The guy who woulda, coulda, shoulda…
EVERY club’s got one.
That freakishly gifted player who, on the rare occasion they tee it up, makes the game look ridiculously easy. Yet, for whatever reason, they lack the desire to make a career out of it, leaving the rest of us exasperated and eternally envious.
No player fits this description better than Castle Hill Golf & Country Club’s folk hero Marty Carmichael. The plumber, who these days spends more time flushing pipes than irons, did the unthinkable in his club’s Saturday competition recently – firing a 14-under round of 58 off his plus-6 handicap. FOURTEEN-UNDER.
“I held it together and kept making putt after putt,” he says. “I’ve had a 61 and a 62, but the 59 was what I was chasing.”
Chasing a 59 or better? This from a guy who prefers to watch his daughters play soccer on weekends than put his hand up to play pennant golf.
Carmichael’s name quickly hit the airwaves when fellow club member and radio personality Ray Hadley got wind of the feat.
Those close to 46-year-old Carmichael, while suitably impressed with his round, weren’t the least bit surprised.
“I once saw him shoot eight-under around Cumberland golf course,” recalls Castle Hill’s head pro David Northey. “While that may seem achievable for a top-level professional, Marty did it after breaking his putter on the fourth hole. He went on to putt with his 3-iron and driver.”
Northey, who did his PGA Traineeship alongside Carmichael before the latter pulled the pin because it just wasn’t his thing, admits he’s never seen a more naturally gifted player.
“Marty’s just never liked the seriousness of pro golf and you could class pennants in the same category, I suppose,” Northey says. “But I’d back Marty to take on anyone in the world – as long as there’s sledging, skins, beers and talking during backswings. That’s Marty down to a tee, quite literally.”
The Marty Carmichael stories are endless. Like how he effortlessly won trainee events 20 years ago, to the time he took out Castle Hill’s club championships by a staggering 27 shots.
Northey continues: “Nothing will top the day when Marty, in front of everyone on our practice green, asked out loud whether anyone had seen a hole-in-one live? He then turned around, teed up his ball on the adjacent par-3 fourth, took a swing and dunked it straight in the hole. Seriously, who does that?”
Brad Fasher, another budding pro who spent time alongside Northey in the Castle Hill pro shop, summed up Carmichael’s annoyingly good ability best: “This is why I retired as a golf pro – guys like Marty make you look bad.”
Tony Gresham made Pennant Hills Golf Club members look second rate for years. The amateur sensation won 25 club championships, both the New South Wales and South Australian opens and a world amateur title in 1972 when he beat an American lad by the name of Ben Crenshaw. Incredible.
Then there’s Kingston Heath’s local legend Richard Macafee, an 11-time club champion and former world club champ who still pokes it around off plus-3.
They say golf is a metaphor for life – the harder you try to win the worse you get.
Yeah, well try telling these guys!
• Who’s your local club legend and why? Share their story with me at [email protected]
Brad Clifton
Editor-in-Chief
@bradcliffo
