By Peter Owen
BRETT LeMoy, a knockabout Sydney lad with a wanderlust, was onto his sixth or seventh cerveza in a cozy bar in a charming Spanish village when he wistfully remarked to his mate: “This is the life. How good is this?”
“You know this bar’s for sale,” his friend said. “It’s going for a song.”
He thought long and hard, but Brett decided against buying that bar, tucked away in a street at Andraitz, the Majorca village best known as the hiding place of disgraced Australian tycoon Christopher Skase.
“It would have been a bit like the mouse being in charge of the cheese,” Brett reflects today.
Instead he stayed in Spain for a year, running an art studio with that same mate, then returning to Sydney, where a few months later he met Susie, the woman with whom he’d spend the rest of his life.
Eventually they relocated to the Noosa hinterland where Brett got serious about golf, and where, last week, he played the best round of his life – a two over-par 74 that won him the A grade section of Wednesday’s Vets competition at Cooroy.
Playing off a handicap of 12, Brett’s round equated to a nett 62 and gave him the club’s Monthly Medal by a handy margin.
“I’ve been down as low as nine,” said the man who had been a member of Noosa Golf Club for 17 years before making the move to Cooroy last year.
“I like the greens at Cooroy, and I like playing there,” he said.
Brett was in his 40s and working in the furniture trade in Sydney when he flew to Europe in 1999, firstly to visit relatives in Italy, then to go into the art business in Spain.
“It was a beautiful place to live – everything was so cheap, and I loved it there,” he said.
But he returned to Australia for his grandparents’ 80th birthdays, met his partner in life, and relocated to the Sunshine Coast, where he now lives on a 2.5 acre rural property – “mowing the lawn and raising some bees.”
When he was younger, Brett’s sport was tennis, but now it’s unquestionably golf. He plays two or three times a week, and is also a member of Noosa Springs, where his playing partners often include former rugby dual international Michael O’Connor.
Tickle shows new promise
Mark Tickle, the popular pro who ran Noosa Golf Club’s pro shop for many years, shot a respectable one over-par 73 to finish in the top 15 at last week’s Maroochy River Legends Pro-Am.
Tickle’s round was the best of the four Noosa region veterans who contested the event in hot, steamy conditions on Friday.
Brad Burns, of Yandina Creek, had a two-over 74, a score matched by Noosa’s Simon Tooman, while Eumundi’s Hugh Dolan shot a four over-par 76.Most of the field found the going tough, with high-profile stars such as Peter Senior (73), Glenn Joyner (73), Andre Stolz (78) and Ossie Moore (87) failing to shoot par.But Richard Backwell, the former champion junior who played on the Japan Tour for 10 years, had no such concerns.
He putted magnificently to score seven birdies in a four over-par round of 68, good enough for a one-shot victory over Englishman Grant Williams. Terry Price was third on 70.
Backwell these days mixes golf with business, and has recently acquired the management rights for an apartment block on the Gold Coast. But he loves coming to the Sunshine Coast where, in 2018, he won the 54-hole Sunshine Coast Masters.
Ace for Samara
Samara Dryden, the promising Peregian teenager, scored a rare hole-in-one while competing in the Bribie Island Junior Open last week.Samara aced the 89m temporary par three fourth hole at Bribie, prompting dad Alex to scream with excitement.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” she said. “I didn’t know what to think or feel. It was such a thrill.”
Despite it being short, the hole was anything but easy. Blaike Perkins, a plus 5 handicapper, was the only other player able to get the ball near the hole, his tee shot coming to a halt within 25cm of the cup.
Blaike went on to shoot 67 and win the event, while Amy Hodgkins won the girls’ division with 73.
Charity golf day back this year
The Katie Rose Cottage Hospice at Doonan provides expert round-the-clock free palliative care for those facing terminal illness in the Noosa community. A not-for-profit service, the hospice relies entirely on volunteers and donations.
A fund-raising charity golf day was scheduled to be held at Noosa Springs last October but became a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. Undaunted, the committee organising the event has declared it will now be held on Sunday, May 23, again at Noosa Springs.
