OPINION NEW YEAR’S GOLFING RESOLUTIONS MINJEE LEE STEALS THE SHOW NEWS • OPINION • HOLIDAYS • LIFESTYLE • GEAR • TRAVEL • INDUSTRY ISSUE 219 // JANUARY 2024 WWW.INSIDEGOLF.COM.AU AUSTRALIA’S M O S T - R E A D GOLF MAGAZINE BIG SISTER CROWNED AUSTRALIA’S BEST AFTER STELLAR 2023 SEASON CLUB OF THE MONTH REGENCY PARK GOLF COURSE MIN WOO LEE WHAT’S IN THE BAG? WE TRIED IT MIZUNO DRIVERS, WOODS & PUTTERS RAHM JOINS LIV CAM SMITH A SIDE NEVER SEEN BEFORE CELEBRITY SWINGER GREG DOWLING ContaCt Us: 0413 736 245 www.cgegolf.com.au | play@cgegolf.com.au STOP DREAMING & START PLANNING! BOOK YOUR 2024 & 2025 GOLF TOUR NOW CGE GOLF WILL LOOK AFTER ALL OF YOUR REQUIREMENTS DESTINATIONS INCLUDE: Vietnam Thailand China Japan South Africa Ireland & Scotland USA ~ Pebble Beach & Scottsdale And many more... PACKAGES INCLUDE: Superior Accommodation Full buffet breakfast Transfers Advanced course & tee times arranged Escorted & independent tours Group & early bird discounts available *Ts & Cs apply.. contact us for full tour details
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January 2024 www.insidegolf.com.au THE FIRST TEE 5 Overhaul the makeup of golf club boards A YEAR or so ago, after a few post-game beers, a group of us convinced a young friend of ours to throw his hat into the ring and have a go at becoming president of our golf club. He’d been a member since his junior days, had blossomed into a fine golfer and, more relevantly, was an astute businessman. Now in his mid-30s and retaining a bit of the larrikinism of his youth, he was a qualified accountant and an entrepreneur whose business acumen had made him a multi-millionaire. After signing an appropriate form he was politely told that nominations had closed at 5pm the previous day and he was not able to contest the election. I had no problem with that. After a lifetime in the newspaper industry, I’ve come to know and understand the integrity of deadlines. But I couldn’t help but think what a wonderful leader this young man would have made, and what a positive difference he might have made to our club. A few weeks later I attended our Annual General Meeting, at which the election results were announced and important motions were discussed and voted upon. As I gazed around at the 120-odd attendees, I whispered to my 62-year-old friend sitting next to me: “Mate, I reckon you’re the youngest person here.” It’s as if any member under the age of, say, 65 feels unqualified to have any say in the running of the club, or even to attend an AGM. In recent times, golf clubs around the country have benefited from an injection of comparatively youthful general managers, and a welcome increase in the number of female GMs. But, in general terms, we’ve not seen the same generational – or gender – change at board level. Part of the reason, I believe, is that younger members are daunted by the sheer number of hours worked by many golf club directors, presidents and captains. Some seem to be at the clubhouse nearly every day, involving themselves in all sorts of hands-on management activities. To my mind – and I’ve had considerable experience on golf club and other boards – they are usually wasting their time. Worse, they are interfering with the work and responsibilities of the professional team that the club pays to operate and manage the club’s affairs. A board should provide advice and guidance, evaluate the ideas brought forward by the staff and directors, make decisions and set policy – then get out of the way and let the employees get on with the job they’re paid to do. Instead, they’re all too often sending out emails to club members, organising functions and events, sitting on panels PUBLISHER: Sam Arthur | sam@insidegolf.com.au Outdoor Sports Publishing Pty Ltd ACN 113 836 301 ABN 30 043 104 919 PO BOX 437, Miami, QLD 4220 EDITORIAL: Editor: Rob Willis rob@insidegolf.com.au Editor-At-Large: David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au NSW/ACT Journalist: Michael Court michael@insidegolf.com.au VIC/TAS Journalist: Michael Davis michael.davis@insidegolf.com.au QLD Journalist: Peter Owen peter.owen@outlook.com.au Design & Layout: Stacey Broomhead, Rob Kirk CONTRIBUTORS: Larry Canning, David Newbery,Tony Webeck, John Riley, Karen Lunn, Michael Cooney, Andrew Crockett Distributed to over 400 golf clubs, social golf clubs, driving ranges and retailers Australia wide every month It’s official: 37,775 Inside Golf Magazines distributed each month for the period: April 2023 to September 2023 AUSTRALIA’S MOST-READ GOLF MAGAZINE www.insidegolf.com.au Cover photo: Minjee Lee, the 2023 Greg Norman Medalist and star Australian professional Cameron Smith. Pics courtesy Golf Australia Get in touch If you have an opinion on this or any other topic in the magazine, send your letter to the editor to rob@insidegolf.com.au and you’ll be in the running to win a gripping prize. Inside Golf publishes opinion from a wide range of perspectives in the hope of promoting constructive debate about consequential questions. to employ comparatively junior staff – even making decisions on what sort of fertiliser should be used on fairways. Golf club directors are frequently people – usually men – who had busy, important roles in business before their retirement. And I often wonder whether they’re not working these protracted hours, and feeling the need to make unnecessary decisions, to fill some sort of vacuum in their own lives. I recently read of a 30-year-old being elected to the board of Southport Golf Club, on Queensland’s Gold Coast, his appointment a welcome testament to the club’s ‘next generation’ commitment to inclusiveness and the empowerment of young members. Three years ago, Southport set up a ‘next generation committee’ made up of a dozen or so members aged 30 to 45. They hold monthly meetings hosted by the club’s newest director, who then takes the group’s ideas, feelings and suggestions to the board. They have been responsible for a range of new events and promotions, and the club is increasingly turning to this committee for advice on everything from event planning to specialised merchandise. By involving younger members in decision-making and giving them a voice, golf clubs can foster a sense of unity within their membership, bridge generational gaps, grasp new opportunities and ensure a vibrant future for their own club and for the game of