The ADF Golf Association committee (ADFGA) has finalised planning for the 2001 National Championship week in Canberra from Saturday, December 1 to Friday, December 7.

National tournament director, SQNLDR Trevor Owens, said the 2001 event would see a major departure from previous tournaments (1985-2000) that had catered only for permanent uniformed personnel of the three services.

The major change to the event will see the traditional Service championship played at the Federal Golf Club midweek over all four rounds.

The members present at the 2000 championships' annual general meeting voted almost unanimously for this change and the ADFGA captain, COL Mark Patch and SQNLDR Owens have successfully negotiated a five-year contract (2001-2005) with Federal management.

COL Patch added that there is little doubt that Federal is one of the finest championship courses in the country and the course, when set up in championship mode, will provide a very solid test of golf for all competing players.

With Federal now the venue for the entire traditional services championship, the way has now been cleared to utilise the ADF Fairbairn Golf Club for the expansion of the tournament and cater for all Defence personnel.

Members of the Reserves, Defence civilians and exchange personnel will now be able to compete in their own section of the national championship and, as an added bonus, there will also be a separate section of the tournament for all female golfers within Defence.

SQNLDR Owens said he was very pleased with this achievement, as the ADFGA committee had long been criticised for not allowing individuals other than permanent uniformed personnel into the event.

"Quite simply, getting the required number of weekend tee times for an event of this size was always against us, but we were fortunate to be able to have a workable compromise with the Fairbairn Golf Club since 1994," said SQNLDR Owens.

"With the new midweek arrangements now in place with Federal, and with the ADFGA still working closely with Fairbairn management, the tournament can now expand to cater for all manner of people working within Defence."

The tournament information bulletin and entry package for the 2001 National Championship week of golf is now available to download from the ADFGA website at www.sportscentreoz.com/adfgaindex.htm, or by email to

adfga@austarmetro.com.au.

Overseas tour

As in all past tournaments, uniformed personnel will again vye for combined services representation for the following year. These matches are usually annual state-based events with an overseas tour planned every three to four years.

The last overseas tour was held in August-September 2000 in the United Kingdom and proved a very successful outing for the ADFGA.

A very talented ADF team covered 3500 kilometres in two weeks around England, Wales and Scotland with the tour-ending highlight being a game on the old course at St Andrews.

In what proved to be a very competitive tour, the ADF Combined Services team halved the Army in a match at Aldershot, secured a very solid win over Navy at Plymouth and the RAF at Drumoig Scotland. However, they went down fighting to the combined British Forces' team at St Andrews (Jubilee and Eden courses).

These matches were played under the Ryder Cup format of foursomes match play, fourball match play and single match play.

The team also enjoyed a number of social fourball matches, mostly with local club members at Royal Mid Surrey, the Belfry, Tidworth Garrison, Woodbury Park (Nigel Mansell's golf complex), and Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh, a course founded in 1761.

The ADF team was very warmly welcomed everywhere within the UK and was proudly sponsored by BAE Systems (UK).

Planning has commenced for the next overseas tour, shaping up to be in New Zealand early 2003. This will be an important tour for the ADFGA as New Zealand was the inaugural overseas host nation when the fledgling ADFGA conducted its first overseas combined services venture in 1987.

In the interim, an ADF combined services team was fielded against a NSW Golf Association rep side at Newcastle in October, while further matches are planned against a Victoria Golf Association rep side at Sorrento in April 2002, and a NSW Golf Association rep side at Mollymook in October 2002.