From the 3rd – 7th May, Stewart joined 8 hopeful members of Hurstville Golf Club and 3 supporting
partners on their 10th annual pilgrimage to the Gold Coast to contest the Peter Lehmann
Championship at the Royal Pines Resort.
Everyone had high hopes of bringing home some silverware to display in the new trophy cabinet or
some magnums to share. And with Queensland finally blessing us with some stunning weather, this
year was setting up to be Hurstville’s year to finally shine.
The first round saw debutante Todd Shaw and seasoned campaigner Jeff Fairbairn shoot respectable
scores of 31 points around the challenging layout to sit just outside the top 10. Then in the
afternoon the quietly spoken Jimmy White took the mic to MC the Yamaha Chipping Tournament
which Jeff Fairbairn had qualified for through one of our local qualifying rounds. There were roughly

30 participants and each person had 2 shots from 50m to grab the NTP and win a luxurious golf cart
valued over $17k. Now those that have played with Jeff are aware he possesses a gun barrel straight
drive but his short game can be a little spasmodic. So a couple of electric lemonade to loosen the
swing and settle the nerves before he stepped up to the plate was just what the doctor ordered. And
the result was 2 quality shots to inside 5m of the hole. It was a magnificent event in front of the
large gallery that he would never have experienced before. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to drive
away in the new golf cart, but I’m sure Jeff was pretty chuffed with his efforts.
So onto the 2nd round, and everyone was hopeful to improve on their previous day’s effort including
myself which wasn’t going to be too difficult.
Most of us achieved that goal, but Jeff was the only golfer of our group to play exceptionally well
scoring 37 which was enough to leapfrog into the top 4 and become the first Hurstville member to
qualify for the Peter Lehmann Skins Final. His effort the following day in that final was commendable
and if it wasn’t for a few bad breaks and a bit of luck from his opponents on the day he could have
come home with a truck load of wine. At least he won one of the bottles on offer.
Off the course, the crew had a great time, enjoying a bunch of dinners including the always
sensational Peter Lehman wine tasting dinner. And it was at that dinner we all discovered Todd
Shaw’s amazing knowledge of wines, where he outlasted over 100 guests in the room in a wine trivia
contest. If you need any advice choosing a superb bottle of red, make sure you consult Todd next
time you see him down at Hurstville GC.
And this year’s National Final was the final year that Royal Pines would host the popular event, with
all contestants heading to the famous Palm Meadows Resort for the 2024 Final. Hopefully, we can
bring home some silverware and wine next year.