Richard Froebel won his second straight Australian Veteran Golfers Union National Championship in Adelaide last month. 24749 Picture: Stewart Chambers By Marc McGowan
LIFE can’t get much better for Cranbourne Golf Club member Richard Froebel.
The 62-year-old retiree spends up to 20 weeks a year playing interstate golf tournaments and recently won his second straight Australian Veteran Golfers Union National Championship.
Froebel estimates he plays around 30 tournaments each year and strides the Cranbourne fairways three times a week.
His national title win in Adelaide last month proved his 2007 triumph in Darwin was nofluke.
Roughly 250 golfers from 200 clubs around the country competed in the week-long event, with the event’s three rounds taking place at The Vines of Reynella, Blackwood Golf Club and Tea Tree Gully Golf Club.
Froebel, who averages 250 metres off the tee, was chuffed to accept the Jack Barkell Trophy again.
“It’s pretty unique. I didn’t check to see whether it was done before, but there are 30,000 veterans’ players registered throughout Australia,” the Aspendale resident said.
“Senior golf is fairly strong at the moment and unfortunately the 55-and-over age group is the biggest area in the game right now. Golf is not attracting a sufficient amount of youth, which has partly caused the demise of the (Australian) tour events.”
Froebel did not start playing the sport until his mid-20s, but has well and truly made up for lost time.
The former one-handicapper played at Pennant level for Cranbourne and Rossdale golf clubs, but said his highlights were definitely the two national championships.
Froebel also represented a veterans’ Australian amateur side against an Australian Defence Force squad in a Presidents Cup-style format in 2006 and has played for Victoria three times.
“I love the game … there is no money in amateur golf, but I love the camaraderie of the people and the variety in golf is infinite,” he said.
“It’s just a very enjoyable sport and you can commune with nature a bit and see a lot of Australia.”
And Froebel is just as complimentary about Cranbourne Golf Club.
“Cranbourne is an ideal golf club for people who like a friendly club,” he said.
“It’s a very good golf course. It’s challenging, but not so demanding that you feel like you’ll lose a box of golf balls when you play.”
Froebel almost won Cranbourne’s club championship this year – still claiming the A-grade nett – and has been victorious in the senior division for the past four years.
He feels his best golf is still ahead of him and revealed the secret behind his success – his wife of 15 years, Kathy.
“She’s one of these independent women and if you don’t have one of those as a golfer you’ve got problems,” he said.
“There is nothing worse than that dreaded feeling of going home when you shouldn’t have been out and the reception when you get back!”
