News on a wet course – Saturday

Jamberoo Member achieves ‘Bucket List’ of courses played.

by Dave Ransom

Jamberoo members love to play golf and when the opportunity arises they like to play other interesting courses. I personally have played over 100 different courses although over the last 25 years it has mainly been Jamberoo for me. I never weary playing our course with its endless challenges!

The same can be said for Bob Anderson who has kept an accurate record of when and where he plays. Bob has played in a phenomenal 20 countries which amounts to 242 overseas courses and 158 courses here in Australia. A grand total of 400 courses. What a grand achievement and certainly he has achieved his ‘bucket list’ milestone. Bob even supplies a list of his favourites, a list that would be pretty hard to better.

Bob writes:

“This week I returned from a two-week holiday and golf trip to New Zealand where I played my 400th different golf course since I started playing golf in September 1968, coming up 57 years. At the end of the first year of Covid in 2020 I had played 350 courses in 17 countries, so I set a “bucket list” goal of 400 courses in 20 countries before I turned 75.

This achievement could not have been possible without the friendship of some former workmates, business associates and two NZ brothers who got together in 2009 and formed a small group of 8 players in a Trans-Tasman Golf Tour which has been held every year since 2010 except for Covid in 2021. We have now just completed our 15th tour travelling in alternate years to every state in Australia and all over NZ playing many top-rated courses. And not to be forgotten, Ellen, my American born non-golfer wife has allowed me great freedom as we have travelled around the USA and world since we married.

So, last Monday when I played the Paeroa Golf Club in NZ, a town I did four terms of high school 60 years ago in 1965/66, the magic 400 was achieved. The result is that I have now played the following – Australia 158 courses in every state and territory except NT, New Zealand 128 courses all around the country, the USA 72 courses in 28 different states, and 42 courses in 17 other countries covering every continent except Antarctica.

Without a doubt the absolute highlight in nearly 57 years of trying to play golf was jagging a game on the Old Course at St. Andrews Links on a perfect day in June 2011 arriving to queue at 4.30 am to get a 10.40 am tee-time. An unforgettable experience in so many ways but made by my scratch golfer caddy who had me putting the lights out.

Been blessed to have played some fantastic golf courses, including every royal golf club in Australia and New Zealand, but for the record my all-time top ten favourite golf courses are as follows:

1. St. Andrews Links (Old Course), Scotland (played in 2011)
2. Royal Melbourne (East Course), Victoria (2019)
3. Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey, California (2001)
4. Wairakei International Golf Resort, Taupo, NZ (1997)
5. Troon North Golf Club (Pinnacle Course), Scottsdale, Arizona (1998)
6. Old Head Golf Links at Kinsale, Cork, Ireland (2014)
7. Royal Troon Golf Club (Championship Course), Ayrshire, Scotland (2011)
8. Muirfield (The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers), Gullane, Scotland (2024)
9. The National Golf Club (Old Course), Cape Schanck, Victoria (2019)
10. Hills Golf Club, Arrowtown, NZ (2012).

Every one of those games has a story to it, and amazingly, everyone was played in almost perfect weather conditions. The memories are vivid.

The only advice to anyone travelling and playing golf, is do as much as you can before you get too old, and to always listen to the starter and play off the right tee for your handicap and your game. We are just hackers!

The biggest disappointment – watching my golf turn to custard as soon as I turned 70 although some of my mates would say it’s been like that forever”.

Well done Bob. A joy to read and a fine achievement. Leaves me wondering if other members have similar tales to tell?