Mark Allen says Daniel Andrews could be blacklisted from Mornington Peninsula golf courses
Golf pro-turned-radio host Mark Allen said Daniel Andrews could be knocked back from golf clubs all along the Mornington Peninsula, after Portsea rejected his membership bid.
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Former professional golfer Mark Allen said he wouldn’t be surprised if clubs across the Mornington Peninsula blacklisted Daniel Andrews from becoming a member.
Angry golfers strongly rebuffed a proposal from property baron Max Beck for the ex-Premier to be considered for membership at Portsea Golf Club, the Herald Sun revealed on Monday.
Mr Beck teed off on fellow members of Portsea for rejecting Mr Andrews’ bid.
But Mr Allen said the locals “have not forgiven” Mr Andrews for enforcing severe Covid restrictions during the pandemic.
“On Friday night at Sorrento Hotel it (Portsea ban) was the talk of the region,” he told Neil Mitchell on 3AW.
“To the point where not only members from Portsea but members from other clubs were saying that if he’s trying to join anywhere down here, they just will not let him join.”
“Remember one side of the peninsula they were able to play (golf) and get around, the other side of the peninsula, they were not allowed to play.”
Allen is a member at Kingston Health Golf Club where Mr Andrews is also a member.
“Every club is entitled to do what it wants socially,” he said.
“Once there is an overwhelming (consensus), it’s a very easy thing to do to put a black line through their name.
“(Mr Andrews) is a very good golfer. He’s a golf-aholic.”
Richlister Mr Beck, a Portsea GC member who owns a clifftop mansion at Sorrento, is a friend and confidante of the former Victoria premier.
“I can’t believe how small-minded people can be,” Mr Beck said.
“It’s just all about a bloke who wants to play golf and enjoy the rest of his life. It’s ridiculous. He’s worked his guts out for the state with his beliefs.
“I’m very disappointed, but we’ll just see whether the (Portsea GC) committee takes into account his political beliefs or his personality and his golfing ability – they are the two things they should be assessing him on.”
Asked if he felt Mr Andrews had been demonised, Mr Beck said: “Oh, 100 per cent. He’s a very nice person. A straight-shooter and a very good golfer. He’s got a handicap of under 10.
“He’s very pleasant to play with. What does his political alliance have to do with golf?”
Mr Beck said it would be like the Hawthorn Football Club declining to put a footballer on its list “because he was a Labor voter”.
Portsea Golf Club protocol sees the names of prospective members placed on a notice board for two or three weeks, with the existing membership base given the chance to express approval or disapproval.
Club sources said initial feedback from those aware of Mr Andrews’ interest in becoming a member suggested any formal application was “unlikely”.
Golf was a contentious focus of Victoria’s tough Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, with courses closed for extended periods and golfers required to play in protective masks and only pairs instead of standard foursomes at other times.
Many residents and businesses on Mornington Peninsula also hit out at the Premier’s decision to include the area in metropolitan lockdowns and restrictions during the pandemic, while the Surf Coast and major regional towns enjoyed more lenient regimes.
One local said he believed Mr Andrews’ controversial tenure as premier was too fresh in the minds of some members. “It’s just too soon,” he said.
Another said: “Dan is just toxic down here.”
Mr Andrews also has an eventful history on the peninsula, having fallen and badly injured himself while holidaying in Sorrento in March 2021 in an incident which attracted widespread intrigue.
A 2013 car accident in which the Andrews’ family car collided with a teenage cyclist also remains the subject of Supreme Court proceedings.
Mr Andrews is a long-time member of the prestigious Kingston Heath Golf Club, but is understood to be very eager to join a club in the area.
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