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 she was born deaf in her left ear and was unable to have a cochlear implant.
And certainly not at the age of four when she suffered a serious burn from boiling water with third-degree burns to the left side of her body, badly damaging her left arm.
Gole was told she would never be able to straighten that arm again.
And certainly not when she gave away golf for a lengthy stretch while she raised a young family.
Sheer determination – and lots of physio – proved she still had those qualities that make a champion.
To now be named the best senior amateur golfer in the world caps a remarkable rise for a popular Victorian lady who never really lost her love for golf but re-ignited her passion for it in her 50s.
“It feels amazing, actually, to be No 1 in the world,” Gole told Inside Golf.
“I don’t think it hit until I won the NSW Senior Amateur earlier this year.
“It’s a bit like when you win any tournament, it doesn’t really hit until you get home. It’s a bit surreal.
“I have since received a couple of nice invitations to the US and it’s lovely to have the invites. Of course, getting there is another matter.”
Of course, Gole is no rookie when it comes to serious competition.
She won the Danish Open on the European Ladies Tour in 1996 and also played extensively in Japan before giving away professional golf to raise a family.
“Time away from golf has given me a greater appreciation and a different mindset,” she said.
“I finished up in Europe in 1997 and went and had two children and really didn’t play until 2014 when I took up a golf club membership and got my amateur status back in 2019 as I wasn’t using my professional status and decided I’d be happy to become a club golfer and maybe play Tuesdays.
“I was playing at Huntingdale when someone said I should be playing more serious stuff at a time when I really thought my competitive days were over.
“And that’s the thing. When I began playing pennant golf; once you get out there you really enjoy the competitive side.
“Occasionally I am playing against 13- and some 17-year-olds playing off handicaps of plus one. That’s amazing.
“Golf has been rewarding and I’ve met some great people. The golf courses can now be quite challenging but I’ve enjoyed the whole journey, in getting to where I am now.
“I was never particularly long; and there’s been some areas I’ve worked on.
“I really don’t think I’ve reached my peak – this time around.
“I work with Andrew Cooper at Victoria Golf Club. He said to me ‘what are you doing here?’ and I said: ‘I just want to get better’. I’ve set some goals and he’s helping me achieve those.”
Her favourite course is Victoria GC.
“It’s so good at the moment. “I played at Royal Portrush last year – and it’s a fabulous track. It’s a bit like Barnbougle. I loved Sunningdale too.
“But the sandbelt here in Victoria is so special – the land, the bunkering, the greens, the architecture, it’s really hard to beat.”
Gole loves life and also working in a chocolate shop she and her husband Sam bought several years ago.
“I had three rounds in the 60s in the NSW Senior Amateur.
“Not that I was aware of it but I had seven birdies in the first 12 holes at Shellharbour and I also had a round with nine birdies at the beginning of the year, which was great fun.
“Suddenly there were some rounds where I started to hole a few pitch shots and things were starting to come together.
“I began to hit it closer, and hole a few shots and that makes a big difference to your score.”
Gole says golf is different fun these days.
“There’s more acceptance these days. I don’t beat myself up anymore,” she says.
“I used to stew over it for ages and I think that held me back. Now it’s like, I can’t change what I shot so I just move on. So, it’s a lot more fun.
“I don’t know how long I can do this for. I have a very small window of opportunity at this level.
“We’re ageing. We’re not in our 20s anymore and maturity has helped me accept it for what it is.”
Does she keep in touch with the old guard from her professional days?
“Sarah Gautrey and I do catch up. I always try to catch up with Anne-Marie Knight and also the Pike family, even though my good friend Fiona has passed away.
“Golf is a wonderful sport for making friends for life.”
And while the US invites were a chance of a lifetime: Gole is realistic about whether or not she can afford to go.
“It still costs as much for an amateur to travel somewhere to play as it does a pro,” she said. “There are a few state amateurs I’d still like to play in. And there’s some things overseas I’d like to achieve.
“To be invited to the US Senior Amateur Open was a lovely thrill.
“There’s a lot of senior women amateurs out there and some bloody good ones as well.”
Gole loves life – and also working in a chocolate shop she and her husband Sam bought several years ago.
And children Ben and Sophie are now in their 20s and she sees them every day: “We enjoy each other’s company,” she says.
