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The first recorded 'Hackers' tour took place in November, 1993, when 12 members from Antill Park played Corowa, Cobram Barooga and Yarrawonga on the Murray River
and stayed in the cabins on the Yarrawonga course for the whole week. The 12 were Gordon Collins, Alan Bell, Keith McLaren, John Killin, Colin and Barry Dunn, John Vincent, Jim Hokin, Rod Short, Kevin Hughes, Dave Mulligan and Peter Gibbs.
That tour and the second tour (8 players played the Sapphire Coast City Week of Golf in November in 1994) were organised by Gordon Collins. John Vincent took over the organisers role in 1995 and has remained the 'Committee of One' ever since.
Over the past 30 years, the Hackers
have played 122 different courses over 96 different tours in the Eastern States of Australia and some of the best in Oz - including the Melbourne Sand Belt, Mornington Peninsula, Gold Coast, Canberra, Hunter Valley, Murray River, Newcastle, South Coast and Tasmania.
We have, happily, played a number of them more than once, but there is little doubt most of us would not have played many of these courses had it not been for the Happy Hackers. You can view a full list of the
courses we have played
as a group, by clicking on this link and from the
archives you can see some key records such as the name of each tour champion, who took home the NAGA and who has toured 10 times or more.
The financial page is updated regularly and shows current arrangements for
the next 5 scheduled events and who has money sitting in the Hacker's account. It is also the only list of who intends to tour.
Tour numbers are limited and costs are shared equally. In 2018 Angus Cox proposed that future tour costs of the Committee of One
for the annual Hunter Tour be covered by those on tour, in recognition and in appreciation for the work in organising ‘Hackers’ Tours. The proposal was agreed unanimously and gratefully accepted by Jayvee.
Every 'Hackers' tour involves competition between ourselves (usually stableford) and we play in club competitions whenever possible. Competition is healthy and prizes are won on every tour and lady golfers are
most definitely welcome.
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PERHAPS OF SPECIAL INTEREST
(or not) -
once upon a time back in the day
and long before mobile phones, PC's, colour television, automatic cars, golf
carts or even golf buggies became common in the cities, and far less the
country areas, there was one annual tournament in NSW designed for country golfers
titled 'Country Week of Golf' whereby golfers from all over NSW could travel to
Sydney and play on different courses according to their handicap divisions.
In 1958 at age 17, Jayvee made the journey from Coolac (near Gundagai) to play in that prestige event and in 1997 Golf Australia published an article written by Jayvee about the experience.
Click on the magazine cover photo below to
read the whole story.
Perhaps also of interest might be an old
scorecard from the Coolac Golf Club dated 28-6-1959
which I found amongst my mother's things when she died. I have no idea
why she kept it or what significance it might have had, except to say that I was
transferred shortly after that date from the Gundagai Branch of the bank in which I worked
at that time to the Bingara Branch in northern NSW, so it may just have been the last
round I played on my old home course which was abandoned sometime in the 60's I
think
The marker was Roger Wood, then the Manager of the Bank of New South Wales
in Gundagai and both sides of the card are reproduced so you can see
the limited Local Rules. Follow this link to see the old card as it is today.
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