Golf: Henderson always played it by the book

Fred Henderson spent 19 years as a senior Auckland rugby referee so keeping golfers under control has never been a problem.

Since trading his whistle for a timing sheet and a rulebook, Henderson has earned respect from the top professionals and the gratitude of New Zealand golfers for his contribution to the game in this country.

Next month he steps down as president of New Zealand Golf after six years at the top. He became a councillor in 1991 and was a member of the executive board from 1992-2003.

He remains an advisory member of the rules of golf and amateur status committees of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

Henderson took up golf when he stopped refereeing and he was never more than a modest player. But he quickly decided that, if he was going to enjoy the game, he had better know the rules.

That led to handicapping duties at Remuera Golf Club, where he became chief handicapper in 1976. In the early 80s he took over those responsibilities with the Auckland Golf Association and was involved in a trial of a modified Australian course rating and handicapping system.

He was co-opted by the national body to introduce the system in 1984 and wrote the handbook that explained its mysteries. Six years ago he piloted into general use a New Zealand version of the American Slope course rating and handicapping.

Tournament players in New Zealand have become used to seeing Henderson chugging around on his cart, producing timing sheets that show where every player should be at any given time and giving rulings for every possible eventuality.

His expertise has seen him officiating as a referee at one World Cup, one World Matchplay, 10 British Opens, five Irish Opens, several European professional tournaments and two Eisenhower Trophy world amateur events.

At the biggest tournaments each group is assigned a referee so that there is no delay for rulings. Henderson's most exciting assignment came at the British Open at Royal Lytham in 1996 when he was in charge of a group consisting of Darren Clark, Retief Goosen and Tiger Woods.

The most enjoyable afternoon came a couple of years later when he strolled round Royal Birkdale in the company of Jack Nicklaus and Payne Stewart.

If the 75-year-old Aucklander has a touch of Michael Schumacher in his golf cart driving, it should be no surprise. He has always been a keen motorsport enthusiast and in his younger days was a regular in the pit crew of pioneer racers Tom Clark and Arnold Glass.

Local golfers will still be able to check his form. When he and wife Jill have completed their latest overseas venture, he expects to be back on course in Auckland.

* When Kevin Chun won the pro-am at Hastings last week with a stunning last round of 64, it marked his first victory as a professional.

But it also raised the question of what next in his fledgling career in the pro ranks. The $4000 first prize was a welcome return, but the 20-year-old was unsure where his next tournament would be.

Chun, who is backed by TaylorMade and the Golf Warehouse, qualified for both the Australasian and Asian tours a couple of months ago, but the Australasian tour is in a six-month break and recent starts on the Asian tour have been restricted to the top 50 on the money list.

The New Zealand pro-am circuit has provided a good grounding for young professionals but their cause would be assisted if Greg Turner's plan to link with the main amateur championships were to take shape.