golf. And that’s the key issue here. At clubs like mine, there is a vast, virtually untapped reservoir of talent, enthusiasm and knowhow in the increasingly significant proportion of young men and women who have been attracted to golf in recent times. Let’s make use of it. Elderly males, who still represent the majority of golf club directors across the country, historically did a good job overseeing golf events, purchasing equipment, engaging staff and making sure the operations of the club rolled on. But times are changing, things are getting more difficult and the responsibilities of governance are becoming more onerous. Clubs need directors with the vision to develop new income streams, the desire to promote inclusiveness, and the ability to understand and harness new technology. They’ll find them within the ranks of their membership – if only they’re prepared to look. SALES: National Sales: Sam Arthur P: 1300 4653 00 M: 0410 575 303 | E: sam@insidegolf.com.au Northen NSW/QLD/NT Sales: David Ross M: 0439 612 458 | E: david.ross@insidegolf.com.au NSW/ACT Corp Sales: David Andrews M: 0404 871 479 | E: david.andrews@insidegolf.com.au Sydney/NSW Sales: Michael Hamilton M: 0423 455 572 | E: michael.hamilton@insidegolf.com.au NSW Central Coast, Newcastle, Hunter Valley Sales: Wendy Wilkinson M: 0414 905 232 | E: wendy@insidegolf.com.au VIC/TAS Sales: Marc Wilson M: 0419 107 143 | E: marc@insidegolf.com.au WA Sales: Gary Powell M: 0439 350 363 | E: gary@insidegolf.com.au SA Sales: Brett Crosby M: 0403 323 198 | E: brett@insidegolf.com.au ACCOUNTS: Sheridan Murphy M: 1300 465 300 | E: accounts@insidegolf.com.au By Peter Owen
January 2024 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 6 IN THIS ISSUE PRO NEWS 6 64 66 19TH HOLE EVENTS GOLF DIRECTORY 68 INDUSTRY NEWS 18 LETTERS 28 INSTRUCTION CLUB NEWS MURRAY RIVER FEATURE 52 30 61 CELEBRITY SWINGER 17 BUNKERTO-BUNKER 27 TRAVEL 57 CLUB NEWS NEW PRODUCTS 54 MINJEE Lee kicked it off in being named Australia’s best performed golfer over the past 12 months, little brother Min Woo Lee excited the galleries at Royal Queensland with a memorable victory at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, before two foreign invaders in Ashliegh Buhai and Joaquin Niemann prevailed on a difficult Sunday afternoon to win the ISPS Handa Men’s and Women’s Australian Opens. It was an exceptional month for Australian golf with massive crowds in Sydney and Brisbane and huge interest over the final two weeks of the local golfing summer. First up it was Minjee stealing the show, the West Australian crowned the Greg Norman Medalist for a record third time. A two-time winner on the LPGA Tour in 2023, Lee beat out arguably the strongest field of contenders in the award’s nine-year history, including her talented sibling Min Woo and reigning PGA Championship winner Cameron Smith. The 27-year-old Minjee found form with a playoff loss to Jin Young Ko at the Cognizant Founders Cup and then placed in the top 20 in each of her subsequent seven events. She would score her ninth LPGA Tour victory at the Kroger Queen City Championship, before three weeks later registering win No.10 at the BMW Ladies Championship in Korea in climbing back to No.4 in the world. “Minjee continues to represent Australian golf in the best way possible,” PGA of Australia CEO, Gavin Kirkman said. “To now have 10 wins on the LPGA Tour – including two major championships – at such a young age establishes Minjee as one of our greatest golfers of all time. And yet, I am sure there is much more to come. The judges for the Norman Medal were PGA of Australia Chair Rodger Davis, WPGA Tour Life-Member Karrie Webb, WPGA Tour President Julia Boland, PGA Life Member Peter O’Malley and PGA Board member Ian Baker-Finch. Min Woo would continue to fly the family flag later in the PGA Championship week, with his final round highlighted by a spectacular eagle on the ninth, to win his first significant Challenger Australasian Tour title by three shots. Onto Sydney and the Australian Open, where brother and sister Lee again had opportunity to win during tense Sunday battles, however it would be South African Buhai claiming a second Patricia Bridges Bowl, with Minjee second, before Niemann outlasted Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino with a playoff eagle to become the first player from Chille to hoist the Joe Kirkwood Cup. For Hoshino, he was runner-up for a second time in as many weeks after finishing three shots behind Min Woo at the PGA in Queensland. – ADDITIONAL REPORTING COURTESY PAUL MUNNINGS, GOLF AUSTRALIA A brother-sister act, a Chilean and a South African shine during Australian golfing summer DEMO DAYS 67 www.gamegolf.com SMART GOLFERS SCORE LOWER. A Completely New Performance Dashboard Designed Specifically For Your Game | GameGolf.com The New Winners are grinners THE 16th hole at the Australian Golf Club at the ISPS Handa Australian Open wasn’t necessarily designed to be a ‘party hole’ to challenge the 17th at Royal Queensland, however it almost turned out that way. With the Champions Club corporate facility situated just over the back of the challenging 16th, the festivities were certainly well and truly underway, especially when Min Woo Lee reached the green in Saturday’s third round, line up a four-metre putt, paused, refocused, and then managed to hole his sliding downhill birdie attempt, much to the delight of the patrons. The atmosphere was similar during Thursday’s opening round and enjoying the hospitality were Inside Golf’s November edition prize winners Paul Talbot (left) and Kieran Heffernan (pictured). Gladly accepting the corporate hospitality passes, the two keen social golfers from the Wollongong region south of Sydney, arrived early and stayed late, taking in all the excitement, while partaking in plenty of refreshments and top-class food on offer. A week earlier at Royal Queensland, two lucky recipients enjoyed the Champions Deck experience on the opening day of the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship. A good time was had by all, courtesy of Inside Golf. It was back-to-back Women’s Australian Open titles for South African Ashleigh Buhai, while Joaquin Niemann was the first Chilean to win the men’s title. Minjee Lee, named the Greg Norman Medalist as Australia’s best as for a record third time. - Photos courtesy of Gregg Porteous.
