CHRISTMAS came early for veteran golfer Max Hellyer last week when he recorded 50 stableford points to take out Thursday’s competition at the Mount Gambier Golf Club.
The 78-year-old was pleased with the highest stableford score of the year, beating a fantastic 48-point haul turned in by Gordon Bignell just a few weeks earlier.
“I was really happy about it,” Hellyer said.
“When I walked into the clubhouse everyone applauded which was nice.
Then they said I needed to be drug tested … jokingly of course.”
The result was a far cry from his form about three months ago when he was struggling with his drives and his short game.
After being told he was not getting his weight through on his drives, Hellyer was on his way back to form when his handicap was as low as 14.
“I’ve been practicing every Tuesday and Wednesday for three months, trying to make sure I get that weight through, and now I’m getting on some of the par-fives in three” he said.
When you’re playing off a 33 handicap, as Hellyer was on Thursday, that brings four-point holes into play.
Hellyer kicked off his extraordinary round, picking up a four-point par on the par-five first hole.
He followed that with a three-point bogey on the second hole, adding two more on the third and then two more four-pointers on the fourth and fifth thanks to consecutive par fours.
Three more two-pointers kept the scorecard ticking over before another four-point par on the par-four ninth hole saw him make the turn with 27 points already.
“I was thinking this is pretty good, just don’t do anything stupid,” Hellyer said.
He built up 14 more points on the first six holes on the back nine before arriving at the par-three 16th.
Left with a birdie putt of about 30 feet after finding the green with his tee shot, Hellyer calmly knocked it straight in for five points, taking his tally to 46 with two holes remaining.
A triple-bogey for just one point on the par-four 17th hole was his only blemish of the day, but he rectified that and reached the 50 mark, with a three-point par on the 18th.
Hellyer’s score blew everyone else away, Nicholas Morony taking second place on a count-back from 11-year-old Blake Schroder after they finished with a very credible 44 points.
Schroder, who beat Hellyer in the D Grade Club Championship final earlier in the year, shot an excellent 83 off the stick, showing how far he has come this year after breaking 100 for the first time back in April.
Nic Clayton turned in an impressive round, shooting an even-par round of 72 to finish with 41 points.
Three players managed to notch up the day’s high score of 38 points, Setio Prajogo-Shanahan taking out A Grade, Tony Geddes with B Grade and Jack Jennings with C Grade.
Playing off a one handicap, Prajogo-Shanahan turned around some recent up-and-down scores to shoot a one-under par 71 off the stick.
“I only had 25 putts for the day … it was one of those days where the putts just went in,” he said.
In an eight-hole stretch from the fifth hole through to the 12th, he needed just nine putts, the only two putt-holes coming on the par-four 9th.
Starting his round on the 10th hole, Prajogo-Shanahan had two birdies and two bogeys on the back nine for an even-par 36 off the stick and 19 points and maintained that pace until the par-five seventh hole.
After having to punch his second shot back onto the fairway after hitting his drive behind a tree, he produced a miraculous 180 metre four-iron to four feet and calmly knocked in the birdie putt to move to one-under for the day.
Two pars to finish meant a sub-par round and top place on the leaderboard, later saying club pro John Martin deserved some of the credit for making sure he “stuck to the process” despite those indifferent recent scores.
Matt Knowles finished second in A Grade with 37 points, Mitch Broome was runner-up in B Grade with the same score and Declan Kenny also signed for 37 points to take second place behind Jennings in C Grade.
