From Tony Durkin 

HEADLAND HISTORY: Annabel Harris created Headland Golf Club history on Wednesday to become the first woman to win an A Grade Medley Monthly Medal, and return the best nett and gross scores of the day in the field of 219 players. The now nine-handicapper, who played off 11 on Wednesday, penned seven-over 75 for a nett 64, but because the Women’s par was 68 and the Men’s 67, she was credited with the winning score of the day, on a countback. “That was great,” said Annabel, who earlier in the year teamed with Sharon Thomas to win the Women’s Foursomes Championship.  “Also pleasing was the fact my good friend, Vicky Sheridan, had won the previous day with her score beating all but one of the men.” Annabel’s 75 included two birdies, eight pars and seven bogeys, with her only scar a double at the par-four third (the original fourth). Gavin Rooney (63 nett) won B Grade and Errol Greiner, currently in top form, also had 63 in C Grade. Paul Henricks (75) beat Annabel on a countback for the best gross. NOTE: In October 2021, Kate Wilkie became the first woman to win a Medley Monthly Medal with victory in B Grade. She then backed up less than 24 hours later to win the Women’s A Grade Medal.

NOTHING RUSTY: Nicknamed Rusty, there was certainly nothing tarnished with the revamped swing of Russell Thistlewood during Saturday’s round in the December Monthly Medal. The Electrical Fitter Mechanic, who finished a work contract in September and has spent the past few months concentrating on his golf game, scored 60 nett to win the C Grade Medal with the best score in the Men’s field of 215. The win for the 20-handicapper – his third of the year following scores of 46 Stableford points in January and 41 in July – came on the back of recent swing lessons from Head Pro Adam Norlander. Nine pars, five bogeys and four doubles dotted his card, and there was slight disappointment in not breaking 80 for the first time. “A couple of my doubles were the result of three putts on par threes, so the chance was certainly there for me to break 80,” he said.  Dan Diachkoff (64/68) won the A Grade Medal and returned the best gross, while Grant Martyn (63) won B Grade. 

VICKY’S BACK: She missed five weeks of golf following surgery to remove a melanoma from her leg, and Vicky Sheridan had played poorly in her six rounds since returning, with 34 Stableford points her best result. But the 10-handicapper blew the cobwebs completely away on Tuesday, obliterating both the women’s and men’s fields in the Single Stableford event. The advertising executive at My Weekly Preview scored 40 points to win Women’s A Grade, the best score of the day by eight points. And she bettered the men’s best – in a big field of 73 players – by three points. “It has taken a while, but finally I have found my rhythm,” she said, revealing she hit 11 greens in regulation for a birdie, 10 pars and seven bogeys. Sue Wake (31 points) won Women’s B Grade and Roy Peterson (37) won the Men’s event.

VICKY AGAIN: Despite missing Friday’s Presentation Night because of a migraine and still feeling off colour the next morning, Vicky Sheridan fronted for the Women’s Saturday Monthly Medal, sharing a cart in a very rare occurrence. After parring the first hole she obviously felt somewhat upbeat, and promptly went on to score 76, for a nett 64, and victory by three strokes. And although her gross score was two shots more than on Tuesday, because of the course rating she played off 12 on Saturday as against 10 on Tuesday. But that was not the end of her fruitful golfing week. She also returned the lowest gross score – seven better than the next best – and, even more remarkably, won all four Women’s NTPs. “It was a pleasant surprise,” she quipped, in the understatement of the week. 

MIDDLE GAME: Despite his win in Thursday’s Single Par for Men, Gary Martin says he still needs to conquer his ‘middle game’. “I started well, and finished well, but like most high handicappers, I lost the plot in between. That remains my big issue with golf,” explained the 18-handicapper after scoring plus four on the front nine, then squaring the back. A Headland member since he moved from Brisbane in 2014 – but originally from Tamworth – Gary has decided to play regularly on Thursdays rather than Wednesdays, because ‘it’s more fun’. And that fun on Thursday came alongside nine plusses, three squares and six minuses, for a nett score of plus four, and victory on a countback from the previous Thursday’s winner, Phil Kornmann. 

