juniors
GNGF takes golf to Duaringa
Young
Darcy a
record
breaker
JUNIOR golfer Darcy Habgood fired a oneunder par 72 to set a new women’s course
record at the Toowoomba Golf Club at
Middle Ridge.
Greg Norman Golf Foundation professional Doug Gardner (back row white hat) poses with
students, parents and staff at Duaringa Primary School.
IN its never-ending search for junior golfers,
the Brisbane-based Greg Norman Golf
Foundation (GNGF) spreads its message farand-wide.
Last month the foundation, which for many
years has taken golf to schools in some of the
state’s most remote areas, visited the small
town of Duaringa.
Duaringa, 700kms northwest of Brisbane,
has a population of approximately 250 but
that didn’t stop GNGF teaching professional
Doug Gardner dropping in to put the 40
students through their paces.
It’s not the first time Gardner has taken golf
to Duaringa and nearby Westwood, which
has a similar population.
With the blessing of both principals,
Gardner teaches golf to the primary school
students on the sports fields.
This time they also organised a game of golf
at Duaringa Golf Club.
The club prepared a sausage sizzle for the
students, teachers and some parents and
gave the students the opportunity to enjoy a
three-hole four-ball ambrose event.
It’s the first time the schoolchildren had
played on a proper golf course and they were
the big winners.
Some of the parents and teachers were
experiencing golf for the first time, but
vowed it wouldn’t be the last time.
Duaringa Golf Club issued an open
invitation to both schools to use its course
for this outdoor activity, which was eagerly
accepted by both school principals.
FOOTNOTE: The small town of Duaringa has
a police station and courthouse, ambulance
station, a hotel, post office and newsagency,
a primary school, three churches, a sports
complex and a library.
Needing a par on her last hole (ninth hole)
to break the previous record held by Leah
Hart, Darcy rolled in a three-metre breaking
putt to seal the deal.
The 14-year-old is having a super run.
Only recently, Golf Queensland added
the sweet-swinging youngster to the
Queensland junior squad.
Toowoomba Golf Club general manager
Steve Owen said Darcy had been knocking
on the door for a number of months.
“It was only a matter of time before she
broke through,” he said.
RECORD BREAKER: Darcy Hapgood, 14, has set
a new course record at Toowoomba Golf Club.
After starting on the 10th hole, Darcy
birdied her second hole but took bogey on
her fourth hole. She immediately bounced
back with a brilliant birdie on the par-3, 14th.
challenging sixth, flew the water on the
seventh, tamed the eighth and then parred
the last when she chipped close, which
allowed her to sink the putt for the record.
She bogeyed the 18th to finished even par.
Darcy has put in the hours of practice
and listened intently to her father and club
professional Paul Hapgood’s instruction in
order to achieve the result.
Darcy started the second nine with solid
golf over the first four holes.
Then she seized her opportunity by rolling
in a lengthy birdie putt on the 414-metre
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