Golfers do it for Jarrod in Leongatha

By Andrew Paloczi

SPECTACULAR weather played its part in a great ‘Doing it for Jarrod’ golf day at Leongatha Golf Club on Thursday, over 100 players taking to the course and raising funds for Challenge, which supports kids with cancer.

Doing it for Jarrod is an Australia-wide golf day supported by many clubs, in memory of professional player Jarrod Lyle, who was an ambassador for Challenge and sadly passed away in August 2018 after his own battle with cancer.

“I really like that all the golfers get involved and support it; there are full fields, and they all wear yellow,” Leongatha Golf Club General Manager Kate Rowe said of the event, one of at least eight annual golf fundraising days at the club.

Green fees were waived on Thursday, with players each contributing $10, all of which went directly to Challenge, with many making additional donations to the cause.

The club also bought Challenge merchandise for prizes, that boosting the fundraising total.

Leongatha Golf Club Board members and captains were among those hitting the course.

There were plenty of visitors from other clubs, Russell Hodgson and Allan Johnson venturing to the course from Toongabbie near Traralgon, playing with Leongatha’s Kevin Michael and Colin Bear, the group happy for the Sentinel-Times to snap some shots of them in action.

A golfer even travelled from Mallacoota, over five hours away, to play and support the cause, while there were visitors from closer localities such as Meeniyan and Cowes.

The day got underway with a shotgun start, ensuring there was immediate action around the course, the competition following the Gentsome four-ball format, a hybrid of Ambrose and Stableford, with each group of four players combining as a team.

The daffodil-inspired headwear of Leongatha Golf Club member Robin Smith stood out, being a reward for her fundraising accomplishments in ‘The Daffodil Dip’.

It wasn’t only golfers getting into the spirit of the glorious day, an echidna was sighted in the rough between fairways, suggesting golf offers a blend of human leisure and wildlife habitat.

As for the day’s cause, Challenge is a not-for-profit organisation that supports children and families living with cancer, that support being free and immediate.

It runs programs for children, including camps, hospital support and activity days, music therapy and massage therapy.

Programs for families include lunches and weekends away, home help, transportation and financial assistance.

The organisation also offers scholarships, trusts and bereavement services.