From Tony Durkin 

LOCALS LAUGH: Headland women have dominated the annual Kookaburra Karnival, conducted by the Sunshine Coast-Burnett and District Women’s Golf Association, and held at Headland on Monday and Tuesday. Four separate events were played over the two days – a Fourball Best Ball Stableford, Single Stroke, Four-Person Ambrose and a Foursomes – with each team permitted as many as six players, but only four playing in each event. Ten points were awarded to the winning team (with the best aggregate nett score) in each event, with nine points for second, eight for third, down to one point for tenth place, and the team accumulating the most points after the four rounds was the winner. And that team was the Headland Bandits, captained by Vicky Sheridan and including Kate Wilkie, Fiona Munro, Wil Sprake and Colleen Berger. The ‘Bandits’ lived up to their name, winning the two-day 72-hole event by a whopping seven points. Runners-up was a ‘mixed’ team – Headland’s Josie Ryan (captain) and Annabel Harris, joined by Dianne Benghamy of Bribie Island and Jane Franklyn (Kingaroy). And finishing third was Headland’s Awesome Foursome – Narelle Hollowood, Diane Gilmour, Cathy Roberts and Angela Pearson. The novel tournament attracted 30 teams, with each of the 14 district clubs represented, as well as six others. It was just the second playing of the event, with the venue for the 2025 tournament yet to be announced.

NURSE SLICED: Former Selangor (Nambour) Private Hospital theatre nurse, Margaret Moran, has undergone major handicap surgery following her outstanding victory in Monday’s Single Stroke during the Kookaburra Karnival. The rising octogenarian, who has been a Headland member for 17 years but spent a decade of that time away, thrashed the field of 120 to score 66 nett, and win by three strokes. “And I had a ten in that,” quipped Margaret, who scored three pars in four holes as well as carding five bogeys in her round of 103. She played from a handicap of 37 on Monday, and her GA mark is now 30.8. “I was so excited with the win, but just as happy with having six strokes sliced from my handicap, which isn’t easy at my age,” she said. Since Margaret and her husband John returned to Headland from Rockhampton 18 months ago, she has won a Monthly Medal and was recently beaten on a countback in a Plus Par event. She plays ‘mostly’ twice a week, but three times if the opportunity arises. Also on the dais on Monday were Valerie O’Brien and Sue Bolton, who won the Fourball Best Ball Stableford event with an amazing 51 points. Valerie, Headland’s Director of Golf for Women, heaped praise on Sue who contributed 30 points to the winning total. “Sue was outstanding, and her birdie at the par-five seventh, for five points, was a magnificent effort.” Valerie and Sue added a four-pointer and 12 three-point holes to their card, to win by four points.

PROUD DAY: At 63 years of age, Steve Rose could not have felt prouder than he did after Saturday’s historic ‘double’ at Headland. Not only did Steve win his first A Grade event, but he also broke 80 on the par 72 course for the first time. “It’s the third time this year that I have beaten 80, but the other times were when the course was par 69 during the renovations,” he shared, after scoring 40 points from his round of 79 in Saturday’s Single Stableford. And although he had two birdies, seven pars and eight bogeys on his excellent card, it was a ‘miracle’ double at 17 that saved his card from a wipe, and kept his score under 80. “My tee shot went into the creek on the right. I took a penalty and then hit my third just as poorly and it was almost in the hazard too,” Steve revealed. “My fourth shot went well over the back of the green, but I was able to chip to 30cms, and save the day.” An expat-Kiwi who moved to Australia in 1999, Steve did not join Headland until 2015. “My wife told me to find something to do because I was hanging around the house too much on the weekends. Now, she thinks I’m playing too much golf,” he joked. Steve thought the conditions on Saturday, overcast and windy, had reminded him of his home country and may have been the reason for his splendid round. Dave Mayes (40 points) won B Grade and Lindsay Parchert (41) returned the best score of the day, to win C Grade. 

JAILBIRD ROD: Nineteen handicapper Rod Habgood was enjoying one of his better back-nine rounds on Wednesday – until he wiped the par three 18th hole. But the former newspaper executive still managed 22 points on the back, then added 19 on the front to finish with 41 points in the Medley Single Stableford, for the best score of the day and a win in B Grade. And the reason for his best score in ages – a new putter named the Odyssey Jailbird. “It is apparently all the rage, so I bought one from Adam (Head Pro Adam Norlander) and it worked a treat. It is certainly a beautiful piece of equipment,” he praised. Rod, who moved from Coffs Harbour to the Sunshine Coast with his wife Dora and joined Headland 18 months ago, said that apart from his putting, his game had been in reasonably good shape of recent times. “The new putter has made all the difference,” said Rod, who conceded his winning bonus of $130, courtesy of sponsor Josh Meyers of RM Developments, had helped cover the cost. A birdie at the par-three 14th started his run of 13 points in four holes until the errant tee shot at 18. Jamie Hill (36 points) won A Grade and Doug Morgan (39) won C Grade.

TRAVELLING VETS: Sue Briffa has made a triumphant comeback to Headland, winning her first event since she and husband Tony returned from a three-month golfing holiday. In her fifth round at ‘home’ since August, Sue scored plus six to win Thursday’s Par Plus event for Women, leading in the Division Two field. Towing their caravan, the Briffas played the Winter Sun Vets tournament at three North Queensland courses, four Wide Bay events, the Vets State Championship at Woodford, and the Australian Vets Championship at three venues in South Australia. “And we played in Broken Hill as well,” revealed Sue, who says she has almost totally recovered from serious injuries received in a motor cycle accident just on 12 months ago. “I have noticed I am hitting the ball further, and today I putted well, so things are coming back together.” Her plus six score included 10 plusses and four minuses, and eclipsed Division Threes’ Marie Flegler (plus five) for the best score of the day. Cathy Roberts won Division One, with a score of plus two. NOTE: Sue backed up to win Saturday’s Single Stableford with 37 points, three better than the rest of the field.

