From Tony Durkin

 BIRTHDAY WIN: Incredible consistency was the hallmark of the victory by long-time members Monica Knowles and Anne Callanan in Headland’s 66th birthday-celebration Fourball Best Ball Stableford on Saturday. Five players short of the capacity winter field of 248 took part in the event with Monica and Anne winning on a countback when three pairs were locked on 47 points. And it was their near-perfect back nine of 26 points – eight three-pointers and one two-point hole – which was the decisive factor, with a mere three points separating the top 14 teams. Monica and Anne were close to fourball ‘flawless’ in their round – their lowest score was two points and their highest three – yet strangely, despite a combined total 72 years as Headland members, they had never previously played a fourball as partners. 

JOSIE AGAIN: Josie Ryan has won her 19th Headland Club Championship, and did so after a pre-final-round commitment of ‘shooting something with a with a seven in it’. And she did not mean the secondary number. Following what she considered three ‘very ordinary’ rounds – 89, 86 and 89 – Josie was resolute in her promise to find some form and did so with a superb 76, three-over par on the difficult final-round Headland layout. Her card on day four divulged four bogeys, 13 pars and a birdie – the birdie coming in front of a large and appreciative veranda gallery courtesy of a five-metre putt at the par-three 18th. Josie (340) prevailed over Sharon Thomas (354), who had led the Championship after the first two rounds. Helen Fraser won B Grade, with Carol Dwyer runner-up; Deborah Thomas won C Grade from Ruth Broderick; and Susie Meade beat Ellen Bloxsome for the D Grade Championship. While Josie has obviously been a prolific winner – her name is now on the Headland Honour Board 38 times – each of the other three winners are first-time Headland Champions.

RARE DOUBLE: Headland has produced a rare double in 2021 with both men’s and women’s Club Champions – Adam Richards and Josie Ryan – winning their respective titles over a four-decade period. Although no official records are kept in respect of such achievements, all knowledgeable golfing aficionados contacted by HH believe the feat could well be a first for Queensland clubs with a playing membership of 1000-plus. Josie joined Headland in 1992 but did not contest the Championships until two years later. She won the first of her 19 Championships in 1997 and since then has been beaten only four times. Adam, who has now won 15 Honour Board events at Headland, captured his first Club Championship as a 20-year-old in 1994 and won again in 2002 and 2014. And 2002 – as well as 2021 – were the years when Josie and Adam have performed the double act.

FAMILY BIRTHDAY: Headland’s reputation as a family club was amplified on Saturday when three of the top six pairs in the Birthday Fourball Best Ball Stableford were family members. Father-and-son, Anthony and Sam Fichera, finished second on the same points (47) as winners Anne Callanan and Monica Knowles, while husband-and-wife combinations Henryk and Leeanne Ptak (47), Col and Suzanne Pledge (45) and Graham and Maureen Cartledge (45) were also in the money. Of the big field of 243 to play the event, 21 pairs were family connected. NOTE: For 2020 SWING graduate Suzanne Pledge her six three-point holes perfectly supplemented the two birdies from husband Col. Both Suzanne and Col recently shouted themselves new clubs and lessons – naturally from Head Professional Adam Norlander. 

LADIES DAY: Headland women dominated Tuesday’s Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford with Patrice Jenkins having a day out. Patrice (handicap 39) teamed with A Grader Julie Halliday to score 49 points and win by a point from Carmel Visser and Penny Cooper, with Deborah Thomas and Diane Keen (46) finishing third. Although she scored on eight of the 18 holes, Patrice contributed 24 points to the wining card with three-pointers on each of those holes. Julie, meanwhile, had two birdies – at the 12th and 15th – in her contribution of 25 points from 10 holes. The best effort by the men on Tuesday came from John Robertson and Alf Gloster, who finished sixth. 

ORIGIN CONNECTION: When he was announced a member of Queensland’s squad for Origin One, rookie dummy half Reed Mahoney might have spared an appreciative thought for Headland member Mark Gersbach. Mark, a health and fitness devotee, was fitness coach for the Kawana Dolphins when Reed was a member of the under 16 and under 18 teams alongside Mark’s son Andre, and also coached both youngsters in the Sunshine Coast Oz-Tag teams of 2014 and 2015. Reed, a Beerwah Bulldogs junior, moved to Kawana when he was 15 and is now a member of the powerful Parramatta Eels NRL outfit. He was eventually cut from the 20-man Maroons squad, but appears certain to debut for the Maroons in the near future. 

AMBROSE WINNERS: Thanks to the barrage of long drives by Christina Claxton, Headland Women’s Thursday Ambrose winners were able to rely on some precision putting to return the excellent score of less than 60 – 59.75 to be precise. Christina was joined by Liz Dunford, Colleen Berger and Naomi Doyle and the quartet was able to combine seven birdies with two bogeys and nine pars to win by less than a shot, beating Lesley Pinn, Mary Young, Yvonne Richter and Julie Halliday. “We sank some bombs, but it was Christina’s driving that put in position to attack the greens,” said Liz. 

BULLET FIRES: Former Brisbane Bullets player Toby Zaremba has scored his first win in his new sport of golf, and in a rare effort of ‘putting two nines together’ had 66 nett in Wednesday’s Mid-Week Medal. On a very steady card, the Civil Engineer who also played Aussie Rules for Broadbeach, recorded seven pars, 10 bogeys and a birdie at the 16th from his 15 handicap. But despite his first-ever win since starting golf seven years ago and joining Headland in 2016, Toby was disappointed that his work colleague, Headland A Grade Pennant Captain James Brownsworth, did not play. “My single goal in golf is to beat James off the stick, and my 81 on Wednesday may well have been good enough,” he quipped. Toby conceded luck was on his side with three-metre putts falling on two of his final three holes. Paul Garth (69) won the A Grade Medal while Pest Exterminator Mark Gersbach (67) returned his best-ever score to win C Grade. 

