From Tony Durkin
THANKS ADAM: Ellen Bloxsome has dedicated her ‘exciting’ 2025 Medal of Medals victory to Head Pro Adam Norlander, and one sentence of advice. “I had a playing lesson with Adam back in June, and from my first tee shot he said ‘EB, the ball is too far back in your stance’,” Ellen conveyed after she scored nett 68 on Thursday to win the prestigious event. “Since then, my golf has been steadily improving, and on Thursday I had only one poor drive.” But while she was thrilled with the win, and pleased with her round in general, Ellen said her score could have been much better. “I missed half a dozen putts from around a metre,” she lamented. Ellen, a Headland member since 2018 who won her first two Monthly Medals last year and competed in the 2024 Medal of Medals event, left her run for the 2025 title a little late. “I just scraped in by winning the October Medal,” she revealed. “I was so surprised my score was the best on the day, but very excited with the win.” Following her success, and her improved game, Ellen is now considering playing two competition rounds a week. “I usually play competition on Thursday, have a social nine holes on Tuesday, and practise my short game on Sunday,” she said. Ellen won Division Three on Thursday, beating Kay Campbell on a countback, while Kathy Atkins (also 68) won Division One and Jenny Stokes (67) won Division Two. Jenny also won the Rabbits Cup, for those women who did not qualify for the Medal of Medals round.
THAI TUNE-UP: A return to form on Saturday following a lean 12 months of golf could not have come at a more opportune time for A Grade winner Barry Newton. “The timing was perfect. Next week I’m off to Thailand on an annual golf trip,” he confided, after scoring 42 points from his round of two-over 74 in the Men’s Single Stableford event. The semi-retired owner of Better Business Finance, Barry annually joins a group of 24 business associates on golf trips in Australia and/or overseas, and before Saturday’s round was somewhat ill at ease with his form. “Even though there is nothing but bragging rights involved, these events produce some pretty serious competition,” he said. “We play a Ryder Cup format, with six rounds of golf over six days. I’m feeling much more confident now, and looking forward to the trip.” Barry’s round on Saturday included two birdies, 12 pars and four bogeys, with a brilliant ‘save’ at 17 his standout moment. “Playing safe, I hit a three wood from the tee but snap-hooked it into the trees on the left. I was stymied, chipped out, found one of the fairway bunkers and thought ‘this is going to ruin a good round’,” he said. “But I proceeded hit a nine iron to a metre, and sank the putt for par.” Also joining the group to Thailand is fellow Headland member Terry Ward, a late call-up following the withdrawal one of the regulars. Barry’s 42 points on Saturday was the best in the field of 223 by three points, with Gavin Rooney (38) winning B Grade, and John Halbert (39) taking out C Grade.
UP AND DOWN: ‘Exceptionally fortunate’ was how four-decade Headland member Malcolm McColm described his impressive winning round on Wednesday. “I got up-and-down five times on the front nine, chipped in twice and had just eight putts,” he relayed after scoring plus 10, the best score among the field of 225 in the Medley Par Plus event. “And four of my five recoveries were from a bunker, so I was exceptionally fortunate.” Malcolm turned on plus seven, and despite two wipes on the back nine, was able to hold things together, penning two pars and five bogeys coming home. A stalwart of Headland having served seven years on the committee, four as President and two as Club Captain, the respected and popular lawyer says his days of turning up at Headland to play in a field of 200-plus and regularly finishing among the top ten, are long gone. “I can’t recall how long it has been since my last win, but it was many, many years ago,” he said. “My handicap on Wednesday was 23, a far cry from my lowest mark of six, which was possibly 20 years ago. But I still enjoy my regular Wednesday outings, playing with my mates.” Malcolm won C Grade, while Brenton Liaropoulos and Brad Reddan, both with plus six, won A and B Grade respectively.
