From Tony Durkin
RICH RICHARDS: Eight days after winning his sixth Headland Men’s Match Play Championship – and his 20th Honour Board event – Adam Richards has gone back-to-back in the 2023 Sunshine Coast/Glasshouse District Open and Closed Championships. In very windy conditions at Mt Coolum on Sunday, Adam shot two-over 74 (three birdies, five bogeys) to beat fellow Headland member Ben Duncombe by a shot. He also won the District Closed Championship, open only to members from clubs within the SCGD district, and collected $500 for each victory. Ironically, it was teenager Ben whom Adam also beat last Saturday week to win the 36-hole Match Play Championship title. “Thanks again Richo,” Ben quipped at the post-event presentations when the 19-year-old accepted his $250 cash prize for winning Division One. “It is a nice honour to finish the major events on our golf calendar. And going back-to-back is a great feeling,” said Adam.
OFFICE WORKS: The message has come through loud and clear – do not dare underestimate the talent, or the power, of Headland’s admin team. GM Tim Gahan and Golf Operations Manager Ian Hepburn teamed together – for just the second time – in Saturday’s Fourball Best Ball Stableford, and not only won the event with 48 points, but qualified No.1 in the 2023 Fourball Best Ball Match Play Championship, sponsored by Michael Thomas of Zenfind Accounting. In a quality field of 220, Tim and Ian started with a one-pointer at the first, then surged relentlessly, with three four-point holes and seven three-pointers, to win by a shot from Wyndham Tibbits and Paul Anderson. Tim (handicap 23) and Ian (17) combined like a well-oiled combination, with a three-point par at the 18th sealing a memorable victory. And to make the victory even sweeter for the GM Tim, as well as collecting $75 for winning the event, he snared an additional $28 for his NTP at the par-three eighth. NOTE: Sitting on a ‘gimmie’ for a 5/2 at the first hole, Ian actually ‘picked up’ when he mistakenly thought Tim had scored two points.
HIGH MARK: A three-decade golf hiatus for Mark Ludbrooke ended in October last year when he gained his Headland membership, and his first win has come 12 months later – and it was a Monthly Medal victory. The retired Woolies Store Manager, who had been a member at Dalby, Townsville and Bargara golf clubs before work and family commitments intervened in the mid-80s, scored 85 from his ‘enjoyable’ handicap of 20 for a nett 65 and a win in C Grade. Playing from 11 in his 20s, Mark says at his age – 62 – he enjoys having at least a stroke a hole. “Now that I’m retired, I am relishing being back in golf and absolutely loving the Headland course. The improvements are making it challenging, and I consider myself very lucky to have found a great group of blokes to play with,” he said. Chris Klazema (also 65) won the B Grade Medal and James Daniel (67) was best in A Grade, while Leon Faulkner, of Headland’s Golf Rocks Kids Academy, returned the best gross score of 73.
MEDAL RUSH: Before she teed off in Thursday’s Monthly Medal – the last of the year for Headland’s Women members – Gwen Nancarrow feared her incredible 19-year run of a Medal ‘almost every year’ could be at an end. “Since I joined the club back in 2003, I believe I have won at least one Medal just about every year, and I knew I was running out of time to keep the record going,” she explained. But Gwen did not have to stress. Her 84 gross returned 65 nett, a win in B Grade and was the best score of the day by two shots, ahead of C Grade winner Lynn Hayman (67). “I played like the 12 handicapper I have been for most of my years at Headland. And even though I had some luck – like my chip-in for birdie at the 18th – I also left a few shots out there,” she said. Lisa Ramen (72) won the A Grade Medal, and the gross, as did Gwen and Lynn in their respective grades.
WIPES AWAY: Following six successive Stableford scores of 35 points, Alan Stratford was acutely aware of the reason for his failure to play to his handicap of 22. “Damn wipes,” he confessed after breaking the ugly routine in Thursday’s round, scoring 42 points, with no wipes and just two one-point holes on his card. And his explanation for no wipes – apart from the absence of three putts – was a simple ‘I tried to do what I wanted to do, and it worked’. Alan’s round – 21 points on each nine with eight three-point holes – was his best this year, but nowhere near his PB as a Headland member. Playing in the final group a decade ago, Alan scored 52 points, much to the chagrin of the runner-up that day, who was sitting in the clubhouse on 47 points, waiting for the presentations. Pro Shop assistant Shane Muller returned the lowest round of the day, with five birdies in his one-under par 69, for 39 points.
