From Tony Durkin
AMAZING FEAT: Apart from a qualified greenkeeper, someone who should be competent to rate the quality of a golf course is a horticulturist. And Tim Wagland, owner of local landscape company Wagland Landscape Construction, used the words amazing, terrific and superb to describe the condition of Headland after he and Jamie Hill combined to score a brilliant 51 points and win Saturday’s Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford. And while new member Jamie – handicap three – played his part in the winning score, it was Tim who lit up the course with his best-ever Headland round of one-over 73, which included four birdies. Playing off 12, he blitzed the back nine with 23 points, scoring for the team on all but one hole. Tim played his junior golf at Byron Bay, where his lowest handicap was four, but for 15 years had played very little golf until he joined Headland three years ago. A capacity field of 248 players – thought to be just the second this decade – contested Saturday’s event.
COP THAT SCORE: When Senior Constable Peter Dickens retired from the Police Service in 2017, his wife bought him a membership at Headland Golf Club to celebrate the occasion. And in Wednesday’s Fourball Stableford Aggregate he proved what a fitting retirement gift that was, partnering Merv Lum to win the event in what he says is the best round of golf in his life. A former junior golfer at Bankstown in Sydney, Peter played only socially during his 26 years as a police officer at Caloundra but, on retirement, decided to take the game seriously again. He started on a handicap of 15 but after Wednesday’s impressive round of four-over par 76 – which garnered him 42 points – he has now reached 9.3 and his single-figure goal. Peter credited the superb condition of the greens for his excellent round, while hitting almost every fairway also helped his score. He and the popular Merv Lum scored an aggregate 78 points to lead home the big field of 206.
TAYLES WINS: Recently-appointed Headland Golf Club vice-president, Kathryn Tayles, has taken to her new role like a duck to water – on the course as well as off it. While Kathryn has spent much of the new year at the club ‘doing the rounds’ and familiarising herself with the intricacies of her new role, she has not allowed her golf to suffer. Her first round since taking over as VP was on Tuesday when she scored 35 points in the Single Stableford event, then on Tuesday she returned plus three in the Ladies’ Single Par, the best score of the day and a win in B Grade. Describing herself as a golfer who plays flashy, rather than conservative, Single Par events are usually not her favourite. But Kathryn’s seven bogeys and four pars were good enough to return her best-ever score in the often-maligned and widely-unpopular event. Her only disappointment was missing the birdie putt from 40 centimetres above the hole on the eighth – although, on her handicap, the miss was inconsequential. But her tee shot won nearest the pin, adding a little more lustre to her start to 2019.
NO SMALL VICTORY: For 75-year-old Garry Small, Thursday January 17, 2019, will be remembered as the most special day of his golfing life. Not only did the former builder and ex-motelier return home after golf to enjoy the company of his visiting grandchildren from Melbourne, but he shared with them the news of his first-ever individual golf victory. Garry, playing off a handicap of 26, scored 40 stableford points to win the Thursday afternoon competition, beating gun A Grader Barry Newton on a countback. And although he has shared the winning dais a couple of times previously in team’s events during his dozen years as a Headland member, it is his first win on his own. The septuagenarian, who shares his love of golf – and his grandchildren – with a passion for art, says his accurate putting on Thursday added to the memorable round.
BROTHERS-IN-ARMS: Former Brisbane Brothers and Queensland Rugby League players David Wright (Virginia Golf Club), Ian Dauth (Maleny) and Bob Cox (Noosa) will be guests of Headland Golf Club on Wednesday. The three, who played for the Maroons in pre-State of Origin days, were members of a team which won their round at Headlands during the recent Men of League Golf Day, which is annually supported by the club. David Wright played his lone Test for Australia against the Kiwis in 1975 and went on to become a much-respected commentator with the ABC and Channel 10, while Ian Dauth was regarded as one of the best goalkickers of his era.
