Steffi’s goal to play in Europe in 2025
Barooga golfer Steffi Vogel, 25, is showing increased maturity in the game this year which hopefully will see her reach her goal of qualifying for the Women’s European Golf Tour in 2025.
Steffi and her older sister Courtney virtually grew up on Cobram Barooga Golf Club’s fairways as little ones, where dad Terry was greenkeeper.
Most summer evenings the sisters would walk the course with him, while mum Jackie worked as nurse.
The girls would have such fun in the bunkers and to a lesser degree helping dad to move sprinklers.
Today, the 36-hole course has a fully automated sprinkler system.
Terry was an elite amateur golfer, winning the Cobram Barooga championship more than 20 times, and bringing home championship trophies from a number of other clubs.
He was also selected to represent Victoria and the Goulburn Valley Golf Association at Country Week.
Today, as course superintendent at CBGC, Terry directs his ground staff to prepare the 36-hole two-course layout, purported to be the finest in the region.
Young Steffi began to show an interest in the game and joined a junior clinic at the age of 10, while Courtney felt the game was not for her.
Commencing on a handicap of 45, and the only girl in the golf clinic, it was a year later that she played her best round and the happy youngster dropped 10 shots. From there it became a habit to reduce her handicap regularly. Attributed perhaps to a strong golfing gene in the Vogel family.
After finishing high school she continued to play impressive golf and when she proudly achieved her driver’s licence and could drive herself to tournaments she did, to ensure she gained match experience.
Of particular significance was qualifying for the Elvie Whiteside at Royal Hobart Golf Club in an open event played annually over 72 holes.
“It was a great thrill to play at Royal Hobart,” Steffi said.
In 2020, she began a traineeship under PGA Australia’s Membership Pathways Program with CBGC professional Michael McGregor.
It’s a full three-year program and Steffi hopes to complete it this year to become an accredited PGA professional.
The talented young golfer has a busy year with study, assignments, assessments, on-the-job training, working in the pro shop, preparing for and competing in tournaments, conducting clinics for beginners and hours of practice.
Last year Steffi showed her ability was up there with the best. In December, she proved it when she shot her best score ever. A seven under the card on her home course, which was followed again with the same score on three occasions.
In January 2024, she scored an incredible eight under and said she thought to herself that she couldn’t possibly keep that type of form up, and the tournament hadn’t even started yet.
But she did. Steffi competed in the Webex Players Series Murray River, at her home club, and finished the four rounds with 16 under and in sixth place overall.
A magnificent result where males and females, both professional and amateur, compete against each other.
Currently ranked number eight in the world and Australia’s top female golfer, Hannah Green took out the Barooga event in 2022 with 20 under the card, while fellow Aussie Sarah Jane Smith, also with 20 under, and won the 2023 event. Smith is ranked 97 in the world.
For our local champion who plays from plus six, it proved she is among the world’s best.
Playing tournaments is imperative to improvement, and Steffi made the cut last March at the NSW Open held at Magenta Shores, and then at the Australian Women’s Classic held at Bonville, Coffs Harbour.
She played well in her first round, but unfortunately the event was washed out. Bonville is an event sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour.
This October the Webex event will be held at Willunga in South Australia, followed by the Australian Open at Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Clubs.
Hopefully, Steffi will receive an invitation based on her ranking and order of merit.
Steffi has a perfect temperament for golf and is keen to gain a card enabling her to play on the European tour.
In the meantime she will complete her traineeship to become a professional golfer.
Steffi is extremely grateful for Sporties’ generous sponsorship each year, enabling her to focus purely on her golf over a six-month period to compete in tournaments around the country and hopefully make it onto the Women’s European Tour next year.
O’Reilly’s open for business
The town was abuzz last week after word was out that O’Reilly’s Food and Wine Bar was opening and residents were keen to put it to the test.
Open from noon, people queued up as Leesa O’Reilly proudly opened the doors to her new business at 15 Bank St, Cobram, on Friday, July 5.
At one stage there wasn’t a spare seat in the light-filled and spacious interior and the thought of being able to have French champagne or a glass of wine from specially selected Victorian wineries brought with it an added smile of what was to come. After all, it is a wine bar.
However, as the liquor licence has not yet been granted, Leesa has been forced to make some concessions with the business for the time being and will open from Wednesday to Saturday from noon to 6pm or whenever the delicious food is sold out.
Moussaka, a deconstructed salad, stuffed red peppers with vegetables and goat’s cheese, a variety of wraps such as meat balls or chicken, fresh fish sliders, chicken and pancetta pie plus a range of cakes are prepared on the premises, and the menu will change daily.
O’Reilly’s offers something unique. It’s informal yet welcoming. It is not a restaurant, it’s a casual place where you can pop by to share a glass of wine with a friend or colleague and to have a chat in a delightful relaxed setting and share a bite to eat.
Unfortunately, coffee is not being served at present at O’Reilly’s.
Bookings are not required. Just drop in to 15 Bank St, Cobram.
Correction
In last week’s Grapevine, I reported that Peter O’Reilly Leesa’s father, had been the pharmacist at the Amcal Pharmacy in Cobam. However, this was incorrect. It was Leesa’s grandfather, Tom O’Reilly, who operated the pharmacy for many years.