Golf in the Dalhousie District, of 17 golf clubs from Trentham in the southwest to Marysville in the northeast, has seen a major change.
This year, women played in the Sunday Pennant competition, which traditionally had been men only, and similarly, the Weekday Pennant was open to men, when previously it had been women only.
Helen Dennett, the Kilmore Golf Club delegate to the Dalhousie District, said that it was a change which will be reviewed and reconsidered for 2025.
“There are positive and negative aspects to these changes. It resulted in some clubs like Romsey and Strathbogie being able to field weekday sides. It also meant some working women could play on Sunday whereas before, Pennant competition was not possible for them,” she said.
“On the downside, some women were not happy playing against men, and no doubt some men were not happy to play against women. Clearly this is a change which will take time to resolve.”
This year, Kilmore Golf Club had three Sunday Pennant teams, and included one woman, competing on Sunday’s Restricted Handicap Division One, Handicap Division One, and Handicap Division Four. The club also had one team, all women, playing weekday Pennant, on Monday in Division One. All teams were sponsored by Kilmore Toyota.
The golf was fiercely competitive in all divisions. All three of Kilmore Golf Club Sunday teams reached the finals, but unlike last year, when all three teams won, this year all three teams disappointingly lost.
However, on a bleak, cold, May day at Lancefield, Kilmore’s Division One weekday team was victorious against Seymour/Trentham, ending a drought of 13 years since the Club’s last Weekday Pennant win. Kilmore Golf Club fielded an all-women team as did seven of the 10 teams competing. Only three teams in this year’s competition included men.
The Club thanks Kilmore Toyota who are sponsoring Kilmore Golf Club Pennant teams for the next three years. The company has also been the naming sponsor for the Kilmore Toyota Par 3 Classic, which has been a significant fundraiser for the golf club over the last seven years. Kilmore Toyota has also sponsored their score cards.
Ms Dennett said that it was sad that regional golf is suffering greatly at present, with most of the teams in the Dalhousie District operating mainly on a volunteer workforce and the number of women golfers declining.
“As the end of the Pennant season draws to a close, feedback will be sought from all Dalhousie clubs on how the mixed competitions were viewed. It will be interesting to see what this brings to the conditions for the 2025 Pennant Competition,” she said.
