IT CERTAINLY took some doing, but Port Kembla’s Rod Hall has finally taken out the NSW Veteran Matchplay Championship.

Hall was beaten by a whisker on the 18th hole in last year’s final and today it took him till the 22nd hole to topple Canberra’s Joe Marumo.

There was never more than one stroke difference throughout the match and in a golf format that can be nerve wracking at the best of times, Hall called on some 50 years of golfing experience to retain his composure.

“It can be pretty nerve wracking but I guess you just call on all the things you have done in the past and trust your ability, that’s all. Just trust your swing and go from there,” a delighted Hall said later.

“You are always disappointed when you get beaten on the last but that’s the way it goes. You’ve got to take the good with the bad. This year it just happened to be my turn.”

The fourth and final round of the matchplay event, which included four men’s divisions and two ladies divisions, was played in near perfect sunny conditions at the Shellharbour Links course.

It was a far cry from the first two days of the tournament when sometimes gale force icy winds lashed competitors (see reports below).

“I’m pretty happy. Its always good to be a winner but when you consider what we have gone through all week it is more of a challenge to be still standing at the end of the week,” Hall said.

Hall took up golf as a 12 year old when the local milkman’s son in his home town of Windang suggested “we’ll go up the golf course with dad one afternoon.”

‘The pro up there (at Port Kembla where he has been a member for 49 years) got a few of us together, he used to give us lessons on a Friday afternoon, and it just developed from there,” Hall said of his golfing career.

He went on to have a plus one handicap in his late teens, be a junior and senior NSW state representative, win 13 club championships, the state Champion of Champions title, and a host of other wins.

The 62 year old will be itching to get back next year to defend his title.

‘It’s a good event, I enjoyed it last year. It’s very well organised. Dick (Farrant) does a great job of organising it.”

His final round opponent, Joe Marumo, from the Federal Golf Club, is also highly likely to be back.

Marumo has only recently qualified for the vets (aged 55 plus) and took a week off his job as a Canberra teacher to take part in the tournament.

He needed to win the 18th hole to keep the match alive. Taking Hall to another four sudden death holes should be more than enough to inspire his return.

Ladies Winner “Over the Moon”

QUEENSLANDER Lyn Morrison said she felt “over the moon” to take out the NSWVGA Matchplay Women’s Division One title.

It was a sterling effort from Lyn, from Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club, who was by far the lowest marker in the field and perhaps the one most feeling the earlier icy conditions.

“I was over the moon. It was quite a thrill. To give 15 shots away to win is a bit of a battle, but I really enjoyed it,” Lyn said.

Lyn beat Joan Hartmann from the Wakehurst Golf Club in Sydney 3/2.

“I was lucky, I got three up straight away and it was enough to hold her,” Lyn said.

“She had the opportunity to get back because I had to give away quite a lot of shots. She played really nicely.”

In the end, Lyn finished the 16th with the three hole advantage she had established early on.

Lyn took up golf some 30 years ago because she was “sick of (husband) Dave being away and I did it to join him”.

Having been involved in lots of other sports including tennis, indoor cricket and athletics, she took to it like a duck to water.

“I enjoyed it immediately,” she said. “I started on 36 and in 9 months I was on a 13 handicap and then the following year I got to 10 and I’ve been as low as four. But in my last 2 years I have gone out to 12. I used to average six or seven but the grandchildren have taken priority.’

Lyn said she loved the Illawarra area where the week long tournament was staged, but with her Queensland heritage she wasn’t that impressed with the icy conditions that had gripped the southern states.

“I really struggled with the cold weather, it just about killed me. I am just not used to it, I was freezing. I have split fingernails and split skin from the cold. It was cold for everyone I suppose but being Cairns born and bred I am just not used to it,” she said.

In the Women’s Division 2, Janina Aird from Branxton defeated Margaret Cole from Port Kembla 2 up.

Round 3

AFTER two days of freezing winds the third round of the NSW Veteran Matchplay Championship took place in comparatively balmy conditions at the Port Kembla Golf Club on Thursday.

Last year’s runner up and Port Kembla member Ron Hall continued his run for the 2009 championship title with a 2/1 win over Camden’s Joe Smuk.

Hall will face off against Canberra’s Joe Marumo (Federal), who convincingly beat Steve Mikosic from the Shoalhaven Heads club.

Much better conditions are forecast for the final round at Shellharbour Links on Friday.

The week long matchplay event, with a number of mens and ladies divisions, is not a knockout and all entrants will play a fellow competitor with the same win/loss ratio on the final day.

Round 1 & 2

ICY winds saw many competitors looking more like skiers than golfers but after two rounds of the NSW Veteran Matchplay Championships in the Illawarra spirits were still high.

Men and lady golfers from some 40 clubs and from as far afield as Cranbourne and Rich River, Victoria and Coolangatta Tweed, Queensland, were taking part in the week long event.

