The Nash Cup

The Nash Cup

The first modern iteration of the Nash Cup was played at Brisbane Golf Club on Sunday 24th November 2024 between the Tennyson Hickory Players from the Brisbane Golf Club and The Challengers from all other clubs, primarily this year from Nudgee Golf Club and Toowoomba City Golf Club. The Nash Cup itself is a trophy that was played for by the dentists of Queensland during the First Hickory Age about a century ago, and was kindly donated by the Brisbane Golf Club from its archive section.

Injury and weather caused a few late alterations to the teams, which eventually lined up as follows :

Tennyson Hickory Players - Al Grieve (Captain), Bruce Collins, Dave Mansfield, Peter Kyffin, Rob Bischof and Chris Holmes.

The Challengers - Ross Haslam (Captain), Matt McCarthy, Ryan McCarthy, Scott Hendry, Col Marshall and Jodi Holmes ( a Brisbane Golf Club member who kindly stepped in to replace a late withdrawal).

The event was a Ryder Cup style matchplay slugout comprised of 6 holes of Fourball, followed by 6 holes of Foursomes , followed by 6 holes of Singles.

Handicaps were allotted according to the Tennyson Hickory Players Formula and the result could not have been closer without actually being a tie. There was some excellent golf played and several Tennyson Hickory Players players needed to play roughly par golf in the Singles to try to hold off the charging Challengers. 

Each of the 3 groups recorded a result of 2.5 points to 1.5 points, with the result up in the air until the final putt dropped.

In a rubber played in the very finest hickory spirit, the Tennyson Hickory Players recorded the narrowest of wins, 6.5 points to 5.5 points. Well done and congratulations to all !

After the day’s play, the players enjoyed a sumptuous cheese and fruit platter, again donated by the Brisbane Golf Club in a further demonstration of its support of the preservation of golf’s antiquity.

A couple of special mentions.

Ross Haslam very kindly went to considerable expense and effort to produce commemorative Nash Cup pens and coffee mugs, personally stylised for each team. A surprise touch, and one greatly appreciated. Thank you again, Ross.

Also, Dave Mansfield was my personal man of the match. Dave had been having a lot of trouble with a dicky knee and it was a struggle for him to even walk. Every shot was a new adventure in pain but he played some magnificent golf all day, including down the stretch in the Singles to play the last 6 holes in one over par and halve with a storming Col Marshall to secure a defining half-point. Fantastic effort.

The second modern edition of the Nash Cup will be held in November 2025, and may even be 8 players a team. After this year’s success, I feel sure it will become a permanent fixture.

           

Greg Mellifont