carl Quinn scored a 1up victory and Wil Sprake squared her match. And today Headland’s No.1 weekday team was beaten 4/1 in Division One, with Sandy Whittle winning her match on the 18th. Against Noosa Springs on their home course, three of the matches finished on the 16th hole while the fifth was lost on 18. And a similar fate greeted the Division 2 ladies, with Headland beaten 3&2 by Caboolture at Caboolture
ROUND OF THE WEEK: Retired schoolteacher Dennis Taylor has described his best round in more than a decade and a half as ‘one of those days’. Dennis, who is a volunteer co-ordinator for Maroochydore Meals on Wheels, shot 76 on Saturday to win the A Grade Single Stableford event with 42 points. And the 10-marker saluted his chipping and putting for the impressive score – a birdie and just five bogeys – as he hit only four greens in regulation. But while the victory was satisfying, so was winning the regular bet against his opponents. “I think it’s the first time in five weeks I haven’t had to buy the beers,” he said.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Tuesday, Medley Single Stableford (50 players) – Steve Eggins (39 points), Dave Smith (38), Mark Garcia (35), Gerard Dreyer (35).
Wednesday, Men, Monthly Medal (135 players) – A grade, Wes Houk (68 nett), Matt Griffiths (71), Ian Farrington (71); B grade, Greg Wareham (70), David Kelso (71), Graham Pitt (72).
Thursday, Ladies, Fourball Best Ball Stableford (44 players) – Odette Day and Coralie Walsh (43 points), Kym Mason and Wil Sprake (42), Wendy Derrick and Susan Briffa (40).
Men, Fourball Aggregate Stableford (52 players), Matt Douglas and Nate Smyth (68 points), Ray Stonehouse and Gary Small (67), Neville and Aaron Kezler (66).
Saturday, Single Stableford, Men (182 players) – A grade, Dennis Taylor (42 points), Bob Trevor (41), Mark Henricks (41); B grade, Haenga Pirini (39), Kevin George (38), Brad Redden (38); C grade, Stephen Woolcott (42), Richard Thurgood (41), Karl Aldrich (37). Ladies (19 players), Joanne Stifler (30), Sharon Purnell (29), Marg Smith (29).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (43 players) – Matt Doyle (39 points), Sean Hanna (39), Jacob Mimnaw (37).
