From Tony Durkin
GREAT SCOTT: Not only did IT Consultant Scott Lindsay beat the rain on Saturday to score 43 points and return the best score of the day, he also beat his previous best round of 83. His 79 – which included a birdie, 11 pars, four bogeys and two doubles – started shakily when he went par, double, par, double, but he set the round on the right track after that with 35 points over the next 14 holes, 23 of them on the back nine. And not only did Scott win B Grade in the Medley Single Stableford, but he and good mate Paul Morton combined to run second in the Fourball Aggregate, played in conjunction. Both Scott and Paul are former Horton Park members who gave away competition golf when the club closed several years ago. And because Paul was a restricted member until recently, they were mostly playing socially with a competition round on Sundays. In fact, Saturday’s competition was their first in the biggest field of the week. As a result of his great round, Scott’s handicap is now 12, a six-shot reduction from when he last won a Headland event, back in June.
CHAMPS HELPED: One of the toughest challenges for the average golfer, the Club Championships, has reignited Mandy Oster’s enjoyment in the game. Returning scores of just 11 over her handicap for the four rounds of the Championships to finish second in the B Grade nett helped refine her game to the extent that on Thursday she scored plus six in the Ladies Single Par event, winning Division One. And, as a result, she has returned to A Grade – something to which she had become accustomed since her days of playing from as low as 14 in her 11 years as a Headland member. But a lean trot, triggered by a spate of poor putting, had the former Headland Vice-President not enjoying the game as much as she once did. Although Mandy’s card on Thursday showed two wipes, her other 16 holes were a picture of consistency – seven pars and nine bogeys, and she gave credit to the Par event for her much-improved putting. “The event reminds me of match play – you have to go for your putts,” she said. With an excellent score of plus 5, Catherine Janiszewski won B Grade and Anne Dykstra (+2) won C Grade.
PURPLE PATCH: As a result of breaking his handicap twice in three days, Wayne Deague has mockingly declared himself to be in a purple patch. The former Victorian who joined Headland three decades ago, says he cannot recall his last victory before coming in with 41 points to win B Grade in Wednesday’s Medley Stableford. And that win added lustre to his 37 points in the Monday Club at his home course two days earlier. “It’s that long since I had a win I honestly can’t remember, but it would be at least two years,” he told HH. But while he concedes his all-round game has been a disaster of late, he confesses to being pleased the fact his handicap – once 11 – is now 18, which affords him a shot a hole and a perceived advantage over the other members of his regular playing group. Despite a wipe at the second and three doubles on the back nine, Wayne was most pleased with his consistency – nine pars and give bogeys. Will Millroy backed up his good form from the Club Championships – where he finished second in B Grade – with 41 points to win A Grade on Wednesday, while Rod Berger (40) took top honours in C Grade.
CHIPPING AWAY: Accepting the inevitable fact that his handicap inflates in line with his age, rising 75-year-old John Kamm plays golf mostly for the aesthetic benefits. And although he concedes he has issues with chipping and extricating his ball from bunkers, John looks around the Headland layout every time he plays and thinks how lucky he is. So, winning the ‘double’ on Tuesday – the A Grade Medley Single Stableford and the associated Follies Foursomes – was simply an added bonus. John (handicap 16) had his best round in more than two years when he scored 42 points, scorching home on the back nine in 38 strokes for 24 of those points. A Headland member for 25 years, the ex-fitter and turner-turned postman once played off 10, and although his goal of getting down to single figures never eventuated, the immigrant from Switzerland who arrived in Australia in 1967 with $700 in his pocket, still pinches himself in disbelief at being a member of such an outstanding club.
LYNN ALIGNED: A recent lesson with Head Professional Adam Norlander, in which he altered her alignment, has steered Lynn Hayman to a win against allcomers in the field of 128 at Headland on Tuesday. Following a sustained period of ‘really struggling’ with her game, Lynn scored a magnificent 43 points to win the B Grade Medley Stableford in her best round in a ‘long, long time’, and equalling her highest-ever Stableford score. A 2016 SWING graduate who scored two holes-in-one in her first two years of competition golf, Lynn said she surprised herself on Tuesday with two four-pointers and six three-point holes on her very impressive scorecard. She scored an incredible 20 points on the toughest stretch of the Headland layout – from holes 12 to 18. Maintaining the recent record of the women successfully mixing it with the men, Lynn won from Trish Murphy (41) and Love Larsen (38).
