32 AUGUST 2019 | golf australia
PHOTO:DES TOBINTHE
WANDERING
GOLFER BY BRENDAN MOLONEY | GOLF AUSTRALIA COLUMNISTVALE PETER TOOGOOD
A GOLDEN era of Australian golf ended in
June with the death of Tasmanian amateur
Peter Toogood in Hobart at the age of 89.
Rated among the nation’s best fi ve lilywhites
by Norman von Nida, Toogood was a member
of Australia’s winning team in the inaugural
Eisenhower Trophy in 1958, leading amateur
at the 1954 Open Championship won by Peter
Thomson and amateur champion of Australia in
1954 and New Zealand in 1956.
Given that many of the early
Australian Open champions did not
play for a living, von Nida’s inclusion
of Toogood in the top-fi ve with Jim
Ferrier, Harry Williams, Doug Bachli
and Bruce Devlin, says a lot.
Fate ordained that he become
a golfer, following in the footsteps
of his father and grandfather, both
named Alf, who were professionals
from the Isle of Wight. Both were
good enough to play in the Open
with Alf senior having a best fi nish
of fourth behind J.H. Taylor at Royal
St George’s in 1894.
Alf junior came to Australia in the
late 1920s and was the professional
at the Grange GC in Adelaide when
Peter was born on April 11, 1930.
Brother John, another fi ne player,
came along two years later and
babysitting fell to the father because
their mother ran the kiosk on the
course. When he had to give a
lesson, the boys were confi ned with
the chooks in their pen.
From Adelaide, Alf moved the
family to Kingston Beach in Hobart,
a course owned by the Nettlefold
family and here again fate smiled
on the boy. Len Nettlefold, who had
lowered the Old Course record at St
Andrews to 71 in qualifying for the
1927 Open, befriended the family
and offered all encouragement.
Both boys caddied on the course, helped their
father in the shop and at the age of eight Peter
got his name in the ‘Guinness Book of Records’
as the youngest player to score a hole-in-one.
As his game progressed – his fi rst handicap at
the age of 16 was scratch – he was roped in by
members to make up a four if one of their own
failed to show. He did this carrying two bags –
his own in addition to the member’s sticks.
Fate again intervened in 1954 when he was
studying to become a teacher at Melbourne
University, having pretty much decided not
to follow his father into the pro ranks. Money
was tight and he walked long distances to his
lectures because he could not afford the tram
fare. That was until he received a three-word
telegram that said: “Won Tatts. Mum.”They’d won £25,000 in the lottery, enough to
set them up for life. As a result, Alf decided to
visit his relatives for the fi rst time in 30 years
and play in the Open Championship. Peter and
John, who’d been overlooked by selectors of
the Australian team for the trip to the Open and
Amateur championships, were able to play with
their father, a member of the British PGA, in the
lead-up events on the good courses against theleading pros.
Gene Sarazen, a friend of Alf, joined them
for a practice round and Peter also played with
Bobby Locke, the defending Open champion.
At the Amateur at Muirfi eld he came up against
defending champion, Irishman Joe Carr, in the
sixth round and seemed to be about to win on
the 20th hole after Carr missed the fairway left.
His ball was located in mud after eight and a half
minutes – the limit is fi ve – and he was given a
free drop by R&A offi cials, which was seen by
the Australians as a home-town decision.
Carr was not at fault in accepting it and
went on to make a great birdie and win the
match. He also sent his caddie forward to
tend the pin for Toogood’s 9-iron approach, as
permitted under the rules at the time. As hisball ran towards the hole the caddie removed
the pin, the ball ran over the hole and Toogood
missed the eight-footer coming back that
would have kept the match alive. The title was
won by fellow Aussie Bachli, who many felt
was not playing as well as Toogood.
Reacting to the Aussie cries that he had
been robbed, Carr said it was not the way he
wanted to win and, with hindsight, should
have offered him a half on the hole.
Toogood himself maintained a
dignifi ed silence.
He made amends at the Open
at Birkdale a couple of weeks later
where he fi nished leading amateur
behind Thomson and on the way
home stopped off for the Australian
Amateur at Royal Adelaide where he
beat brother John in the fi nal.
Despite the encouragement to
turn pro from the Von and Thomson –
and his supportive father telling him
only he could make the
decision – he devoted his life to
teaching and encouraging children
to play the game. In 1981, he
was awarded the MBE for
services to education and golf and
subsequently set up the Australasian
Golf Museum at Bothwell in the
Tasmanian Central Highlands.
Peter played for Tasmania 30 times,
maintained a scratch handicap for
30 years and had the pleasure of
seeing his son, Anthony, become
a respected and innovative course
superintendent and a handy player,
who won the state foursomes title
with Mathew Goggin, son of Lindy,
another Tasmanian golfi ng great.
The last word belongs to the Von.
“The Peter Toogood story is one of
success and simplicity,” he wrote in
the foreword to Simply Toogood, a
fi ne biography by Des Tobin. “Over a
lifetime in golf, this modest man has
made a remarkable contribution to Australian
golf. In my mind he remains one of the most
genuine people I have ever met, one of the
fi nest golfers I have ever played with and one
of the best sportsmen with whom it has been
my privilege to be associated.”
Peter Toogood, 11 April 1930 – 5June2019, is
survived by wife of 59 years, Berenice,and sons
Christopher, Anthony and Bernard.If you want to read more about the life of Peter
Toogood, the biography Simply Toogood, by
Des Tobin is available via the author’s website
http://www.destobin.com.au