People

How a snake brought a league legend unstuck

How a snake brought a league legend unstuck

CELEBRITY SWINGER Greg Dowling, a cornerstone of Queensland success during the early years of the rugby league State of Origin series, has always had a love for golf, a passion which continues today where he is a regular on the fairways of the Ingham course in north Queensland.  Inside Golf’s Peter Owen caught up with […]

Golf is no joke for Jimeoin

Golf is no joke for Jimeoin

Irish/Australian comedian Jimeoin is one of showbiz’s true workhorses. When he agreed to sit down for an interview, a peek at his tour schedule revealed a gruelling 50 shows in just two months throughout October and November. Yet, between those back-to-back nights on stage, where he holds the audience with nothing more than himself and […]

CELEBRITY SWINGER: Mark Philippoussis – patriotic Aussie, dedicated family man and frustrated golfer

CELEBRITY SWINGER: Mark Philippoussis – patriotic Aussie, dedicated family man and frustrated golfer

MARK Philippoussis, the ‘Skud’, is a name familiar to most Aussie sport fans. Who can forget his athleticism and tenacity at the Davis Cup in 1999 and again in 2003, with Philippoussis using his powerful serve and courage to help claim the coveted tennis title for his country.  Losing the final of the 1998 US […]

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Aaron Baddeley

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Aaron Baddeley

By Rob Willis AARON Baddeley was the boy wonder of the late 1990s early 2000s. A winner of the Australian Open as a teenage amateur in 1999, he backed it up a year later claiming consecutive Stonehaven Cups and collecting a cheque to go with it the second time around after turning professional in early […]

CELEBRITY SWINGER: Cricketing great Greg Ritchie is formidable on the golf course

CELEBRITY SWINGER: Cricketing great Greg Ritchie is formidable on the golf course

RENOWNED among avid golf enthusiasts, Greg Ritchie’s name resonates beyond his illustrious cricket career, which saw him shine in 30 Tests for Australia.  His connection with the sport of golf, however, is equally captivating.  A childhood ignited by hitting golf balls alongside his father cultivated a deep-rooted passion for the game.  This ardour found its […]

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Rachel Hetherington

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Rachel Hetherington

SHE’S one of the icons of the women’s professional game in Australia. Yet these days Rachel Hetherington rarely picks up a golf club. And as the eight-time LPGA winner in the US is happy to admit … she’s probably living her life ‘in reverse’ these days. That’s because Hetherington, married to former Australian Test cricketer […]

CELEBRITY SWINGER: Trevor Hohns

CELEBRITY SWINGER: Trevor Hohns

How a cricket legend became a golfing tragic By Peter Owen A MEMBER of Allan Border’s wonderful 1989 Ashes team that pummelled England 4-0 and launched a golden era for Australian cricket, Trevor Hohns’ fondest memory of that tour was not a cricket ground, but a golf course. Those were the days of long, leisurely […]

Nadene Gole is simply the best

Nadene Gole is simply the best

TO become No. 1 in the world – at anything – well, it’s fair to say you’ve beaten the odds. Yet Nadene Gole has done a lot more than that. And to be named the world’s top ‘senior’ amateur is a feather in her cap she admits she never thought she’d achieve. Certainly not when […]

Rosebud’s tribute to legend

Rosebud’s tribute to legend

By Michael Davis THE superb piece on Jan Dunlop by IG’s Queensland correspondent, Peter Owen, sparked some animated chatter among the women members at Rosebud Country Club. Especially those who remembered the late, Betty Hebb, and her wonderful golf history which is kept on permanent display at the club with a range of trophies and […]

CELEBRITY SWINGER: Rooftop golf challenge suited Natalie to a tee

CELEBRITY SWINGER: Rooftop golf challenge suited Natalie to a tee

FIVE-TIME Olympian Natalie Cook (OAM) was almost lost to volleyball as a teenager, but commonsense prevailed and the rest is history. Sports fans will remember how she and playing partner Kerri Pottharst won bronze and gold beach volleyball medals in Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000). But things could have been much different had her volleyball […]

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Lucas Parsons

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Lucas Parsons

By Rob Mills A HIGH achieving youngster who transferred his amateur success into the professional ranks, Lucas Parsons not all that long ago traded shots with Australia’s best.  Runner-up to Zimbabwean Nick Price in the Air New Zealand Open in just his third start as a professional and less than 12 months after dominating the […]

CELEBRITY SWINGER: Pat serves it up on course

CELEBRITY SWINGER: Pat serves it up on course

IT comes as no surprise that Pat Cash, like many top-tier athletes, is also a good golfer.  He won’t testify to being in the same echelon as Ivan Lendl, who he famously beat in the Wimbledon final in 1987, or lanky Englishman Tim Henman, but Pat knows and loves his golf.  We were having a […]

Members only after 4pm – Mick learns his place in golf

Members only after 4pm – Mick learns his place in golf

By Peter Owen MICHAEL O’Connor, rugby legend and now passionate golfer, was spending a northern hemisphere winter playing rugby league with St Helens. With him was Paul ‘Fatty’ Vautin, his Manly captain and good mate. The two Aussie larrikins had just finished 18 holes at Royal Birkdale, outside Liverpool, where two years later their countryman […]