In the top Men’s scratch championship division last year’s runner up Ron Hall had recorded two wins and was still alive as the event moved into the third day at his home club Port Kembla.

Others unbeaten in the top division included Joe Smuk from Camden, Joe Marumo (Federal) and Steve Mikosic (Shoalhaven Heads).

This is the second year the event is being held in the Illawarra.

The first two rounds were played at Shellharbour Links and The Grange at Kembla Grange.

The fourth and final round will be at the much improved Shellharbour Links course and competitors are hoping that forecasts predicting a respite from the strong winds that have gripped much of the state are correct.

For full results see the NSWVGA website here

More final day photos to come.

[Show as slideshow]

PLACES are still available for the NSW Veteran Golfers Association Matchplay Championship being played in the Illawarra from June 8 to 12.

Tournament Director Dick Farrant says numbers are already up on the very successful event held in the Illawarra for the first time last year but there are still spots for both men and women.

The tournament is being played at three top south coast courses, Shellharbour Links, The Grange and Port Kembla.

The top 16 men will play off the stick for the championship and there will be at least three other handicap divisions for men and two for women.

Dick says the tournament is organised so all participants get a full week of matchplay and will end up on the Friday playing a fellow competitor with the same win/loss ratio.

Last year’s winner Tony Jones (pictured left with Ron Hall) from the Waratah Club will be defending his title along with runner-up Ron Hall from Port Kembla Golf Club.

Other low markers vying for the championship include Greg Kent (Charlestown), Joe Marumo (Federal), Bob Angus (Cumberland), Barry Bray (Liverpool), Grahame George (Charlestown), Dave Morrison (Coolangatta/Tweed), Alan Fensom (Wollongong) and Joe Smuk (Camden).

Greg Kent won the 2009 Rich River Bill Mead Memorial Matchplay when he defeated Geoff Everett (The Lakes) in the final at the nineteenth.

For further information, entry forms and contact details for Dick Farrant see the NSWVGA website.

DICK FARRANT was 15 when he first picked up a golf club and now some 56 years later he still doesn’t mind going out and “giving it a whack”, as he says.

Dick has tasted some personal success in his long golfing career, getting down to a very respectable seven on a few occasions and winning the odd club or country tournament here and there.

But these days Dick is much more focussed on what he can contribute to golf and the social and camaraderie aspects of the game rather than any personal playing satisfaction he may get out of it.

Dick is the new president of the NSW Veteran Golfers Association (NSWVGA), an organisation that helps offer veteran golfers, that is those aged 55 and over, with an unparalleled smorgasbord of golf tournament and competition opportunities across the state.

The NSWVGA currently oversees some 48 “Week of Golf” tournaments from the top to the bottom of NSW and way out west to Broken Hill.

As much as possible, the tournaments are organised in geographic loops so competitors can be on the road for weeks at a time just going from vet event to vet event.

There are also five state championships, including a stroke and a matchplay event, and next year NSW will host the National Veteran Golfer Championship based around Port Macquarie.

In addition, affiliated veteran groups run regular weekly or monthly competitions at club level.

All those golfing opportunities are of course great for the many older golfers that take advantage of them, but the regional tournaments can also be a huge boost to local economies when a couple of hundred golfers roll into a country town for a week or so.

…just putting back some of what the game has given me

All that golf also means a whole lot of organisational and administrative work and it is people such as Dick Farrant and those like him who make it all possible.

“To my mind I am just putting back some of what the game has given to me,” Dick says.

Exactly how much that “bit of time” is Dick finds hard to quantify, but his wife Marie commented some time after he retired that he seemed to be busier with his golf administration duties than he had been at work.

Dick doesn’t necessarily agree with that but he has certainly at times piled on the responsibilities, for instance for nine years he was jointly holding down the very  time demanding roles of President of Kiama Golf Club and Secretary of the NSWVGA.

A former high school mathematics teacher, Dick has been involved in volunteer golf administration for some 43 years.

“I was elected to the position of secretary of Wauchope Golf Club in 1966 and apart from four separate (single) years since then the administrative association has continued,” Dick says.

“At Wauchope I was on the golf committee for 10 years and in that time I covered position including secretary, publicity officer, handicapper, match committee and for the last two years I was vice president.”

“Then I received a promotion in my job and in 1977 took up the position of head teacher mathematics at Bowral High School, and within a year I was elected to the board of directors at Bowral Country Club and served there for 10 years, for eight years of which I was club captain”

“Then I was transferred to Kiama at the beginning of 91 and became a member of Kiama and one year later elected to the board, had 14 years on the board, five years as vice president, following by nine years as president.”

At about the same time as Dick became president of Kiama Golf Club, Des Coady, the then president of the NSWVGA, approached him about becoming secretary of the association.

