By Peter Owen
When Prince of Penzance won the 2015 Melbourne Cup it not only provided the famous race with its first successful female jockey, it also delivered one of the greatest upsets in Australian sport.
But the 100/1 longshot’s form reversal was nothing compared with Helen Ringrose’s remarkable effort in winning the C grade division of last week’s Calvin Klein A, B and C Grade Championship at Noosa Springs.
A 45-handicapper more accustomed to finishing at the tail of the field, Helen shot successive rounds of 35, 38 and 38 points to win her division of the hotly contested 54-hole championship. Indeed, her total of 111 stableford points was the best of any player – male or female – who contested the titles.
“I’ve no idea what happened,” said a stunned, but delighted Helen. “I’ve been having lessons with (teaching pro) Greg Lynch, but nothing seemed to work. Maybe the penny just dropped.”
Helen, who moved to Noosa and joined Noosa Springs 18 months ago, said she entered the tournament primarily to see whether she could play on three successive days.
“I thought if I could get around all three days I would have achieved something,” she said. “I knew I wasn’t a threat to anyone.” How wrong she was!
When she was growing up in Victoria, Helen was a regular golfer. But work and other commitments became her priority and, for many years, golf took a back seat.
While her clubs gathered dust in the garage, Helen went about carving out a spectacular career in government administration.
After filling several senior management roles in the Victorian Government, Helen moved to Queensland in 1995 to become general manager of corporate services with Brisbane City Council.
Four years later she was appointed Deputy Director-General with the Queensland Department of Premier and Cabinet, and later served as Director-General of Corrective Services.
Helen retired in 2007 after a four-year stint as Director-General of Tourism, Racing, Fair Trading and Consumer Affairs. During that time she was also government representative, advisor and liaison officer for the Kowanyama Indigenous Community on Cape York Peninsula.
Thrilled that her handicap was cut by only one stroke after her Calvin Klein heroics, Helen is now determined to prove her win was no fluke, though she cheerfully concedes that the chances of her repeating that performance are not high.
CAPTION: A delighted Helen Ringrose accepts her trophy.
CAPTION: The Calvin Klein Championship lady winners (from left) Silvana Philips (A grade), Toni Liddy (B grade) and Helen Ringrose (C grade).
Busy Brad back on the road
Brad Burns probably plays more rounds of competitive golf each year than any other golfer in Australia.
Last year he contested 75 events on the Australasian PGA Legends Tour, traipsing around Australia, zipping across to New Zealand and even venturing into the South Pacific.
And when there’s no event scheduled for the over-50s, Burns invariably takes on the younger stars on the regular pro-am tour.
So this year – with Covid-19 seriously disrupting schedules and forcing the cancellation of many events – the Yandina Creek golfer has been at a loose end.
He’s still played more events than almost anyone – just many fewer than he would normally have played.
Burns last week was the best performed Sunshine Coast golfer in the PGA Professional Championship of Queensland and the Northern Territory, shooting three under-par 69 for equal third at Lakelands on the Gold Coast.
And this week he’s been one of the drawcards during the Sunshine Coast swing of the Legends Tour, where the cream of the country’s old masters play at Noosa (Tuesday), Twin Waters (Friday) and Maroochy River (Sunday).
Burns, who began his career in golf as a 15-year-old trainee at Gladstone and won his first pro-am as a 16-year-old at Headland, is the outstanding player on the Legends Tour, taking out the year-long title in two of the last three years.
Golf is booming in Noosa
People are joining golf clubs in Noosa at twice the rate of the national average, sparking a boom in the game that we haven’t seen in more than 30 years.
Golf Australia last month published a report which showed 42,000 people had joined golf clubs in the 10 months to November, representing a 5% annual increase in membership.
But in Noosa the membership increase is closer to 10%.
Noosa Golf Club general manager Allan Harris said 45 men and 13 women had joined the club in the past five months, and the interest showed no sign of slowing.
He said such was the demand that the club was considering raising the nomination fee from $1000 to $1500.
Over at Noosa Springs, executive general manager Mark Brady said the resort was now accepting only mid-week and corporate new members.
Both men believe the golf boom is a direct result of Covid-19. Despite restrictions across the country, people have continued to play golf, authorities recognising the benefit of exercise in a safe, outdoors environment.
Mr Brady said his challenge was to allow his members ample opportunities to play, while providing resort guests and visitors a chance to access the golf course.
“I’ll continue to monitor the situation,” he said. Mr Brady believes Noosa will continue to boom during 2021, as interstate visitors flock to an attractive region that has a proven record of safety.
Cooroy Golf Club manager Wayne Patston said new members were still welcome in all categories.
“There is no nomination fee at Cooroy and no waiting list,” he said.
Mr Patston said there had been a significant increase in green fee-paying players.
“In the first few months of Covid-19, golf was the only thing you could play,” he said. “People have become hooked on the game.”
Right ace, wrong hole
JULIA Caldwell didn’t know it at the time, but had she aced the 4th hole at Noosa Springs last week, rather than the 13th, it would have been worth more than $2000 to her.
Not that she was complaining. She was ‘absolutely thrilled’ that her tee shot on 13 disappeared into the hole. And her hole-in-one – the ‘holy grail’ for most golfers – gave her team enough points to win the hole and collect four bottles of fine wine in the quarterly Noosa Springs Skins event.
But had her miracle shot been made on the 4th hole – an iconic short par-three over a pond – Julia would have taken home a corporate membership to Noosa Springs, valued at $2250.