EASY GOLF: In no way was she boasting, but Leeanne Ptak was forthright in describing her win in Tuesday’s Stableford for Women as ‘easy’. “I found things pretty easy, and in fact left a few points out there,” said the 2015 SWING graduate who scored 40 points to win A Grade. In a golf purple patch, Leanne won her fifth Monthly Medal in September, teamed with Carolyn Schwartz two weeks ago to win the American Foursomes event and has recently qualified for the Handiskins final in November, for the second time in three years. “I am really enjoying my golf, and I love the way the course is coming along. The small changes to the layout every few weeks present a new challenge each time.” Lynn Hayman (38 points) won B Grade and backed up her winning round with a gross and nett C Grade Monthly Medal victory on Thursday, while Leeanne finished third in the B Grade Medal hunt.
FLEXY JOSH: He is only 51 years of age, but Josh Poole has fitted ‘senior-flex’ shafts to his irons and says it has made ‘an unbelievable difference’ to his game. Following successive runner-up results, Josh hit the jackpot with 39 points in Tuesday’s Single Stableford for Men, collecting $90 for his first placing. “I swing steady, so the new shafts really suit me. And the sound they make when I hit them sweetly is amazing,” he beamed. Like his swing, the round by Josh on Tuesday was also steady – a birdie, six pars and 11 bogeys. “Keeping double bogeys off the card is my aim every time I go out to play, and if I do that, I feel I’ve had a good day,” he reflected. NOTE: Josh purchased the new shafts from the Pro Shop, but fitted them himself – under the watchful eye of Head Pro Adam Norlander.
EAGLE DAY: Saturday may well have been the qualifying round of the 2023 Fourball Best Ball Match Play Championship – the final Headland Honour Board event for the year – but at close of play it could well have been named Eagle Saturday. Three players – Darren Macleod (at the par-five tenth), Wayne West (par-five second) and Brad Reddan (par-four ninth) each scored an eagle in their round. And while each was a memorable achievement, for Brad his holed-out second shot at the ninth garnered he and partner Ross Brimblecombe a valuable five Stableford points.
VAL PASSES: Val Anderson, the wife of Headland legend Ken Anderson, passed away on Tuesday after a short, but painful five-week battle with Lymphoma. Although she did not play golf after she and Ken moved from Darwin to the Sunshine Coast in 1997, Val was an accomplished golfer. She and Ken won three Northern Territory Open Mixed Foursomes Championships, and ‘a dozen’ Darwin Golf Club Mixed Championships. “Val was a very good player,” recalled Ken, who is known for keeping praise close to his chest. Val has been cremated, and her ashes will be placed in a family section of Miles cemetery, in south-west Queensland. Val, who was married to Ken for 46 years, lived in Miles as a child and spent much of her formative years in the region. She is survived by Ken, her son and daughter, John and Beverley, and their families.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women (53 players) – A Grade, Leeanne Ptak (40 points), Helen Fraser (35), Lisa Ramen (34); B Grade, Lynn Hayman (38), Julie Lewis (37), Susan Stratford (37).
Men (66 players) – A Grade, Josh Poole (39), Nigel Morrison (38), Bruce Horton (37).
Wednesday, Medley Mid-Week Medal (215 players) – sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 on Duporth – A Grade, James Daniel (67 nett), Leon Faulkner (69), Andrew Fisher (70); B Grade, Chris Klazema (65), Ross Itzstein (66), Denis Orr (69); C Grade, Mark Ludbrooke (65), Allan Warby (66), Peter Andrews (67). Best gross – sponsor, Roger Van Ginkel, Thomassen Australia – Leon Faulkner (73).
Thursday, Women, Monthly Medal (91 players) – sponsors, B by Halcyon and Jodie McDonnel, Century 21 on Duporth – A Grade, Lisa Ramen (72 nett), Robyn Muir (73), Josie Ryan (73), gross – Lisa Ramen (80); B Grade, Gwen Nancarrow (65), Narelle Hollowood (69), Leeanne Ptak (70), gross – Gwen Nancarrow (84); C Grade, Lynn Hayman (67), Deb Prince (68), Joy Murray (69), gross – Lynn Hayman (97).
Men, Single Stableford (72 players) – Alan Stratford (42 points), Todd Petrie (40), Shane Muller (39).
Saturday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford, and first round of Fourball Best Ball Match Play Championship (220 players) – sponsor, Michael Thomas, Zenfind Accounting – Tim Gahan and Ian Hepburn (48 points), Wyndham Tibbits and Paul Anderson (47), Narelle Hollowood and Joe Stotscheck (46), John Cleary and Ivan Fortmann (46), Terry Ward and Dean Jones (46), gross – Darren Walters and Darren Macleod (37 points).
Juniors – Nine-hole Stroke, Dominic Manning (orange line, 40), Finn Darlison (orange, 43), Matthew Bothma (orange, 45), Peter Hall (green, 47), Max Faulkner (green, 50), Paige Prosser (green, 54).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (47 players) – Ty Pilcher (37 points), Dave Mayes (36), Ian Moore (36).