January 2024 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 7 It’s an Aussie assault at Champions Tour School FOUR Australian professionals have qualified to compete on the PGA Tour Champions in 2024 after finishing amongst the top five at the recent Q School held at the TPC Champions course in Scottdale, Arizona. Cameron Percy, who turns 50 and is eligible to compete from May onwards, began the final round with a two-stroke lead before dominating the field in claiming medallist honours by five shots. However, while an outstanding individual achievement from the Victorian who has made 220 US PGA Tour starts in his career, highlighted by a second-place finish at the 2010 Shriners Children’s Open, remarkably with only five full exemptions on offer, he will be joined by three of his fellow countrymen. Following closely behind Percy’s 20-under par total was Queenslander Michael Wright on 15-under, Steve Allen was fourth on 14-under, with David Bransdon fifth one shot further back. American Shane Bertsch finished in third position in breaking the Aussie stranglehold. The Australian quartet join the likes of Rod Pampling and Mark Henby, both winners on the over-50’s circuit in 2023, Richard Green and Stuart Appleby as exempt players on the PGA Tour Champions this year. As for the Q-School winner, at the urging of other players with whom he holds in high regard, Percy experienced a change of heart before the week got underway. “I wasn’t going to come (here), I was exhausted,” Percy said. “I was actually going to get ready for the PGA TOUR’s Q-School next week. I was told to go to Q-School here and get my card. It’s so much better than having to Monday qualify. So, I did… and, it has all paid off.” In relation to the runner-up, following his 8-under 63 in round three, Wright stood on the tee box of the 72nd hole 14-under overall, before finishing in a flurry. “I hit what was my worst drive all week at No. 18 today, down into the Barron secures exempt status on DP World Tour WA professional Haydn Barron has earned fully exempt status on the DP World Tour for 2024 after negotiating Qualifying School in Spain. The Western Australian Golf Club member completed six rounds of Final Qualifying at the Infinitum Golf Courses, Tarragona, Spain in 20-underpar to finish in a tie for ninth, with the top 25 and ties earning full playing rights. Barron’s success was all the more remarkable when considered that he only reached the final stage of Q-School as an alternate after missing out on automatic qualification from Stage 2 in a sudden-death playoff. It rounds out a memorable year for Barron, who won the PGA Tour of Australasia Rookie of the Year Award for 2022-23 and also qualified for the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Reacting on Instagram, Barron said: “Some of the toughest and most challenging golf I’ve ever played but we did it! Thank you to everyone who’s made this possible.” Fellow WA pros Hayden Hopewell and Connor McKinney also played all six rounds of final qualifying, missing full exempt status but guaranteeing themselves full playing rights on the European Challenger Tour circuit for 2024. They are likely to seek and potentially secure invites into DP World Tour events. Hopewell finished tied 39th, with McKinney in a tie for 59th. The WA trio were the only Australian golfers to play all six rounds of final qualifying with Elvis Smylie, Justin Warren, Matias Sanchez, James Marchesani and Andre Lautee failing to make the 72-hole cut. Blake Windred retired after two rounds. Four Australians have earned exempt status on the PGA Tour Champions in 2024, from left Michael Wright, Steve Allen, medalist Cameron Percy and David Bransdon. Haydn Barron and caddy Jack O’Connell at the DP World Tour Qualifying School in Spain. desert,” Wright said. “I had a terrible lie on the rocks, leaving me with no option to try and hack a 5-iron. It went, maybe, 30 yards, but stayed on the dirt on the desert.” Then from 122 yards, Wright was right on target, holing his third shot for a highly unlikely birdie, with the 49-year-old securing solo-second where he now looks to play full-time once he turns 50 in February. The top-5 finishers (no ties) become fully exempt into all open, full-field events for PGA TOUR Champions in the 2024 season. In addition, finishers 6-30 are eligible to apply for PGA TOUR Champions Associate Membership, affording them the opportunity to enter weekly event qualifiers. Included in that list of top 30 finishers were Australians Greg Chalmers (tied 8th) and David McKenzie (tied 11th). DistributeD by golf imports | 03 5277 3977