GORDON PEAKED: Thanks to the magic hands of former World Surf Swim Champion Rachel Anderson, on Saturday 77-year-old Gordon Peak played his best golf round in at least a decade. Had Gordon, an ex-Headland Finance Director, been playing on his own in the Fourball Birthday event, his 44 points would have given him a top-10 finish. As it was, he and partner John Waterworth were fourth, with 46 points, one behind winners Monica Knowles and Anne Callanan. But a few months ago Gordon, battling severe back pain, had contemplated taking medical leave from the club before Rachel, a physiotherapist at Brightwater Physiotherapy, ‘worked miracles’ on his back. In the golfing doldrums for many years, ex-banker Gordon says the only time in recent years he has tabled anywhere near his Saturday 44 points was around a decade ago when his miraculous 46 points won him The Sunshine Coast Daily ‘Player of the Week’ award, and a round at Pelican Waters. 

WOMEN’S PENNANT: Headland’s Division Three team has completed a superb season for Headland in the North Coast Zone Ladies Golf Association Pennant competition by finishing second in its competition. The final-round match against Pelican Waters resulted in a resounding win 4½-1½ win, elevating the team to second on the ladder behind Caloundra – 34 points to 28. Women’s Director of Golf Jane Boaler led the way with a 3&1 victory, with Rhonda Parry (2&1) and Ali Lamond (1-up) also victorious, Penny Cooper squaring her match and Di Stark going down 2&1. Kym Mason was the other member of the Division Three team during the season. Division One team captured its NCLGA Pennant as did Division Two in the South Division, while Division Three finished second and the Weekend team also finished runner-up. 

WAYNE’S WORLD: Former Maroochy River member Wayne Bridgeman returned to his former stomping ground last week – as he regularly does – and smashed the course from his eight handicap. Playing in Maroochy’s Monthly Honours event, Wayne had five bogeys, three birdies and 10 pars in his round of 74 to return the best score of the day. A Headland member for the past six years, Wayne formerly played Masters Pennant for Maroochy River. 

JUNIOR PENNANT: Headland’s Junior Pennant team has made an impressive start to the 2021 season with two wins from its opening three matches. In round one Headland beat Noosa (2) at Mount Coolum 2-1, with Captain Keita Griffin-Klazema winning 3&2, Sam Fichera thrashing his opponent 6&5 and Jack Fisher going down 3&1. Round two was against Noosa Springs (2) at Noosa and again Headland prevailed 2-1. Charlotte Ridley played her first Pennant match and won 2-up, while Sam Fichera again blasted his opponent, this time 8&7, and skipper Keita went down 2&1. On Sunday, against Maroochy River (2) at Cooroy, Headland suffered its first defeat, beaten 2-1. Keita (2&1) and Sam (4&3) lost, while Charlotte prevailed 1-up. Apart from Charlotte’s second successive win, highlight of the day for Headland was Keita almost acing the par-three 15th hole.

WHOOPS: Men’s Director of Golf, Tony Kelleher, was on his way to his best score in quite a while before coming unstuck in a bunker on the tough par-four 15th in Wednesday’s Medal round. Three shots in the bunker led to a quadruple-bogey eight, but TK still managed a more-than-respectable 86 from his 16 handicap and a nett 70. C Grade Medal winner Mark Gersbach’s nett 67 could also have been much better had it not been for three triples on the front nine. 

WEEKLY WINNERS:

Monday, Vets, Two-Person Ambrose (108 players) – Sandra Murphy and Richard Ryan (65 nett), Peter Birt and Wayne Chugg (65.25), Mark Beswick and Steve Rose (65.5).

Tuesday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford (119 players) – Patrice Jenkins and Julie Halliday (49 points), Carmel Visser and Penny Cooper (48), Deborah Thomas and Diane Keen (46).

Wednesday, Medley Mid-week Medal (199 players) – A Grade, Paul Garth (68 nett), Paul Henricks (70), Peter Gablonski (70); B Grade, Toby Zaremba (66), Richard Ryan (66), Peter Leggo (68); C Grade, Mark Gersbach (67), Drew Grant (69), Peter McMillan (69).

Thursday, Women, Four-Person Ambrose (95 players) – Liz Dunford, Christina Claxton, Colleen Berger and Naomi Doyle (59.75), Lesley Pinn, Mary Young, Yvonne Richter and Julie Halliday (60.125), Bev Barnes, Libby Hall, Yvonne Henry and Trish Arden (60.375).

Men, Single Stableford (76 players) – Phil Kornmann (40 points), Vince O’Neill (39), Steve Walters (39), Gregory McDonald (39), Josh Poole (38).

Saturday, Club Birthday Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford (243 players) – Monica Knowles and Anne Callanan (47 points), Anthony and Sam Fichera (47), Henry and Leeanne Ptak (47), John Waterworth and Gordon Peak (46), Col and Suzanne Pledge (42); Single Stableford – Gordon Peak (44 points), Leeanne Ptak (42), Vicky Sheridan (39).

Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (62 players) – Mark Gwynne (37 points), Mick Prince (37), Brett Johnstone (36).