Dick held that position for almost 12 years until last December when Des Coady stood down after 16 years at the helm. Dick threw his hat in the ring and was elected president.

Now some five months into the new job (as at May 2009), Dick is very mindful of the need to “consolidate and polish” the strong foundation and legacy that has been left to him.

“I wanted to consolidate what had been put in place to make sure that what Des Coady had set up, which seemed to be working pretty well, would continue,” Dick says.

What really drives the organisation in its mission to promote golf to veterans is the Week of Golf calendar.

The tournaments are typically four day events held Monday to Friday with a day off on Wednesday. Towards the end of the week there is usually a very well attended and much enjoyed presentation dinner.

Dick says the biggest event is held at Yamba/Mclean and attracts something like 420 competitors.

“Orange recently had 380, Coffs Harbour is usually around the 300 and just under the 300 mark would be Hawks Nest, Coolangatta/Tweed and Griffith. Then there’s another 10 or 12 events with over 200.”

At the other end of the scale are events like Gloucester.

”At Gloucester…they just kill you with kindness”

“You get a tournament like Gloucester which is only a nine hole course. They only take 80 people and they are delighted to have those 80 people four days out of the five.” Dick says. “They have a shotgun start at Gloucester and they reckon they have a ball and they‘ve got home cooking and scones and all sorts of things there and they just kill you with kindness.”

“That is again harking back to the economic influence of the tournaments in some of these districts because it is pretty big for them.”

Many veteran golfers really make a feast of it and travel for weeks on end, often as either a single or group of caravaners.

“The first veterans tournament I ever played, would you believe, was the National Veteran Championships in Port Macquarie in 94. That’s the first veterans event outside my own club,” Dick says.

“In the last round I played with a chap from South Australia, this was about October/November, and he and his wife had left home in February in their van and gone right up to the top of Queensland and come back and were on their way back home and they had a combination of just staying at caravan parks, site seeing plus playing golf.

“It was my first introduction to a concept of people going out on the road and travelling and following their ideals of site seeing, touring and playing golf.

“And that’s one of the driving things we’ve to do in the NSW program is to work it geographically so you can go from one tournament to the next and there is not a long distance to travel in between.”

“For example I have friends of mine who at the moment are getting ready to go to Tamworth, they’ll be playing a week of golf at Tamworth then they’ll be going to Narrabri for a week of golf then they’ll be going to Moree for a week of golf. So it that concept that they go away for three weeks at a time, or four or five weeks, whatever it may be.

“That was the first time I struck they idea of how, what’s the word, almost how dedicated some of these people were to getting out on the road, getting in their van, touring, holidaying, playing golf, and I thought that was great. It is certainly a feature of the NSW program that concept.”

The Lumley’s and Turell’s play at least 20 tournaments a year

Theoretically, you could play in 38 Weeks of golf in NSW a year.

“No one plays in all 38 but I could name a few people, the Lumley’s from Coffs Harbour would play a lot, the Turrell’s from Dubbo the same.

I hope I’m not misquoting them but they probably play at least 2o tournaments a year,” Dick says.

All the tournaments have mens and womens competitions and couples and singles are encouraged to take part.

Marie Farrant is an avid golfer of 20 years and she and husband Dick regularly attend tournaments together. Marie in fact won the ladies section of the NSW Veteran Matchplay last year and will be defending the title in the Illawarra in June.

“It is a very healthy exercise to be getting out on the road playing golf” Dick says.

“You have got people who are in their late seventies, early 80’s, who are quite good supporters of the tournaments. It is a tremendous mental thing for these people that they can get out, still be meeting people, still be competing. Because golf has handicaps, theoretically with your handicap you are able to compete against everyone else. Once you take out the younger folk and everyone is at least 55 years old you don’t feel you have to keep up with the Tiger Woods type young people who smash it a mile. Its very good camaraderie and I think also giving the women the opportunity to travel with their partners is a big plus.

“You get a few blokes who are on the road who play a lot of this golf who unfortunately have lost their wife and they find this terrific. They just get out there and meet everybody and it just puts the memories on the back burner for a little while.”

“You also get a lot of interaction between the people who are towing vans. Invariably they will get on these loops, say they might do the Tamworth, Narrabri, Moree events in consecutive weeks and when they get to the caravan parks they will all arrange to be booked in close to each other and they have their happy hours after golf and it is terrific. It is wonderful to be able to interact with people.”

As Dick says, he feel he is just giving back some of what golf has given him, but he is also confident he has a lot to contribute because of his long golf administration experience.

He acknowledges there are many others enthusiastically donating their time and expertise, firstly citing the “excellent” NSW executive team around him.

“An important thing which is probably taken for granted sometimes is the professional approach of all the (regional) tournament committees,” Dick says. “There are some very capable people who are running these tournaments and they are often people who have come up through the ranks not unlike myself who have been involved with their home club and now they are in there running a veteran tournament and handling big fields and results and things like that in a very professional manner.