FLUKEY LEIGH: She says she usually manages one ‘fluke’ round a year, and Leigh Derigo certainly achieved that result in round two of the Tony Coad Vets’ trophy last Monday. Playing from what she described as her ‘very high’ daily handicap of 40, Leigh scored 44 Stableford points to street the opposition in Division Two, and win by 10 points. “Yes, that winning margin was pointed out to me,” said Leigh, who penned one four-pointer and nine threes on her card, to return the best score of the day. “I seem to achieve one of these flukey rounds once a year, which is always nice. But I was very happy with my round.” A former ACT representative Dragon Boat racer, Leigh came through the highly-successful Headland SWING program and her handicap has been as low as 28, but has expanded somewhat since she recently suffered a broken arm. A member of the winning Headland Division Two Pennant team this season, her GA is now 34 and her goal is to reduce that even further. Former Club Champion, Sue Jones (41 points), won Division One.
MIRACLE MAN: Although he once lived near a golf club in his native England, Nick Page only played the occasional round until the 53-year-old joined Headland 12 months ago. And after scoring 44 points in Tuesday’s Single Stableford for Men and penning 84 from his daily handicap of 20, he is ready to accept the ‘bandit’ tag. “If I see that someone has scored 44 points, that is my reaction,” he joked after winning his first event as a member, on his first-ever venture to the course on a Tuesday. But Nick now understands that sometimes the golf gods can help. “It seemed that every tree I hit deflected the ball back onto the fairway, and every putt that usually finishes just short of the hole, dropped in,” he said after his round of a birdie, seven pars, seven bogeys and two doubles. “It was a miracle round, and the first time I have beaten my handicap.” And his handicap was broken in more ways than one – the victory resulted in 2.4 shots being slashed from his former mark. A Logistics Manager with JJ Richards, Nick moved to the Sunshine Coast with his Australian-born wife 23 years ago, and reported the Headland course in great condition following the recent rain. Marg Howard, with 39 points, won the Women’s event.
SHARED SUCCESS: They share the same mobile number, same email address, almost the same handicap, and the same famous son, but until last week John and Carmel Visser had not ‘shared’ much success on the golf course. Since HH started reporting on Headland comp winners back in 2017, we have never previously spoken to John, while Carmel has had regular mentions. But John put an end to that anomaly in Monday’s round two of the Tony Coad Vets’ trophy with 42 Stableford points, his best score in ‘at least two years’. Without a wipe on his card, the retired plumber and gasfitter listed one four-pointer, seven threes, seven twos and three one-point holes. “But I missed a dead-set certain birdie at the par-three 14th where I collected the NTP when I hit my tee shot to within 50cm,” he lamented. “My game generally felt good, and it was a great day out on the golf course.” John and Carmel’s son Mark is a world-renowned big-wave surfer, who has turned his hand these days to motivational speaking. “Maybe he inspired me on Monday,” quipped John, who won Division Two. Scoring 41 points, Denis Clifford won Division One.
MEMORABLE WIN: With two wipes, an air swing and two balls in the water, Anita Boyle understandably described Saturday’s Single Stableford for Women victory as ‘a memorable one’. She calculates it could be as long as two years since she last won, and that was her first game back following a shoulder replacement. “I am not a great golfer, and have never been,” confessed the long-retired nurse, who says she ‘absolutely loves’ playing golf. “I have been a Headland member for only six years, but have been playing the game for a long time.” Anita’s Saturday round of seven three-point holes and eight twos, with 21 points on the front, came from a daily handicap of 33, which she revealed what the largest she has ever had. “I have never played from a handicap in the 30s before,” said the former member of both Pacific in Brisbane and Burleigh on the Gold Coast. “And when I joined Headland, the course was hard, but it is even more difficult since the new bunkers have been built. But I still love playing here.”
