From Tony Durkin 

FIRST DOUBLE: After collecting his first-ever A Grade double – nett and gross – in Saturday’s September Monthly Medal, Andrew Stirling could not help but wonder about the vagaries of golf.  “Apart from a couple of rounds, my golf for the past 10 months has been rubbish,” revealed the University of Sunshine Coast Engineering Manager, who scored 69 from his eight handicap for an impressive nett 61, the best of the day in a field of 225. Yet despite his poor recent form which resulted in a handicap blowout out from five to nine, Andrew has amassed $376 in prizemoney in just recent two rounds. “When I was playing good, consistent golf and my handicap was static, the rewards were scant. But poor golf for most of this year and getting shots back, has resulted in something of a financial bonanza,” he quipped. Saturday’s round of 69 is the first time he has broken 70 at Headland, but a four-under 68 at Sydney’s The Coast Golf Club before he joined Headland a decade ago remains his best round. With three birdies, nine pars and six bogeys on his card, Andrew’s score resulted in his first Headland Monthly Medal. Country member Dean Ewington, who lives in Tasmania for most of the year, also won the Medal double in B Grade (77/62) while former Club President John Alsbury (64) won the C Grade Medal. 

ANOTHER FIRST: On Saturday Vicky Sheridan joined Andrew Stirling in winning her first gross-nett double when she finished atop the Women’s field to collect her sixth Monthly Medal in the past three years. Currently in a golfing purple patch, the sales executive for My Weekly Preview magazine penned a birdie, 10 pars, six bogeys and a double on her card of 74 – her lowest-ever score – for a nett 63, to beat Kate Wilkie by a shot. “I had a poor round on Tuesday (29 points), so turned up on the weekend with the attitude of ‘don’t think too much about it, and just hit the ball’. And it worked,” she declared.  However, the great round will be her last for a while as Vicky undergoes surgery on Wednesday for the removal of a troublesome melanoma. 

COP THAT: After finishing ‘about mid-field’ in the recent Club Championships and having not played to his handicap since May, Col Pledge was unaware of what to expect when he saddled up for Wednesday’s Medley Single Stableford. But the former Police Officer, who retired five years ago but continued working in another government role until 2020, was relieved when he scored 42 points to win B Grade, and post the best score of the day in a big field of 225. “It is my best round in six months, and I have absolutely no idea from where the improved form came, and why it suddenly appeared. But, I will certainly take it,” he quipped, noting his win of $110, courtesy of sponsor Jamie Hill of Property Today. Despite a wipe at the par-three ninth hole (the original eighth) as a result of a lack of concentration, Col said it was his chipping and putting that shone on the day, with two of his three birdies the results of a chip-in. He stormed home on the second nine, scoring 23 points from his one-over 34. Nick Cox (39 points) won A Grade and Barrie Whelan (41) continued his recent run of excellent form to win C Grade. 

EAGLE GIRL: It might not have been the prettiest, and it may have been on a makeshift hole, but after a ‘dreadful’ 12 months of golf Sue Jones is ‘absolutely’ going to claim her eagle at the par-four 10A hole on Thursday. For the Women’s Director of Golf, her fourth eagle at Headland has been one of the rare golfing highlights of 2023. But it was satisfying, all the same. “I was on the slope on the right-hand side of the fairway, about 140 metres out. I knew it was going to draw, so I held a five-iron down the shaft, hit it directly at the pin, but too well I thought, and then lost it in the shadows. The girls I was playing with thought it went in the hole, and low and behold there it was.” A former Royal Australian Navy Commander, Sue – fittingly – scored her last eagle on Anzac Day three years ago. Her five-point eagle helped Sue to 33 points and third place in A Grade behind Marg Smith (35), while Ree Condon (35) and Denise Lawson (37) won B and C Grade respectively. 

ROARING FORTIES: Four members had no trouble handling the latest configuration of the modified Headland course layout on Tuesday, the first day it bared its newest teeth. Each of the four – Kerry Longworth, Cathy Roberts, George Stoufis and Don Kitson – played four better than their handicap to score 40 points in the Single Stableford event, with Kerry and George winning their respective divisions on a countback. And for George, the round was extra special – he aced the par three-10B hole for his first hole-in-one as a 2½ -year Headland member. “I hit an eight-iron straight at the pin, it bounced twice but from the tee we could not see where the ball finished. The ladies in front of us told me it went in,” explained 75-year-old George, who had scored two previous aces in a four-decade golfing stint in New Zealand. A collective 30 three-point holes featured on the cards of the quartet, with George scoring a four-pointer courtesy of his ace. And, only one of the four – Cathy – had a wipe tarnish her card.

