By Martin Blake
Mike Jackson knew the milestone was coming up, but when the moment arrived at Yarra Yarra last week, he marked it off on the Excel spreadsheet that he keeps, and like a cricketer taking block after a century, he set out for the next landmark.
Jackson is a legend of Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Melbourne’s Sandbelt, and the milestone was significant: an amazing 300 times he has now broken his age on a golf course by posting a competition score lower than his age in years.
He is 83 now, and last week’s milestone round was an 81 off the stick, his only glitch being a triple bogey at the par-4 17th hole that threatened to derail his quest.
The truth is that Jackson is in a sweet spot where he hopes and expects to break his age virtually every time he plays. He has been doing it for more than a decade, from the day when he shot a 67, aged 72.
Still remarkably fit and active and blessed with a brilliant short game, he plays off a Golf Australia handicap of 5 and tees it up on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at Yarra Yarra – often with his son Mark and grandson Nicholas.
Yarra Yarra’s Mike Jackson has broken his age on 300 occasions.
Breaking your age is highly uncommon and reserved for the very best golfers. In his playing heyday Jackson was a member of a winning Yarra Yarra team in division one pennant, won the club championship (at 70), played senior pennant, represented Australia internationally and won 15 tournaments on the national senior tour.
The world record is an outrageous 1140 by American Mike Barber, and while that would be a tall order for Jackson, he is not done yet.
“I’m a competitive beast but I must admit, I find it hard to concentrate these days,” Jackson said. “But I try and do it every time that I play. I hope to live long enough to do it many more times.”
He is still learning about the game approaching his 84th birthday.
“The game’s fascinating, very fascinating. Even at my age, every time I play, I’m looking for that magic thing that makes it better for me.”
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