TITLE BECKONS: Headland’s A Grade Men’s Pennant team has won its way into the final of the 2021 Sunshine Coast Men’s Golf Zone Pennant following a 4-3 win over the strong Maroochy River team at Noosa Springs on Sunday. Winners were veteran Dave Rattray (5&4), teenager Ben Duncombe (5&3), former team Captain Sean McGill (2&1) and 2020 Club Champion Scott Walker (2&1), while Adam Richards (5&4), Adam Rydwanski (5&4) and Josh Holbrook (5&3) were beaten. Headland plays Noosa at Gympie in Sunday’s final and will be seeking revenge for a 7-nil thrashing earlier in the season. The news was not so good for Headland’s Masters team, which has finished top of the Pool Black table. Ironically, the team was beaten 4-3, the reverse result of A Grade, with wins to captain Warren Selvage (3&1), Warren Sorby (2&1) and Graham Newlove (6&4), with Scott Bromfield (5&3), Peter Perrett (6&5), Neil Oxley (4&3) and Brett Stephenson (5&3) tasting defeat at the hands of their Noosa Springs opposition. Pennant debutant Graham Newlove, who forced his way into the team through the trials, remained unbeaten throughout then competition.
ECLECTIC JANE: Two weeks in insolation because of a Covid scare may have hugely inconvenienced Headland’s Director of Women’s Golf Jane Boaler, but the Brisbane hotel stay has not harmed her golf. On the back of her outstanding round of plus five in the Single Par event last Thursday week – her sixth day out of lockdown – Jane scored a phenomenal 52 points to win the two-day Headland 2021 Seniors Single Stableford Eclectic. Played on Monday and Tuesday and sponsored by Regis Aged Care, the event attracted a capacity field and Jane beat all comers to win by two points. During the two days she scored four four-pointers and eight three-pointers in her respective rounds of 43 and 36 points. But despite her much-improved form Jane confirms she is ‘technically challenged’ and will ask Pro Shop staff to swap the range finder she won as first prize for another pair of golf shoes – the fourth in her eclectic wardrobe. NOTE: Jane’s superb three rounds of golf have shaved 2.2 shots from her AGU handicap.
TRAINED GOLF: Peter McNeven formerly worked for Queensland Rail where – the majority of times – trains arrive at an intended location. And that is exactly the explanation the former Australian Touch Football coach gave for his winning score – plus four – in Saturday’s Single Par event. “I hit the ball where I wanted it to go,” was the succinct account of the 18 handicapper’s round of 85, his best since scoring 43 points in a winning fourball round with regular playing partner Hans Raaschou back in early February. Starting on the back nine, Peter parred the first three holes and birdied the 18th in 40 strokes, then squared the front nine to return his winning B Grade score. A Headland member since 2007, Peter started his golf career in Ipswich but gave the game away for two decades as he ascended the Touch Football coaching ranks. And while his competitive juices still flow on the golf course, what he enjoys most is the camaraderie with his playing partners. Jack Nicholas (+5) won A Grade, John Kingston (+2) C Grade and Sandee Brimblecombe (+1) led the women’s field.
LONG BREAK: Jane Boaler is not the only Headland golfer to find her best form following a break from the game – SWING graduate Lesley Wilson has also made an outstanding comeback. Following an eight-week caravanning holiday in the Northern Territory, Lesley scored 43 points in Thursday’s Single Stableford for women to return the best score of the day by four points in her second game back. The daughter of Peter and Isobel Wilson, who were foundation members of Caloundra Golf Club, never shared their interest in the game until she joined Headland’s SWING program in 2016. Lesley has since won two C Grade Monthly Medals, but Thursday’s score of 43 points, which included nine three-point holes and a four-point par at the par-five seventh, is her best-ever round. Karen Wilson (39 points) won A Grade and Monica Antony (38) saluted in B Grade.
MASTERS FORM: With five successive pars to start the back nine, Peter Raymond has turned back the clock to early April when he won the coveted green jacket on Headland’s Masters Monday. Peter, who has confirmed he will be re-nominating for election as Vice-President of the club when the AGM is held in September, scored 39 points to win Wednesday’s Single Stableford in B Grade, his first ‘decent result’ since he saluted on Masters Monday, from the Championships tees, with an outstanding 41 points. After a sluggish start on the front – 17 points from 45 shots – the 39-year member roared home in three-over 39 for 22 points from his 15 handicap, with a birdie at the par-four 16th the highlight. Scott Lindsay, also with 39 points, won A Grade while Colin Cross (38) won C Grade.
LUCKY DUCK: Aircraft Engineer Fred Muller has not experienced the best of fortune lately but, after a triple bogey start, he found some luck on his way to a nett 69 in Sunday’s Medley Wood Duck Challenge, the best score of the day. Surgery 12 months ago to reattach tendons in the shoulder he injured while working in Mongolia was followed by a hip replacement in December, and Fred’s golf game – as well as his body – has needed some major adjustment. But, due to being domiciled at home in Buderim because of Covid-related overseas travel restrictions, the popular Headland member has been able to hone his skills and although the 18 handicapper’s 87 off the bat is not his best score, he described Sunday as ‘a good day on a tough track’. Fred pocketed $50 for his score, sharing the booty with Darryl Kong (70 nett), Dennis Mikolic (71) and Aaron Duff (71) who also broke their handicap.