GRADE A JULIE: Playing her first competition as an A Grade golfer, Julie Welsh started nervously in Thursday’s Single Par for Women with a triple bogey at the par-four 10th hole. But she quickly pulled herself together with four plusses and three squares in the following eight holes, and then three plusses and five squares on the front, for an overall tally of plus five and her second-ever win as a seven-year Headland member. But while Julie may have been nervous before her first win in A Grade, so is her husband Michael, who has promised to buy her a new set of clubs should she reach her handicap goal of 18. She started at Headland in 2015 on 33, and after Thursday’s victory is now down to 20.2. Plus four was the winning score in both B and C Grade, with Deborah Bennetts and Shirley Eggleton, respectively, prevailing. NOTE: Julie’s first win at Headland was three weeks ago, with 41 points in B grade. 

TWO ACES: Richard Thurgood, one of two Headland members to score a hole-in-one this past week, has waited 53 years for the occasion, and when the moment eventuated he did not see the ball drop in the hole. “I thought it was in the bunker, so was stunned when we found it in the hole,” said the rising 79-year-old, whose ace came at the par-three fifth hole on Wednesday. Richard, who scored 69 nett in the December Monthly Medal, played most of those 53 years in Papua New Guinea, where he worked for Toyota. Duncan Watts also scored a hole-in-one, his coming at hole 7B, and followed his first ace back in March. But it was a rare highlight for Duncan, who described his 110 off the bat as ‘one of my worst rounds of golf’. 

IN-FORM WOOD: Until three weeks ago, Peter Wood had scored just one win in his 2½ years as a Headland member. But after winning Sunday’s Medley Single Stableford with 42 points, Peter has now scored three victories, his second coming back in mid-November with 41 points in the Tuesday Men’s Stableford. The former member of Sydney’s Muirfield Golf Club broke 80 for the first time at Headland, his 78 in Sunday’s round  including two birdies and six pars for a two-point winning margin. “I played solid all day, with a chip-in and a 10-metre putt – both for birdie – certainly helping,” he said. 

Monday, Vets, Closing Day Ambrose (124 players) – Peter Keane, Brian Garnett, Dave Sims and Peter McMillan (54 nett), Pam Andrews, Jan Langdon, Warren Selvage and Graham Newlove (54.875), Margaret Moran, Jill Nixey, John Moran and Wayne Nixey (55), Kath Barford, Bill Barford, Ross Wedmaier and Jock McLaughlin (55.12), Helen Martyn, Murray Scobels, Richard Ryan and Jon Welch (55.125). 

Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women (35 players) – A Grade, Vicky Sheridan (40 points), Monica Antony (32), Kym Mason (32); B Grade, Sue Wake (31), Barb Marrington (31), Helen Mulholland (31).

Men (73 players) – Roy Peterson (37), Tim Nunan (37), Brett Beaumont (36). 

Wednesday, Medley Mid-Week Medal – sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 on Duporth – (219 players) – A Grade, Annabel Harris (64 nett), David Hannah (66), Quentin Poulsen (67); B Grade, Gavin Rooney (63), Andrew Bint (64), Scott Masters (65); C Grade, Errol Greiner (63), Barry Mapes (65), John Wettenhall (66). Best gross – sponsor, Roger Van Ginkel, Thomassen Australia – Paul Henricks (75).

Thursday, Single Par, Women (86 players) – A Grade, Julie Welsh (plus 5), Pik Chong (+4), Mouna Humzy (+1); B Grade, Deborah Bennetts (+4), Julie Lewis (+2); C Grade, Shirley Eggleton (+4), Lesley Wilson (+2), Lee Heseltine (+1).

Men (80 players) – Gary Martin (plus 4), Phil Kornmann (+4), Fred Muller (+3).

Saturday, Monthly Medal – sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 on Duporth – Women (22 players) – Vicky Sheridan (64 nett), Monica Knowles (67), Jemma Leonard (69). Best gross – Vicky Sheridan (76).

Men (215 players) – A Grade, Dan Diachkoff (64), Warren Sorby (65), Bob Trevor (65); B Grade, Grant Martyn (63), Peter Leggo (64), Ron McMahon (65); C Grade, Russell Thistlewood (60), Bruce Prince (63), John Kingston (64). Best gross – sponsor, Brian Kesby – Dan Diachkoff (68).

Juniors, Nine-hole Fourball Best Ball Stroke – Flynn Lambalk and Finn Darlison (35), Paige Prosser and Matthew Bothma (35), Oliver Brown and Kamran Barden (37).

Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (44 players) – Peter Wood (42 points), Gary Marr (40), Tony Halliday (39).