www.pga.org.au Your experts in golf PGA Professionals are here for you, for all of us Scan the QR code to find your local PGA Professional or visit pga.org.au PGA Professional: Michael Moore, Rossdale Golf Club
January 2024 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 9 Rob Willis rob@insidegolf.com.au https://www.parmaker.com Rahm signs with LIV REIGNING Masters champion Jon Rahm has signed with LIV Golf, with the twotime major championship winner to begin his LIV career at LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico which tees off from February 2-4. “I am proud to join LIV Golf and be part of something new that is bringing growth to the sport,” Rahm said upon signing a multiyear deal reported to be worth in excess of US$300 million. “I have no doubt that this is a great opportunity for me and my family and am very excited for the future.” Australian Greg Norman, the LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO was understandably excited to have signed one of the leading players in world golf. “There are very few athletes with his pedigree of talent, leadership, poise, and commitment to bringing progress to the sport on a worldwide stage. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Jon to the LIV Golf family as the league continues preparations for a huge 2024 and beyond,” Norman said. Rahm’s defection to LIV comes as blow to the PGA Tour with negotiations ongoing as to the potential of the two tours coming together. The 29-year-old Rahm has amassed 20 worldwide wins, including the 2023 Masters, 2021 U.S. Open, and the DP World Tour Championship three times (2017, 2019, 2022). The Spaniard has played in three consecutive Ryder Cups, with Rahm winning four times in 2023 while also finishing tied for second in the 151st Open Championship. With LIV golf combining individual and team’s competitions as a part of its format, as Inside Golf went to press which team he might be a part of, or whether he would captain and front his own team, had yet to be confirmed. Rahm joins the likes of Australians Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and 2023 LIV Individual Champion Talor Gooch in LIV Golf, which tees off in February and features 12 regular season tournaments, an Individual Championship and Team Championship. The Grange Golf Club in Adeliade will again host a LIV Golf event in 2024, with the 54-hole tournament set to tee off on April 26. SIGNED AND SEALED: Jon Rahm signs with LIV Golf. Scott to take inspiration from Cathedral win ADAM Scott lifted his first trophy since 2020 with a three-shot victory over Todd Sinnott and Jeffrey Guan in the 36-hole Cathedral Invitational and said he hoped the victory would inspire him in 2024. Scott closed with a four under 68, after an opening day 64, to finish 12 under – thee clear of Jeffrey Guan and Todd Sinnott. “It feels good, it’s just really satisfying to just keep playing good golf,” Scott said, referring to his encouraging performance at the Australian Open. “I am out here to play, I am going to try my best, and to win something is good for the confidence,” said after his win at Cathedral, a private course in near Mansfield owned by former Essendon president and business man, David Evans. The 2013 Masters winner will start this year full of confidence after a stretch where he finished sixth at the Australian PGA, tied fourth at the Michael Davis michael.davis@insidegolf.com.au Australian Open and became the second ever champion at the Cathedral Invitational. “I’m sure if I get in some kind of contention position for next time, I will have to draw on the experience of closing it out here nicely,” he said. “I think I’d sum it up by saying I’m trending pretty good.” As the challengers faded, Scott only got better. His birdie at the par-3 17th the result of a “perfect club” that also allowed him to conservatively play the last, even knowing the thousands watching would have preferred a different strategy. “We were playing it as a three-shotter anyway,” Scott said. “I know it’s not super exciting, but you kind of have to do what you have to do to make sure you win. “I’ve really enjoyed the last couple of weeks playing down here, it’s been great a atmosphere. I can’t say enough about how many people have come out and supported all these events down here. “These few weeks are inspiring for me going into next year to do big things and come back with lots of trophies.” Adam Scott, a winner at the 2023 Cathedral Invitational.
