From Tony Durkin

TERRY’S RE-WARD: Terry Ward demonstrated on Saturday that no matter how a round of golf starts, a decent result can often be salvaged. But his outcome was more than decent – his 67 nett won the A Grade Monthly Medal and was the best score in the field of 222 by two strokes. Terry started bogey, triple bogey, bogey and thought ‘here we go again’ following a 12-month period when his handicap had drifted from six to 12. However, he steadied after the poor start and the Engineering Manager with the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service came home over the final 15 holes one over the card, with birdies at holes nine and 11, 10 pars and three bogeys for his first Monthly Medal/Mug victory since 2014. “Ironically, I threw out my winning shirt just a few weeks ago,” said Terry, whose handicap is now down to a ‘respectable’ 9.7. Ross Roberts (69) won B Grade and Brett Beaumont (72) saluted in C Grade.

DROUGHT BROKEN: Liz Halyday has never taken golf all that seriously – until she recently returned from a three-month stay at her family apartment in France. “I joined Headland as a social member in 1996, and started playing six years later, but had never won an individual event,” she revealed after winning Thursday’s Single Stableford for Women with plus three. Playing from a 29 handicap last year, Liz made a New Year resolution to reduce her mark to 25, something she has now achieved. And while the former host of ‘stay n play’ golfing holidays on the Sunshine Coast was delighted with her round on Tuesday, she didn’t think the score would enough to register her first-ever win. Liz had seven plusses, seven halves and four minuses on her winning card. 

PUTTING PARADE: Rookie golfer Michael Rutledge played most of his A Grade Sydney cricket career on turf wickets, but now he has fallen in love with the turf on Headland’s greens. The State Government regional worker had a miserly 27 putts in Sunday’s Medley Single Stroke event, which resulted in a nett 64 from his round of 82. And not only was it Michael’s best score since he joined Headland in 2019, just before the Covid lockdown, but he also bettered his previous best by six strokes and won his first event as a member. “It was a day out of the box,” said Michael, who had never previously played any serious golf and credits Head Pro Adam Norlander for his success. “Adam’s a great guy, and a great coach,” he praised.

MITCH BLITZ: Headland member 345, John Edwards, scored plus five to win Thursday’s Single Par for men, but it was Assistant Pro Mitch Jacobson who ripped the course apart. Playing off plus one, Mitch had four-under 68 with five birdies on his card, four of which came on a flawless back nine of 32. For 76-year-old John, who has been a member for 63 years, his win was his first in more than two years and came following a two-month break from golf as a result of visiting family in the UK. But not only did he play no golf while overseas, he also contracted pneumonia. Despite virtually touring Queensland in a career with the Commonwealth Bank – and joining clubs in Brisbane, Goondiwindi, Cunnamulla and Rockhampton – so strong was John’s attachment to Headland that he never allowed his membership to lapse. His card on Thursday revealed nine plusses and four minuses.

HANDY SANDEE: More regular golf in recent weeks has given Sandee Brimblecombe the edge she needed to win Saturday’s Single Stroke since her last victory, which was ‘it’s been that long, I can’t remember’. “Between work, life, the weather and finding it difficult to get in the field at Headland, I seemed to be playing about once every six weeks towards the end of last year, and my golf suffered as a result,” said Sandee. But she turned things around on Saturday. Playing from an 18 handicap she scored 92 for a nett 74, just five strokes behind gross winner Kate Wilkie. “I was happy with my round, which was pleasingly consistent apart form a triple bogey at the eight where I found bunker trouble, twice,” she sighed. Four pars and 10 bogeys – seven straight to finish the back nine – highlighted her round, which was scarred somewhat by three doubles and the triple. 

TOOTHY GRIN: Chiropractor Mark Postles could afford a smile of satisfaction after winning Wednesday’s Mid-Week Medal, the first decided for 2023. Mark – who turned 73 on Sunday – normally walks the course but this week he took a different approach to his round after having had an abscessed tooth extracted a week earlier. “I was still feeling somewhat under the weather so, wanting to conserve energy, I played in cart and took things ‘nice and gentle’,” he explained. And the plan worked a treat, with Mark – handicap 16 – playing five shots better than his handicap to mark seven pars and 11 bogeys on a very ‘steady’ card for an impressive nett 67. In his first win in more than 12 months, Mark joined A Grade winner Mark Selig (nett 68) and C Grade winner Richard Thurgood (68) on the dais, while former Trainee Pro McKenzie Wright (74) returned the best gross score in the field of 226. NOTE: Mark continued his good form on Saturday, with his nett 70 finishing second in the hunt for the B Grade Monthly Medal. 

