Our second dinner for the year was held at Kingston Heath GC Guest speaker Sandy Jamieson – PGA Professional
The fight for Public Golf
Sandy Jamieson is a respected golf teacher with inventive ideas on how to turn beginners into golfers. He moved from a job at Commonwealth GC to the 9-hole public course at Oakleigh to begin his innovative 1Club method for beginners.
He also spearheaded a successful recent fight to save Oakleigh’s much-loved public course from being turned into a park by Monash City Council.
Kingston Heath GC dinner report – June 2024
Kingston Heath Golf Club, the newly appointed four-day host club for this year’s Men’s and Women’s Australian Open was the venue for Society’s second dinner.
President Kim Hastie welcomed members and guests and introduced speaker PGA teaching professional Sandy Jamieson – well known for being front and centre of the much-publicised fight to save the 9-hole Oakleigh Public course and co-creator & founder of 1 club golf an innovative concept to make learning golf, fun easy and affordable.
Kim spoke a little of his professional career, one by his own admission didn’t reach any great heights, which lead to a discussion with his accountant, resulting in a decision to move to coaching.
To understand Sandys decision a little more Kim referenced a piece he wrote “How Tiger Woods cause me quit golf”, it is well worth a read, and he was happy for it to be shared.
To better understand and engage his audience, he first asked all attendees if able, to stand up and then to sit down if they started their golf life at public course..interestingly the majority took a seat, next he asked for a show of hands to those who started with a full set of clubs.. not many hands raised … an enjoyable evening was guaranteed.
He spoke of his young years with his father and learning with cut down clubs, though later in his talk credits his mother having the most influence on his early learning career.
He talked of his pathway, starting with apprenticeship at Box Hill finishing 1995, from that followed time at Ringwood Public – then a move to the VIS as Assistant coach under Dennis McDade.
Sandy coached Jarrod Lyle, Robert Allenby and numerous others -including Andrew Tschudin now Cam Davis’s caddy.
After ending time on tour with Robert he moved to Commonwealth as Head Professional till 2019.
After nine years at CGC lack of enjoyment and frustration with where golf membership was going, change was needed which led him to Oakleigh Public.
When teaching, Sandy spoke of the importance of getting the fundamentals of golf right early on and gave us insight into the creation of the “1 club “ and how it assists with teaching a beginner.
His coaching fundamentals and passion for teaching many different groups of golfers was evident ..and he was deservingly recognised being awarded the 2019/20 PGA Game Professional Developer of the Year.
In question time he spoke about the importance of community golf and his involvement with saving Northcote which assisted him in the campaign for saving Oakleigh
In saving Oakleigh, there was a focus on drawing attention to the importance and need for providing teaching and course access to the disability golf sector and acknowledged the support of Golf Australia and several Sandbelt clubs which contributed greatly ensuring Oakleigh will now survive well into the future.
Sandy was a thoroughly entertaining speaker and after his talk many took the opportunity to handle samples of the 1 club and talk with further with him The Society thanks Kingston Heath for their fine hospitality
