From Tony Durkin 

JACK’S BACK: A young Justin (aka Jack) Nicholson was once the toast of Headland Golf Club, winning multiple Men’s and Mixed Foursomes Championships and finishing runner-up in the Club Championships on four occasions. And while Saturday’s dual Monthly Medal win – A Grade gross and nett – may not have produced the quality of golf played by Jack more than two decades ago, it was still ‘pretty good’. He shot one-over 73 from the Championship tees for a nett 68, with five birdies, six bogeys and seven pars on his card to win on a countback from Brett Adamson (77/68). Once a golf addict who always played to win, Jack now enjoys the social side of the game – a few laughs and a few beers with his mates – but says the competitive juices still flow when a good round starts to unfold, as was the case on Saturday. Shaun Sigley (67) beat Max Pasterfield on a countback to win B Grade while Nick Denovan (71) saluted in C Grade. 

UNBUNKERED: While Trish Marsden won Thursday’s Single Stableford with an outstanding score of 43 points, what pleased her almost as much as the victory was successfully extricating her ball from the only two bunkers in which she landed. Trish has recently discovered a novel way of practising her bunker play. Most mornings she takes her dog Buddy, a sand wedge and golf balls, to an isolated beach and while Buddy exercises, Trish hones her bunker play. On the mend after some health issues, Trish scored 25 points on the front nine in Thursday’s round, with three four-point scores in a four-hole stretch. As a result of the victory her handicap – which was 26 before her illness – has been reduced from 32 to 29. Trish won B Grade with the best score of the day, Kathy Atkins (40) won A Grade and Lynn Hayman (41) continued her good recent form to win C Grade.

PETER’S PLAN: After reducing his AGU handicap from 6.3 to 5.6 by winning Wednesday’s A Grade Single Stableford, Peter Perrett is close to reaching his objective of a three handicap by Christmas. The 2021 Sunshine Coast Masters Pennant Player of the Year shot his first par round at Headland for 41 points on a scorecard that noted six birdies, four bogeys and a disappointing double after a poor chip at the par-three fifth. When he arrived back at Headland in April following a three-year stint as Golf Operations Manager at Jumeriah Golf Estate in Dubai, Peter was handed a ‘very generous’ nine handicap by Golf Australia, and is confident he can shed the necessary six shots to reach his goal by the end of the year. And after working with many professionals in Dubai, he says his entire thought process around the game has changed, with more emphasis on accurate driving and not tallying his shots or checking his score until the end of the round. His winning score on Wednesday was the common high-point – Wes Houk (B Grade) and Sean Fitzpatrick (C Grade) also returned 41 points.

PUTT FOR DOUGH: Trish O’Connor has been playing golf at Headland for almost two decades and is somewhat embarrassed that her game has not improved as much as she would have hoped. But one thing she has learned is that success is primarily governed by putting – especially for long handicappers. And that is what transpired for Trish on Tuesday when she won the Women’s Single Stableford event with 42 points, 25 of them on the front nine. Trish had a five-point hole of her impressive card – for a birdie at the par-three eighth – as well as two four-pointers and three three-pointers but, surprisingly, her winning score is not her best at Headland. About 10 years ago she obliterated the course with 51 Stableford points, a score she recalls as being the result of a good round of putting.

PENNANT WIN: A Headland women’s team has won the North Coast Zone north division nett pennant final, beating Mount Coolum on a countback. Fifteen members – dressed resplendently in new club shirts – contested the final at Tin Can Bay on Friday, with the five best nett scores from each club counted. While Headland’s Gwen Nancarrow, Mandy Oster, Rhonda Parry, Josie Ryan and Penny Cooper prevailed on the day to ensure Headland finished equal top of the table with Mt Coolum, it was the contributions of the top five players at all six Open days during the season who were the decisive factor in the aggregate countback. The Sunshine Coast final, between Headland (north division) and Caloundra (south division) will be played on a date yet to be confirmed.

TWO FIRSTS: Coralie Walsh has made outstanding progress since she started playing golf just on four years ago, and has scored numerous memorable wins. But Saturday’s victory in the September Monthly Medal produced two firsts – her initial Medal win and her lowest gross score. Playing from the Championship tees and in the same group as her son Patrick and dad Don (Follent), Coralie scored 97 for a nett 69, beating the women’s field by four shots. Conceding she ‘played well, but had some luck’, Coralie also won nearest the pin at the fifth and eighth holes. And although she penned a triple bogey eight on her card at the par-five seventh hole, there were no other blowouts – the most satisfying aspect of her win. Josie Ryan (85) had the best gross on the day. 

NTP HISTORY: Mick Kelsey has created Headland history by claiming the first nearest-the-pin from the Championship tee at the recently-lengthened par-three 14th hole. Playing in the Men’s 2021 Foursomes Championship, Mick hit a six-iron to within 94cm of the 172-metre hole to claim the title. And not only did the two-metre (6’7”) giant declare he stroked the ball sweetly, he rates it ‘probably the best golf shot I have ever played’. But there was a downside. Playing partner and event sponsor, Mick Kinnear of Zero Termite and Pest, missed the tiddler birdie putt, a transgression reciprocated by Mick Kelsey at the 18th when Mick Kinnear hit his tee shot to 220cm – also winning NTP – and his partner left the birdie putt short. The duo did, however, combine well otherwise, and won the best afternoon nett, with a Championship-best score of 67.

WEEKLY RESULTS:

Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women (55 players) – Trish O’Connor (42 points), Pauline Lancaster (41), Gay David (39); Men (66 players) – James Snowball (41), Martyn Dix (41), Tony Coutts (39).

Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford – sponsor Guide Financial – (229 players) – A Grade, Peter Perrett (41 points), Paul Clarke (41), Scott Lindsay (40); B Grade, Wes Houk (41), Andrew Hempsall (40), Ed Hoey (39); C Grade, Sean Fitzpatrick (41), Stuart Miles (39), John Alsbury (39).

Thursday, Single Stableford, Women – sponsor Claire Watson Family (124 players) – A Grade, Kathy Atkins (40 points), Liz Dunford (39), Jill Nixey (37); B Grade, Trish Marsden (43), Vicky Oxley (40), Margie White (39); C Grade, Lynn Hayman (41), Wendy Burnie (40), Janette Mason (38). Men (94 players) – Greg McDonald (42), Colin Cross (41), Graham Molineux (41).

Saturday, Monthly Medal, Women (27 players) – Coralie Walsh (69 nett), Gwen Nancarrow (73), Joy Logan (73), gross – Josie Ryan (85). Men (218 players) – A Grade, Justin Nicholson (68), Brett Adamson (68), Scott Bromfield (70), gross – Justin Nicholson (73); B Grade, Shaun Sigley (67), Max Pasterfield (68), Warren Selvage (68), gross – Warren Selvage (84); C Grade, Nick Donovan (71), Graeme Denovan (73), Peter Elsworth (93).

Sunday, Vets, Living Choice Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford (102 players) – Denise Lawson and John Alsbury (45 points), Ree Condon and Jackie Thinee (44), Ginette Hewlett and Huki Matenga (44), Bill Smith and Roy Beattie (43).