TALENTED and dedicated sportsman Greg Rhodes has been awarded life membership at Mildura Golf Resort.
First joining the club as a junior in 1972, his list of accolades since taking up pennant golf in 1976 is eye-watering.
Already holding life memberships at the Sunraysia Volleyball Association, the Mildura Life Saving Club and the Sunraysia Football Umpires Association, the prodigious talent somehow had time to put Mildura Golf Club on the district, state and national golfing map.
Playing pennant exclusively for Mildura until 2018, Rhodes has won 25 club championships, been the district champion 19 times, and was the district match play champion nine times.
He is an 11-time state senior amateur champion, nine-time Australian senior amateur representative, and was twice the Asia Pacific senior amateur champion and twice the Australian senior amateur champion.
He also has won six consecutive national order of merits, and represented Mildura Golf Club and the Sunraysia district at VGA Country Week for the past 42 years.
When awarded the life membership on Thursday, Rhodes was nearly at a loss for words.
“Certainly surprised, and extremely chuffed, became a little bit emotional, I’ve got to say,” he said.
“The golf club has given me lots of opportunities as a junior and as I’ve grown up and got older. It was certainly an honour and certainly a surprise.”
The school teacher has been a coach for junior golfers at the club since the late 1980s, a habit he began after being inspired by the late district-golfer Ken Harrison.
“He was a mentor to a lot of juniors back when I was a kid back in the 70s,” Rhodes said.
“He was inspirational for me, he was a very good amateur player and a school teacher too, and told us what we needed to know to be better golfers and better people.
“I really enjoy helping kids to develop and be as good as they can at whatever they can be.
“It’s just a no-brainer and a natural progression to want to help kids and I will continue to do so.”