MATT FIRES: Headland GM Matt Lang is enjoying his role at the club, although he concedes his first six months have been a challenge in many ways. Apart from settling in to a new state and a new club, Matt walked in to a kitchen renovation that was causing angst to staff and members alike, and the recent completion of the project lifted a giant weight from his shoulders, and his mind. So, playing a round of golf on Thursday – just his fifth at Headland in six months – was not just a release from the confines of the office, but produced his best round since he was a teenager. “I certainly don’t rate myself as a golfer,” admitted the 18-handicapper who scored plus four to finish second behind Tony McDonough (+5) in the men’s Single Par event. But as enjoyable as the good round was – four better than his handicap – the fact Matt and generous club sponsor Mick Kinnear (Zero Termite and Pest) beat Vice-President Peter Raymond and Bob Hunter for a couple of rounds of drinks was an added bonus.
WEDGED EAGLE: Bill Oster concedes he may have had luck on his side when a hole-in-one at the 18th on Tuesday ultimately secured him a win in the Headland 2021 Seniors Single Stableford Eclectic, and a much-needed new golf bag. A sweetly-struck nine-iron looked ‘close all the way’ but – as is always the case at Headland’s 18th hole – Bill could not see where the ball finished. When he arrived at the green there was a tinge of disappointment as the ball was visible, and seemingly sitting on the edge. But, on closer inspection, the Titleist Pro V1 was actually in the hole, but wedged against an angled pin, and the resultant four points for the five handicapper gave him an eclectic score of 44 points over the two days, and victory in Division One for men. It was Bill’s third ace in his 12 years as a Headland member, and his second at the 18th. NOTE: On day one of the eclectic, sponsored by Regis Aged Care, Bill scored a bogey at the 18th, for just one point.
SUPER BILL: One of Headland’s oldest regular-playing members, 88-years-old Bill Boucatt, usually competes twice a week, and last week he committed two successive days to the club’s annual Seniors Eclectic. And in doing so the Headland Life Member experienced the typical highs and lows of the game he has played since he joined the club 36 years ago. His tournament was not exactly a raging success – Bill scored 22 and 27 points respectively over the two days, for an eclectic tally of 32 points. But in Tuesday’s 27 points, 36-marker Bill managed to assemble a Super Six score of 18 points, with a four-point par at the par-three eighth hole, four three-point bogeys and a two-point double bogey, easily beating his first-day Super Six score of just five points. Needless to say, Bill enjoyed the bottle of wine he collected as Tuesday’s Super Six men’s winner.
FOURSOMES CHAMPS: Nominations for Headland’s Men’s and Women’s 2021 Foursomes Championships close next week – August 4 (men) and August 2 (women). The men’s event, sponsored by Mick Kinnear of Zero Termite and Pest, will be played over 36 holes, while the women, sponsored by Guide Financial, will play 27 holes on Thursday, August 12. Defending Champions are Ashley Reck and Wayne West, and Sharon Thomas and Dominique Paice, and both pairs will be defending their respective titles.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Monday and Tuesday, Headland 2021 Seniors Single Stableford Eclectic – sponsor Regis Aged Care, Day One, Women (66 players) – Division One, Colleen Berger (40 points), Robyn Boreham (36); Division Two, Di Stark (41), Anne Hayward (36); Men (66 players) – Division One, Peter Francis (37), Tony Coad (36); Division Two, Phil Kornmann (41), Bob Hayward (38). Day Two, Women (66 players) – Division One, Julie Halliday (40), Kate Wilkie (35); Division Two, Barb Marrington (38), Janette Ritchie (36); Men (65 players) – Division One, Tony McDonough (39), Ted Banaszczyk (37); Division Two, Gary Holland (39), Allan Deller (37). Overall Eclectic winner, Jane Boaler (52); Women, Division One, Carmel Visser (43), Leanne Ptak (43), Vicky Maynard (43); Division Two, Di Stark (46), Wendy Mosley (44), Christine Hall (43); Men, Division One, Bill Oster (44), Terry Grogan (42), David Smith (40); Division Two, Malcolm Woods (50), Stuart Dykstra (45), John Alsbury (44).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford – sponsor BCP Strata (209 players) – A Grade, Scott Lindsay (39 points), Ian Michel (38), Dean Smareglia (37); B Grade, Peter Raymond (39), Richard Ryan (39), John Jones (37); C Grade, Colin Cross (38), Doug Morgan (38), Allan Warby (38).
Thursday, Women, Single Stableford – sponsors Headland Senior Women Golfers (118 players) – A Grade, Karen Wilson (39 points), Pik Chong (36), Monica Knowles (36); B Grade, Monica Antony (38), Kym Mason (37), Susan Briffa (36); C Grade, Lesley Wilson (43), Lesley O’Leary (41), Helen Martyn (39). Men, Single Par (87 players) – Tony McDonough (plus 5), Matt Lang (+4), Bob Hayward (+3).
Saturday, Single Par, Women (28 players) – Sandee Brimblecombe (plus 1), Helen Fraser (+1), Annabel Harris (+1). Men (216 players) – A Grade, Jack Nicholas (+5), Andrew Fisher (+3), Ross Kelly (+3); B Grade, Peter McNeven (+4), Tony McDonough (+1), John Kamm (+1); C Grade, John Kingston (+2), James Reinke (+2), Steve Browne (+2).
Sunday, Medley Wood Duck Challenge (62 players) – Fred Muller (69 nett), Darryl Kong (70), Dennis Mikolic (71), Aaron Duff (71).
