From Tony Durkin
BOGEY FINISH: Although delighted to score his first win in 12 months, Paul Clarke was kicking himself for finishing Wednesday’s Medley Single Stableford round with three successive bogeys. Starting on the par-five tenth, Paul turned on two-over 38 (22 points) and was sitting at just three-over par before his bogey, bogey, bogey finish. “For me, that really spoiled a good round,” he lamented after scoring 42 points, and winning A Grade. The former Sydney grade cricketer, who played alongside brothers Steve and Mark Waugh at schoolboy level, feels his golf game is improving following recent lessons, and he is looking forward to the arrival of his new set or Ping i240 irons which he has ordered through the Pro Shop. “I am now playing twice a week as often as I can, and that, as well as some practise, has helped,” said the 11-handicapper, who started on 27 when he joined Headland in 2007 after moving north and starting his own building company. And although it has been 12 months since his last win, Paul was runner-up to regular playing partner Gary Marr in the B Grade nett at the Club Championships in September. Paul Anderson (also 42 points) won B Grade on Wednesday, while Richard Thurgood (41) won C Grade.
HAPPY CAMPER: She claims she does possess a competitive streak, but Allison Bradshaw concedes a lack of confidence in her game prevents her from playing regular competition golf. But after scoring her first hole in one in a social round the previous Sunday, the 2019 SWING graduate elected to play in Thursday’s Single Stableford for Women. And after two shots in the fairway bunker on the first hole, which led to a one-point score, she could have been forgiven for thinking she had made a poor decision. But from then on Allison thrived, scoring a further 20 points, then adding 23 on the back nine for a total of 44, the best score in the field of 95, and a win in Division Two. “It was a great day, and I played some really good shots,” said a chuffed Allison, whose prior success at Headland was winning the November C Grade Monthly Medal in 2022, as well as the Rabbits Cup, for those women who do not qualify for the annual Medal of Medals. “I enjoy playing golf, but the best thing about joining Headland has been the wonderful friends I have made.” Mary Young, with 39 points, won Division One, and Joy Logan (40) finished top of the Division Three ladder. NOTE: Allison aced the par-three 14th hole in her recent social round, the same hole her husband Mal had scored two holes-in-one in the previous six months. She reckons the hole should be now called ‘Bradshaw’.
TARGET 100: Headland’s most prolific ‘age shooter’, Bob Trevor, turns 81 later this month and has set his sights on reaching the magical century of in-competition scores of either equalling or beating his age. Bob joined Headland in 1987 and has since achieved this rare feat 86 times, with his latest coming on Tuesday of last week. And that was the second time within four days. From the blue markers last Saturday week, he shot 77 for 41 points, with the same score on Tuesday, from the white markers, garnering him 39 points. Although his official GA handicap is nine, his respective game-day handicaps on the Saturday and Tuesday were ten and eight. The only disappointing aspect of Bob’s Tuesday achievement was that more members did not compete in the Medley Single Stableford event. “Rain was forecast, but all we felt were a few spits,” he said, after beating a field of just 18. When asked how well he was currently playing, Bob quipped ‘it’s going all right at the moment’. The former Telecom Technician first beat his age nine years ago, when he fired three-under 69, at age 71. He concedes the deed became somewhat easier during the recent bunker restoration program, when holes were taken out of play for 15-months, and the par was reduced. In that 15-month period he claimed 42 ‘age’ achievements but, at 79, shot his age the first day the course was returned to par 72.
COAD TROPHY: Sue Briffa has the chance today (Monday) to add another major trophy to her 2025 ‘cabinet’ following an impressive score a week ago. Playing in the first round of the annual Tony Coad Trophy in the Vets competition, Sue scored 43 points to head the Women’s table by three points in the two-round event. “I felt this score was coming,” said Sue, who won the C Grade Women’s Championship back in June. “Since coming back from a holiday at the end of August, my scores have been gradually improving and before Monday’s win I had 37 points on the previous Thursday, and 36 on the Saturday.” And while affirming the dry condition of the course was enabling more run and the greens were ‘less bumpy’, Sue said her putting had paved the way for victory. “I mostly had two putts per hole,” she revealed after penning 10 three-pointers on her card. The good scores of recent weeks continued, with Sue Jones and Trish Marsden both scoring 41 points heading into today’s final round, with the best accumulative score winning the trophy. For the Men, 40 points was the best, with Barry Mapes taking out Division One, and Colin Williamson Division Two.
TAYLOR MADE: Like a true thoroughbred racehorse, Dennis Taylor has rebounded from a long spell with a withering run. The ex-teacher returned to Headland on Thursday following an extended overseas stint and won his first event in ‘two to three years, I reckon’. Dennis scored plus six in the Men’s Par Plus event, with his only blemish a lost ball at the par-five second, which led to a wipe, and a minus on his otherwise impressive card. Apart from that misadventure, Dennis penned two birdies, seven pars and eight bogeys, with his score boosted by a ‘new’ handicap of 15. “We had three months overseas, house sitting in Germany and Edinburgh, then a holiday in Portugal, and when I left here my handicap was 12,” he explained. “In the interim the new handicap system was introduced, and in all honesty, I cannot remember the last time I played off 15.” A 35-year Headland member, Dennis said he was naturally surprised by how well he had played first up from the long break, but was delighted with $65 prizemoney, and the ‘few beers’ he had won.
