By Peter Owen
Phil Harrison was so determined to play well in the final of the Noosa Springs Sunday Series that he spent more than an hour on the practice putting green the evening before, trying to find the right combination of line and length.
“It was hopeless,” Phil said. “I couldn’t hole anything – not even close.”
But, after a sleepless Saturday night, Phil returned to Noosa Springs on Sunday a new man – still stressed and nervous, but with a newfound confidence in his putting stroke and with hopes of winning the most important event of his golfing career.
He need not have worried. Phil played steady, efficient golf to score 36 stableford points and score an easy seven point win in the final of the Sunday Series, sponsored by Universal Property.
His prize was a year’s free golf at Noosa Springs and its sister club, Links Hope Island.
And Phil’s winning round was based around a superb display of putting.
“Every putt I had from between 10 feet and 60 feet ended up within a few inches of the hole,” he said. “My playing partners were amazed at how well I putted. If only they’d seen me the night before.”
Phil was the very last man into the final of the Sunday Series, having won the only qualifying event conducted in December.
The series involved competitions every Sunday, with the male and female golfer with the best score each month invited to compete in Sunday’s final, and vie for the magnificent prize on offer.
Phil, 52, who played off a handicap of 11 on Sunday, has been a regular at Noosa Springs since relocating from Brisbane in 2018.
“But I’ll be playing more often now, that’s for sure,” he said. “This is a really big deal for me.”
Noi Pike, with an outstanding 38 points, won the women’s division and, like Phil, earned a year’s free golf at Noosa Springs and Links Hope Island.
Pro life pays off for Tooman
Simon Tooman, who has made an eye-catching return to professional golf ranks after a spell as an amateur, is looking forward to beginning his 2021 campaign close to home – at next month’s Maroochy River Legends Pro-Am.
Noosa’s Tooman was a regular on the pro-am circuit before handing in his pro credentials and returning to life as an amateur.
But after winning the 2018 Mt Coolum Open and the 2019 Noosa club championship, he decided his form was good enough for a return to pro ranks – this time on the over 50s Australian Legends Tour.
And he hasn’t looked back.
Already a winner on the Legends circuit, Tooman shot a final round 68 to be third in the Australian PGA Seniors Championship at Richmond, north of Sydney, before Christmas – five strokes behind Andre Stolz, a former winner on the US PGA Tour.
He’ll be one of the strongest fancies when the veterans gather at Maroochy River on Friday, February 5, to contest the opening event of the tour’s 2021 schedule.
Originally scheduled for early December, the Maroochy River event was rescheduled because of the weather.
Fellow Noosa stalwart Mark Tickle is competing, as well as Eumundi’s Hugh Dolan and prolific Legends winner Brad Burns, from Yandina Creek.
There are still some spots in the pro-am field, and golfers wishing to witness the skills of these masters first-hand should give Maroochy River Golf Club a call.
How 2 holes cost Bryce a dream round
With just a few holes to play in the Tuesday Club stableford competition at Noosa last week, Bryce Smith let himself dream of scoring 50 points – an achievement that remains a fantasy for most of us.
Playing off a handicap of 18 and starting from the 10th hole, Bryce had scored six pars and three bogeys on his first nine holes to turn on 24 points.He followed up with a birdie and four more pars and, with two holes to play, had tallied 44 points.
Dreams, sadly, rarely come true and Bryce, a Noosa member for 20 years, completed his round with a wipe and a one-pointer for a nonetheless outstanding score of 45 points.
“I got a bit tired,” he said. “I wasn’t any more nervous on those last two holes than any other hole. To tell you the truth, I was pretty stressed from the start.”
Bruce, an electrician, saw his handicap cut by two strokes.
Sign up now for Skins
Registration is now open for the first of this year’s Noosa Springs Skins Series on March 31 – an opportunity for golfers to play serious golf in a very social setting.
Once known as the Noosa Springs Wednesday Wine Down, it’s a skins-type team event with a prize of four bottles of wine for the best stableford score by a team on each hole. If two or more teams get the same score on a hole, the prize jackpots to the next hole.