BODY GOLF: As an orthopaedic surgeon, Dick Gibberd spent his working life repairing people’s bodies. Now the retired 75-year-old is working on his own body, using it to repair his golf swing – and it seems to be working. Although he only scored a $5 reward for his 41 Stableford points – the best individual score – in Thursday’s Follies Irish Foursomes, Dick has now assembled five successive rounds playing to near his handicap or better and in doing so has reduced his handicap from 35 to 31. And he believes the reason for him playing ‘much, much better’ is his new determination to slow down his swing, and turn his body. Despite a sluggish start on Thursday – four points in the first five holes – Dick charged home with two four-pointers and seven three-pointers, plus a birdie at the 14th. And he isn’t the only member of the family on fire at the moment. His wife Mary, who also joined Headland five years ago when they moved south from Townsville, recently scored 43 points in her best-ever round.
MATES WIN: Greens Director Gavin Rooney and former starter Merv Lum combined brilliantly to return the best score in Friday’s annual Staff V Volunteers nine-hole Ambrose event. The best mates, who have played together regularly for 20-plus years, finished two under the card and, with a handicap of 3.25, scored nett 30.75. They scraped in on a countback from Mitch Jacobson and Megan Thorp. At least two drives were required from each team and Merv was called upon to fill his quota on the final hole, the ninth. And not only did the 73-year-old hit his drive to just over the hill, his eight iron landed on the edge of the green and then he calmly dropped a six-metre putt for birdie. However, because – in the spirit in which the event is played – organisers decreed the prize should go to a team consisting of course staff members, Jay Gourlay and Brian North (36.25) were declared the winners of the event.
EAGLE UPDATE: Three more eagles were recorded at Headland during the past week, with sponsor Marc Venter of Guide Financial winning back some of his money. Marc landed his eagle at the par-five 10th hole on Wednesday, the same day nurse Gary Marr eagled the par-four 16th. The third eagle, in Saturday’s round, was scored by Daniel Diachkoff at the par-four 11th hole.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Tuesday, Medley Single Stableford, (128 players) – A Grade, John Kamm (42 points), Steve Walters (42), Robert McCann (38); B Grade, Lynn Hayman (43), Trish Murphy (41), Tove Larsen (38); Follies Irish Foursomes, Lesley O’Leary, Rod O’Leary, John Kamm and Graham Pinn (122 points), Russell Cooper, Ray Morrison, Nigel Morrison, Steve Walters (120).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford (210 players) – A Grade, Will Millroy (41 points), Matt Griffiths (41), Warren Selvage (40), Alan Brooker (39); B Grade, Wayne Deague (41), Quentin Poulsen (41), Andy Hempsall (39), Ossi Laurikainen (39); C Grade, Rod Berger (40), Brian Garnett (38), Peter Birt (38), Barry Euston (38).
Thursday, Ladies, Single Par (110 players) – A Grade, Mandy Oster (plus 6), Robyn Muir (+2), Gwen Nancarrow (+2); B Grade, Catherine Janiszewski (+5), Robyn Homans (+2), Ruth Broderick (+2); C Grade, Ann Dykstra (+2), Jackie Thinee (+2), Patricia O’Connor (square). Men, Follies Irish Foursomes (92 players) – Kevin George, Ray Stonehouse, Garry Small and Stephen Woolcott (123 points), Brad Reddan, Mick Kinnear, Graeme Warne and Matt Doyle (123), Charlie Worthy, Dave Sims, Tim Nunan and William Attneave (121).
Saturday, Medley Single Stableford (234 players) – A Grade, Wayne Cassidy (39), Greg Wareham (39); B Grade, Scott Lindsay (43), Terry Grogan (41); C Grade, Andy Hempsall (41), Laurie Corless (39); Fourball Aggregate Stableford, Greg Wareham and Greg Patrick (80 points), Scott Lindsay and Paul Morton (77).
Sunday – Medley Single Stableford (37 players) – competition abandoned because of electrical storm