HYBRID GOLFER: For most of her adult life, Jo McDougall was a teacher, as was her husband and fellow Headland member, Mal. But teach as they may, fellow golfers and respected golf ‘advisers’ cannot convince Jo to abandon her technique of putting, from off the green, with her four-hybrid club. “I love it,” she revealed after winning Saturday’s Single Stableford for Women, with 41 points. “Rather than chip, which I find really difficult, I use my trusty hybrid from anywhere up to 40 or 50 metres out.” And this technique certainly helped on Saturday as she scored her seventh win as a 2028 SWING graduate. Jo scored a four-pointer with a par at the final hole, and added seven three-pointers as well, with no wipe on her card. Although her daily handicap on Saturday was 44, her GA is 37 and she desperately wants to slice a few more shots from that mark. “Mal and I had never played golf until we retired to the Sunshine Coast, and bought a house near the club,” she said. “We now play as often as three times a week, love it, and are both keen to become better players.” Mal, who plays off 25, scored 32 points on Saturday and, fittingly, cooked Jo a champion’s dinner.
NO PROBLEM: Stu Ennever, who joined Headland 24 years ago when he returned from a working stint in the Houston oil fields, had no problem conquering the 18-hole course on Saturday. Unlike the astronauts on Apollo 13 who reported to Mission Control in 1970 ‘Houston, we have a problem’, the retired Oil and Gas Surveyor scored 43 points to win the Men’s Single Stableford, with a memorable front nine tally of 25 points. For the 26-marker, his front nine read like a dream – a four-pointer at the seventh, five three-point holes and three twos – for six-over 42. But it was not his best score. That came 18 months ago when he again scored 43 points, with a remarkable 27 on the front. “I usually struggle to put two good nines together, so I was happy just to hang in there on the back nine,” he said, after coming home with 18 points, and delighted no wipes appeared on his winning card. Equivalent to a nett 65, Stu’s score won C Grade, while Scott Lindsay (41 points) won A Grade and Graham Myers continued his recent run of good form to win B Grade, also with 41 points. NOTE: Several players in both the men’s and women’s fields failed to finish after an electrical storm hit the course on Saturday afternoon, as was also the case on Thursday.
LUCKY SEVENS: She had three sevens on her card on the back nine in Sunday’s Medley Single Stableford, but Cathy Roberts did not record a wipe. “I was lucky. One was on a par five and the other two were on par fours where I received two shots,” said Cathy, who admits she struggles on the back nine, particularly on difficult holes 15, 16 and 17. But in the end, luck did not play a hand in Cathy’s result, winning the event with 42 points, three better than runner-up Kirsten Kaergaard. Her front nine was superb, with two pars and seven bogeys from her 24 handicap, for 23 points. “I putted well and found no bunkers, which always helps my final score,” she quipped. “It has been so long since I last won, that I honestly cannot recall that day, or my score. I am genuinely stoked to have won, particularly as it was a Medley event.” Fresh from three days playing with fellow Headland members at Bargara, Cathy also returned her best gross score (91) in ‘a very long time’.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Monday, Vets, Tony Coad Trophy, round one, Women (34 players) – Sue Briffa (43 points), Sue Jones (41), Trish Marsden (41).
Men (54 players) – Division One, Barry Mapes (40), David Werner (38), Wayne Chugg (38); Division Two, Colin Williamson (40), Haenga Pirini (38), Alan Reed (37).
Tuesday, Medley Single Stableford (18 players) – Bob Trevor (39 points), John Marrington (39), Ian Carruthers (37).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford – sponsors, Nelson and Lachlan Valderrama, Absolute Building Solutions – (197 players) – A Grade, Paul Clarke (42 points), Geoff Sawyer (41), Ian Robinson (40); B Grade, Paul Anderson (42), John Halbert (41), Peter O’Brien (40); C Grade, Richard Thurgood (41), Roger Van Ginkel (40), Stephen Notley (40).
Thursday, Women, Single Stableford – sponsor, Sunlife (95 players) – Division One, Mary Young (39 points), Carol Quin (38), Sue Jones (37); Division Two, Allison Bradshaw (44), Pam Vincent (40), Bev Kelly (38); Division Three, Joy Logan (40), Jenny Hartwig (38), Bec Francis (38).
Men, Par Plus (44 players) – Dennis Taylor (plus 6), Robert Hayward (+4), Geoff Sawyer (+4).
Saturday, Single Stableford, Women – (28 players) – Jo McDougall (41 points), Josie Ryan (36), Julie Lewis (36).
Men (194 players) – A Grade, Scott Lindsay (41 points), Andrew Hay (38), Wayne West (38); B Grade, Graham Myers (41), Tony Waddington (41), Josh Poole (40); C Grade, Stu Ennever (43), Mark Priest (39), Stewart Smith (37).
Juniors –Four-hole Stroke (limited because of lightning) – Dominic Manning (17), Max Faulkner (19), Edward Gibson (20), Matthew Bothma (21).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (50 players) – Cathy Roberts (42 points), Kirsten Kaergaard (39), Anthony Fichera (38).