WPGA Tour celebrates 50th year in style

WPGA Tour celebrates 50th year in style

IT all started way back in 1972 when South Australian businessman Alan Gillott awoke with a bright idea. “Why can’t we have women professional golfers here in Australia?” Alan thought to himself after reading a golf magazine. Well, Alan sprung into action and soon after that the women’s professional golf in Australia was born. That […]

Cancer’s not going to rule Glenn Joyner’s life

Cancer’s not going to rule Glenn Joyner’s life

By Peter Owen WHEN Glenn Joyner made his way to the podium after winning the Australian Legends Pro-Am at the Australian Golf Club in November, every person in the room stood and applauded.  They were acknowledging not only the man’s ability to play great golf, but his courage and the audacity he’d shown in achieving […]

Legendary pro Kyle Francis retires

Legendary pro Kyle Francis retires

THERE are few golf professionals in the premier state (NSW) who have NOT heard of Kyle Francis. After all, Francis was once named in the top 100 of Australia’s most influential professionals of the past 100 years. That put Francis alongside names like Greg Norman, Alex Mercer, Kel Nagle, Craig Parry, Bruce Devlin, Geoff Ogilvy […]

Surfing champ is making waves on the golf course

Surfing champ is making waves on the golf course

By Peter Owen WHEN Josh Constable followed the World Surf League tour around the world he took with him three bags – one for his clothes, one for his board, and one for his golf clubs. When he wasn’t competing against the world’s best surfers, he would head to the nearest golf course, honing a […]

Cricketer Josh retires hurt in game of golf 

Cricketer Josh retires hurt in game of golf 

IT’S no secret that NSW Golf Club at La Perouse in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has “beaten up” many players over the years. Indeed, one former club captain admitted this marvellous layout can be all but unplayable when the weather really closes in. He once explained that there were always a few ‘desperates’ who would turn […]

Teenager Campbell is new BGC champion

Teenager Campbell is new BGC champion

CAMPBELL Kerr has taken out the 2022 Brisbane Golf Club championship to become one of the youngest to win the prestigious title. Schoolboy Campbell, who turned 17 on October 12, two weeks after winning the event, plays off a handicap of 0.4. He beat 24-year-old fellow first-time finalist Wade Edwards one-up in an engrossing 36-hole […]

Jarvis beats the odds to win Mt Coolum Junior Open

Jarvis beats the odds to win Mt Coolum Junior Open

WHEN you’ve just turned 12 and you’re giving away as much as four years in age and a dozen strokes in handicap, you’re not supposed to win an 18-hole stroke play tournament played on level terms. But nobody told that to little Jarvis Miller, who last month shot a sparkling round of 77 to tie […]

Golf the best game for exercise, says Charlie

Golf the best game for exercise, says Charlie

LEGENDARY golf coach Charlie Earp believes golf is the greatest game of all and he’s been preaching his belief for decades. “My argument goes back 20 years when people said, ‘look at all these footballers, cricketers, jockeys, tennis, soccer and AFL players who are all playing golf’,” Charlie said. “They are all playing golf for […]

Jockey Dean to swap saddle for clubs

Jockey Dean to swap saddle for clubs

VETERAN jockey Dean Yendall has been given the all-clear to return to the saddle, but his long-term ambitions is to play golf professionally. A keen and talented golfer, Yendall plans to turn professional after signing up to a golf program aimed at developing players for the PGA Legends Tour. “I’ve pushed further along the golf […]

Farewell to a trailblazer

Farewell to a trailblazer

GOLF lost one of its true trailblazers with last month’s passing of the first Australian to play on the LPGA Tour, Margie Masters. The former Victorian passed away in her adopted home of Tucson, Arizona at the age of 87. Born in Swan Hill, Masters made headlines early in her career by winning the national […]

Norman family mourns the loss of mervin

Norman family mourns the loss of mervin

IT’S been a tough few weeks for the Norman family with the passing of Mervin Norman. The father of golfing great Greg Norman passed away last month, aged 95. The Great White Shark shared a moving tribute to his late dad on Instagram. “When you lose that person, they are gone until you meet them […]

Vale Ian Vidler

Vale Ian Vidler

NAMBUCCA Heads Island Golf Club (NHGC) was at near capacity on Monday, September 26 when members and friends gathered to celebrate the life of popular member Ian Vidler.  Ian started caddying at Lismore Golf Club and took up playing golf at the age of 14. He would fossick for golf balls to sell back to […]

Trio given second chance at life

Trio given second chance at life

AN unforgettable adventure awaits three disabled people who have been given a second chance at life when they travel to Tasmania to play four of the best golf courses in the country. Sydney’s James Gribble, Queensland’s Ben Tullipan and Jigs Denby from Tasmania will tee it up at Cape Wickham, Ocean Dunes, Barnbougle Dunes and […]