There’s a draw for $1500 worth of advertising from Southern Cross Austereo, and if anybody holes out at the 4th they’ll win a corporate membership valued at $2250.
The cost is $85 ($39 for members) and that includes lunch and post-game nibbles. Tee-off is at 12 noon and Covid-19 regulations will be in place to ensure the safety of golfers and staff.
Download an entry form from the Noosa Springs website, or give them a call on 5440 3325.
Membership deal at Cooroy
Golfers looking to join a Sunshine Coast club may be interested in Cooroy’s 18-month membership special. Club officials are currently offering 18 months’ membership for the price of 12 months.
Prospective members need pay only $895 – a full year’s subscription – and they will remain a member until June 30, 2022.
The first 50 to take up the offer will also get a dozen logo golf balls and five motorised cart hires – a bonus worth more than $200.
Club competitionsNOOSA
Monday, 11 January
Women’s stableford: A grade – Gail Stokes 34c/b, Glenys Healey 34; B grade – Tracey Skeppstrom 37, Anne Martin 35. Rundown to 28c/b.
Tuesday, 12 January
Men’s stableford: A grade – Murray McMillan 37c/b, Aaron Whitford 37, Toby Harding 36, Mark Ostwald 35c/b; B grade – Bryce Smith 45, Ross Smith 39, Lyndon Bruggy 36, Shane Taylor 35c/b; C grade – Michael Jedynak 41, John Hughes 38c/b, Bob Cox 38, Richard Henley 36. Rundown to 33c/b.
Thursday, 14 January
Women’s stableford: A grade – Fiona Watson 37c/b, Barb Allen 37c/b, Paula Jeffrey 37; B grade – Trish Strang 35c/b, Irene Kerr 35, Elisabeth Thomson 34; C grade – Christine Baker 41, Meliss Cowie 35, Jan ice Abey 32c/b. Rundown to 30c/b.
Saturday, 16 January
2-person ambrose: Sam Boulden & Nathan Jackson 58.5, Geoff Smith & Doug Reynolds 62.75c/b, Richard Townsend & Michael Munt 62.75. Rundown to 68.75.
NOOSA SPRINGS
Monday, 11 January
Men’s stroke: Bill Young 69, Martin Cook 72c/b, Geoffrey Phillips 72; women’s stroke: Mally Jane 70, Leisha McMenamin 72, Kelly Lynch 72.
Wednesday, 13 January
Men’s stableford: Peter Butt 40c/b, Robert Joske 40c/b, Peter Foulsham 40; women’s stableford: Niki Matthews 38, Lindley Stafford 37, Coco Moore 36.
Saturday, 16 January
Men’s stableford: Geoff Brady, 41c/b, Damien Nicholson 41, Andrew Grzegozewski 37; women’s stableford: Wendy Hopping 37, Barbara Sweeney 36c/b, Marg Waters 36.
Sunday, 17 January
Men’s stableford: Simon Hennessy 41, Peter Moore 37c/b, Allan Carter 37c/b.Men’s Sunday Series final, stableford: Phil Harrison 36, Murray Hopping 29, Greg Johnson 27; women’s Sunday Series final: Noi Pike 38, Judi Barrett 34, Sandi Hoskins 31.
COOROY
Wednesday, 13 January
Vets stableford: A grade – Greg Michael 37c/b, Gary Menyweather 37c/b, Terry Magill 37; B grade – Wayne Carty 38, Andrew Dick 36, Scott Bennett 35; C grade – Alex Kologaras 36, Mike Smith 33, Steve Howes 32. Rundown to 33.
Thursday, 14 January
Women’s stableford: Aileen Morton 29c/b, Carmel Clark 29. Rundown to 27.
Saturday, 16 January
Men’s stableford: Div 1 – C. Trist 42, M. Ciaverella 36; Div 2 – J. Barker 38c/b, T. Hayes 38c/b; Div 3 – K. Pickford 35c/b, G. Cowan 35. Rundown to 35; women’s stableford: Terri Cairns 42, Tina Thomas 36.
