From Tony Durkin
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: Last week Maureen Cartledge discovered the near-perfect way to celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary – score 43 Stableford points and open a bottle of red to share with husband Graham. But there was another reason to rejoice in Maureen breaking her long run of outs which struck soon after she won the Ladies C Grade Championship back in June last year – she has recently been diagnosed with mild epilepsy. So, to return to the winner’s list after an 18-month drought, score 43 points for the first time in her 12 years as a Headland member and play 18 holes without a wipe on her card, was something of a minor miracle for the former netballer. And she had to be in fine form to win the Ladies Single Stableford event on Thursday because hot of her heels were two other impressive scores – 42 points from Kym Mason and 41 from Lesley Johnston.
PRINCELY WIN: Brothers Bruce and Michael Prince have been regularly playing together for the past 18 months, and on Saturday cracked it for their first win. Bruce has been living on the Sunshine Coast for a decade, and when his brother joined him 18 months ago the siblings decided to make golf at Headland a constant in their relationship. And while it may have taken a while for them to win a fourball as partners, they did it in style with 49 points in Saturday’s Fourball Best Ball Stableford event. They started on the front nine and had assembled a respectable 23 points at the turn, but ramped it up on the back with 26, thanks to a flurry of 3,3,4,4,3 and 2 over the final six holes. Bruce, playing off 20, parred the difficult 15 for a return of four points and Michael (19) played his part with a birdie at the 16th for another four pointer. Play in the afternoon was abandoned when the field was twice called in because of storm activity.
FAMILY JEWEL: When he returns from schoolies next week, James Daniel will start an apprenticeship with Flair Jewellery at Kawana. But there was a dual of a different kind at Headland on Wednesday when – for the first time – James beat his dad Neven off the stick with his best-ever round of 77. And despite two wipes – an eight at the seventh and a five at the 18th – his 44 points was good enough to win the A Grade Medley Single Stableford event. Playing from a handicap of 13, James not only beat Neven (9) by a shot, but thrashed him in the Stableford event by six points and in birdies scored – 4 to 2. But despite his best-ever round and his first win over his dad, it was not his highest stableford score. Two years ago, as a rookie playing off 34, James scored a remarkable 50 points – a score he knows he will more than likely never emulate.
ROOKIES WIN: Ian Dennis harshly describes he and wife Marion as ‘rookie golfers with not much natural talent’. But the former schoolteachers and motel owners certainly had a day out at Headland on Tuesday when they teamed together to win the Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford for a breakthrough victory as partners. The husband-and-wife team scored 48 points to win by a shot, with an impressive card showing four four-point holes and eight three pointers. And it was the par threes on which they particularly shone, scoring a total of 15 points from Ian’s two birdies on the front nine and Marion’s pars on the back. The couple, who joined Headland four years ago, did not start playing competition golf until in their mid-to-late 60s but are now keen competitors, playing at least twice a week. And after 47 years of marriage, they say there is no rivalry on the course.
CHALKIES REWARD: Steve Nash thinks he has a terrible swing and does not rate himself very highly as a golfer, but winning Thursday’s Single Par event for men delighted him in more ways than one. Not only did the retired Buddina State School teacher register his best score – plus seven – in three decades as a Headland member, but he collected a surprising $95 for the win. And what made it all the more satisfying was that the sponsor for the day was the ‘Chalkies’, a group of fellow ex-teachers. Steve’s score was equivalent to 45 Stableford points or 65 nett, and his explanation of the superb round was ‘the ball just went to the right places’. Playing off 23, he was plus one after nine, wiped the tenth for a minus on his card and then had seven plusses in the final eight holes. NOTE: Steve says the $95 will be spent on a golf lesson from Headland Pro, Adam Norlander.
KATE’S COUP: Kate Wilkie has become the first woman to win a Wednesday event since the mid-week Medley competition was introduced to Headland on July 1 this year. Kate, playing off 15 in Wednesday’s Medley Single Stableford, returned 39 points to win B Grade with her steady round of 86 which included six pars, 11 bogeys and a double at the sixth. Kate, who plays regularly on Wednesday, was one of only three females in the field of 202.
FOURBALL MATCH PLAY: Matt and Jack Fisher were off to the great start in the final of Headland’s annual Fourball Best Ball Match Play Championship before Sunday’s ferocious storm hit the golf course. The father-and-son combination was three-up after five holes against Warren Selvage and Warren Sorby before play for the day was abandoned. The match will continue from the sixth hole on a date to be determined.
SUPER GOLF: Pre-nominations have opened for Headland’s second Super Golf event of the year – Saturday and Sunday, December 7 and 8. Super Golf is a four-person Ambrose format played over 10 holes on a specially-designed ‘cross-country’ course, with three separate tee times – 7am, 10.30am and 2pm. Cost of a weekend pass is $120 per team and these pre-bookings are open only to teams of four. Members who wish to play individually on either day can book via the Members portal when the timesheets open seven days prior. Two different courses will be played over the two days with an overall prize for the lowest two-day aggregate being awarded for the first time. Sponsorship packages are also available for $440, which includes entry fees for four players, hole signage and food and beverages on both days. Contact Headland administration (5444 5800) for more information.
WHOOPS: Rarely – if ever – would a club golfer be disillusioned walking off the course after scoring eight birdies in a round. But that was certainly the case with one-marker Brad Butler after Wednesday’s Medley Single Stableford event at Headland. Brad shot 73 – one over par – and had 36 points (20/16), which included an incredible eight birdies, six bogeys, a double at 17 and just two pars. An errant putter, says Brad, was the major culprit for his lack of consistency.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Tuesday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford (118 players) – Marion and Ian Dennis (48 points), Greg Jellis and Neville Kenzler (47), Denise Lawson and Lynn Deacon (47).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford (202 players) – A Grade, James Daniel (44 points), Peter Dickens (39), Neven Daniel (38); B Grade, Kate Wilkie (39), William Haggarty (38), Glenn Brooker (38); C Grade, Peter Keane (41), Ian Russell (40), Maurice Stoodley (40).
Thursday, Ladies, Single Stableford (106 players) – A Grade, Monica Knowles (38 points), Mary young (37), Robyn Thomas (36); B Grade, Maureen Cartledge (43), Kym Mason (42), Lesley Johnston (41); C Grade, Carolyn Richardson (40), Shirley Eggleton 939), Lesley O’Leary (39). Men, Single Par (93 players) – Steve Nash (plus 7), Graham Meyers (+7), Gavin Rooney (+5).
Friday, Vollies V Staff 9-hole two-person Ambrose (40 players) – Stephen Hudson and Tony Durkin (29 nett), Ben Dobson and Nick McClymont (29.5), Brian Kesby and John Jamieson (30).
Saturday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford (126 players) – Michael Prince and Bruce Prince (49 points), Greg Stray and Mick Kinnear (49), Trevor Gourlay and Michael Fortune (48). Afternoon play was abandoned because of weather conditions.
Sunday, Medley Wood Duck (70 players) – play was abandoned because of weather conditions.
