From Tony Durkin 

WORTHWHILE WAIT: A persuasive playing partner convinced Helen Fraser to sit out Saturday’s hour-long storm delay in the clubhouse – and the 28-year Headland member is mighty glad she did. Heading back onto the course to play holes 17 and 18 and complete her round, Helen was rewarded with two prizes despite the ladies’ Monthly Medal being abandoned because of the lack of numbers. Her 88 was the best gross of all players in B Grade, while her 69 nett was awarded a special cash prize for best medley nett score. Describing her form of late as between ‘abysmal and mediocre’, Helen said that apart from her birdies on five and 18, the unequivocal thrill of her good round was beating ‘all the men’.

ONE UNDER: Sean McGill, captain of Headland’s victorious men’s A Grade Pennant team earlier in the year, shot his best score in six months during Saturday’s Monthly Mug but still didn’t win the silverware. However, his one-under 71, which included three birdies in the first four holes on the back nine, scored the two marker second place in A Grade and a bonus prize for best A Grade gross. Sean, who says he has tinkered with his swing in recent months following some indifferent form, last broke par in April, again with a one-under 71. Monthly Mug winner was Simon Richardson (74/67), while B Grade winner was David Parker (94/71).

WONDERFUL SUPPORT: A charity golf day on Friday for much-loved Headland staff member Jenene Nicholson was an outstanding success – financially and socially. Twenty-nine teams took part in a four-person Ambrose event, with an auction and raffles draw following. The team of Adam Norlander, Brad Reddan, Mick Kinnear and Mick Kelsey, playing under the Headland Pro Shop banner, pipped the IPS Group of Laz Dzvfer, Daniel Dzvfer, Josh Norman and Craig Morrison on a countback, both coming in with the very competitive score of 51.375. Jenene, who suffered a bout of ill health late last year, enters hospital on December 7 to have a benign brain tumour removed – ironically the same date of her bowel cancer surgery 12 months ago. The popular staff member with the incredible memory has worked in various capacities at Headland Golf Club for 27 years and says the recollection of Friday’s event – organised by member Tim Reed – will be forever cherished. 

WARBY’S WIN: Allan Warby is a life member and immediate past president of the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (the Ekka) and was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his 40-year service to the RNA, but a mid-week golf victory has almost joined the thrill of those achievements for the 78-year-old former grazier. As many retirees do, Allan took up golf when he and his wife Margot moved to the Sunshine Coast 15 years ago. He joined the Old Goats (Order of Late Developing Golfers Optimistically Approaching Terminal Senility) group at Headland and plays at least twice a week, but Wednesday’s C Grade Monthly Medal victory was his first individual stroke win, and the nett 69 his best-ever score. Despite an inauspicious start – 7,8,7 – Allan steadied and credits his good round to a new $5 golf ball head pro Adam Norlander sold him, which he used for 40 holes before dunking it in the dam on the fourth. NOTE: At the time of the sale, Adam actually queried why Allan needed such an expensive ball. 

MAGIC MAX: In the 12 months Headland Headlines has been published we have written about some outstanding scores and some amazing results. But little in the past compares to the performance of 13-year-old Max Bates on Tuesday who – in his first-ever 18-hole competition teamed with his Grandma, Glenda Bates, to score 49 points and win the Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford event. Yet the story has an even more remarkable twist – Max scored 43 of those 49 points. Max is a junior member at Royal Queensland and as such regularly only plays in Saturday afternoon nine-hole junior competitions, of which he says he has won ‘a few’. Playing off his 36 handicap on Tuesday, he grabbed the opportunity of his first open competition with both hands scoring five three-pointers, three four-pointers and a five-point birdie on the par-five seventh hole. Chuffed Grandma Glenda chipped in with seven points, which included a three-pointer on the third. And as he scored on 14 holes Max, a Year 8 student at Churchie, reckons his share of the prizemoney should represent that percentage. 

SEVENTH HEAVEN: The remarkable feat by Sharon Thomas of winning six A Grade Monthly Medals, at Headland, in the first eight months of the year has been smashed – by Sharon. She again streeted the field on Thursday to win her seventh medal and set a record that is unlikely to be beaten – ever. Playing off a handicap of 10, Sharon had 84 off the stick in a steady round, on lightning-fast greens, that yielded 11 pars. She posted both the best gross and nett scores of the day in a hot A Grade field that included two players with lower handicaps. For the record Sharon’s previous victories were in February (nett 76), April (75), May (74), June (74), August (74) and September (71). The best nett scores on Thursday – 72 – were returned by C Graders Donna Rose and Katrina Watts, with Donna taking the C Grade Medal on a countback. 

RULES FOR SENIORS: This week we publish two more rules of golf which will NOT be coming into effect from January, but are currently doing the rounds in joke form. As golf is not always a serious game – especially for seniors – publishing some of these (non) rules is aimed at tickling the (arthritic) funny bone. Rule 3: A ball hitting a tree shall be deemed not to have hit the tree. This is simply bad luck and luck has no place in a scientific game. The senior player must estimate the distance the ball would have travelled had it not struck the tree, and play the ball from there. Rule 4: There shall be no such thing as a lost ball. The missing ball is on or near the course somewhere, and will eventually be found and pocketed by someone. This, then, makes the ball stolen. The senior player is not to compound the felony by calling a penalty on him/herself.

WEEKLY WINNERS:

Tuesday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford (118 players) – Glenda and Max Bates (49 points), Steve Nash and Dennis Taylor (46), Josh Poole and Stephen Woolcott (45).

Wednesday, Men, Monthly Medal (185 players) – A Grade, Tex Teixeira (71 nett), Andy Whitmore (72), David W Smith (72); B Grade, Peter Dawson (70), Gordon Russell (70), Roger Bryce (71); C Grade, Allan Warby (69), Denis McGrath (70), George Stoopin (70).

Thursday, Ladies, Monthly Medal (82 players) – A Grade, Sharon Thomas (74), Colleen Berger (77), Gwen Nancarrow (77); B Grade, Norma Hobson (74), Mary Young (74), Jenny Pirini (75); C Grade, Donna Rose (72), Katrina Watts (72), Trish Arden (75). Men, Single Stableford (87 players) – Steve Eggins (39 points), Frank Garcia (37), Ken Scanlan (37).

Friday, Jenene Nicholson Charity Day, Ambrose (116 players) – Headland Pro Shop (Adam Norlander, Brad Reddan, Mick Kinnear, Mick Kelsey) 51.375; IPS Group (Laz Dzvfer, Daniel Dzvfer, Josh Norman, Craig Morrison) 51.375; Image Business Furniture (Sean Hanna, Brett Evans, Chris Massie, Ashley Rees) 52.25; Grant Martyn Constructions (Grant Martyn, Darren McLeod, Ben Laycock, Garry Hadenham) 53.625.

Saturday, Men, Monthly Mug (140 players) – A Grade, Simon Richardson (67 nett), Sean McGill (69), Andrew Narine (69), David W Smith (70); B Grade, David Parker (71), Leo Schumacher (71), Fred Muller (71), Tom Burnett (72). Gross, A Grade, Sean McGill (71); B Grade, Helen Fraser (88).

Sunday, Medley Monthly Medal (28 players) – Jadon Smith (69 nett), Dean Oster (72), Chris De Bruyn (76).