Club teed up for tradition

THE Sandhurst Golf Club celebrated its 10th anniversary on Australia Day by following a golfing tradition started at St Andrews Golf Club in Scotland, the home of golf where the game was first played some 600 years ago.
Each year at the home of golf, the club captain is piped onto the first tee and then hits a ball which is chased by the caddies. The caddie who retrieves the ball wins a much sought after gold sovereign.
It’s a tradition that was first introduced to the Sandhurst Club by Australian golfing legend and Sandhurst Golf Course designer Peter Thomson. In 2002, before the course was opened, he hit a ball into a paddock from the now first tee into metre-high grass. It took the children of Sandhurst 30 minutes to find it.
Last Thursday, Australia Day, local Scottish Piper Ian Arrell piped the Sandhurst community from the clubhouse on the hill down to the first tee for the 10th time after the official raising of the flag and playing of the national anthem.
Newly announced golf captain Peter Maher then met the challenge with a great drive down the first tee and with the course in top condition junior golfer Maitias soon had the ball in hand.