From Tony Durkin 

PENNANT LOSS: Despite a solid start and a couple of close finishes, Headland has been beaten in the final of the 2020 Men’s A Grade Sunshine Coast Golf Zone Pennant. Postponed from March because of COVID restrictions, the final was played at Caloundra yesterday (Sunday) and Noosa Golf Club – boasting all seven team members with plus handicaps – has taken back-to-back titles are downing Headland 5-2 in the final. Veteran Dave Rattray and former team captain Sean McGill were the Headland victors, winning 5&4 and 2-up respectively. Rattray, a five-time Headland Club Champion, created the Headland highlight of the day when he eagled the par-five fourth hole. Scott Walker was brave, taking his match to the 19th hole before losing while Adam Rydwanski (4&3), Adam Richards (3&1), Josh Holbrook (4&3) and Brad Butler (3&2) were the others in the losing quintet. One of the more peculiar aspects of the final was the fact that one of the Noosa players tested positive to drink driving on the way to the course, yet still played and scored an easy win. 

CHARLOTTE ARRIVES: Eleven-year-old Charlotte Ridley has announced her arrival at Headland in an emphatic manner, with 44 points and a victory in just her second round of competition golf. The Sunshine Coast Grammar student, who made her competitive debut partnering dad Steve in the Mixed Foursomes Championships seven days earlier, shot 102 from her 37 handicap in the Medley Single Stableford event on Sunday for 44 points, and a win by two. Ironically, she beat former Golf Pro and now schoolteacher Matt Fisher (handicap one), who had 67 off the bat with five birdies and an eagle on his very impressive card. Charlotte is one of Headland’s youngest female members in the past 20 years and recently joined Headland when her family recently moved to Buderim from Pelican Waters. Charlotte had eight three-point holes on her card with her worst and an eight on the tenth, the No.1 rated hole for ladies. NOTE: Charlotte played alongside her dad again on Sunday, and left him in her wake. Steve (handicap 17) could manage only 25 points. 

ACCIDENTAL WINNER: New Headland member Mark Beswick had no idea how an eclectic event operated, but played in the Headland 2020 Vets Tournament on Monday and Tuesday of last week simply because he wanted a game of golf. And after having scores of 32 and 35 respectively in the two-day Single Stableford event, he is still coming to terms with the fact he was the overall winner with an eclectic score of 49 points and, as result, a $150 Pro Shop credit. Recently retired and not having played golf for 26 years, Mark joined Headland in April, bought a new set of Callaway irons from the Pro Shop and when he discovered Monday and Tuesday of last week had been blocked off for the Eclectic, the rising 60-year-old decided to join the Vets so he could ‘play some golf’. And while he may not have understood the scoring system – and was stunned when he looked at the results on the Headland website and saw he was the winner – the 30-handicapper had a five-pointer, a four-pointer and nine three-point holes on his cards over the two days. Chris Parkinson returned the best Ladies Eclectic score with 48 points, while Ross Carvell took the honours for the men, also with 48 points. 

BALL ODYSSEY: A stray golf ball has been found on the 12th fairway at Headland. Nothing unusual about that you might say. And it’s yellow-ish. Again, nothing unusual there either. But this golf ball is quite different. It’s very old, and is inscribed with some rare markings, in an uncommon typeface. The name Don Snyder is on the ball, along with Occidental Life and Zippo-SD. Following a Wikipedia search, the only golf-related Don Snyder found was the author of a book called ‘Walking with Jack’, who started caddying at the age of 57 in the hope that his son Jack would one day become a Pro golfer and he could caddy for him. Occidental Life, as the name suggests, is an American Insurance company, and Zippo golf balls were found for sale on E-Bay. The question remains – how did this seemingly rare golf ball suddenly appear at Headland? Please email atdurkin@bigpond.net.au. if you are able to help solve the query.

ELEGANT GOLF: Louise Harriott, who is in the throes of retiring from her role in administration in the family company Outdoor Elegance and hoping to play more golf, has scored a long-overdue victory. She teamed with Sharon Thomas to win Thursday’s Ladies American Foursomes, despite a stumbling start by the pair. The first-time partners started bogey, double-bogey, double bogey before settling into stride with seven pars, seven bogeys and a birdie on the next 15 holes for a nett score of 75.375, and a narrow win. Louise said that while she and Sharon ‘probably contributed equally’ to the total, she was pleased to finally turn some good ball striking into a decent score. A lover of the outdoors, Louise and husband Wayne have spent less time on the golf course in 2020, preferring camping, caravanning and fishing pursuits, but concede they have both missed the renowned camaraderie of Headland.

CAPTAIN RETURNS: Former Headland Club Captain and Greens Director, Bill Bolland, has returned in a blaze of glory following 15 years in the golfing wilderness. Now retired from his long-term employment at Sienna Catholic College, Bill re-joined the club 18 months ago and after playing socially with the Yachties group decided to get back into competition golf – and he has done it in style. In Wednesday’s Medley Single Stableford event Bill had 40 points from his generous handicap of 14, to win A Grade by a point and return the best score in the field of 215. It was his first win since returning from his golf sabbatical, but may not be his last with his intention now to practice regularly – which he once did – play at least twice a week, and get back to somewhere near his handicap low of five. Glenn Brooker (39 points) won B Grade while another former Club Director, John Kingston, saluted in C Grade with 37 points. 

