This year was the seventh annual golf day to be held at the Little Frankston Golf Course as a fund raising event for Kampuchea House. It was one of the best so far, in terms of money raised – the staggering sum of nearly $13,000 – participation and enjoyment.
The sun shone on Saturday 21st March but it was still cool enough in the early morning for
golfers to appreciate a good coffee or hot chocolate served on the verandah of the charming
weather-board golf house by our smiling and ever-ready-to-please barista, Johno. Home-made
muffins and egg’n bacon rolls were popular too and in good supply.
As new participants discovered it is a treat and a privilege to play at this private course which celebrated its centenary 2 years ago. Not only is it a small and elite membership but the course is full of local history and renowned for its native landscape plantings. The sight from the verandah of the simple country club house is stunning – down the vegetation-flanked fairway of the first hole, over the blue bay to the skyscrapers of Melbourne in the distance. And while the course itself provides some challenging golf, the carefully landscaped bush land surrounds and bird life are a soothing antidote to the stress of the game.Play during the day was enlivened by various challenges including a nearest the pin, straightest drive, longest drive and a hotly contested hole sponsored by BMW with generous prizes for the winners.
Probably the most popular holes were those manned by our two volunteer golf professionals for
the day – Rory Doran of Kingston Heath GC via Royal County Down, Ireland and Tom Dreher from Royal Melbourne GC. Amid many jokes and laughs Rory and Tom assisted players on two of the most difficult holes by putting their balls onto the green for them – all at a price. This proved to be a lot of fun and raised a considerable amount of money.
It was difficult to head out for a second nine holes after a superb lunch accompanied by delicious wines served on starched linen tablecloths, but golfers are used to such hardships! And while the staggered players returned home those waiting were kept amused with a trivia competition that put minds to work while champagne and afternoon tea were served.
Then it was time for a prize giving ceremony that saw a myriad of happy winners walk off with
some excellent goods, gift vouchers, wines and produce. The silent auctions were a bonus with
a very rare flag from Augusta National USA GC signed by Jack Nicklaus hotly contested by a
couple of eager bidders.
Once again the work put in by Libby McCann and her team of volunteers, the generous support
of so many who facilitate the running of the event, our generous sponsors and donors of prizes and the enthusiastic participation of the golfers made for a hugely successful and memorable day.
A big “Thank You” to all involved.
We would especially like to thank our major sponsors without whose support the event would not have been possible:
– Tommy Collins Events once again for their delicious food and fantastic service.
– Simon Yudelich and Guala Closures for once again providing superb wines donated by De Bortoli and all soft drinks.
– South Yarra BMW for their very generous prizes.
– Kingston Heath Golf Club for supporting us yet again with their prizes.
– our charming Golf Pros Tommy Dreher and Rory Doran for their presence and tireless efforts on the day.
– Frankston Golf Club for allowing us to hold this event on their beautiful course.
Event Winners:
Overall Winners: Bev and Geoff Edwards – 50 points
Runner up: Chris Holland and Caroline Brand – 48 points c/b
3rd Place: Robyn and Reg Hanson – 48 points
Longest Drive:
Men – Bob de Boer
Women – Robyn Hanson
Straightest Drive:
Men – Reg Hanson
Women – Glen Brown
Nearest the Pin:
Men – Ben Shinsky
Women – Robyn Hanson
Putting Competition:
Men – Bob de Boer
Women – Kirsty Mori
Chipping Competition:
Men – Jeffery Gross
Women – Di Gross