Ninety years later, Joyce is an inspiration to other golfers as she pulls her clubs onto the fairway for yet another round of the game that has become a passion since she took up the ancient sport 36 years ago.

Joy recently celebrated her 90th birthday with a large family gathering but was not forgotten by her friends at the golf club who surprised her with a cake.

At the recent North and North West tournament in Gunnedah, Joyce was also presented with the 90-year Veteran Women’s Golf Associate badge.

The daughter of Claude and Molly Toole, Joyce came into the world at Bathurst, on June 4, 1927. She grew up in Tarana with her sister Shirley (George) and completed her education at Bathurst High School before attending a business college for 12 months.

Joy joined the workforce at the local small arms factory followed by a position as receptionist at the local hospital.

The young Joyce Toole fell for Bathurst boy Keith McAndrew and after their marriage in 1950, they followed her family to Gunnedah.

Keith McAndrew worked for McDonagh’s Pty Ltd for a short period before taking up a plumber’s position with Bill Torrens. He stayed there until his retirement.

“I played tennis as a child but it wasn’t until I started high school that a teacher gave me lessons and I started to achieve some success,” Joyce said.

“When we came to Gunnedah, I was asked to play competition tennis and I played until 1981 when I hurt my knee and had to give it up.”

Joyce was kept busy with a family of four children, Robyn (now Louis), David, Ian and Peter, and as they took an interest in the sport she soon became involved in helping to set-up junior tennis in Gunnedah. Joyce served as treasurer and later down the track; she was honoured with life membership.

In the year 2000, she received the Australian Medal for Sporting Achievement, with the certificate signed by the then Prime Minister John Howard.

With the knee injury forcing her retirement from tennis at the age of 54, Joyce decided to join her husband Keith on the golf course.

“We had moved from our house in Wilga Street to a home in View Street opposite the golf course, so it was very convenient,” Joy said.

Joyce started playing off a handicap of 36 and managed to whittle it down over the years, with her first big win the 1986 open fourball with plus 13, partnered by Sharon Howett.

She also recalled the excitement of winning her first pennants match in Narrabri and achieving every golfer’s dream of a hole-in-one.

Joyce’s scrapbook is filled with pages of photos, cards, newspaper clippings and certificates, including success at Country Week, and a win in her “first and only” mixed event with Mark Hyde at the Gold Coast.

She says she always looked forward to her trip as a member of the touring contingent to the Gold Coast, where they played golf for four days straight.

Other memorable events from her first decade of golf include winning the fourball matchplay with Maisie Longton, and the Northern Tablelands Veterans in 1988 – best score over 36 holes.

By 1998, Joyce had reduced her handicap to 21, adding the Grandmother’s Trophy and the international bronze medal to her trophy cabinet.

A standout entry in Joy’s scrapbook is success at the 2005 Narrabri and North West tournament where she won seven events, including the 36-hole veterans’ scratch and closed 36-hole division 3 event. She was runner-up in the singles matchplay in 1991 and through sheer determination and consistency, she won the event in 2007.

At the age of 82, Joyce McAndrew achieved victory in the division 2 championships, - a very popular result with her fellow golfers – with more championship wins to come in future years.

Over the years, Joyce has also contributed to the administrative side of the club, serving three terms as treasurer and a term as secretary for the North and North West Ladies Golf Association.

Joyce lost her husband Keith to cancer in 2004 and she never imagined that she would be able to fill the empty years ahead without him.

 Her family has extended to include 12 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren and with their support and the many friendships forged through golf and tennis, Joyce has managed to fill every day

She also travels frequently and last year enjoyed a family cruise surrounded by four generations of her family – 28 in all.

Golf continues to be an important part of Joyce’s life but she had to shelve her clubs for a while last year after fracturing her wrist.

The break has healed but Joyce now picks her events, preferring a par or stableford, which do not require as many strokes.

She also takes advantage of kind offers from her fellow golfers to ride the course on a golf buggy – a small concession to her 90 years.