FIRST FOR SUE: Finally accepted as a playing member early last year following a long stint on the wait list, sports nut Sue Condos has broken through for her first win at Headland. Sue won Tuesday’s Single Stableford for women with 39 points from her 31 handicap but, to her chagrin, failed by a meagre two shots to break through the 100-barrier. “That is my next goal,” said Sue, who previously played completive softball, netball, tennis and swimming.  She started golf 18 months ago through the University of the Third Age (U3A) program at Maroochy River and says that experience – and Tuesday’s win – has boosted her confidence, and calmed her nerves. “My head is now in the right place to take on this challenging new sport,” she declared. 

UP AND DOWN: Although he admits to ‘choking’ on his final hole on Tuesday, which may have cost him his first score in the 70s in a decade, Peter Raymond conceded lady luck had been with him for a first-hole birdie. The Headland Vice-President stood on the ninth tee – his last hole of the day – needing a par to shoot 79. His ‘reasonable’ drive finished at the top of the hill, his second shot in the bunker and his third? “In the bunker again. I choked, and finished with a double bogey,” he bemoaned. But his birdie at the tenth – his second in the round – was fortuitous. “I topped my third shot, from just short of the dam, it skidded across the water, finished 50 metres out and I dropped the lob wedge,” he chuckled. Peter scored 39 points to beat Pelican Waters visitor Chris Clarke on a countback. 

RETURN SERVE: No sooner had rising 82-year-old Ken Anderson edged one closer to Bob Trevor as Headland’s best ‘age shooter’, Bob fired back on Tuesday. The 78-year-old took his tally of either shooting or equalling his age in a round of golf at Headland to 21 when he fired his age – six-over 78 – for 34 points in Tuesday’s Single Stableford event. His card revealed a birdie at the par-four 11th, 10 pars and seven bogeys, with an impressive one-over 37 on the back nine. Ken also shot 78 the previous Wednesday, for 39 points, the 20th time he has achieved the rare golfing feat.

SMOKIN’ CROW: Tales of crows thieving food from golf buggies at Headland are commonplace among members, but one anecdote of robbery on Saturday was ‘smokin hot’. Playing the first hole in the morning field, Saturday-only smoker Matt Prince had his packet of cigarettes removed from his buggy by a feathery black bandit. Because of the exorbitant cost of cancer sticks these days, Matt and his playing partners weren’t about to ‘eat crow’, and set about arresting the culprit, who had taken refuge in a nearby tree. After having several golf balls – and abuse – rained on it, the crow finally surrendered, the smokes were dropped and recaptured, and the golf round continued. But the golfers paid a price for the distraction – Matt, Terry Ward and Brad Downes had bogeys on the hole, and Dean Jones scored a double.

WEEKLY RESULTS:

Monday, Vets, Single Stableford – sponsor Perry & Oster Funerals – (competition abandoned because of weather conditions). 

Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women (47 players) – Sue Condos (39 points), Anne Callanan (39), Monica Antony (36). Men (69 players) – Peter Raymond (39), Chris Clarke (39), Peter Sergeant (37).

Wednesday, Medley Mid-Week Medal – sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 – (226 players) – A Grade, Mark Selig (68 nett), Lang Pryor (68), Matt Griffiths (69); B Grade, Mark Postles (67), Dion Southey (70), Braden Anderson (79); C Grade, Richard Thurgood (68), Chris Byrnes (69), Michael Gregora (70). Overall gross – sponsor Roger Van Ginkel, Thomassen Australasia – McKenzie Wright (74).

Thursday, Single Par – Women (109 players) – A Grade, Wil Sprake (plus 2), Catherine Peterson (+1), Helen Venter (+1); B Grade, Liz Halyday (+3), Di Stark (+3), Jan Langdon (square); C Grade, Darlynn Gillrie (+3), Ellen Bloxsome (+2), Doreen Davidson (+2).

Men (90 players) – John Edwards (+5), Stewart Douglas (+4), Chris Risby (+3).

Saturday, Women, Single Stroke (31 players) – Sandee Brimblecombe (74 nett), Monica Knowles (75), Narelle Hollowood (77), gross – Kate Wilkie (89).

Men, Monthly Medal sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 (222 players) – A Grade, Terry Ward (67 nett), Michael Zeckomske (71), Ian Michel (72); B Grade, Ross Roberts (69), Mark Postles (70), Glenn Brooker (71); C Grade, Brett Beaumont ((72), Mark Glassop (73), Michael Gregora (73). Overall gross – sponsor Brian Kesby – Mackenzie Wright (75)

Juniors – Girls, 8-10 years, Paige Prosser (55 strokes); Boys, 7 and under, Ty Swartz (44); 8-10, Benjamin Cox (39); 11-13, Kamran Barden (40).

Sunday, Medley Single Stroke (56 players) – Michael Rutledge (64 nett), Sean Kelly (68), Dave Mansley (69).