“I didn’t even know that,” said Julia, who moved to Noosa five years ago from Sydney, where she scored her first hole-in-one about 15 years ago.
The Noosa Springs Skins series, a skins event contested by teams of four with bottles of wine to be won on each hole, will resume in March 2021.
Katherine warms up for final major
After modest rounds of 74 and 76, Katherine Kirk was the last player to make the cut and qualify for the weekend rounds of the Volunteers of America Classic in Texas this week.
But the Sunshine Beach veteran then found her best form to shoot four under-par 67 on Saturday and par 71 on Sunday to rocket up the leaderboard and finish 25th in the rich tournament.
Fellow Sunshine Coaster Sarah Jane Smith (78, 72, 68, 74) finished 48th. Both women will contest the US Women’s Open this week.
Big prize awaits finalists
Golfers from as far away as 13th Beach (Victoria), Boomerang Farm (Mudgeeraba) and Burleigh (Gold Coast) will line up on Sunday in quest of one of the most appealing prizes to be offered to Australian club golfers.
They are among 18 men and women who have won their way into the final of Noosa Springs’ Sunday Series by scoring the best winning score each month during this Covid-19-affected year.
Sponsored by Universal Property, the event offers a fabulous prize for Sunday’s winners – 12 months free golf at Noosa Springs and Links Hope Island.
The male and female golfer with the best stableford score on Sunday will each win the prize.
Competition results
NOOSA
Tuesday, 1 December
Men’s stableford: A grade – Brian Farmer 40, Ross Smith 39c/b, Colin Kinnaird 39c/b, Studley Martin 39; B grade – Greg Wilson 41, Philip Richardson 39c/b, Michael Kerz 39, Tony Haack 38c/b; C grade – Bob Muirhead 41, Bob Hobart 39, John Favelle 38c/b, Michael Davenport 38. Rundown to 36c/b.
Wednesday, 2 December
Vets stableford: A grade – Peter Blair 44, Alan Hollows 42, Ken Robinson 39; B grade – John Brodie 41c/b, Andy McGill 41, Kevin O’Farrell 37c/b; C grade – Ian Glew 43, Raymond Bowen 37, Douglas Ruttan 36c/b. Rundown to 35c/b.
Saturday, 5 December
Men’s stroke: A grade – Cameron Matthews 64, Bronson White 66, Brendon Strid 67; B grade – Allan Coulsen 69c/b, Dean Jeffrey 69, Dwight Bandman 70c/b; C grade – Ben Joseph 67, Barrie Cooper 68, John Kerr 69c/b. Rundown to 73c/b. Women’s stroke: Lisa Joseph 73, Cindy Lawson 74, Valerie Stevens 75c/b.
NOOSA SPRINGS
Monday, 30 November
Men’s stroke: Alistair Rooney 66, Mike Cawsey 69, John Reid 70; women’s stroke: Noi Pike 68, Margie Charlton 69, Dee Pugh 69.
Wednesday, 2 December
Men’s stableford:
Paul Matthews 39, John Betar 37c/b, Dino Degotardi 37c/b; women’s stableford: Patricia Quinn 39, Dianne Kemp 36, Anne Smith 35c/b.
Saturday, 5 December
Men’s stroke: Glenn Sunderland 69, Peter Foulsham 70, Peter Degotardi 71.
Sunday, 6 December
Men’s Universal Property Sunday Series stableford: Phil Harrison 34, Bruce McCleary 32, Peter Boland 29; women’s: Kelly Lynch 33, Marie Osborne 29, Sandi Hoskins 26.
Monday, 7 December
Women’s stableford: Elizabeth Balmforth 40, Penny Bailey 38c/b, Fran Clements 38.
COOROY
Tuesday, 1 December
Women’s 2-person ambrose, 9 holes: Mary Miller & Terri Cairns 32.75, Margie Lucas & Sue Austenberg 33.25.
Wednesday, 2 December
Vets Monthly Medal, stroke: A grade – Andy Stewart 65c/b, Tom Williams 65, Terry Lyons 66; B grade – Paul Williams 63, Darryl Ayers 68c/b, Ossie Osborne 68; C grade – Peter Smith 66, Kevin Crundall 67c/b, Tony Kershaw 67. Rundown to 71. Vets Medal of Medals: Tom Williams.
Thursday, 3 December
Women’s stableford: Lynne Dawson 40c/b, Muriel Willett 40. Rundown to 34.
Friday, 4 December
Coopers Challenge, stroke: B. Robbo 74, P. Carroll 77.
Saturday, 5 December
Women’s stroke: Aileen Morton 69, Judy Kitcher 73.
How you can putt like a pro
Are you amazed at the number of putts the professionals on TV make, and then wonder how they do it? Well, of course, their putting strokes are well rehearsed and work very consistently.
But that’s only half the equation. They also read putts extremely well. A good putter is a very good green reader.
So what goes into reading putts so well? Research! What I mean by that is that they research their own putt by watching very closely shots from other players in their group.
For example, they will watch their playing partners approach shots to the green and then their putts.
Never turn your back on your own ball when it passes the hole with either a putt or a chip. You must keep your eyes glued on what that ball does on its journey past so you follow that exact journey on the way back with your putt.
Stay aware and keep your eyes on everything that is going on around you and before you know it, you’ll be putting like those pros on TV.
PETER HEINIGER – Noosa Springs resident PGA teaching professional