MIGHTY MARTY: Most things Marty Dix does in relation to golf, is done with consistency. He plays twice a week, with the same group, at about the same time. And since he started at Headland in 1990, the former owner of Coastal Glass has maintained a handicap around the 18-20 mark. “But my golf score has not been very consistent,” quipped Marty, after he scored 43 points to win Thursday’s Single Stableford for Men. It turns out that English-born Marty last received a mention in HH back in 2022 – two mentions in fact – both times for scoring 43 points, the same score as last Thursday. “And I think that is the last time I won,” he said, after penning a four-point birdie and eight threes on his winning card. “I know there is a good score in me somewhere, but finding it has been the challenge.” Winning, however, is not the reason he plays golf. Marty genuinely enjoys the company of his regular companions, and says the course is ‘really good’, complimenting the club on the recent major renovations. And even though his handicap has ‘drifted out’ a little recently, his GA returned to 18.4 after Thursday’s resounding victory. “I have been practising a lot more lately, and I’m sure that has helped,” he confided.
FIRST VICTORY: Celebrating the end of his school days at Immanuel Lutheran College, 17-year-old Josh White won his first event at Headland on Sunday, streeting the field by four points. The grandson of popular Headland member and former SWING co-ordinator Di Stark, Josh enthralled his Granny – and playing partner – by scoring 44 points in the Medley Single Stableford event, his first competition round as a member. “In my first competition, I scored 18 points,” revealed Di, whose highest score as a decade-long Headland member is also 44 points, scored earlier this year. Josh, an accomplished schoolboy cricketer and basketballer, penned a five-point birdie at the par-three fifth hole, and added a further four-pointer and seven three points to his card, with 24 points registered on the back nine. ‘Granny Di’ said she had originally joined Josh as a member when he was 10, but he was not interested in golf back then. “How things have changed,” she said. “He loves his golf now, and has been playing socially as often as he can.” The most impressive round on Sunday came from 15-year-old Junior Champion Sam Fichera, who parred the course from his four handicap, for 40 points.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Monday, Vets, Tony Coad Trophy, round two, Women (36 players) – Division One, Sue Jones (41 points), Kirsten Kaergaard (39), Valerie O’Brien (39); Division Two, Leigh Derigo (44), Carol Sinclair (34), Jo McDougall (34).
Men (61 players) – Division One, Denis Clifford (41 points), Andrew Hempsall (39), Graham Myers (37); Division Two, John Visser (42), Haenga Pirini (41), Bob Snowball (40).
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women (27 players) – Marg Howard (39 points), Trish Marsden (36), Odette Day (35).
Men (43 players) – Nick Page (44 points), Paul Anderson (38), Rod Hurst (38).
Wednesday, Medley Single Par Plus – sponsor, Jay McMillan, Northcoast Stone – (225 players) – A Grade, Brenton Liaropoulos (plus six), Jonny Clarke (+6), Brian Kesby (+5); B Grade, Brad Reddan (+6), Mark Gersbach (+5), Max Pasterfield (+4); C Grade, Malcolm McColm (+10), Dave Ashwin (+9), Peter Andrews (+8).
Thursday, Women, Single Stroke, Medal of Medals– sponsor, Jodie McDonell, Century 21 on Duporth (101 players) – Division One, Kathy Atkins (68 nett), Leeanne Ptak (69), Dora Habgood (70); Division Two, Jenny Stokes (67), Ruth Broderick (70), Debbie Bennetts (71); Division Three, Ellen Bloxsome (68), Kay Campbell (68), Trish Murphy (69). Medal of Medals, Ellen Bloxsome; Rabbits Cup – sponsor Bev Kelly – Jenny Stokes.
Men, Single Stableford (85 players) – Marty Dix (43 points), Andy Whitmore (41), Ian Moore (40).
Saturday, Single Stableford – sponsor, Alex Dwyer, Dwyer Quality Homes – Women – (21 players) – Anita Boyle (38 points), Carolyn Fisher (37), Trish Marsden (37).
Men (223 players) – A Grade, Barry Newton (42 points), Wayne West (39), Mark Wittholz (39); B Grade, Gavin Rooney (38), Mark Swift (38), Burgess Stephenson (37); C Grade, John Halbert (39), Mark Dolan (39), Phil Maron (39).
Juniors – Nine-shole Stroke, Matthew Bothma (42 nett), Max Faulkner (47), Luca Rodrigues (51), Charlie Walk (68).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (50 players) – Josh White (44 points), Sam Fichera (40), Steve Ridley (39).
