NAMBUCCA Heads Island Golf Club members, the wider community and one of Australia’s finest professional players gathered to mark the club’s centenary last week at one of the most significant celebrations ever seen in the Mid North Coast tourist town.
The guest list at a 100-year dinner included Nambucca Valley Mayor Gary Lee and two-time US Open player and TV mainstay Paul Gow, who was the keynote speaker.
Club President Geoff Harris used the occasion to officially launch an online book chronicling the club’s history, co-authored by Mike Post and Chris Knight.
The centenary menu was themed to 1926, explained club General Manager Johnathon Zirkler, with an entree of shrimp cocktail, mains of Chicken a la King, Beef Brisket and Beer Battered Dory, and dessert options of lamington or rice pudding with modern-day twists.
A message of support from noted professional player-cum-golf course designer Craig Parry was read while Kel McGoldrick, the club’s sole surviving Life Member, was among the crowd.
“There are many heroes who have donated their time for this club over the years, and today by my count we have 50 volunteers on the books,” Mr Harris said.
“Brad Fortescue (local earthmoving firm principal) is one of those heroes in cleaning up after the floods, while the club has raised more than $50,000 through its bottle recycling efforts.
“These people have set a very high benchmark.”
Gow, a veteran host of golf shows on Fox Sports, took the mic after accepting an invitation to the dinner from long-time friend and current Nambucca Heads Professional Paul Habgood.
Gow regaled the sold-out celebration with tales of his early years playing in the United States, and his takeaways on some of the greatest pro golfers the world has seen.
These included recollections of light-hearted moments with former professional rugby league players Paul ‘Fatty’ Vautin and John ‘Jonty’ Gibbs, and the infamous stoush Gow had with multiple golf Major winner Phil Mickelson.
In a media interview, Gow revealed he’d been snubbed by the gifted lefty at a players’ breakfast when the young Aussie – a rookie on the US circuit – twice tried to introduce himself to Mickelson who was sitting opposite.
Gow’s comments saw him issued with a $5,000 fine by the governing body for ‘bringing the game into disrepute’ which ‘went away’ after he received support from Tiger Woods.
“I was full of nerves when I first started playing (in the US) and I used some (Australian) PGF clubs – for those who remember them – in my first PGA event. One of the Americans asked me what PGF stood for and I said ‘Paul Gow Fashion’ so they thought I had my own design company,” Gow said.
On a more serious note, Gow said Mickelson and John Daly were the “most talented” players he had seen, while Woods’ sustained success was due to his relentless dedication on the practice range.
Centenary book author Mike Post – who also penned a history tracing the first 100 years of the St Michael’s club in Sydney’s east – said the Nambucca story was a delight to discover.
“I went through the club’s archives and also used Trove [an online history portal],” Post said.
“When I found something out I had to determine if it was true and if it was accurate. I enjoyed every single step of the journey.”
As the title ‘100 years of resilience, growth and relocation’ suggests, the book traces the rollercoaster history of a club which has battled innumerable floods, financial hardship, relocation and thoughts thereof, and steady expansion.
The original course was little more than a goat-track on the Nambucca Headland before relocating to Stuart Island as a nine-hole layout, and in 1992, to a full-length 18 holes.
“The most prolific club champions are mentioned which includes Brian Burns who won the men’s champs 20 times and Anne Wilson who won the ladies championships 12 times,” Mr Harris said.
“Today we are blessed with one of the best venues on the Mid North Coast.”
The nearby golf clubs of Coffs Harbour and Grafton are also marking their centenary in 2026, while the Nambucca history includes some comical moments.
In the 1990s, it was a popular social pastime for beverage-enhanced members at The Island to attempt to drive a ball across the Nambucca River, until one day they decided to aim at a fisherman in his tinny. The police were called and this recreational activity was subsequently banned.
The book also talks to the ‘shot of the century’, when current member Trevor Peck miscued his tee shot on the short 13th. The ball ricocheted off some skinny sheoaks and came to rest next to the porcelain inside the cubicle of the sole on-course toilet.
“The first 100 years have been a remarkable ride and full credit to the efforts of the volunteers who have helped us get to where we are now,” Mr Harris said.
The Nambucca centenary book can be downloaded for free at https://namgolf.com/
By Chris KNIGHT
You can help your local paper.
Make a small once-off, or (if you can) a regular donation.
We are an independent family owned business and our newspapers are free to collect and our news stories are free online.
Help support us into the future.
