Must watch documentary about golf in Australia in 1968: video

Check out this great Australian film depicting golf in Australia in the late 1960’s.

We recently stumbled upon this old documentary made by the National Film and Sound Archive, and we just had to share it here.

It’s a quaint piece that begins with a golf professional playing one what looks to be Moore Park Golf Club. Anyone know who he is? Perhaps the former pro at Moore Park?

He narrates the film that does its best to depict golf in Australia at the time. You could be forgiven for thinking the country was golf crazy. There are some great scenes of people practising around the home and carrying their clubs around on the bus, and scooter!

The last few minutes of the film show some wonderful shots from The Australian Golf Club during the 1967 Australian Wills Masters, one of Australia’s biggest golf tournaments at the time.

As the narration points out, some of the golfers in the field were Peter Thomson, Bruce Devlin, Kel Nagle, American Bert Yancey and Argentina’s Roberto De Vicenzo, winner of The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in the same year.

As an aside, the first day of the 1967 Wills Masters was called off due to heavy rain. De Vicenzo commented on the The Australian GC that day, “They should declare it a disaster area”.

De Vicenzo ended up losing the tournament to local golfer Allan Murray on the first extra playoff hole.

Check out more videos via the National Film and Sound Archive YouTube page.

7 thoughts on “Must watch documentary about golf in Australia in 1968: video

  • Rake the bunker ya dill!

    Reply
    • Spot on Richard.

      Reply
  • Great video. Good looking back on a piece of history. Definitely agree on Moore Park. Is one of the others The Coast? Pity they didn’t display credits like they would now a days, thanking each site for filming. Would love to know where some of the other courses were.

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    • Not the coast. Bondi

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  • The course in most of the shots is definitely Moore Park (in Sydney). The course above the cliff is Bondi.
    The course where the Wills Masters was played was The Australian (won by Alan Murray, a very good Aust Pro at the time).
    The Pro is Alex Mercer (I think he still teaches – at St Michaels Driving Range?)
    I think the commentator is Tony Charlton (from Melb).

    Reply
    • Thanks Warwick!

      Reply

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