Pretyman out to defend while Dooley and Wooster set to resume battle
A blockbuster field is set to descend on the Kingston Beach Golf Club again this year all vying for the coveted Tasmanian Senior Amateur Championship. Local member, Dave Pretyman is set to defend the title that he won alongside good friend James Lavender from Victoria in a weather affected event last year. Lavender joins a raft of interstate competitors looking to take the title back across the strait. At the top of these are, Brad Dowling, Southport Golf Club (Qld), Graham Hourn, Kingaroy Golf Club (Qld) and Ken Brewer, Newcastle Golf Club (NSW). Indooroopilly Golf Club’s Stephen Toyne is also tipped to compete well after Toyne’s strong performances in the recent Huon Valley Open and Lindisfarne Cup.
Vic Jamieson, Ulverstone Golf Club, Jaye Hanson, Royal Hobart Golf Club and Robbie Berne, Launceston Golf Club will lead the local charge alongside Pretyman.
In the women’s event, Australian Senior Amateur Champion, Gemma Dooley, New South Wales Golf Club is set to resume battle with Sue Wooster, The National Golf Club. Dooley edged out Wooster in a playoff in the Aus Senior Amateur last October in a dramatic finale at The Links Lady Bay Golf Club. Finland’s Minna Kaarnalahti, Wendy Harringston, Monash Golf Club and Bridget Hill, Woodlands Golf Club will make sure Dooley and Wooster don’t have it all their own way with the strong local charge to be led by Launceston Golf Club’s very own Tammy Hall, Katrina Archer and Julie Berne alongside Kingston Beach Club Champion Fran Smith.
All up,149 players will take on the par 71 layout including 110 players from interstate.
The first round of the 54-hole championships is set to tee off on Wednesday morning (5th February) with the final round on Friday. Come and support the locals and see some of the best senior amateurs from across the country in action.
Written by Sam Halliday (Grandson)
Many members will be familiar with my grandfather Bill Halliday. A man who was universally
respected for his modest, friendly and gentlemanly manner. It is with sadness I write to
inform you that Bill passed away peacefully on Sunday 12 May 2024 at the age of 93. The
below account is provided as a tribute to one of life’s finest gentlemen.
Brief account of early life and how he got into golf
Many will know Bill was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1930 and this is why he, and the
rest of the Halliday boys, support the West Coast Eagles. He attended Hale School and was
awarded a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Western Australia. As a
young man he was a stand-out Olympic standard swimmer, and rode an ex-WW11 Harley
Davidson when he was courting my grandmother in the early fifties. They married and
together they raised three boys – Steve, Jeff and Greg (deceased). The family moved to
Hobart in the early seventies for Bill’s work in the finance industry and this was where he
was introduced as a member at KBGC.
Golfing highlights, reflections and legacy
Bill had been a member of KBGC for nearly 50 years. During this period, he had served as a
general committee member and President for many years across the late sixties, seventies
and eighties. He occasionally reflected that this contribution was simply part of being a
committed club member.
Bill identified representing KBGC playing and winning pennant as a significant highlight of
his time in the game. He held fond memories of the battles against traditional rivals Royal
Hobart, Tasmania and Claremont. His lowest handicap was high single-figures and he often
lamented on picking up the game in middle-age, attributing this factor to the golfer’s difficult
and eternal quest for consistently lower scores. Another important highlight was his long-
lasting friendship with Nobby Clarke and Ray Westwood. They had been playing together on
Wednesdays for approximately 25 years.
As young boys interested in any ball sport, my younger brother Lewis and I were drawn to
Bill’s Saturday excursions to the sacred turf of KBGC where war was seemingly waged
between man, club and dimpled-ball. Eventually he relented to our badgering and allowed
me to caddy for him in a Holden Scramble in the early nineties. I was around 9 years old and
hooked. Soon my brother and I would become permanent junior fixtures, following the
competition field with Bill on Saturday afternoons after our football games. Bill would spend
hours on the course and range teaching us the fundamentals of both the golf swing, course
etiquette, and, when necessary, life. Unsurprisingly, spending this time with us has been his
greatest golfing highlight. My two children, Daisy (10) and George (8), have now started to
pick up clubs and this had been a further source of satisfaction for Bill.
Whilst we were unaware at the time, the fundamental lessons of the game and life he
passed on such as: learning new skills; facing adversity; persevering; treating others
respectfully; playing it (golf and life) as it lies; and to always maintain a sense of humour and
perspective have been altogether applicable to living a meaningful life and this has been his
greatest golfing legacy.
Bill is survived by his wife, Val, sons Jeff and Steve, 8 grandchildren and 8 great-
grandchildren. We are sure he is now wandering the fairways above, making birdies and
sharing many laughs with friends. A life well lived for a man well-loved.
Sam Halliday
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.