January 2024 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 10 Cam Smith - The many layers of the Mullet Cam Smith fronted up to the media, despite a couple of disappointing days at the Australian PGA Championship. WITH his extraordinary success in the game, it’s more than a little obvious Cam Smith is sitting in a pretty good place. Even before he confirmed the game’s worst kept secret by signing a massive contract with LIV, his future and that of the next four generations of ‘little Cams’, was assured. Despite all his achievements, fame and recognition, there remains a young bloke with a persona totally removed of celebrity or ego. I have listened to Cam answer questions from the media for years now and not once has he strayed from that normal young Aussie you might find yourself paired with in a Wednesday four-ball anywhere in Australia. While covering the Aussie PGA Championship at Royal Queensland, I found another layer of this ripper of a young man’s character I hadn’t seen before. After his first round of 2-over 73, his post round interview outside the scorer’s van was classic Cam Smith. “I was just standing over the ball and I didn’t know where it was going to go…. It was crap,” Smith said. As you’d expect, we all just laughed it off fully expecting something in the mid 60’s on Friday, putting his name back in the mix. Larry Canning ed@insidegolf.com.au Sadly 24 hours later there was absolutely nothing to laugh about with Cams second round 77 leaving him in a tie for 146th place and leaving the fans, and the media, more than a little shocked. I was fully expecting a frustrated Cam Smith to leave the scorer’s van and head straight to the locker room, where it’s always easy to find something to kick and with no one to see it happen. It wasn’t like he’d just blown the lead at a major or missed the finals of the Fed Ex Cup by a shot. Right? No, to his credit he stepped out of the van, came straight over for his final interview from a long list he’d already given this week. I was standing to his immediate right and could see his face up close and personal. But it wasn’t frustration or anger behind this thick black designer sunnies, it was tears. We’re talking about one of the grittiest highprofile players in the game who can take down the world’s best in the biggest arenas, but on this day, something was far more important to him than adding to his own list of accomplishments. When asked; “Did you feel you put a lot of pressure on yourself this week?” He gathered himself for a few seconds and replied. “I’ve performed under pressure before but… that’s just unacceptable….definitely been getting a little tired towards the end of the year but that’s golf, that’s not really an excuse. Australia’s been so good to me…. even when I’ve been tired… there’s no reason to really perform that way.” At that point, the mediator rightly moved in and ended the pain for Cam as he turned and went back into the scorer’s tent to collect himself. He knew he was the face of the tournament and made it very clear he felt he had let the tournament and his country down with two rounds of golf he described, as much as his emotions could allow, as unacceptable. Five minutes later, still with thick sunglasses on, he left the van again and began signing kids caps, moved to a team of fans all wearing matching Cam Smith t-shirts wanting selfies, more signatures, and finally into the arms of his girlfriend where what was left, spilled out. It wasn’t easy to watch this impressive young man trying to cling onto his pride and avoid embarrassment, but I couldn’t help but feel moved and inspired by his devotion. That day a young Aussie bloke, less than half my age had become one of my sporting hero’s. As expected, there he was again the next day, without his clubs but doing his best to apologise to his Australian fans by signing autographs, offering selfies, smiling and just being Cam Smith. As I’m writing this, from the media centre at the Australian Open in Sydney exactly a week later, I’ve just checked the leaderboard. Not the top but the cut line, and there’s Cam battling tooth and nail with a game clearly not at its best, to at least make it to the weekend and give something back to his beloved country. Raw, emotional, not to mention an exceptional talent, Cam Smith is an inspiration to many. I began writing this column at 2pm on Friday and now realise I can’t finish it until Cam’s 36hole score has been posted. 4.35 pm - Sure enough, this gutsy young Aussie “dug deep” and shot a 3 under par 68 on a windy, tough afternoon at The Australian to keep his Open alive and his massive Australian fan club happy. Cam Smith is the quintessential, fair dinkum, ‘doesn’t take himself too seriously’, Aussie but when it comes to his self-imposed responsibility for giving back to his home country, out comes an extra layer and he takes that very seriously. Editor note: Smith showed glimpses of what we know he is capable of with rounds of 68-69 on the weekend at the ISPS Handa Australian Open, for a 7-under par total, in finishing in a tie for 17th, providing plenty of entertainment for the massive galleries in attendance.
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January 2024 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 12 Super senior Nadene scoops the pool IT takes an extraordinary talent – and possibly a touch of luck - to win a state championship. Well, how about winning six? Not much luck involved there. Yet that’s what Victorian Nadene Gole has accomplished in recent months. The 55-year-old has become the first person in Australian amateur golfing history to win the National Championship and all six State Championships at any age level in the same year. Gole is living proof of the longevity this game can offer. Yet she is about as laid-back a champion as you can find anywhere. And when she’s not playing some of the best golf of her life, you can usually find her selling chocolates in a Melbourne shop she runs with her husband Sam. Gole’s golf was so stellar that it earned her an invitation to the US where she finished tied for fifth at the 61st US Senior Women’s Amateur Championship after reaching the quarter-final at Troon Country Club, Arizona. She defeated three past champions en route to the quarter-final before losing to the eventual title winner Sarah Gallagher 2 & 1. This humble champion completed her busy 2023 by scoring wins in consecutive weeks in Perth at the Australian Senior Championship (Lake Karrinyup) and the Western Australian Senior Championship (Royal Perth). As these events conclude her golfing year, she then headed off for some much-needed hand surgery. Michael Court michael@insidegolf.com.au South Africa Golfing Adventure sales@travelrite.com.au • www.travelrite.com.au 1800 630 343 South Africa’s phenomenal golf is reason enough to visit. When you add a safari and visits to Sun City, Cape Town, Hermanus and the Garden Route, the experience proves to be amazing. You will enjoy nine world-class rounds of golf including Fancourt Links #2, Leopard Creek #5 and Arabella #8. 