Manuell gets back in the swing of things with course record

IN August, Barwon Heads Golf Club member Ann Manuell was contemplating giving the game away.

Three months later she was playing the round of her life, breaking the members’ course record.

Manuell shot 70 off the stick, including five birdies with the only blemish a double bogey on the fifth hole.

Her previous best round score was 74 at Kew Golf Club, where she is also a member.

Manuell, who has been a member at Barwon Heads for 10 years, called women’s captain Zara Brookes after she broke the record.

“She rang me after the round, she said I’ve never had a game like that in my life, everything worked… she was thrilled,” Brookes said.

A key to Manuell’s round was the start to the back nine. Traditionally holes 10, 11 and 12 have caused Manuell some headaches, but after hitting birdie, par and birdie, that proved the making of the outstanding round.

Brookes said Manuell’s putting was one of her biggest strengths and told Brookes her aim prior to the record-breaking round was just to focus on hitting as many fairways as she could.

“She’s a very good putter and that really was the key, her really good putting.

“Her mission was to stay on the fairway and she stayed on the fairways the whole day.

“She said ‘I’m just going to try and play steady golf and stay out of trouble’ and that’s what she did.”

Manuell has made huge inroads on her handicap in recent weeks. A week before her sensational 70, she played six strokes better than her handicap to cut it from 11 to 9 and following her brilliant round it now sits at 6.

She has long been a strong competitor across a range of sports, representing Victoria in cricket and playing at a high level in netball and basketball.