“I suppose the strength of the association is firstly the network of all the group secretaries, so that’s the communication and dissemination of all the information, as well as the tournament directors. They’re the strength and they’re doing a tremendous job. And the tournament directors if they are worth their salt, which they all are, will have a very effective committee. You can’t afford to be a one man band. All of the events are run in a vey professional manner.”

Dick Farrant can’t say how long he will be at the helm of veteran golf in NSW. It depends, he says, on his health and how long he (and those around him) feel he has something to contribute.

Maybe it is just like his golf.

“I just like to get out and whack it and enjoy the company and the interaction afterward,” he says.

NSWVGA 2009 Week of Golf Calendar

NSW Veteran Golfers Association website

Victorian golfer Richard Froebel has won the Australian Veteran Golfers Union National Championship in Adelaide.

It was two years on the trot for Froebel, from Cranbourne Golf Club, who also won the event in Darwin last year.

Some 250 golfers from around the country took part in the week long event, with the 54 championship holes played at thee of Adelaide’s premier courses, The Vines of Reynella, Blackwood Golf Club and Tea Tree Gully Golf Club.

Tournament Director and President of host organisation the South Australian Veteran Golfers Association, Jeff McAllister, said there were entrants from 200 clubs around Australia.

Some two hundred male golfers and 44 ladies took part in the event, which began with a registration and welcome function on Sunday October 12 and finishing with a Presentation Dinner on the Friday night which was attended by 350 guests. South Australian Governor Admiral Kevin Scarce was special guest and presented the main trophies.

“Everyone who was at the dinner came up and said what a wonderful tournament it was and really enjoyed it and that was very heartening,” McAllister said.

A tremendous amount of organisation goes into such an event and apart from a few minor hassles with some mini bus hire arrangements and some concerns about golf cart hire pricing at a venue it all went well.

McAllister estimated he did around 600 kilometres during the week going from course to course and to the other venues.

“Everyone enjoyed the courses, a couple of them said they were a bit tough the way they played but all in all they said it was a great experience,” McAllister said.

“With the Adelaide event done and dusted the attention will now shift to the 2009 AVGU National Championship in Cairns.

AVGU National Veteran Championship Results Adelaide 2008

54 Hole Gross Winner and Champion for 2008 – The Jack Barkell Trophy

Richard FROEBEL 237 Gross  Cranbourne Golf Club, Vic

54 Hole Net Winner for 2008  - The Vic KENDALL Trophy

Michael ASPROS 212 Net  Bonnie Doon Golf Club, NSW

54 Hole Runner Up Gross

Barry FOSS 240 Gross  Buninyong Golf Club, Vic

54 hole Net Winner A Grade

Mike LITIS 227, Royal Perth C/B 

54 hole Runner Up A Grade

Peter LANGHAM  227, The Grange, SA

54 Hole Gross Winner B Grade

Joe ALEXANDER  271 Nedlands Golf Club, WA

54 Hole Gross Runner Up B Grade

Rod PROBERT  273  Blackwood Golf Club, SA

54 Hole Net Winner B Grade

Rod Peters 225, Queanbeyan Golf Club, NSW

54 Hole Net Runner Up B Grade

Alan Booth 231, Gunghalin Lakes Golf Club, ACT

54 Hole Gross Winner C Grade

Rod NUNN  272  Balgowlah Golf Club, NSW

54 Hole Gross Runner Up C Grade

Harold LOVELOCK 275 Redland Bay Golf Club, QLD

54 Hole Net Winner C Grade

Trevor BISSETT 220  Coffs Harbour Golf Club, NSW

54 Hole Net Runner Up C Grade

Reg PEARCE  221  Pinjarra Golf Club, WA

LADIES

36 Hole Winner A Grade Ladies

Marion THOMAS 76 Points  Horton Park Golf Club, QLD

36 Hole Runner Up A Grade Ladies

Sandi PROBERT 72 Points Blackwood Golf Club,  SA

36 Hole Winner B Grade Ladies

Marjorie CARTER 75 Points WA Golf Club, WA

36 Hole Runner Up B Grade Ladies

Susan SADLER 71 Points, Bonnie Doon Golf Club, NSW

(Results Courtesy of SA Veteran Golfers Association)

Cairns 2009 National Veteran Golf Championsip Results

The Veteran Golfers Australian Championship will return to Queensland in 2009 and the Queensland Veteran Golf Union has allocated the event to Cairns.

The Championship will be held in August, which organisers say is the best time of year in the northern city with pleasant dry conditions, low humidity and an average daily maximum temperature of 27 degrees.

The Queensland Union have chosen two of the best local courses on which to stage the event.

Half Moon Bay Golf Club is a scenic course with a backdrop of lush rainforest and it has one fairway only 30 metres from the Coral Sea. It is renowned for its abundant wildlife.