1 to 16 November 2024 Led by PGA Professional Robert Stock That gave her time to savor her unbelievable year . . . possibly a record-breaking year at any age level of Australian amateur golf, male or female. And what a year that was. Gole won the Australian title and all six state titles, earning the Australian Senior Women’s Order of Merit, collecting national titles in three countries, scoring nine victories from 15 starts and holding the ranking as the world’s No. 1 senior woman amateur golfer since February 2022. Her year also featured a runner-up result at the R & A’s British Senior Amateur Championship as well as that tie for fifth in the USGA US Senior Amateur Championship. These events are regarded as the majors of Senior Amateur Golf. Her WA senior success marked her 10th world ranking event victory at her 19th start. It was also her eighth Australian State title success from just nine outings. Not bad for a player that only began competing at senior level in September, 2022. “It’s pretty surreal,” she said. “My attitude is that I just go out and play golf, but I always give it 100 per cent, so it is an added bonus to come out on top. “It’s a wonderful thing to be able to achieve because there are a lot of successful golfers from around the world that are now playing seniors’ golf.” Gole played in Europe during her professional days but returned home in 1997 and gave away the game until she re-joined Victoria Golf Club in 2014 and eventually regained amateur status. “It was something I wanted to get back into, but I was still a professional,” she said. “You keep status, but you don’t use it. “I just really wanted to be a club golfer to play with my husband and my friends. “It got to about 2016 and I said to Sam, ‘I think I’m going to give it away. It’s better to be in a club environment and just be a member’.” Soon enough she was playing pennant for Victoria and an everyday conversation set her on the path to senior golf success. “I was playing golf at Victoria and Heather Gellatly, who is pennant manager at Huntingdale, asked me ‘Nads, why aren’t you playing seniors golf?’. “I said ‘oh, I’m not old enough’ and she said, ‘they’ve changed it in Australia’,” Gole said. “I showed it to Sam, and I didn’t know what it would be like. “To be honest I hadn’t played much golf. “I’d played Tuesday afternoons and pennant for Victoria. I’m fit but three rounds plus a practice round is very different.” Regardless of what happens from here on however, Gole is simply thrilled that she rediscovered golf. “I know that a lot of people I played golf with don’t play golf now,” she said. “I play with 17-year-olds, 21-year-olds. We meet so many fantastic people because golf doesn’t discriminate with age. I’m very grateful that I’ve come back to golf.” Nadene Gole, won the Australian Senior Amateur, and six state titles to go with it. Super senior Nadene Gole.
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January 2024 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 14 Stuart Appleby – Part 1 – Life after 50 IN AN all-encompassing interview Inside Golf’s US correspondent Garrett Johnston spoke to Australia’s Stuart Appleby at a recent Champions Tour event. The pair covered a variety of topics, including the current health of Appleby’s game, his goals and aspirations for his golfing future, before delving into his thoughts on the possibility of a golf ball rollback. The winner of nine PGA Tour events, including three consecutive Tournament of Champions victories in succession at Kapalua in Hawaii, the Australian Open and Masters, while he was also a runner up at the Open Championship when beaten in a four-man playoff by Ernie Els. Also one of a select group to have shot 59 in an official PGA Tour event, achieved at the Greenbrier Classic in 2010, Appleby certainly enjoyed a stellar career. And it’s not quite finished yet. Next month’s edition of Inside Golf will feature part two, as he reminisces and recounts some of his biggest golfing moments, but for now, see below, part one, Stuart Appleby Q and A. AUSTRALIA'S LARGEST PRO SHOP NETWORK scan the code or visit oncoursegolf.com.au Shop smarter, not harder, with over 70 Pro Shops in one place Stuart, you’re 52 and just completed your second full year on the PGA Tour Champions. How are you enjoying it so far? It’s been good. I think Pebble Beach was my first tournament out here (September 2001). I spent a lot of time injured, so I played a few in 2021. I remember playing in 2022, that flew by so quickly. I’m just amazed by the quality of golf out here that you’ve got to play to get to win golf tournaments. I remember 20 years ago I laughed at the idea of playing on the PGA Tour Champions. Monty felt the same way. But look at Bernhard Langer. At 66 years old he just has an itch that he can’t scratch, you just see him out there all the time practicing on the range and on the course during practice rounds, and he’s always checking green slopes and figuring where not to hit his second shots. I think to myself, ‘wouldn’t he want to just give that all to his caddie? He’s played every course for 15 years straight now.’ But nope, he’s out there dotting every i and crossing every t. I guess that’s what true champions do is not let anything to chance. What do you want to accomplish on the PGA Tour Champions? I’ve definitely got more physical issues than I had when I was younger. I just want my body to be able to allow me to get the swing going in the proper directions. The guys out here are so good. Steve Stricker had an unbelievable year and he’s a tough competitor to play against. Steven Alker is another tough guy to take on. There’s no way he’s making a double bogey anywhere. Stephen Ames is the same way. They limit the big numbers. I just want to limit the big numbers out there. My chipping and putting and overall scrambling is good, but I just need to hit more greens. That’s always been my MO, a solid chipper and putter. Out here in three rounds I’ve just got to put The players hit the ball harder now more than ever, so you wonder how that’s going to take its toll on the body. No one out here wants to lower the age of 50, they want to keep it right where it is. The average age on Tour is way younger than when I was out there. Guys are winning at 20 and 21 with Tom Kim, whereas you weren’t getting your ground under you until you were maybe late 20s or early 30s in my day. It’s just wild to me. But we might get some idea if I was right about lowering the age in the next 10 or 15 years. There’s a lot of talk about the golf ball rollback and technology always has a big influence on the game. Where are you at with those topics? Technology has been advancing amazingly, at the same time, a lot of these players have physical therapists. These kids have really learned to compress the ball. My kid is 15 and he can hit it 280 yards. He’s just lean, tall, powerful kids like that didn’t seem to be around when I was a kid. The game has definitely changed. You hear about the golf rollback, well I’ll tell you that none of us out here want any rollback. It’s amazing how much it’s changed since the balata days. I remember my first win came with a ball that had more stability in the wind than balata balls. And that was a big deal at the time, and now we’re just used to that. I was talking with fellow pro Olin Browne recently about imagining hitting a golf ball with a persimmon headed club today in our 50s, 60s in cold conditions. If you don’t hit those things in the middle, it’s just ugly (laughs). It’s the worst game in the world. So, we’re kind of lucky now with the technology. together three really good ballstriking rounds. I feel like hand-eye coordination is my only talent with ball-striking and that’s just not going to get it done, so I’ve got to find ways in the offseason to get my body in a better position to deliver the clubface. You’ve often talked about wanting to bring down the age on the older Tour from 50 to 45. What is your thought on that now that you’ve been out here? My proposal was to bring that down, but not for fifteen years. Let’s look at the gap between a Rickie Fowler and other guys who are 25 to 35. How many Bernhard Langer’s are out there among them? Who among those younger guys is going to have that much desire to come out and play. Stuart Appleby, now competing on the US Champions Tour. A three-time winner of the US PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions.
