From Tony Durkin
COURSE RECORD: The man with the most famous moniker at Headland – Jack Nicholas – on Saturday returned his PB score to win the A Grade Monthly Medal for April. The co-owner of Hometree Property and Finance with his dad Graeme, Jack shot three-over 75 for 66 nett to win by three strokes, the same score returned by C Grade Medalist Mark Gersbach. And, ironically, B Grade winner Grant Martyn (Grant Martyn Constructions) co-sponsors next month’s Two Ball Jug (May 13) with Jack and Graeme. But it was Jack’s round that grabbed Saturday’s attention, with seven fours on his par 36 back nine a feature. “I had some luck on the back. On both the tenth and 12th holes my drives hit a tree, and finished back on the fairway,” he revealed. Jack’s previous best score at Headland was 76, when the 16-year member was 16 years old. NOTE: Jack says his parents swear there was no correlation between his name and the eminent Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus. “My second name is Daniel, so maybe a certain brand of alcohol was the motive,” joshed Jack, whose 75 included three birdies, nine pars and six bogeys. Scott Bromfield’s par 72 was the best gross of the day.
TRUSTING TRISH: Despite feeling ‘really uncomfortable’ on the course following three recent lessons from Head Pro Adam Norlander, Trish Howe decided to trust the professional advice. And it has paid handsome dividends, with Trish winning Saturday’s Monthly Medal for Women with nett 71. “He changed my stance and my grip, and since my first lesson I have battled to score in the mid 20s in Stableford events,” said Trish. “But Buff said ‘stick with it, and the results will come’, which has proved to be the case.” It was not, however, all plain sailing on Saturday. Following a neat four-over 40 on the front nine, Trish scored a nine on the tenth hole, a seven on the 12th and was struck in the leg by an errant ball on the 13th. But she hit back with a birdie at the difficult par-four 16th to win by three strokes.
GLENN JOINS: PGA Legends Tour member Glenn Joyner has joined Headland’s Hole-in-One Club courtesy of an ace at the 18th in Wednesday’s Stableford round. And he almost repeated the result on Saturday, finishing 34cm short, to win the NTP. For Glenn, who has been suffering serious health issues of late but has continued playing the game he loves, it was his 20th hole-in-one, with his last prior to Saturday back in 2012 at the famed Pebble Beach course. Playing off plus three on Wednesday, Glenn had a par round for 33 points, with four birdies and the eagle on his card, while on Saturday (plus two), he scored 71 in the Monthly Medal, with 71 three birdies on his card. Regarding his health, Glenn declared he was ‘fighting every day, and fighting as best I can’, as he remains competing on the Legends Tour.
ROBYN MOVES: In between moving homes – from the ‘bush’ to the beach – Robyn Boreham has been able to manage her best-ever score as a 16-year Headland member. The Women’s B Grade Match Play Champion of 2021, Robyn had 83 off the bat (41/42) to score a superb 43 points in Thursday’s Single Stableford for Women, and win A Grade by a massive five points. “It was one of those days when everything went my way, and the putts dropped,” said the former hairdresser who described her golf of late as ‘very ordinary’. A competitive sporting person as a youngster, Robyn decided to take up golf when she and husband David moved to the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane in 2007, and started on a handicap of 45. Playing from 17 on Thursday, she penned seven three-point holes on her card as well as a four-point birdie at the 12th. Doreen Davidson (39 points) won B Grade and Kay Campbell (35) won C Grade.
HEADLAND’S BEST: A near-perfect back nine on Wednesday has enabled Tim Diedricks to return the best score of the day by a Headland member, with visitors winning two of the three divisions. The Personal Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach scored his second 79 of the year, for his second victory in more than 12 months, to win the A Grade Single Stableford event sponsored by Earl Hicks of Global Turf, with 38 points. And it was a superb back nine of one-over 37 – eight successive pars followed by a bogey at the 18th – for 21 points, that won the day. Tim’s front nine was a marked variance – seven bogeys, a par and a birdie, for 17 points. Visitors Lance Richards (Tin Can Bay) and Bradley Gould (Oxley) won B Grade (41 points) and C Grade (39) respectively, while sponsor Earl Hicks teamed with new member Nelson Valderrama to win the associated Fourball, with 46 points.
FREAKISH BIRDIE: In her eight years as a Headland member, Bec Francis has not hit a more memorable shot than the one which garnered her five points at the par-three eighth hole on Thursday – and she didn’t witness the end result. Bec, handicap 36, concedes her tee shot that finished in deep rough near the fourth fairway, was certainly not her best. “My ball was buried in the grass, so I grabbed my nine iron, aimed at the green and just hit it,” she said. According to her playing partner Robyn Boreham, the ball headed towards the back of the green, landed, rolled down and finished in the hole, with an unsighted Bec totally unaware of the reason for the excitement ahead. But the freakish shot, and result, was not the only reason for Bec’s outings during the week adding to her motivation ‘to get outside, enjoy the sunlight and make wonderful friendships’. Her 35 points on Thursday earned her third place in C Grade, while on Tuesday she added to her list of very rare wins as a Headland member, scoring 36 points.