Cairns Golf Club is set against spectacular mountain scenery. The course features generous fairways and wide greens and is generally regarded as a friendly course but with the tees back and clever pin placements its mood changes and it has real bite for the unwary golfer.

Both courses will be set up to fully challenge the skills of the low handicap players, but on days when the C Graders and ladies are playing, the courses will be tweaked to make them testing but not as severe.

A Ladies Golf Classic will be conducted at the same time as the Championship for accompanying ladies and organizers are working to make this a top level event.

Nomination forms will be distributed in October but organisers say they are already receiving a strong flow of enquiries and  indications are that available places will be taken up very quickly.

Cairns 2009 National Veteran Golf Championsip Results

National Veteran Golf Championship Cairns - Story Update February 2009

For more information visit the Queensland Veteran Golf Union.

 See our stories on the 2008 Australian Veteran Golfers Union National Championships in Adelaide

The Senior Golf Exchange website is no longer operating. We will leave this story online for all those interested in the concept. 

This is the sensational view from a Senior Golf Exchange listed beachfront home in Tennyson, South Australia. Owners Chris and Sue Watson are both members of  The Grange Golf Club in metropolitan Adelaide.

 Older golfers gazing longingly at travel brochures or getting all misty eyed thinking about unreachable faraway links and saying to themselves, “if only”, can take heart.

 Often, for the older age group it is not finding the time to take the golfing holiday of your dreams that is the problem, it’s the prohibitive costs involved.

 Well, what if you could schedule, say, a three week holiday in the Australian or international location of your choosing, and the accommodation and associated costs were just a one off $99.

 That’s right,  what if you not only got superior, home-style accommodation at that price, but the possibility of some special golf friendly extras thrown in, such as use of a motor vehicle, golf equipment and reduced private member introduced golf club green fees.

 Not only that, but for that same $99 you could repeat the process as many times as you could arrange in a year. If it is all starting to sound like that old well-known television commercial, “but wait, there’s more!”, don’t be concerned. In this case it is all true.

 This is a new, Australian based, golf related travel concept that is set to revolutionise holiday options for senior golfers. It is modeled on the spectacular growth of international and domestic home exchange programs - there are now some 60 such internet-based operations with more than 130,000 member listings.

 But Adelaide entrepreneur and avid golfer Graeme Smith has taken the concept a step further and optimised it for golfers - particularly those aged 50 and over.

 He has launched SeniorGolfExchange.com, which he says is the world’s only private member listing specifically designed for golfers, and one which will facilitate the opportunity to play the world’s best golf courses without incurring accommodation costs.

 Essentially, Smith has adopted the increasingly popular concept of people swapping homes - or alternately hosting each other - for holidays, and improved and tweaked it for older golfers.

 ‘‘The aim is to offer golfers the opportunity to stay in privacy and comfort, close to virtually any world golfing region of their choosing,” Graeme says.

 ‘‘For Adelaide golfers that could mean a weekend within comfortable driving distance of, say, Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula or the sand belt. They could also travel to further afield golfing meccas such as Perth or the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.

 ‘‘But I expect the jewel in the operation will be the international program which will give members the opportunity to spend several months abroad - potentially playing courses like St Andrews, Pinehurst and Pebble Beach - with no accommodation costs and reduced green fees through member introductions.”

 There are also other spin-offs that will add appreciably to the concept’s appeal.

 ”Vehicle hire costs might also be avoided by the exchange process, and the same with golf equipment, even motorised or electric buggies,” he says.

 ‘‘It will also give members the opportunity to live like a local in the area when it comes to meals and entertainment.”

 Initially, many people are attracted to the home exchange concept because of the huge cost benefits, but often they find that it is the actual experience that is the real value.  Things like making new friends and having the opportunity of living in an area like a local, rather than as tourists segregated away in an expensive but nondescript hotel.

 As Graeme says, it can “provide golf travel experiences that money can’t buy.”

 As a first reaction, some people might balk at the idea of having “strangers” in their homes and have a myriad of questions.

 If you visit the extensive Senior Golf Exchange website you will see every possible issue and topic is covered down to the finest details. Everything can be discussed and agreed upon beforehand, so you will extensively “know” who you are dealing with long before there is any  home or hospitality exchanged. (Check out some of the member profiles to see the sorts of people involved with the scheme.)

 It is one of the beauties of Graeme’s service that senior golf fits so perfectly with the home exchange concept. These schemes operate quite successfully with a general populace clientele without problem. Here you know you are dealing with senior golfers only. It is also ideal for golfers wishing to travel extensively within Australia playing in major veteran golf tournaments.

Graeme admits that, apart from his own passion for the game, this is one of the main reasons he specialised the exchange  for the senior golf market.