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January 2024 www.insidegolf.com.au PRO NEWS 16 Steady ‘Norwegian’ pro makes par and cashes in on DP World Tour ONE of the scariest, most nerve-wracking experience a young golfer contemplating a career as a touring professional can face is qualifying school. Even hardened former major winners who end up having to return to Q-School find it gut-wrenching. But for the average players who do make it, there are rich pickings on the lucrative DP World Tour – formerly known as the European Tour. One player who successfully negotiated Q-School in 2022 was Norwegian Lette Kontanter and this year the tall, handsome professional had a solid year without coming close to winning a tournament. He’s been around the traps for a while and doesn’t hit the ball as far as those big-hitting young pros due to his age but he plays steady golf, has a good short game and can putt really well. The younger pros have given him the moniker ‘Old Man Par’ simply because he consistently plays par golf. He never shoots in the low- to mid60s and you’ll never see him finish a tournament under par. David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au Lette Kontanter just plods along on the DP World Tour travelling from country-to-country playing even-par golf. And you can’t wipe the smile off his face. This past season, I kept a diary on Lette Kontanter and discovered he played 37 tournaments and made the cut in 30. He didn’t qualify to play in the US majors and didn’t make it into the World Golf Championship tournaments, but he did qualify to play in The Open Championship won by American Brian Harman as well as the rich BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth won by Kiwi Ryan Fox. At The Open, the Norwegian finished in a tie for 23rd and banked €109,037 (A$183,284) and earned €20,270 (A$34,072) when he finished 64th at Wentworth. His smallest cheque was for €2715 (A$4560) at the Joburg Open in South Africa, but along the way he banked 11 five-figure sums – Australian Open (€10,133 – A$17,032), Abu Dhabi Championship (€19,537 – A$32,840), Hero Dubai Classic (€12,396 – A$20,835), Indian Open (€18,494 – A$32,768), Italian Open (€21,650 – A$36,390), European Open (€21,910 – A$36,829), British Masters (€18,354 – A$30,850), Scottish Open (€18,128 – A$30,470), BMW PGA (€20,270 – A$34,072), Cazoo Open de France (€11,900 – A$20,000) and the Qatar Masters (€10,290 – A$17,130). His highest place finish for the season was 20th at the European Open where he banked more than A$36,000. With all the other smaller cheques, Old Man Par’s earnings for the season resulted in him banking more than €388,290 ($646,265). That’s not too shabby for a player who just plods along and finishes each tournament even-par. Mixed fortunes for ‘par man’ down under OFFICIALLY the two cosanctioned major Challenger Australasian Tour events in Brisbane and Sydney, were the start of a new DP World Tour season, and our magical, mystical, Norwegian ‘par man’ would have experienced mixed fortunes. Shooting level-par 284 at Royal Queensland in the Fortinet PGA Championship, after scraping into the weekend play with the cut coming at 142 (even par), again he would have had his hand out for a collect, for €3,069 to be exact, or a tick over $5,000 Australian. The following week at the ISPS Handa Australian Open, he wouldn’t have been so lucky, with the 36-hole cut in the event played at two venues, The Lakes and The Australian, falling at 2-under par. Our man’s even par total of 143 tied left him tied for 79th, resulting in his eighth missed cut for the calendar year and leaving him without a tee time on Saturday, meaning no ‘Easy Cash’ for Lette Kontanter this time around. So, if you are a young guy starting out on next season’s DP World Tour just emulate the steady ‘Norwegian’ and you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank. FOOTNOTE: Lette Kontanter is a fictitious character. Translated from Norwegian to English, Lette Kontanter means Easy Cash. Had a “real” touring pro played nothing but par golf he would have earned the money listed in the story. Easier said than done, but nice if you can achieve it.