ELDERLEY PIPPED: A missed 30-centimetre putt on their finishing hole in Wednesday’s Fourball Best Ball Stableford has cost 172 years of experience victory, and a booty of $57.50. Veterans David Munns and Pete Norris, both 86 years young, combined superbly in the morning field to have compiled 44 points after 17 holes. But the missed putt, which resulted in a two-point bogey instead of a three-point par, cost the octogenarians victory. Instead, Golf Operations Manager Ian Hepburn and his playing partner Todd Petrie – also with a two-point bogey – won the event with 47 points, and collected the spoils. NOTE: HH informant John Hammond – who assists on-going research by the University of Queensland into the breeding of cane toads by collecting tadpoles from Headland dams – would not disclose the identity of the errant putter. “That would be far too unkind,” offered John.

COSTLY COUNTBACK: Being beaten on a countback in Thursday’s Single Stableford for Men has cost Matt Potter $115. In a close-run result, Matt finished in a tie with Warren Gee, Ted Banaszcyk and Bradley Bacon – all four beating their respective handicaps by two to score 38 points. But even though Warren prevailed by virtue of his 21 points on the back nine, he reckons the countback system ‘stinks’. “The fairer method would be for the four players who finished on 38 points to share the prizemoney equally,” he said. “I have been in a similar situation to Matt a few times, and you feel robbed.” While Warren pocketed the $120 first prizemoney – his first ‘collect’ since March – Matt’s pay was a meagre $5 in the run down. Under Warren’s suggestion, each of the four on 38 points would have received $61.25.

MEN’S PENNANT: Members wanting to attend the final of the 2023 Sunshine Coast/Glasshouse A Grade Pennant competition on Sunday at Palmer Coolum Resort MUST register their name at Headland Golf Club during the week. After finishing unbeaten and at the top of the ladder, Headland will play Beerwah in the final, with the first match to tee off at 8am. But because of strict security at Palmer Coolum, each person planning to attend must register in advance. If not, they will be turned away at the gate. To facilitate the collection of this information, a list of names will be taken at both the Pro-Shop and the Office, and this must also include members’ partners who will be attending. Playing order for Sunday’s final – from the following team members who played during the season – will be decided later in the week: Ben Duncombe, Adam Rydwanski, Adam Richards, Dave Rattray, Sean McGill, Brad Butler, Shane Muller and Wayne West. 

WEEKLY RESULTS:

Tuesday, Single Stableford, sponsor, Headland Veterans – Women (57 players) – A Grade, Kerry Longworth (40 points), Cathy Roberts (40), Julie Halliday (37); B Grade, Jo McDougall (39), Barb Marrington (38), Denise Hutchinson (36). Men (62 players) – George Stoufis (40), Don Kitson (40), Steve Rose (38).

Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford – sponsor, Jamie Hill, Property Today (225 players) – A Grade, Nick Cox (39 points), Dean Smareglia (39), Paul Henricks (37); B Grade, Col Pledge (42), Michael Thomas (41), Ross Itzstein (39); C Grade, Barrie Whelan (41), Pete Norris (40), Peter Keane (39). Fourball Best Ball Stableford – Ian Hepburn and Todd Petrie (47).

Thursday, Single Stableford, Women (104 players) – A Grade, Marg Smith (35 points), Kate Wilkie (34), Sue Jones (34); B Grade, Ree Condon (35), Deborah Thomas (33), Valerie O’Brien (33); C Grade, Denise Lawson (37), Maggie Fitzpatrick (34), Ellen Bloxsome (33).

Men (88 players) – Warren Gee (38), Ted Banaszczyk (38), Bradley Bacon (38).

Saturday, Monthly Medal – sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 on Duporth – Women (22 players) – Vicky Sheridan (63 nett), Kate Wilkie (64), Valerie O’Brien (67), gross – Vicky Sheridan (74).

Men (225 players) – A Grade, Andrew Stirling (61), Tony Pattinson (63), Mick Kinnear (65), gross – Andrew Stirling (69); B Grade, Dean Ewington (62), Mark Johnson (63), Wes Houk (64), gross – Dean Ewington (77); C Grade, John Alsbury (64), Gavin Tuck (64), Emmet Walsh (65), gross – Gavin Tuck (82). Best nett – sponsor Brian Kesby – Andrew Stirling (69).

Juniors, Eight-hole Stroke – Gurmantar Gill (orange line, 38 strokes), Benjamin Cox (green, 39), Matthew Bothma (orange, 39), Dominic Manning (orange, 40), Ty Swartz (pink, 41).