Pretyman out to defend while Dooley and Wooster set to resume battle
A blockbuster field is set to descend on the Kingston Beach Golf Club again this year all vying for the coveted Tasmanian Senior Amateur Championship. Local member, Dave Pretyman is set to defend the title that he won alongside good friend James Lavender from Victoria in a weather affected event last year. Lavender joins a raft of interstate competitors looking to take the title back across the strait. At the top of these are, Brad Dowling, Southport Golf Club (Qld), Graham Hourn, Kingaroy Golf Club (Qld) and Ken Brewer, Newcastle Golf Club (NSW). Indooroopilly Golf Club’s Stephen Toyne is also tipped to compete well after Toyne’s strong performances in the recent Huon Valley Open and Lindisfarne Cup.
Vic Jamieson, Ulverstone Golf Club, Jaye Hanson, Royal Hobart Golf Club and Robbie Berne, Launceston Golf Club will lead the local charge alongside Pretyman.
In the women’s event, Australian Senior Amateur Champion, Gemma Dooley, New South Wales Golf Club is set to resume battle with Sue Wooster, The National Golf Club. Dooley edged out Wooster in a playoff in the Aus Senior Amateur last October in a dramatic finale at The Links Lady Bay Golf Club. Finland’s Minna Kaarnalahti, Wendy Harringston, Monash Golf Club and Bridget Hill, Woodlands Golf Club will make sure Dooley and Wooster don’t have it all their own way with the strong local charge to be led by Launceston Golf Club’s very own Tammy Hall, Katrina Archer and Julie Berne alongside Kingston Beach Club Champion Fran Smith.
All up,149 players will take on the par 71 layout including 110 players from interstate.
The first round of the 54-hole championships is set to tee off on Wednesday morning (5th February) with the final round on Friday. Come and support the locals and see some of the best senior amateurs from across the country in action.
The restoration plan is to keep the cottage to very much how it stands today but to rebuild a couple of the more dominant features of yesteryear.
Apart from the mandatory electrical and plumbing works needed to bring the cottage up to standard, the restoration list includes the following:
- Rebuild the verandah with double French doors to the left of the original chimney that leads into the lounge room as you look at the cottage from the eastern side. (This was an original feature when the cottage was first used as the club’s first clubhouse back in 1922).
- Rebuild the chimney and fireplace to the main bedroom on the southern side of the cottage as you see it from the men’s fifth tee. (This is where the blue plastic protection cover is at the moment).
- Rebuild the verandah roof on the Browns River side at the back of the cottage. An existing concrete footprint remains indicating where the original verandah was.
- The only slightly significant change inside is to remove the majority of the wall separating the kitchen from the dining lounge area and frame the opening with large pieces of recycled timber (at least 200mm square, larger if possible) hopefully salvaged from an old bridge or wharf or similar. (If anyone knows where timber like this can be sourced please contact the club).
We have the remnants of a good quality replaced kitchen (kindly donated by our treasurer) which can hopefully be modified and refitted. We will remove the hot water service from the kitchen and relocate it to provide more cupboard/bench space.
Over the past months we have salvaged old weather boards from other vintage buildings to replace existing rotting boards on the cottage exterior. These were kindly sanded ready for reuse by Peter Males and Vinny Sorrentino in early March.
We have located some replacement exterior windows the same as existing windows, some of which are beyond repair.
Golfers will shortly notice that the cottage wall facing the fourth green will be renovated and painted to give everyone an idea of how the cottage will look when it’s completed.
About the same time golfers will see a newly erected stand as they walk from the fourth green to the fifth tees. The stand will explain what the club intends to do with the cottage and will point people to the fund raising website.
The cottage grounds will be defined by a newly built fence and the garden and lawn/grass areas leading down to the river will be cleaned up and revitalised.
Restoration of the Browns River Cottage in our centenary year
Over $4,600 already donated!
With the help of many volunteers, the Club has begun work on restoring the old cottage on the river bank behind the fourth green. You can read more about the history of this building and make a donation by clicking here. The restoration effort will allow the cottage to once again be used for accommodation.
We aim to raise $20,000 by July to get a good roll on with the work, and have once again partnered with the Australian Sports Foundation to raise funds for this worthwhile project. The Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) is the only deductible gift recipient for sport in Australia. This means that donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. Shortly after making your donation, you’ll receive an official receipt from the ASF that you can use in your income tax return. Would you make a contribution to help us achieve this? A donation of any amount would help us get there.
If you don’t want a tax deduction, you can of course donate direct via the office.
Cash isn’t the only thing that will help us with this project. We welcome donations of labour and materials, or donations in kind from trades and suppliers. Contact Tony Lorkin on 0412 715 222 if you’d like to help this way.
Donors will receive a complimentary round of golf at the Club, and donations exceeding $200 in value have the option of being acknowledged on the plaque that will be placed outside the cottage.
