As told to Rosemary Phillis
Golf is a great game. You can go out on the course and while you play you can forget about everything else. If you have any problems you can forget about them.
I started playing golf when my children were little. At the time I played the piano for dances at Blacktown. The men in the group formed a little golf club and they used to go to the Parramatta Golf Range to practice. I went with them and they encouraged me to have a go. I wanted to play left handed as that is how I played cricket and vigoro, but they said I had to play right handed so I did.
My husband Gordon and one of my sons, Ross used to go out to a small nine hole course at Rouse Hill and play socially.
The first club I joined was Fox Hills as my sister Essie played there. I didn’t drive, so I had to take my clubs by train to Blacktown then bus out to the golf course. I have several cards from prizes I won at Fox Hills during the years 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1977.
I then joined Richmond Golf club. Richmond is a good course as it is nice and flat. After some time they convinced me to become Secretary, which I did for five years. I didn’t know what was involved at the start, but the lady who was Secretary before me was very helpful. I travelled to Richmond by train, taking my clubs and buggy. Eventually I got a locker at the club and was able to leave my clubs there.
I only owned one set of golf clubs. They were second hand when I bought them. I didn’t have a full set, just the main ones, a putter, driver and 3, 5 and 7 irons. Towards the end the driver was looking a little worn. The clubs have changed now; they are so much bigger, the drivers are massive.
Along with others from Richmond, we travelled to other courses including Manly, Rydalmere, Leura, Springwood and Camden. Once a year a group of us travelled to Orange for a week. We played golf and had a look around the area.
Photo: Doreen West
Gordon, Ross and I even played in Queenstown when we went to New Zealand. I still remember the time we played at Leura when the weather changed and it started to rain. It was freezing cold and after that I didn’t play in the rain.
We didn’t have a club uniform, you wore what you liked. Sometimes we might have a shirt with a name on it.
The prize cards I have from Richmond date from 1983 through to 2000. Around 1990 my husband Gordon became very ill and I had to give golf away to care for him. After he died I went back to playing at Richmond. I enjoyed the social side of things and it was good exercise.
I made some good friends, Dot Levick, Margaret Fennell and Heath Topping. We still go out to lunch together and Dot calls around for a chat of a Saturday. Others who I recall playing who came from Riverstone included George White and Dawn Wells.
Jean McPherson was another who was at the club. She was a hard worker for Richmond Legacy and she encouraged me to join Legacy.
I didn’t have lessons except for one day when Billy Dunk (a professional who sometimes played at Fox Hills) offered to give the women there a lesson. Apart from that I practiced by playing.
Except for Rouse Hill I always played the full 18 holes. I won a few trophies (Author note: I counted eight proudly displayed on a shelf.) I also won other prizes that were donated by people including a handbag, set of canisters and a blanket amongst other things.
I enjoyed the drive off the tee and seeing how far I could hit the ball. I didn’t so much like when I got closer to the green as it was harder. I had to make sure I didn’t over hit the green.
Although I didn’t drive a car, I could drive a golf buggy and for the last two years I played I shared a cart with my friend Dot. We made the most of the social side of things, while Dot went around the course. I used to take the biscuits and she’d take the coffee.
I do think the best two sports are tennis and golf. They are clean sports and I enjoyed playing them both.