Written by Brad Bone
The format:
18 holes stroke and players are only allowed to carry a maximum of 5 clubs, one of which must be a putter.
The man:
As a young boy, like so many others in the area, L. K (Lance) Baynton began his golfing journey as a caddy on the Kingston Beach Golf Links 9-hole course.
He would also work on the course in the school holidays. As to pull the
mower, one of his tasks was to fetch the horse from the “Horse Paddock”, which is now the dam to the left of the 1st green.
Lance had the honour of caddying for Mr Robert Nettlefold and later recalled how Mr Nettlefold told him that he was no longer required as a caddy. Lance was concerned that he had done something to upset Mr Nettlefold until he received a call from the man himself, inviting Lance to become a junior member of the
club.
A valued member of the dominant KBGC Pennant Team of the era, the biggest thrill for Lance was winning the 1952 Tasmanian Open. Held at KBGC, Lance won a 3-way playoff, eventually defeating John Toogood on the 6th hole.
From his playing days until his passing, Lance was easy to spot on the course and around the clubhouse. It would be unthinkable to see the left-hander playing without his Flat-Cap on and his sweater tucked into his trousers. Around the clubhouse, the cap was ever present, also, a double-breasted sports coat, silk cravat and a highly polished Brogue shoe.
The event:
Lance believed that a good player should be able to shoot a par round with only 5 clubs. And if nothing else, a player would learn to hit a variety of shots with the same club.
The memories:
As a young boy himself, our own Tony Lorkin remembers caddying for Lance. Tony recalls being on the 3rd hole and Lance asking a young Tony to fetch him a new ball from his bag. Tony retrieved the new ball and proceeded to unwrap the tissue paper from a brand new Penfold ball. Tony remembers thinking to himself at the time “I hope that I will be wealthy enough one day to do that”.
As for me, I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with Lance, albeit, in the later years of his life. Lance approached me, perhaps because we shared the same dexterity, to talk about my swing and golf in general. I would listen intently to his stories and his theories on golf and the swing, many of which I have shared with other players over the years.
What followed was a friendship that I still cherish to this day.
Lance and I may have been a few generations apart in age, however, we both shared the same love for the game. There was no tiptoeing with Lance, and he would give advice when and where he thought it was needed. I was always happy to listen and implement his suggestions but never shy to dispute his instructions if I didn’t agree, something that I think he respected.
Even at his older age, Lance still had a sharp eye when it came to the golf swing. When I was practicing, he would often be sitting on the bench outside the clubhouse. He would slowly make his way out to the practice fairway, shooting stick in hand, and ask me why I had changed a certain part of my swing or mention something “different” that I was doing since the last time we spoke.
Lance was a wonderful man, golfer and friend and will continue to be sorely missed.
The advice:
If you can match or beat your regular score with only 5 clubs, I suggest that you suppress that information from your significant other. If you go home bragging about it, you will undoubtedly be asked “why do you have to spend all that money on a bag of clubs when 5 will do the same job”. Before you know it, you will lose the majority of your pocket money.
Good luck to you all, choose your clubs wisely, play well and enjoy the event.
