Golf Vic Vol 60 No 2 2019

The Vic Heart Open has been running for 30 years, but this year saw something new in the event’s history: its first international player. Ellen Barnhoorn of the Netherlands had been travelling around Australia since last October with her husband Paul. A circuitous route of around 15,000 kilometres in a small campervan with their golf clubs packed and ready to experience some of the country’s best courses. And while passing through the south-west, Ellen read about the Vic Heart Open, played in February at Huntingdale Golf Club. “When we played in Port Fairy in a weekend tournament, we took the Golf Victoria magazine to read, in which was an article about the Vic Heart Open,” she said. “This triggered me as only one year ago we had to cancel our travel to Australia because of my surgery. “I was born with an incomplete/dysfunctional aorta valve, but this was only discovered some 10 years ago. Last year the tests showed so much deterioration in my condition that the open-heart procedure was needed. The aorta valve is replaced by a donor valve. “I recovered well and quickly. Only three months later I was back on the golf course again!” Ellen and Paul first took up golf around 12 years ago. “Although we were still active in other sports, running and cycling, golf became more interesting over the last few years once we had more time to play more frequently,” Ellen said. “Playing 18 holes is a good walk, exercise for the whole body and above all a mental game. We both are competitive and like to improve our technical skills.” The couple, members at Leimeer Golf & Country Club in their homeland, revived their travel plans for this past summer, the northern hemisphere winter. “Our country is flat, no hills and no kangaroos! Therefore, we like to play also at times at other courses and in other countries. And wintertime in our country is cold, grey and wet, that’s why we travel in winter if possible and this time Down Under. “We travelled for about five months through Australia, starting last October in Sydney. We travelled up north along tournament A Heartwarming Event Ellen Barnhoorn (right) and fellow players in the Vic Heart Open. 44 Golf Victoria