KELLY GANG: Ross Kelly wasn’t sure whether his luck was actually in or out at Friday night’s member’s draw, which was worth a mammoth $5800. Back in the club for the first time in 4½ months following a caravaning trip south with his wife Bev, Ross picked his lucky number of 77, and up it flashed in red lights. But he missed selecting the joker, and had to be content with $100 cash – which means this Friday’s draw has jackpotted to $5950. While Ross concurs that luck was on his side when his number was drawn, he also reckons he might have been as popular as his namesake Ned with the 170 attending members had he correctly chosen the Joker, seeing he had been AWOL for more than a quarter of the year. Keen Veteran golfers, Ross and Bev played in eight competitions during their recent trip, playing courses stretching from Port Macquarie to Deniliquin.
ROUND OF THE WEEK: Fifteen-year-old Keita Griffin-Klazema will return to school next week with an outstanding ‘show and tell’ story – 45 points to easily win Sunday’s Medley Single Stableford event at Headland. And, his pocket money swelled by $160 as well. Keita’s magnificent round of seven shots better than his 32 handicap was even more meritorious considering the quality of the field that he massacred by five points – 19 of Headland’s 2019 Pennant players were gaining some valuable practise. As well as collecting $60 for winning, Keita took home the $100 bonus for the best score on the day from a Pennant player. His extraordinary scorecard included six three pointers, one four pointer and a five-point birdie on the third.
PENNANT TEAMS: Headland men’s teams to contest the 2019 Sunshine Coast Golf Zone Pennant competitions were officially unveiled during a ceremony at the club on Saturday evening. Sunshine Coast Regional Manager of Stegbar, Jeff Lovell, whose company has sponsored the Headland teams for just on a decade, made the presentation of shirts and caps to the players. Pennant competition for B Grade and Masters start on Sunday week, February 3, with the Juniors playing the following weekend, Sunday February 10. The A Grade team – defending SCGZ Pennant champion – will not start their competition until Sunday, March 3. Headland teams are: A Grade – Sean McGill (captain), Adam Rydwanski, Scott Bromfield, Dave Rattray, Jamie Hill, Jake Crowther, Brad Butler, Glenn Kelly, Scott Walker and James Brownsworth; B Grade – Brad Downes (captain), Dan Diachkoff, Blake Thomas, Michael Thomas, Matt Prince, Simon Mitchell, Matt Hetherington, Matt Macaulay, Jay Gourlay, Dean Jones and Will Millroy; Masters – Warren Selvage (captain), Neven Daniel, Peter Holt, Brian Kesby, Ian Moore, Neil Oxley, Peter Richardson, Brett Stephenson, Burgess Stephenson, Simon Whittle and Brent Dalby; Juniors – James Daniel (captain), Keita Griffin-Klazema, Campbell Gigney, Jaydon Shelly and Sam Remedios.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Ladies (43 players) – Kristin Griffiths (39 points), Coline Colton (38), May Gibberd (37); Men (79 players) – Gary Rugless (39), Trevor Simpson (39), Clive Glover (39).
Wednesday, Men, Fourball Aggregate Stableford (206 players) – Merv Lum and Peter Dickens (78 points), Peter Francis and Barry Potter (77), Glenn Kelly and Brad Butler (76), Brett Stephenson and Brenden Southey (76), Chris Klazema and Michael Thomas (73).
Thursday, Ladies, Single Par (71 players) – A Grade, Helen Fraser (plus 2), Fiona Munro (square), Lisa Ramen (-1); B Grade, Kathryn Tayles (+3), Lyn Forbes (+2), Kerrie Tibbits (square); C Grade, Jackie Walkington (+1), Jane Boaler (square), Trish Murphy (+1). Men, Single Stableford (82 players) – Garry Small (40 points), Barry Newton (40), George Eastgate (39).
Saturday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford (248 players) – Jamie Hill and Tim Wagland (51 points), John Bohringer and Graham Smith (50), David O’Mahoney and Steve Kenesy (49), Mike and Kirk Hardy (49), Neil Harvey and Dennis Taylor (49).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (58 players) – Keita Griffin-Klazema (45 points), Scott Walker (40), Nick Reed (40).
