By Peter Owen
PAUL Grant’s been playing golf for 40 years – and he enjoys it so much he’s determined to share the love with the rest of his family.
He’s encouraged his two talented sons to play the game. Eldest son Adam is now one of the stars at Noosa – a low marker who’s notched up three holes-in-one, including an albatross on a par four at Victoria Park.
Paul’s booked two of his grandchildren, aged six and eight, for a lesson this week with Noosa Springs teaching professional Greg Lynch.
In fact his only family failure so far is his wife, who’s just not interested in the game.
“I persuaded her to play in an Ambrose once and, on the last hole, she sank a 10 metre putt for our only birdie of the day,” Paul said. “But even that wasn’t enough to get her hooked.”
Paul set the rest of his family a fine example on Sunday when he tallied 39 points to win the Noosa Springs Open – one of the resort’s signature events.
He put the win down to a recent lesson he’d had with Lynch, who gave him a swing tip about the benefits of sweeping the ball, rather than coming down on it.
“It made sense to me, and it obviously worked,” said Paul, 69, who still works in the building trade when he’s not golfing.
“I hit the ball well and made some good putts.”
Paul’s been a member of Noosa Springs for 12 years and plays the course three or four times a week.
Runner-up was visitor David Ly, who took some consolation by snaring two Nearest the Pin prizes. Annette Philp, a 21-handicapper from Noosa Springs, won the ladies Open with 36 points.
Giblett is Noosa’s runaway champion
George Giblett reversed last year’s result in emphatic fashion, beating good friend Toby Harding on Saturday to win this year’s Noosa club championship.
Giblett, who lost last year’s title to Harding in a playoff, shot rounds of 70, 70, 73 and 68 to record a 15-stroke win and become the club’s undisputed best player.
Ian Burrough (337) won the B grade title from former rugby champion Michael O’Connor by four strokes, while in C grade Brian Priebe beat Geoff Smith on the first hole of a sudden death playoff after both golfers scored 381 for the 72-hole championship.
Three tie in Cooroy Vets championship
Keith Harkins shot the best round of the day, a six-over-par 76, to share the lead with two of his good mates after 36 holes in the Cooroy Veterans Club Championship last week.
Harkins, with rounds of 79 and 76, completed the championship in 155 strokes – the same as Grathan Leatherbarrow (77, 78) and Andy Stewart (74, 81).
The three men were scheduled to meet on the first tee at 9.15am on Tuesday for a playoff to decide the champion. They were to play holes one, 17 and 18, then go into sudden death if they were still tied.
Jim Lenske was B grade champion after matching rounds of 83. He was also overall net champion. Denis Beckhaus (103, 92) won the C grade title.
Tooman in the mix in Legends pro-ams
Sunshine Coast-based veteran Glenn Joyner won his second straight event and Noosa’s Simon Tooman continued his run of consistent form when the national Legends Tour returned to Brisbane last week.
Joyner shot five-under 67 to win the Meadowbrook Legends Pro-Am, south of Brisbane, on Tuesday, while Tooman’s two-under 70 was good enough for fifth.
Three days later, Tooman fired a three-under 69 for fourth in the Mt Warren Park Legends Pro-Am.
Cooroy’s greens staff on the move
If you think the fairways are greener at Mt Coolum than anywhere else you may be right. At least, the Cooroy grounds staff seem to think so.
Virtually all of Cooroy’s greenkeeping staff have up and left over the past few months – and they’ve all headed for Mt Coolum.
Former superintendent Todd McNamee was the first to make the move, quitting Cooroy in June to become Mt Coolum’s superintendent.
Now Brendan O’Brien, who filled in for McNamee pending the appointment of a new superintendent at Cooroy, has followed his former boss to Mt Coolum.
And casual greenkeeper Rex Williams has joined them.
Cooroy president Greg Michael put a brave face on the exodus, thanking O’Brien and Williams for their service over the past few years, and wishing them well.
“Cooroy has now seen a complete turnover of greenkeeping staff,” he said. “All permanent and casual staff that were with us at the end of 2020 have now moved on.”
Warren Smith, formerly second in charge at Noosa Hills, became Cooroy’s new superintendent on August 9. Dale Scanlan, who will complete his greenkeeping apprenticeship at the end of this year, started the same day.