PAIN EASED: Before he teed off in Tuesday’s Single Stableford for Men, Rod Hamilton warned long-time regular playing partner Ray Dempsey that he may not finish the round because of a bad back. “But after birdieing our first hole, the tenth, I suddenly felt much better,” chirped Rod, who scored 41 points to win the event by three points. Rod, who turned 79 at the weekend and spent much of his working life as a Government Advisor in the Pacific Island region, added five three-point holes to his four-point birdie, but just as importantly had no wipes on his card. “It has been a long, long time between drinks,” he said, revealing that his last win was back in October 2021 when he and Ray combined to score 50 points in a Fourball Stableford.
DOUBLE ESCAPE: Despite a lone double bogey at the par-four 17th on her Sunday card, 14-year-old Charlotte Ridley has still managed to shoot her best round at Headland. The Sunshine Coast Grammar student, who moved from Pelican Waters to Headland in 2020, has become the club’s female shining light having shaved 15 strokes from her handicap in the past three years, and is now playing from a GA of 12.2. On Sunday she scored plus two in the Medley Single Par event, coming home in in four-over 41 despite finding trouble with the palm trees on the left of the green. Such has Charlotte improved – and grown – in recent years, that she has had to upgrade her clubs to men’s senior-shaft standard, with new Callaway irons and TaylorMade woods being purchased from Headland Pro Shop. On Sunday she missed just one fairway and ‘putted the lights out’ in her round of 84, yet still finished second behind local GP, John Matson (+3).
HAPPY DOC: Lake Kawana GP John Matson has scored his first win as a Headland member, and says he was ‘pretty happy’. When Pelican Waters announced three years ago the course would be closing for a major makeover, John, along with fellow members Max Pasterfield, Steve Ridley and his young daughter Charlotte, elected to move north to Headland. The quartet plays together most Sundays, and at the weekend John (handicap 18) was able to score plus three in the Medley Single Par event, and hang on to beat Charlotte (plus 2). “She is a terrific young player,” praised John.
KEN LEADS: Just on a month since Bob Trevor fought back to equal Ken Anderson in Headland’s fascinating ‘battle of the age shooter’ competition between the pair, octogenarian Ken has once again hit the front. Ken, aged 82, shot 82 from the black tees in Headland’s annual Masters Monday event to take to 23 the number of times he has either equalled or beaten his age in a round of golf at his home club. Bob’s five-over par 77 back in early March made it 22 occasions that he has achieved the rare feat which, at the time, had brought the 77-year-old equal with his ‘friendly’ nemesis in the unofficial contest.
EXPERIENCE WINS: Ninety-nine years of Headland membership has combined to win Thursday’s Fourball Best Ball Stableford for Men, with Tony McDonough having a rare day out. Tony (36-year member) joined with John Edwards (63 years) to score 46 points – and Tony also won the individual event, with 39 points. “I have always described golf as a toilet-lid game – the lid is either up, or it’s down. Today it was up,” he said of his round of 85. But while his card revealed a birdie at 18, four three-point holes and no wipes, Tony was not overly impressed with his form. “My short game was good, but my driving was poor,” he lamented, despite earning $115 for his afternoon outing.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Monday, Masters Monday – sponsor James Kidd, EKO Financial – (138 players) – A Grade, James Kidd (40 points), Tim Diedricks (40), Jay Gourlay (39); B Grade, Rebecca Masters (39), John Burnie (36), Phil Maron (35). Teams – James Kidd, Adam Richards, Simon Mitchell and Andrew Thompson (149 points).
Tuesday, Single Stableford – sponsor, Headland Vets – Women (51 players) – Bec Francis (36 points), Julie Lewis (36), Lynne Bronson (34). Men (71 players) – Rod Hamilton (41), Garry Holmes (38), Lawrence Hireme (37).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford – sponsor, Earl Hicks, Global Turf – (214 players) – A Grade, Tim Diedricks (38 points), Ty Pilcher (37), Alan Brooker (37); B Grade, Lance Richards (41), Tony Durkin (38), Joe Stotschek (38); C Grade, Bradley Gould (39), Dave Walker (36), Stuart Miles (35). Fourball Best Ball Stableford – Earl Hicks and Nelson Valderrama (46 points).
Thursday, Women – Single Stableford – sponsors, Carmel Visser, Tove Larsen, Chrissy Eggins, Jenny Pirini and Maria Hiremi – (109 players) – A Grade, Robyn Boreham (43 points), Wil Sprake (38), Monica Antony (36); B Grade, Doreen Davidson (39), Roz Brandt (37), Raewyn Bissett (37); C Grade, Kay Campbell (35), Barb Marrington (35), Bec Francis (35). Men (85 players) – Tony McDonough (39 points), Garth Seymour (38), Tim Nunan (37). Fourball Best Ball Stableford – Tony McDonough and John Edwards (46 points).
Saturday, Monthly Medal – sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 – Women (27 players) – Trish Howe (71), Liz Dunford (74), Robyn Boreham (75).
Men (221) – A Grade, Jack Nicholas (66 nett), Brendan Duncan (69), Michael Zeckomske (70); B Grade, Grant Martyn (69), Burgess Stephenson (69), Michael Goodluck (70); C Grade, Mark Gersbach (66), Roger Van Ginkel (69), Ivan Fortmann (70). Overall gross – sponsored by Brian Kesby – Scott Bromfield (72).
Sunday, Medley Single Par – sponsors, Bev and Ross Kelly, Sandra and Terry Murphy – (62 players) – John Marson (plus 3), Charlotte Ridley (+2), Peter Dunn (+1).