VETS’ AWARDS: Headland Vets’ awards for 2024 have been announced, with Maria Hireme and Bruce Heseltine named the Women’s and Men’s players of the year, respectively. And Bruce, who won Headland’s C Grade Championship as well as the Matchplay title in 2024, capped an outstanding year of achievements by also winning the Vets. Matchplay title. Other awards, announced on Monday, were: Women’s Matchplay, Ree Condon, runner-up Leanne Ptak; Men’s Matchplay runner-up, Tony Coad; Tony Coad Perpetual Trophy, Women – Overall Winner, Pam Andrews (81 points), A Grade, Robyn Boreham (76), B Grade, Di Stark (75); Men, Overall Winner, John Christmas (78), A Grade, Peter Francis (75), B Grade, Peter Barbour (75).

NOT ENVIOUS: His winning round on Thursday may have been 12 shots more than his best-ever at Headland, but former Taxman Greg Jellis is not looking backwards. “I’ve had some tough years, so the good times had to come eventually,” said Greg, who thinks it could be as long as six years since his last victory. Slow recovery from knee surgery, which has meant the use a of cart rather than walking – as he prefers – plus other issues, have exasperated the former five handicapper. “Have you seen my handicap? I have been out to as much as 22, as it is very frustrating,” he lamented. But things certainly started changing on Thursday when, from a 19 handicap, he scored 40 points to win Thursday’s Single Stableford for Men, with a notable 23 points on the front nine from five bogeys and four pars. “Every dog has his day,” quipped Greg, noting his 87 off the stick. A Perth native, Greg spent much of his adult life working for the Taxation Department in Townsville before retiring to the Sunshine Coast, and joining Headland, 15 years ago. He was a member of the Rowes Bay club in Townsville, playing off five in his prime, with his best score a par-round 72.

REVERSE JAY: Headland groundsman Jay Gourlay has created a record that will be impossible to beat – he has driven the par-five second hole. And yes, members can well scratch their collective heads endeavouring to analyse that truly remarkable feat. But, unfortunately for the likeable Jay, his ‘drive’ shot was not from the second tee, 452 metres away, but from the adjacent fifth tee. Jay hit a shocker, a thinned eight iron that cannoned into the front tee marker, jumped into the air, flew backwards 50 metres and landed on the second green, directly behind him. That, however, was not the end of the problems for the 11-marker. “When I reloaded, I shanked my next, and it almost took out the group on the third tee,” he confessed. Jay obviously wiped that hole for his third pickup in what was a rollercoaster round. He added four doubles, eight pars and birdie to his card, for 31 points in what was an extremely adventurous day.

WEEKLY RESULTS: 

Monday, Women, Kookaburra Karnival. Morning, Fourball Best Ball Stableford (120 players) – Valerie O’Brien and Sue Bolton (51 points), Sharon Thomas and Gail Young (47), Denise Sorenson and Joan Lucas (46).

Afternoon, Single Stroke (120 players) – Margaret Moran (66 nett), Kirsten Kaergaard (69), Eslyne Hunter (72). 

Tuesday, Women, Kookaburra Karnival. Morning, Foursomes (120 players) – Narelle Hollowood, Diane Gilmour, Cathy Roberts and Angela Pearson (73 nett), Vicky Sheridan, Kate Wilkie, Fiona Munro and Wil Sprake (73), Natasha Baker, Christine Baker, Cynthia Duco and Beatrice Strang (73.5).

Afternoon, Four-Person Ambrose (120 players) – Ashleigh McCourt, Fiona Bell, Brooke O’Keeffe and Sheree Hasson (55.75 nett), Trudee Petrie, Aileen Bartlett, Raelee Whalen and Vanessa Hansen (62), Susan Morris, Loran Gibson, Lindley Stafford and Ruby Jaede (62.5). 

Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford – – sponsor, Josh Meyers, RM Developments – (237 players) – A Grade, Jamie Hill (36 points), Allan Brooker (36), Geoff Walker (36); B Grade, Rod Habgood (41), Graham Cartledge (39), Justin Walsh (39) ; C Grade, Doug Morgan (39), Roger Van Ginkel (38), Richard Dinkelmann (38). 

Thursday, Women, Single Par Plus (88 players) – Division One, Cathy Roberts (plus 2), Sue Jones (+1), Marg Smith (+1); Division Two, Sue Briffa (+6), Jan Langdon (+2), Nicola Whitmore (+1); Division Three, Marie Flegler (+5), Margot Easton (+1), Ellen Bloxsome (+1).

Men, Single Stableford (81 players) – Greg Jellis (40 points), Rick Popic (38), Lyle Robbie (38).

Saturday, Single Stableford, Women (18 players) – Sue Briffa (37 points), Robyn Muir (34). Robyn Boreham (34).

Men (209 players) – A Grade, Steve Rose (40 points), Andrew Fisher (39), Matt Griffiths (38); B Grade, Dave Mayes (40), Danny Shaw (39), Clint Adams (38); C Grade, Lindsay Parchert (41), Bernie Duncan (39), Don Follent (37). 

Juniors – Parent-child Nine-hole Ambrose, Finn and Chris Darlison (37 nett), Matthew and Clinton Bothma (38), Dominic and Daniel Manning (39), Jett and Daniel Stevenson (40). 

Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (competition abandoned because of weather conditions).