 ‘‘It is very much because of the ethos of the game and the fraternity it invokes,” he says. ‘‘What that means is that golfers know other golfers will respect the privileges, property and environment afforded to them. ”

 ‘‘It may sound corny but the great English writer PG Wodehouse got it absolutely right. ‘‘What he said was this - ‘Golf is the infallible test. The man who can go into a patch of rough alone,  with the knowledge that only God is watching him, and play his ball where it lies, is the man who will serve you faithfully and well’.”

 Sticking with the golf theme, SeniorGolfExchange.com will also offer exchange arrangements to coincide with significant professional and amateur events around the world.

 Officially launched in April, there are still foundation memberships available to the first 100 suitable applicants from each of the major regions of the world. This will entail a joining fee of $99 that will provide two years of free subscription. Life membership is available for just $499.

 Enquiries can be made to at the Senior Golf Exchange website, or call Graeme Smith on 08 8344 8400 or Mobile 0412 822 233.

This US home, perched on a private golf course itself and minutes from Chanbers Bay Golf Course, selected for a future US Open, is one of the properties listed at the new Senior Golf Exchange private members club.

 What Are Home And Hospitality Exchanges?

Home exchange is a reciprocal arrangement between two exchange partners to exchange vacant possession of each other’s home for an agreed period of time and with specific understandings relating to the use of each home’s facilities.

A non-simultaneous home exchange can occur if one exchange partner has a second or holiday home or may be travelling on another arrangement, and would prefer to have their home occupied in their absence, and “bank” an exchange opportunity for later.

Hospitality Exchange, sometimes referred to as “hosted”, is a two-part arrangement. One exchange partner stays with the other for an agreed period of time and at a later agreed date the positions are reversed. If, for a time, Members are precluded from offering accommodation within their home, a Hospitality Exchange, excluding accommodation may be arranged.

Exchanges don’t need to be “like-for-like”, or of the same duration. The exchange partners agree on what is acceptable to them and the end result may be a very creative combination of the various exchange options.

Because SeniorGolfExchange.com is a Private Members’ Club, it is anticipated about half of the exchanges will be Hospitality Exchange, sharing in some of their golfing experiences, and other common interests, which are discovered during search activity and time spent getting to know each other.

“First, search for a fellow Member with compatible circumstances, in a location you want to visit, then two way communication by all the means at your disposal - email, telephone, digital photos, video. Ask for references if they make you more comfortable.

Ask all the questions you need answers for. If you are still not comfortable with the prospect of handing over your home, select another Member as your exchange partner, or perhaps you are more suited to a Hospitality Exchange, with or without in-home accommodation.”

For answers to any questions, call Graeme Smith direct on 0412 822 233.


 

Golf Australia has announced a number of changes to the Australian golf handicapping system - including increasing the maximum men’s handicap from 27.4 to 36.4 and new provisions cracking down on players suspected of “manipulating” their handicaps.

 The handicap increase will be welcome news to many older golfers still wanting to compete effectively in club competitions, and getting rid of handicap “cheats” is always a great idea.

 New regulations will also allow handicap increases where players are recovering from injuries, illness or other justifiable reasons.

 Golf Australia says raising the handicap level to 36.4 will mean 12 percent of players will see their Australian Men’s Handicaps increase. As many of these players already have Club Handicaps beyond 27, the real impact in terms of pace of play may only relate to about 6 percent of players.

 Golf Australia Manager, Rules & Handicapping, Simon Magdulski said the positive outcomes of the change, which comes into effect on September 1, would include:

•  Players whose golf diminishes over time due to age will be better encouraged to remain actively engaged in competitions and club life.
•  Beginners will be better encouraged to become actively engaged in golf and club life.
•  Australia will move to being more in-line with global trends. (Most of the rest of the world already has a maximum men’s handicap of 36, including the USA and Europe)

 Golf Australia said there had been strong support for the move and although there was a potential for a slight change in the pace of play for Stableford and Par competitions, this should be minimal. Other measures could be taken if this was a concern.

 Two other changes were announced including the removal of the lower limit on Australian Women’s and Men’s Handicaps.
If a player has an exact Australian Handicap of +0.6 or greater, their respective playing Australian Men’s or Women’s Handicap will now be the rounded figure.

 The third change involves new regulations which will govern the process by which a club, Member State or Golf Australia may “manually” adjust a player’s handicap.

 Golf Australia noted three scenarios where handicaps could be “manually” adjusted:

•  Handicaps are intended to enable players to compete in handicap events on even terms. When a player is showing better form than their handicap or is showing an increased interest in playing better golf but is not returning cards which lead to an automatic reduction in handicap, and the improvement, current ability, or some other justifiable circumstances make it apparent to the Handicap Manager/Committee that the player is over-handicapped, their handicap may be reduced. This should not be a penalty for lack of scores but solely to provide uniformity in handicapping among all who play handicap golf.
•  A player’s handicap may also be increased for players who may be recovering from injuries, illness or other justifiable reason. Such alterations may be effected at any time because the circumstances which give rise to this unusual step may be such as to require fairly prompt action in fairness to all concerned.
•  When a player’s returns give rise to suspicion they may be attempting to “manipulate a handicap”, or are in serious breach of this System or the Rules of Golf or Etiquette (as contained in the Rules of Golf booklet), the Home Club is empowered to investigate the player’s performances and, if considered warranted, temporarily suspend their Australian and/or Club Handicap.

