A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Patutahi
Mason Smith says the goal of breaking his age has “been keeping me going in my old age”.
On Sunday, he achieved it.
The retired horticulturist shot 77-11-66 — a career-best round that bested his age by one stroke.
“Everything came together,” said Smith, whose round included a back-nine holes of even-par 35.
He joked that “I had to play well” to beat others in his four-ball, but added they were “very supportive” when they realised he was on track.
Smith was predominantly a 9-hole player several years ago but has been playing more 18-hole golf in his retirement, and inspiring his fellow Friday “Grapies” — a bunch of horticulturists — to take the game more seriously.
While he was thrilled to achieve the milestone after getting within one or two shots, he said: “now I have to try to keep it going . . . the pressure is still there.”
Clubmate Joe Blair fell just short of equalling/breaking his age for the third time.
Eighty-year-old Blair, who said he was “starting to show a bit of form”, carded 81-16-65, having gone out in 39.
Smith and Blair won their respective divisions of the men’s net.
Abbie Davis posted 133 in her first official 18 holes as a member of Patutahi Golf Club on February 18, 2023.
Last weekend, less than a year later, she ventured into territory unknown . . . the 80s.
Davis signed for 88-25-63 on Sunday to win the women’s net. It featured a birdie on the 11th and was five shots better than her previous best — 93 on October 8.
MONDAY — Net competition: G Brown 69, A Hindmarsh 69, J Phillips 69.
SUNDAY — Men’s net, senior division: M Smith 66, B McKenzie 68, H Harris 70, S Pohatu 71, J Priestley 71.
Junior division: J Blair 65, G Holland 66, G Watson 67, C Brown 67, S Pittar 69 on c/b.
Twos: G Brown, P Molloy, P Summersby.
Women’s net: A Davis 63.
FRIDAY — Meat pack 9-hole stableford, up to 8 handicap: M Owen 20, A Hindmarsh 20, D Dodgshun 20, P Molloy 19, B McKenzie 18 on c/b.
9+ handicap: C Blumfield 25, W Bruce 22, S Maynard 20, H Humble 20, C Kirkpatrick 20, C Newman 19 on c/b.
Waikohu
Penny Rutene turned the Summer Cup competition into a one-woman show on Sunday.
Rutene’s 105-42-63 gave her a best-two-rounds net total of 129 — a massive 17 strokes ahead of runner-up Marg Tuapawa.
Te Rata Ritchie was also a clear-cut winner of the men’s title.
He added a Sunday 66 to his Round 2 65 for a 131 total — 10 better than second-placed Sonny Ritchie.
SUNDAY — Summer Cup, final round, men’s net: T Ritchie 66, S Ritchie 74, L Green 75, P Milner 76, R Reeves 76.
Women’s net: P Rutene 63, M Tuapawa 77, V Grace 78, A Reeves 78.
Twos: P Milner.
Summer Cup winners (net, best two rounds), women: P Rutene 129 from M Tuapawa 146.
Men: T Ritchie 131 from S Ritchie 141.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, club competition - LGU, stableford, putting; TUESDAY (Feb 6), working bee; SATURDAY (Feb 10), Waikohu open opening day, Canadian foursomes and men’s sections, cup of tea 10.30am, 11.30am tee-off, inquiries to Tama Brown 027-449-3473 or Audrey Tamanui-Nunn 022-1772-474.
Tahunga
Tahunga’s on again-off again 50th anniversary will hopefully finally be celebrated on April 27.
Originally planned for 2022, the weather events of that year and Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, which devastated the course, put paid to marking the occasion.
Fingers crossed, the club will be able to do that on Saturday, April 27, from 11am.
A light lunch at 11am will be followed by a nine-hole pairs competition at midday.
The anniversary will also feature a closest to the pin competition from 3-30pm where players will get to fire balls at the new elevated green on Tahunga’s famous bridge hole.
A barbecue and prizegiving will follow at 6pm.
“We hope to see you there to celebrate the incredible milestone of 50 years with past and present club members,” the club said in a flier promoting the event.
Those interested in attending can RSVP on Tahunga’s Facebook page or email tahungagolfclub@gmail.com
Poverty Bay
Bring on the 2024 Sean Shivnan Pharmacy Shootout final.
That was the call from Andy Putnam as he posted a shootout qualifier that iced his Sunday stableford victory cake.
Putnam — a star linebacker in the Wyoming High football team back in the early 80s — fired 85-22-63, for 45 points, to win the division 2 men’s stableford.
A perusal of his handicap index scores reveals it was a personal best at the Awapuni Links by two shots.
White tee scoring has been warm with 40 points-plus scores the norm for winners over the week.
Bill Simpson stepped back in time to his 15-handicap days 10 years ago in winning the division 2 stableford on Saturday with 87-20-67, for 41 points — highighted by birdies on the eighth and 10th.
Simon Jeune birdied 1, 2 and 3 last Thursday on his way to 2-under 70-2-68, for 40 points, and victory in the division 1 men’s stableford.
The Oligoi Jug men’s interclub pennants starts in April and Poverty Bay is keen to have two teams this year, depending on interest.
The format will once again be individual matchplay off the stick in the morning and afternoon.
Those interested can put their names in the comments section on the Awapuni Links Facebook page post about the Oligoi or contact Simon Jeune or David Situ.
The Oligoi dates are April 13 (Tolaga Bay); April 27 (Waikohu); May 4 (Patutahi); May 12 (Electrinet Park) and May 26 (Poverty Bay).
TUESDAY — Veterans’ stableford: M Devery 70, R Young 72, J McGregor 72, P Reid 72.