January 2024 www.insidegolf.com.au CELEBRITY SWINGER 17 How a snake brought a league legend unstuck GREG Dowling, the former Broncos and Maroons front-row enforcer, isn’t sure whether it was the slow play of the group in front, or the brown snake coiled around his golf ball in the rough on Noosa Springs’ fifth hole, that brought his game unstuck. “I’m allergic to snakes,” he said. “I’m terrified of the bloody things,” a curious confession from a man whose 11 games for Queensland and 12 for the Kangaroos were built on unflinching courage and intense aggression. His meeting with the snake, guarding Dowling’s Titleist No 1 in the long grass with possessive zeal, couldn’t have come at a worse time. Dowling was playing in the final round of this year’s Sunshine Coast Spring Golf Classic – a 72-hole tournament in which club golfers play four of the region’s finest courses, their aggregate stableford scores determining the winners. After the first round at Maroochy River, he’d led the field with 38 points. The next day, at Twin Waters, he tallied 40 points to again win the daily prize. And, after taking the honours for a third straight day with 38 points at Peregian, he led the field by a whopping nine points going into the final 18 holes. But that’s where it ended, his progress halted as certainly as if he’d run full speed into a Blocker Roach tackle. Dowling could cobble together only 25 points around Noosa Springs, allowing Southport visitor Merv Tappenden to snatch a one-point win over the former rugby league star turned politician. “We had this group of social players in front of us, who were just so slow,” he said. “Then there was the snake. I couldn’t concentrate. Anyway, there’s always next year.” Dowling, these days, spends most of his time in his beloved North Queensland, where he’s a member of the Ingham Golf Club, the place where he first learned to play the game as a youngster. At the time, though, the fast-paced action of rugby league held more appeal for a youngster who revelled in the physicality of the game, and whose talent soon caught the eye of recruiters who convinced him his future was in Brisbane. He played for Wynnum Manly in the Brisbane league competition, making his debut for the Seagulls in 1981 and winning a place in the Queensland side for the 1984 State of Origin series. In the second game, played in drenching rain at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Dowling featured in an unforgettable Origin moment when he clung to a ball which had ricocheted from the crossbar after a Wally Lewis kick, and slid under the posts for a freakish try, his muddied face alive with a triumphant grin. The Maroons went on to win that game 14-2 and clinch a series win that made it five from the first five series played. Firmly established as one of the game’s outstanding props, Dowling played all three games in the 1985 State of Origin series and both Test matches of that year’s Australian tour of New Zealand, before heading to the United Kingdom, where he spent one glorious season with Wigan. Back in Australia in 1986, he was again chosen for Queensland in State of Origin, then headed back to the UK as part of the touring Kangaroos, playing in every Test. In 1988 he became a foundation member of the Broncos, and the following year was Brisbane’s player of the year. Injury forced his retirement from the game in 1991. He had played 164 club matches for Wynnum-Manly, Wigan, Northern Suburbs and the Brisbane Broncos; 11 State of Origins for Queensland; and 12 Tests for Australia, scoring a total of 26 tries and, incongruously, kicking one field goal (for Wigan). But as much as his rugby league achievements earned him a place as one of the game’s greats, Dowling’s recollections of those times are full of golfing adventures. He’d picked up golf again while at WynnumManly, playing regularly at Wynnum golf course with mates and fellow footballers, travelling to the Sunshine Coast for games at Caloundra and Headland and, later, sneaking in a round or two at the old Hyatt Coolum during Origin camps. “When I was in England in 1985 with Wigan I played at St Andrews – one of the best things I’ve ever done – and at Royal Liverpool and Greg Dowling, a cornerstone of Queensland success during the early years of the rugby league State of Origin series, has always had a love for golf, a passion which continues today where he is a regular on the fairways of the Ingham course in north Queensland. Inside Golf’s Peter Owen caught up with Dowling not long after a deadly reptile had conspired to derail his chances at the Sunshine Coast Spring Classic. Greg Dowling taking it to the NSW forwards during the 1987 State of Origin series. Royal Lytham and St Annes. Fabulous courses, all of them.” Dowling says he enjoys golf because of the challenge it poses to an individual. “I’d played team sports all my life,” he said. “But with golf it’s just you. Just you against the course and, I guess, against yourself. “There’s no better feeling than hitting a crisp iron shot, or sinking a long putt.” He says he used to be able to bomb drives 300 metres or further but, at 64, the strength of his game is now chipping and putting. Dowling recently sold his Oporto chicken franchise in Townsville and is hopeful of perhaps securing a position with the old Queensland Nickel refinery, which was sold to a Swiss-based group a couple of years ago by Clive Palmer. Palmer and Dowling have been friends for years, with Dowling playing an advisory role in Palmer’s golf course assets, which include two courses on the Gold Coast, one at Port Douglas, one in Perth, and Palmer’s controversial Coolum resort. Dowling contested the 2019 federal election for Palmer’s United Australia Party for the seat of Herbert, and the 2020 Queensland state election as the UAP candidate for Townsville. He also ran as an independent for mayor of Townsville in early 2020. None of those campaigns were successful and Dowling is not actively considering running for public office again. “It’s hard yakka,” he said, “and I copped a lot of flak for it.” But he still believes he has something to offer and feels his contribution to public life could make a difference. “If Clive wants to go again, who knows where I’ll end up?” he said. In the meantime, he’s enjoying watching the revival of the Broncos, expects them to do even better next year as their young talent matures, and reckons Kevin Walters has shown the rugby league world he knows how to coach. And he wants another crack at that Spring Classic on the Sunshine Coast – to show everybody, including himself, that he’s no choker. While his rugby league achievements have Greg Dowling rated as one of the game’s greats, his life has been full of many golfing adventures. CELEBRITY SWINGER
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