 These new manual adjustment regulations replace “Re-Assessment” under Section 6 of the current Australian Women’s Handicapping System, and Section 9 of the current Australian Men’s Handicapping System.

For full details of the changes, including a Q & A Document, see the official Golf Australia notice here.

Australian Veteran Golfers National Championship Cairns - Story Update 2/02/2009

Preparations for the 2008 Australian Veteran Golfers Union National Championships in Adelaide are well under way and organisers are expecting a bumper event.

Tournament Coordinator Jeff McAllister says entries have picked up significantly for the October event but there are still plenty of places left.

The championships are open to all men and lady golfers who are members of state veteran golf organisations and will be held at some of Adelaide’s premier golf course from October 12 to 17.

As well as a marvellous week of golf, there are also various tour options available and you can also plot your own course, perhaps with the help of the Tourism South Australia.

In addition to a host of traditional accommodation options, it could also be a great opportunity to think about joining the new Senior Golf Exchange, which would drastically cut your accommodation costs and open up a new world of golf travel in Australia and internationally. (See our upcoming story.)

Just prior to the veteran’s championship, Adelaide will host the World Amateur Teams Championships, which will bring some of the world’s leading male and female golfers to contest the Eisenhower Trophy and the Espirito Santo Trophy.

 Most of the world’s biggest names in golf have played for these Trophies over the years, including Jack Nicklaus, Sergio Garcia, David Duval, Tiger Woods; and leading female golfers such as Annika Sorenstam, Nancy Lopez and Karrie Webb.

The WATC will be a great opportunity to see the next generation of golf’s superstars from over 25 countries on two great golf courses - Royal Adelaide and The Grange.

Entries for the veteran golfer championships will close on August 31.

As the event draws closer, organisers are finalising the details.

“The registration day on Sunday 12th October is all arranged at the Westward Ho club rooms,” Jeff McAllister says.

“Port Road Sports who will supply the shirts and caps/visors will set up a marquee to distribute to those who have pre purchased and have a selection of other items for sale on the day, including bucket hats, sleeveless tops and additional clothing of interest,” he says.

“The Cocktail Party is to be held on the Monday evening from 5.30 to 7.30pm and will include all drinks during that period and a large selection of finger food.

“All playing venues are locked in and the final Presentation Dinner is booked at AAMI stadium at West lakes.

“We hope to have room for a dance floor, depending on the entry numbers, music will be provided by the group “LA”, playing suitable popular music on the night.

“We are still hoping that the Governor of South Australia will be able to attend and present the winners trophies on the night. The Right Honorable Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce is a down to earth man, a member of Backwood Golf club and a fellow SA Veteran golfer. “Tourism South Australia will have short tours available for those interested. Des’s Minibus also have day tours for the “free” Wednesday, priced from $75 to $100 per person (minimum 10 ) to the Barossa Valley, Victor Harbour and the Adelaide Hills wine regions, package lunch provided. Those interested can book on the Sunday at Registration.

“There are also quite a few players booked to play at Adelaide Shores on the free day, we have reserved times for them and all interested can pay at the Pro Shop on the day. There are plenty of carts for hire also.   

“We have negotiated with Pete Drummond Golf for Vouchers which can be redeemed at their stores throughout Australia. Other trophies will be in the form of golf balls and bottles of South Australian wine. Daily Trophies can be redeemed by the winners the next day or during the week up to the presentation night. 

“A raffle will be also be held with tickets available on the Sunday, for a TaylorMade golf bag and a top golf driver, plus more SA wine. This will be drawn on the Friday night at the presentation dinner.”

For further details see our previous story here or visit the website of the hosts, the South Australian Veteran Golfers Association.

SHOWING all his class and experience, Lake Macquarie golfer Tony Jones (pictured left) has won the NSW Veteran Golfers Association Matchplay Championships. 

The 72 year old single handicapper beat his younger rival Rod Hall, from the Port Kembla Golf Club, in a hard fought and close final at the much improved Shellharbour Links course. 

Both these players have been NSW representative golfers in their time and the talent shone through during the week long event, with preliminary rounds also held at the championship Port Kembla course and The Grange at Kembla Grange. 

Jones (Waratah Golf  Club) has been playing golf for 57 years and needed all the guile and cunning he has built up over that time to make up for the distance he was losing on the longer shots. 

