Q Golf - Official online magazine for Golf Queensland Winter 2012 | Page 8

Len’s on track for Sand Greens
Lenny White will take a break from maintaining 300km of dingo fence to play the
Queensland Sand Greens championship at Alpha from June 8-10.
By Bernie Pramberg
Lenny White will take a break from
maintaining 300km of dingo fence
to play the Queensland Sand Greens
championship at Alpha from June 8-10.
Len, who lives at Wallumbilla and is a
12-marker at Roma Golf Club, has been
in charge of the Dingo Barrier Fence from
Dalby to Miles for the past 14 years. For
nine days each fortnight he’s on the road,
camping overnight, repairing the fence.

“

“

“I reckon the secret is
doing your own track on
the greens. You get the
feel through the rake.”

“For most of the time I’ve done it on my
own, but I’ve had a young offsider for the
last couple of years,” he said. “It’s never
boring…we’ve got TV, a couple of beers and
the wildlife to keep us company,” said Len.
And occasionally there is time for a spot
of fishing after work. “You can always wet
a line in the creeks, rivers or water holes

going after yellow belly,” he said. “They’re
good fish…the biggest I ever caught was 3kg.”

few years back, has contested most recent
State sand green titles.

White, 64, started playing golf at Yuleba,
a neighbouring town to Wallumbilla
which is 450km west of Brisbane. That’s
where he learned the art of putting on
sand greens and the vagaries of bush golf
courses.

“I enjoy going. You get three or four
blokes together and it’s a pretty cheap
weekend’s golf,” he said. “In recent years
I’ve played the championships at Miles,
Boulia, Longreach and St George. It’s good
to catch up with people you’ve got to
know at the event each year.”
“We’re staying in the motel at Alpha this
year…we got in quick. They tell us there’s
only one pub and the golf club…but that’s
plenty.”

“I was in my 30s when I started at Yuleba
and it was a nine hole course which has
since been extended to 12,” he said. “I
played at Yuleba for a lot of years until I
switched to Roma about five or six years
ago…I s’pose I just got a bit sick of playing
on the sand greens every week and
wanted a bit of a change.”
A real character, Len was known ride his
bicycle the 15km from Wallumbilla to
Yuleba towing his golf buggy and clubs.
These days he drives the 80km round trip
to Roma, often playing both days of the
weekend.
Last month he shot a net 64 (8-under)
which followed a net 63 (8-under) the
previous week at Mitchell. “Those
couple of rounds brought my handicap
down from 14 and, hopefully, I can do
something like that at Alpha.”
Len, whose handicap got down to seven a

Len learned his golf on sand greens and
has seen the best sand exponents in
action. Here’s his insight into putting on
the surface: “I reckon the secret is doing
your own track on the greens. You get the
feel through the rake.”
“You can feel is it’s smooth and even, or
whether there are little rocks that affect
the roll of the ball,” he said. “It’s all about
feel.”
City slicker Cameron Powell (Brisbane Golf
Club) fired rounds of 66-70 to take last
year’s title at Miles. Powell, who finished
on eight-under, prevailed by three strokes
over Mitchell’s Phillip Burns (71-68).
Powell had been runner-up the previous
year at Boulia.

Queensland Men’s Sand
Green Championship

Queensland Women’s Sand
Green Championship

Alpha Golf Club
8 – 10 June

Longreach Golf Club
30 June – 1 July

Enter online now - Click Here
http://www.golfqueensland.org.au/events/golf_queensland_events

8 Q Golf Online Winter 2012

www.golfqueensland.org.au