Paul King, it was a pleasure knowing you

Paul King, it was a pleasure knowing you

IT’S hard to know where to start when it comes to PGA professional and champion bloke Paul King, who died in Brisbane last month. He was 84. I knew Paul well. First met him in 1984 when he was the head pro at Wynnum Golf Club. Back then he’d turn up at tournaments around the […]

Champion Bob Shearer ‘was golf’

Champion Bob Shearer ‘was golf’

AUSTRALIAN golf lost one of its favourite sons when Bob Shearer died suddenly after a heart attack at his Melbourne home early this year. His wife, Kathie, said her husband “was what he needed to be”. “He was golf. It was his life and his love. He still played three or four times a week […]

Another side to Bob Shearer

Another side to Bob Shearer

MOST of us knew Bob Shearer as a champion golfer. But renowned course architect, ROSS PERRETT, reveals another side to Shearer. BOB Shearer was a brilliant golfer, but an even better bloke. He was a star who never got ahead of himself. First and foremost, he was a family man who loved his wife Kathie […]

Golf industry mourns Bob Shearer

Golf industry mourns Bob Shearer

IT was a tough start to the year for Australian professionals and golf fans with the passing of Bob Shearer. Shearer, a PGA of Australia life member, suffered a heart attack and passed away on January 9, aged 73. He ranks among the finest golfers Victoria has produced and is only one of a few […]

Vale Dr John Green

Vale Dr John Green

By Michael Davis ONE of Royal Melbourne Golf Club’s best-known and much-loved members, Dr John Green, has died. Dr Green was elected to membership of the club in 1951 and life membership in 2012.  As the son of a member, he enjoyed access to the club before that.  He played the Royal Melbourne courses for […]

Pinjarra GC ladies chip in for good cause

Pinjarra GC ladies chip in for  good cause

DESPITE the wet and wild weather conditions, more than 90 women travelled from Royal Perth, Lakelands and Floreat in the north, High Wycombe in the east and Collie in the south to play in Pinjarra Golf Club’s annual Ladies Charity Golf Day. More than $2,600 was raised from competition entry fees, raffles and trade table […]

Beginner programs deliver the goods

Beginner programs deliver the goods

THINK about the last time you tried something new – maybe a gym visit, a pottery class or even golf. What inspired you? What deterred you? Golf Australia’s Jayden Zeinstra is certain that one of those answers would be “the deliverer”. “Deliverers have such an impact on our experiences, even more so for beginners,” Zeinstra […]

Club pro ‘Dicko’ the golf industry’s gain

Club pro ‘Dicko’ the golf industry’s gain

ONE of golf’s most successful club professionals “got into the golf industry by mistake”, but his love of the game helped him thrive beyond expectations. John “Dicko” Dixon has been the head professional at Melbourne’s Medway Golf Club for the past 32 years and doesn’t regret not following his chosen career path – accountancy and […]

“The Players Series” events a huge hit in 2021!

“The Players Series” events a huge hit in 2021!

While it was disappointing for us not to be able to hold our regular WPGA Tour tournaments this year due to the pandemic, thankfully there were a few events for us to celebrate in 2021.Firstly there was “The Athena” which I am sure by now you would have seen or read about, and secondly the […]

Medway Superintendent Col is the bee’s knees

Medway Superintendent Col is the bee’s knees

FOR Medway Golf Club superintendent Colin Winterton, working within four walls was never going to cut it. He tried it early in his career at the Victorian Egg Board, but didn’t like being cooped up and opted for the alternative. Winterton’s working life in the great outdoors started at Werribee Park as a groundsman/mechanic before […]

The Golf School – The home of Lee and Pete’s Club fitting and coaching centre.

The Golf School – The home of Lee and Pete’s Club fitting and coaching centre.

Learn the game (or improve your current swing) with golf lessons from a team of leading PGA Professional coaches and leading Gold Coast club fitters. The expert team at The Golf School is ready to help you on your journey into the golfing world. Located at Palm Meadows Driving Range on the Gold Coast, The […]

Australians on Tour – March 1, 2021

Australians on Tour – March 1, 2021

Sarah Kemp has recorded her best LPGA Tour finish on American soil and Cameron Percy has logged his second top-10 of the PGA TOUR season in a weekend of strong performances by Aussies on tour around the world. Starting with Greg Chalmers’ hole-in-one in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Open – his second […]

Special K: Steph Kyriacou’s incredible rookie season

Special K: Steph Kyriacou’s incredible rookie season

When Steph Kyriacou walked onto the first tee on the opening day of the Australian Ladies Classic Bonville earlier this year, she had little idea that just four days later her life and her golfing journey would be changed forever. While Steph was highly regarded as one of Australia’s leading amateur players, on paper anyway, […]

Minjee driving for major glory on the LPGA Tour in 2020

Minjee driving for major glory on the LPGA Tour in 2020

Australia’s number 1 female golfer Minjee Lee has just finished 3rd and 4th in back-to-back tournaments on the LPGA Tour, following the tour’s enforced break for Covid-19.  For her efforts, Minjee picked up a total of $US153,083 in these two events, taking her career earnings to over $US6.3 million, not bad for a 24-year-old in […]

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