The idea of forming an Association for left-handed golfers in Australia was conceived when George Ewart and three other players - Bill Bowden, John Daniher, and Gary Downs - played in the J.P.Mulholland Memorial event at Nudgee Golf Club on August 18th, 1964.
Based on a similar association in the United States, the National Association of Left-handed Golfers (NALG) Australia officially came into being in 1968, when delegates from Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria and NSW met to form a governing council.
There are now ten authorised divisions of NALG in Australia - Far North Queensland, Queensland, Northern Rivers, NSW, ACT, Riverina, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.
Membership is open to both Ladies and Men, and competitions are held locally, nationally and internationally, and are open to all members. Many competitions cater for right-handed guests or partners.
The VICTORIAN DIVISION conducts a variety of tournaments throughout the year for members and their guests, including the State Championship over 18 holes, for all grades.
Since 1966 past championship winners include John Davis (3 times), Kelvin Peart (4 times), Bruce Bengough (4 times), and Brian Lynch (5 times).
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS are held annually and are hosted on a rotating basis by each division within Australia. In 2006 the nationals were held in Port Stephens, NSW. 2007 saw the championships on the Sunshine Coast, in 2008 it was Hobart Tasmania, and in 2009 the championships will be held in Canberra, ACT.
Past National Championship winners include Kelvin Peart (Vic), Peter Read (NSW), Graham Hulm (Riverina), Julian Reynolds (NSW), and Chris Wilkinson (Vic). Julian Reynolds is the current National Futures Champion and has previously been sponsored by the Lefties in the Jack Newton Foundation.
The National Championships are conducted across handicap divisions, and include a ladies division, and a veterans competition. Even if you don't win, the championships are always a popular highlight of the year and provide the chance to renew friendships.
Concurrent with the National Championships is the Four Ball Doug Bachli Cup. The cup is in honour of the late Doug Bachli, winner of the British Amateur Championship in 1954, and although Doug was a right-hander, he was associated with the lefties almost from inception and through his love and promotion of the game.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS are held at least every two years - on a globally rotating basis. In 2005 the event was held in Dublin, Ireland, in 2006 in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2008 Queenstown New Zealand, and in 2009 it will be played in Sweden. Futher information on the World Championships can be found on our Newspage, or at www.walg.org.