Hitting the ball too far?
GOLF’S governing bodies have taken a significant step towards limiting the huge distances some players are hitting the ball.The Royal & Ancient and the US Golf Association have sent an ‘areas of interest’ notice to golf manufacturers, which included a suggestion for a ‘model local rule’ that could reduce the maximum length of clubs from 48 to 46 inches.
They are seeking comment from interested stakeholders.
‘Nine and Dine’ each weekend
With dinners now on the menu on Saturday evenings, Noosa Springs has extended its popular ‘Nine and Dine’ special to include both Fridays and Saturdays.
The deal – nine holes of golf followed by a main meal of your choice – costs $75.
And if golf’s not your thing, there’s an option – a 55-minute Spa Thermal Suite, which includes access to the hydro-massage pool, steam room, infrared sauna and blitz shower, followed by a main meal in Relish restaurant. The price is the same.
Club competitions
NOOSA
Wednesday, 3 February
Vets stableford: A grade – Keith Munday 36c/b, Michael Norman 36c/b, Doug Rogers 36; B grade – Dick Patterson 35, Mark Chapman 33, Don Drysdale 31c/b; C grade – Scott Hobden 39, Martin Taylor 35, Doug Pinnington 32. Rundown to 30c/b.
Thursday, 4 February
Women’s stroke: A grade – Rungratree Cox 77c/b, Barb Allen 77, Fiona Watson 78c/b; B grade – Maggie Ross 73, Linda Laws 77, Pamela Lavender 78c/b; C grade – Margaret Schofield 74, Patty Neale 78, Lynne Hancock 80c/b. Rundown to 82c/b.Saturday, 6 February
Men’s stroke: A grade – James Agace 65, Bradly Graham 69, Nicholas Fanning 70c/b; B grade – Graeme Brown 71, Mathew Leahy 72c/b, Donald O’Donnell 72c/b; C grade – Pete Ferguson 71, David Chapman 72, Greg Cole 73. Rundown to 75c/b. Women’s stroke: Tash Baker 73, Rungratree Cox 75, Allana Moore 77.
NOOSA SPRINGS
Tuesday, 2 February
Men’s stableford: Gil Hoskins 34, Peter Foulsham 27, Martin Holland 23; women’s stableford: Karen O’Brien 36, Sandi Hoskins 34, Marlo Douglass 31.
Wednesday 3 February
Men’s stableford: Timothy Smith 39, Simon Cotton 38, Tony Buss 37c/b; women’s stableford: Judy Buss 34, Leonie Shanahan 32, Diane Kemp 31c/b.Saturday, 6 February
Men’s stableford: Ross Gillies 39c/b, Andrew Seal 39, John Betar 38c/b; women’s stableford: Shard Lorenzo 38c/b, Rosie Randall 38, Mario Douglass 37.
Sunday, 7 February
Men’s stableford: Phil Harrison 42, Drew McMenamin 39, Niels Faerch 36; women’s stableford: Kaye Bollen 34, Silvana Phillips 33c/b, Anne Howick 33.
COOROY
Tuesday, 2 February
Women’s stableford (9 holes): Jenny Webster 18, Maria Taurer 17c/b. Rundown to 14.
Wednesday, 3 February
Vets stroke: A grade – Brett LeMoy 62, Greg Michael 69, Tony Hayes 70c/b; B grade – Wayne Carty 69c/b, Ron Blount 69, Doug Pearce 72; C grade – Ian Mulhall 71, Joe Daniels 72, Alex Kologaras 73. Rundown to 74.Thursday, 4 February
Women’s stroke: Div 1 – Kate Sawrey 70c/b; Div 2 – Jocelyn Rabjohns 74; nett: Kate Sawrey 70c/b, Carmel Clark 70c/b. Rundown to 76.
Saturday, 6 February
Women’s stroke: Sarah Brogden 66, Carole Clancy 71c/b. Rundown to 63.