Jones and Hall turned level after nine holes but a couple of birdies on the par threes saw Jones one hole ahead with one to play. 

His second shot on the final hole ended up in a gully about 35 metres short of the green but a brilliant chip to within a few feet of the hole clinched the championship. 

Hall, unlucky with a few very close putts on previous holes, failed with the birdie putt he needed from the fringe to force the match into overtime. 

Jones was in the NSW Amateur Junior side as a 22 year old, and has won a number of tournaments over the years. In latter times he has been a runner up and frequent competitor at the Australian Men’s Senior Amateur Championships. 

Jones was delighted with his Veterans win, particularly after slipping two holes behind on their back nine (they teed off the 10th). 

“It was a good win but I know he can play better than that,” he said of his 62 year old matchplay foe Ron Hall. 

“He’s a good player all right, he played for the state for quite a while, plus he comes from down here,” Jones said. 

“Plus he’s off four and I’m off seven so I was giving him a bit of a start (they played off scratch for the matchplay), there’s ten years in age and about 30 kilograms in weight,” Jones joked. 

The veterans matchplay championship has previously been held annually in Coffs Harbour and this is the first year it has moved to what looks like its permanent new home in the Illawarra. 

NSWVGA secretary and matchplay tournament director Dick Farrant said whilst numbers were slightly down because of the move it had  been a very successful week. 

Farrant said there had been entrants from all over NSW and the ACT, with particularly strong support from the Newcastle area. 

“We will definitely be holding it at the same three courses next year,” he said. 

“It has been a very popular event and I’m  sure if you spoke to any of the competitors involved they would have had a great week.” 

Tony Jones is one competitor predicting an even bigger and better event next year. 

“There will be a lot of better players next year because they will all be saying ‘if that old bastard can win it, it must be pretty easy’, so they’ll all be down here,” he said.

Marie Wins Ladies Matchplay Championship

Jamberoo Golf Club member Marie Farrant (pictured right) won the ladies section of the NSW Veterans Matchplay Championship, blaming the win on her new Lady Cobra golf clubs.

“They’re beautiful,” she said of the month old clubs.

Marie has been playing veterans golf for 13 years and was celebrating her best win.

“This is my biggest win and also the first time I have played veterans matchplay,” she said.

Marie beat rival Jane Hartmann from the Wakehurst Golf Club in Sydney. She was three up with two holes to play.

“I’m very happy, it was a good win,” Marie said. “I’m really happy with the golf sticks, really pleased with them.”

“We’ve played four games of matchplay this week and I’ve won four in a row.” 

Marie and her husband Dick (NSWVGA secretary) have travelled Australia playing veterans golf and have attended all the Australian Veterans Golfers Union National Championships, which rotate around the country on a state by state roster.

They’ll be attending the AVGU National Championships in Adelaide this October.

“We’ll be going to Adelaide this year and this will be our second time around now,” Marie said.

WITH the Australian Veteran Golfers Union National Championships being held in Adelaide this year it could be a perfect opportunity to blend golf and sightseeing.

(Update: See the Adelaide championship results story here)

In fact, the South Australian Tourism Commission is using the slogan “A Brilliant Blend” in its overall tourism campaign at present and that could very well ring true for the National vets championship.

Organisers are hoping for some 700 men and women veteran golfers to take part in the championship. The event is being hosted by the South Australian Veteran Golfers Association from October 12 to 17.

SAVG President Jeff McAllister has put out the welcome mat for interstate golfers and urged them to “come and play and enjoy our renowned South Australian hospitality, stay and take in the local sites.”

Visitors who arrive early will also be able to take in the Amateur Men and Women World Teams Event hosted by South Australia at the Grange Golf Club and Royal Adelaide Golf Club. The women play the Esperito Santo Trophy, 8 to 11 October 2008; the men play The Eisenhower Cup, 16 to 19 October 2008.

The venues for the vets championships will include three of the premier courses in Adelaide; The Vines of Reynella, Blackwood Golf Club at Cherry Gardens and Tea Tree Gully Golf Club in the eastern suburbs foothills.

Ladies will play these courses on the Monday stableford and at the two western suburbs courses, Riverside at West Lakes and Adelaide Shores at West Beach on the Tuesday and Thursday.

For the full Playing Program and other details visit the SAVG website here.

A wide range of accommodation is available. For accommodation and touring options visit the South Australian Tourism Commission here.

The South Australia Veterans Golfers Association comprises a Metropolitan group and nine affiliated groups throughout the state. All groups will welcome visiting veteran golfers who wish to extend their stay in SA. There is always a game on Mondays at one of the programmed venues.

The Australian Veteran Golfers Union National Championships is held annually with the venue rotating throughout the country. It was held last year in Darwin.

 Photo: This picturesque dam awaits at the 18th at Blackwood Golf Club.

Preparations well underway for Adelaide championships - story update