ORIGIN BLUES: Four-time Headland Club Champion Brian Kesby originates from Kempsey on the NSW mid-North Coast, and is a staunch Blues NRL supporter. But that allegiance did not stop him from using a Ping Anser putter inscribed with the name Gene Miles, the Maroons, Kangaroos and Broncos legend, who is currently chairman of Queensland Origin selectors. The putter was gifted to Brian by his son Darren, who acquired it from Gene’s son Liam, a gym acquaintance in Brisbane. But the putter failed its test. Brian had a thick grip fitted and used it for just a few rounds before ‘retiring’ the club, just as Gene had done a few years earlier. ‘It became the victim of domestic violence,’ quipped Gene. ‘I threw it almost more times than I used it,’ he confessed. The 20-game Origin great revealed that he was once sponsored by Ping and had his name etched on every golf club the company supplied. The exiled putter became the result of a recent spring clean, and not necessarily because it failed Gene’s expectations.

GALLANT JORDAN: Headland Trainee Professional Jordan McDonald has finished fourth in the 2020 Pampling Plate, contested annually at Caboolture Golf Club for the top 50 Queensland trainees. Last week’s staging of the event was the 16th time it has been sponsored by three-time USPGA Tour winner Rod Pampling, who completed his traineeship at Caboolture and has poured $160,000 into the event. Jordan, a first-year trainee, played 98 holes of golf over four days before being beaten 2&1 in the consolation final by Sanctuary Cove’s Ryan Gailey. Headland’s other Trainee, McKenzie Wright, also made the 24-person cut for the match play but was narrowly beaten in the first round. Ironically, had he won he would have played Jordan in round two. In a gripping final played over 38 holes, Jindalee trainee James Macklin beat TJ King of Mt Coolum for the prestigious title.

GOLF REVIVAL: Brad Reddan has lived behind the 14th tee at Headland for 11 years and has been a club member for just on three decades, and these days plays golf simply to enjoy the company of his Fraser Follies mates. But Thursday’s win in the Single Par event had an extra-special feel to it – the event was sponsored by his mate and fellow Follies member, Mal Galletly of AJ Steel, and Brad likes nothing more than winning money from his friends. As a result, he played his best round in as long as he can remember, scoring five under his 13 handicap to win by four shots, coincidentally beating home two other Follies members, Garth Seymour (+1) and John Jamieson (square). And the only explanation the owner of business Window Revival could offer for the improved form was that someone with much more golfing ability had secretly snuck into his body. Yet his special round was not without its vagaries. His birdies at holes nine and 11 were punctuated by a triple bogey at 10. 

WEEKLY WINNERS:

Monday, Tuesday, Vets 2020 Eclectic Tournament, Single Stableford, Ladies (52 players) – Division One, Chris Parkinson (48 points), Heather Lum (43), Robyn Boreham (42); Division Two, Trish Arden (47), Helen Mulholland (44), Ree Condon (44); Men (76 players) – Division One, Ross Carvell (48), David Parker (45), Christopher Swan (45); Division Two, Jack Williams (47), Patrick Carmody (46), Bob Hunter (44); Overall winner – Mark Beswick (49). Day One, Ladies, Division One, Heather Lum (37); Division Two, Leigh Derigo (36); Men, Division One, John Langdon (36); Division Two, Paul Stephens (39); Day Two, Ladies, Division One, Helen Fraser (35); Division Two, Rhonda Biggs (38); Men, Division One, George Rodman (39), Division Two, Terry Murphy (37).

Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford (215 players) – A Grade, Bill Bolland (40 points), Jason Childs (39), Peter Dawson (38), Mark Barlow (37); B Grade, Glenn Brooker (39), John Jones (37), Kate Wilkie (37), John Henry (36); C Grade, John Kingston (37), Lindsay Parchert (37), Duncan Watts (37), Trevor Beall (37).

Thursday, Ladies, American Foursomes (104 players) – Louise Harriott and Sharon Thomas (75.375 nett), Kate Wilkie and Gwen Nancarrow (76.25), Jenny and Amanda Ingham (76.875), Julie Halliday and Yvonne Henry (77.25). Men, Single Par (93 players) – Brad Redden (plus 5), Garth Seymour (+1), John Jamieson (square), Josh Holbrook (square).

Saturday, Medley Irish Fourball Best Ball Stableford (249 players) – Deon Breytenbach, James Reinke, Scott Henricks and Dennis Mikolic (93 points), John Kamm, Terry Grogan, John Nagel and Doreen Davidson (91), John Bohringer, Graham Smith, Kate Wilkie and Lawrence Hireme (91), Jack Pyke, Jon Welch, Roger Van Gynkel and Ken Anderson (90).

Sunday, Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (66 players) – Charlotte Ridley (44 points), Matt Fisher (42), Matt Potter (41).