This weeks ‘Get to know your Committee’ features our very own Captain, John Thomas
What sparked your interest in golf and when did you join The Grange Golf Club?
As a teenager I lived opposite the local golf course and had to pick up stray balls from the front lawn before I could mow it. I played rugby league and union, and squash. I had no interest in or desire to play golf. While living in the US for many years I was a keen skier, hiker/backpacker/mountaineer and runner. In 1992 we visited my sister-in-law on the Central Coast of NSW. We arrived just as her husband was leaving to play golf. He was told “Georg, you can’t go to golf now, we have visitors”. Georg was crestfallen but his wife, a lateral thinker, said “I know, why don’t you take John with you?” Georg found an old set of clubs in the garage and we set off. Despite being uninterested in golf, I had a great time, the bug bit and I’ve been hacking it around ever since. I joined The Grange in 2004.
What is your favourite hole on the golf courses and the hole you just can’t seem to master?
My favourite hole does not exist anymore. It was the Par 3, 8th on the East Course, which I aced! The Par 3, 14th on the West Course is my bogey (or double, or triple) hole.
What has been the highlight in your golfing journey to date?
There have been many highlights and they mostly involved the people I was playing with because that’s what makes it fun. The absolute highlight though is a trip to St Andrews in 2019. I was sent there by Golf Australia to attend a Tournament and Referees School run by the R&A. During the trip I was able to walk around the Old Course and St Andrews village and the formal dinner hosted by the R&A in the St Andrews Links clubhouse was wonderful.
What is your go to lunch order in the Bistro/Grilled @ Grange?
I am not a big lunch eater. A toasted multi-grain sandwich with chicken, avocado, sun-dried tomato and cheese will suffice.
What do you do with yourself outside the golf club?
In recent years I have rekindled my interest in photography – instead of photographing mountains and ski slopes I now mostly shoot people playing golf! I am an Adjunct Professor at Shandong University of Technology in China and am involved with research students there.
Dead or alive, who would you most like to meet?
Perhaps not surprising, given my background in physics, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, James Clerk Maxwell or Galileo!
Favourite memory you have had at the golf club?
There are many but the 2016 Women’s Australian Open would top the list. It was a great tournament, there was a buzz about the place and our Club presented so well on the World stage of golf.
What’s the best score you have ever shot at Grange?
78 gross on the East Course.
What motivated you to join The Grange Golf Committee?
I have always tried to make a contribution to the things I was involved in so, when I was approached by a Committee member about running for Committee, I thought I might be able to play a part in helping our Club be the best it can be.
What do you love about The Grange Golf Club?
What’s not to love? There is a great mix of people who enjoy their golf and are fun to play with. We have two fantastic courses that compare with any in the world with a pro-shop and staff to match and the Club house is always welcoming (especially after a bad round!).