Twos: P Reid.
Sunday — Men’s stableford, division 1: C Taewa 40, J Van Helden 38, C Carmody 38.
Division 2: A Putnam 45, P Rickard 40, R Young 40.
Approach: L Hewson.
Saturday — Men’s stableford: C Christie 36, V Richardson 36.
Division 2: B Simpson 41, C Poole 37, S Boyd 37.
Two: C Poole.
Approach: C Poole .
THURSDAY (Jan 25) — Men’s stableford, division 1: S Jeune 40, A Hayward 37, V Richardson 36, T Goldsmith 36, C Dean 36.
Division 2: P Humphreys 40, H Johanson 38, M Gemmell 38, M Thomas 37.
Twos: J Pittar, S Jeune, M Thomas, B Colbert, H Johanson, G Clapham, A Hayward.
Approach: G Morley.
TUESDAY (Jan 23) — Veterans’ stableford: K Ellison 37, J McGregor 36, C Christie 35. B Read 35, N Jones 35.
Twos: N Jones.
TUESDAY (Jan 9) — Veterans’ stableford: B Morrissey 39 J McGregor 38, F Ball 37 K Gunness 37, K Ellison 36.
COMING UP: FRIDAY, March 15, Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust Charity Golf Tournament, numbers strictly limited, register interest with Sara McNaught admin@eastlandrescue.co.nz
Te Puia Hot Springs
Eruera West and Hazel Miratana claimed the first silverware of the season on Sunday — the Summer Cup titles.
West’s 91-25-66, including a two on the 16th, gave him a bisque bogey score of +7 in the men’s final round.
The Summer Cup series is scored on a points basis and West won the men’s crown with nine points.
Miratana had to settle for second to Hiria McClutchie in the women’s final round — a stableford — but had done enough in earlier rounds to win with eight points, three ahead of McClutchie.
SUNDAY — Summer Cup, final round, women’s stableford: H McClutchie 36, H Miratana 33, I Ngarimu 31.
Men’s bisque bogey: E West +7, J Forrester +5, S Kupenga +5.
Summer Cup, overall winners, women: H Miratana 8pts from H McClutchie 5pts.
Men: E West 9pts.
Tolaga Bay
It was all Hale King John as he ruled the castle . . . but only just on Sunday.
John Hale won the stableford with 40 points on countback from Rewi Castle.
SUNDAY — Stableford: J Hale 40, R Castle 40, R Pomana 38, R Lincoln-Green 36.
Twos: M Watts.
Electrinet Park
Carney Pipi and Kino White will do battle for the Agnes Attwood women’s matchplay title this Saturday (9am tee-off).
Top qualifier Pipi defeated Tai Aramakutu 6 and 5 in her semifinal on Sunday while White beat Jean Foot on the 16th.
Ray Grace emerged triumphant as the birdies flew around him on Sunday.
Grace won the men’s net with 88-22-66 as Dan Collier and Brad Reynolds delivered birdie-filled sub-par rounds.
For the second time this year, +2 handicapper Collier shot 6-under 66, his round featuring seven birdies and nines of 32, 34.
Reynolds had six birdies — including two twos — in his 71-3-68.
A birdie-3 on the 15th shone like a beacon on the winning card of Stephen Johnson in the Gordon’s Pharmacy twilight stableford last Thursday.
First-season Park member Johnson shot 51 off a 21-handicap for 24 points to win by one point from another new member, Peter Dagg.
TUESDAY — Veterans’ stableford: J White 36, G Lowry 35, B Cameron 35, S Phillips 35 on c/b.
Twos: J White.
SUNDAY — Men’s net: R Grace 66, J Hayes 68, D Collier 68, B Reynolds 68.
Twos: B Reynolds 2, G McKinnon, J Collier, D Collier.
Sunday Trophy women’s stbleford: J Morley 91-20-71, 38.
Agnes Attwood women’s matchplay semifinals: K White def J Foot, C Pipi def T Aramakutu.
THURSDAY (Jan 25) — Gordon’s Pharmacy twilight stableford: S Johnson 24, P Dagg 23.
Long drives: C Christophers (men), K White (women).
Birdie board: C Christophers, N Hansen, M Christophers.
Monkey on the back: K Gooding.
Non-golfers’ section: R Lolohea.
Approach: R Lolohea.
TUESDAY (Jan 23) — Veterans’ stableford: K White 41, W Carpendale 40, S Phillips 39, J White 38.
Twos: W Carpendale, J White.
Māhia
Māhia is holding a mixed foursomes and men’s stableford competition on Saturday, February 24.
Entry fee includes a meal.
Tee-off is 11am after a cup of tea from 10am.
Inquiries to Maraea 027-229-2342.
Poverty Bay Golf Club has revived what in its heyday was a hugely popular Friday week teams’ event during summer.
The inaugural Fulton Hogan Mercantile Golf Friday Ambrose Team Series will be run over four nights in a modified version of the traditional competition.
The new format is teams of four and the number of holes has been reduced from nine to six.
The competition is open to golfers and non-golfers alike, with non-handicappers having to play off a maxium handicap of 24.
There is no limitation to the make-up of teams although breaking out of jail to take part is not encouraged. They can be businesses, schools, clubs, family or friends.
The series (5.45pm shotgun start) tees off on February 23 and continues on March 1, 8 and 22.
There will be net prizes each night and for the top three overall.
Entry, which is limited to 24 teams, can be made through the Awapuni Links: Home of the Poverty Bay Golf Club Facebook page.
Inquiries to men’s club captain John Van Helden 022-399-6462 .
Poverty Bay remain committed to Hurricanes: union chair.