“The club will be looking to appoint more staff in the near future as the weather warms up, the grass begins to grow and more time needs to be spent on mowers,” Mr Michael said.
Noosa’s matchplay champs
Dee Pugh needed 20 holes to beat Tereza Holley in Noosa Spring’s women’s matchplay final, while in the club championship matchplay title, contested by the top eight players in the stroke play club championship, teenager Maddison Kelly beat Tracey Carter 4&3 in the final.
Club competitions
NOOSA
Monday 6 September
Women’s stroke: A grade – Mandy Webb 68, Tash Baker 71c/b, Allana Moore 71; B grade – Marilyn Leslie 73c/b, Cheril Kane 73, Robyn McManus 74; C grade – Dorothy Charlesworth 72, Mary Stockwell 73, Pat Law 74c/b.
Tuesday 7 September
Men’s stableford: A grade – Bruce Blakemore 41, Michael Nassereddin 40, Tama Stana 39, Trev Sumner 38c/b; B grade – Ron Male 41, Geoff Cohen 38, Mark Trevanion 37c/b, Greg Wilson 37; C grade – Barry De Lacy 38, Bert Hofer 37c/b, Marc Murray 37c/b, Rod McCall 37c/b.
Wednesday 8 September
Vets stroke: A grade – Brian Farmer 66, Michael Morgan 67, Peter O’Brien 68; B grade – Dave Stewart 67, Harry Roberts 69c/b, Neil Callow 69; C grade – Peter Crooks 67, Ted Clark 68, Barry Burdon 70.
Thursday 9 September
Women’s stroke: A grade – Deb Matheson 73, Rungratree Cox 75c/b, Glenys Healey 75c/b; B grade – Tracey Fulbrook 71c/b, Gail Stokes 71, Heather Birt 72c/b; C grade – Kathy Jones 70, Dorothy Charlesworth 71, Pat Law 72.
Saturday 11 September
Men’s stroke: A grade – Ian Burrough 68, Alec O’Brien 69c/b, William Fogg 69; B grade – Jaxon Smith 68, Bruce Davidson 70, Eli Cookman 72c/b; C grade – Clive Hart 68, Roy Cook 69c/b, Cooper Liddell 69.
NOOSA SPRINGS
Monday 6 September
Men’s stableford: John Gavin 41, Jeffrey Pearce 40, Peter Foulsham 39c/b; women’s: Helen MacKenzie 40, Fran McLaughlin 40, Jen Carr 38c/b.
Tuesday 7 September
Men’s stableford: Robert Joske 35, Phillip Fortington 34c/b, Frank Youngleson 34; women’s: Gabriella Latham-Callcott 35, Kerry McFarland 32, Maddison Kelly 28.
Wednesday 8 September
Men’s stableford: Donald Gregor 38, Paul Grant 37c/b, Ryley Martin 37; women’s: Lorna Gibson 39, Joan Cairns 34, Jenny Hickey 33.
Thursday 9 September
Men’s stableford: John Taylor 35, Darren Weatherby-Blythe 35, Ryley Martin 34.
Saturday 11 September
Men’s stableford: Brian O’Keefe 41, Ola Andresen 39, Bill Young 36c/b; women’s: Lorna Gibson 41, Kate Robertson 40, Marie Osborne 37c/b.
Sunday 12 September
Men’s Noosa Springs Open: Paul Grant 39, David Ly 38, Sean Smith 37; women’s Open: Annette Philp 36, Marylou Orloff 35c/b, Suzy McGavin 35.
COOROY
Wednesday 8 September
Vet’s stroke: A grade – Terry Magill 66, Keith Harkins 67, Peter Brown 71c/b; B grade – John Butler 67, Jim Lenske 69c/b, Peter Palmer 69; C grade – Dennis Beckhaus 68, Gary Webster 70, Tony Atkins 71.
Thursday 9 September
Women’s foursomes championship, round 1: S. Sendall & W. O’Hare 69.5, A. Morton & L. Willimas 71.
Saturday 11 September
Men’s stroke: Div 1 – P. Carroll 70, A. Stewart 71; Div 2 – B. Clemow 71, R. Rashoi 71; Div 3 – M. Kennedy 67, M. Miklenda 70; women’s stableford: Aileen Morton 37, Sarah Brogden 32.
