The green was rebuilt higher up. The club celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 27.
Tolaga Bay
A Scottish name topped the prize list on Ireland’s day at Tolaga Bay’s long-awaited opening day tournament.
Gary McLean won the men’s stableford on a St Patricks’ Day when more beer than Guinness flowed on Tolaga Bay’s 19th at an annual event originally postponed due to the weather.
Local member McLean carded 81-18-63, for 41 points, to head off Te Puia Hot Springs’ stalwart Peter Harrison on countback.
Countback also decided the Canadian mixed pairs stableford winners. Waikohu’s Marg Tuapawa and Tipi Ruru won from Tolaga B ay couple Alvie and John Hale after both pairs posted 43 points.
SUNDAY — Tolaga Bay opening day, Canadian mixed pairs stableford: M Tuapawa/T Ruru 43, A and J Hale 43, C and S Te Rito 34, Tere Lincoln/A Lincoln.
Men’s stableford: G McLean 41, P Harrison 41, B Yates 38, I Logan 36, M Yates 36, D Matai 36, P Tuapawa 35, T Higgs 33.
Men’s long drive: W Brown, D Maitai.
Women’s long drive: S Pohatu.
Men’s approaches: C Beattie, R Reeves.
Women’s approach: A Hale.
Twos: P Stevenson, B Yates.
Te Puia Hot Springs
Kahua Waitoa followed up his Peter Rouse Memorial tournament-winning effort with victory in the fourth and final round of the Jo Hale Memorial series, but it wasn’t enough to earn the overall honours.
That went to Mikaera Aurupa, thanks to a couple of hot scores in earlier rounds.
Waitoa won the fourth round with an impressive 73-14-59.
SUNDAY — Jo Hale Memorial, final round (net): K Waitoa 73-14-59, H McClutchie 86-19-67, M Aurupa 83-14-69.
Overall winner: M Aurupa.
Poverty Bay
Mark Stewart and Glenn Morley will lock golfing swords to decide the 2024 Reynolds Cup handicap matchplay champion.
Stewart sent Stefan Andreassen packing 5 and 4 in their semifinal on Sunday.
Morley set up a 2 and 1 semifinal victory over James Situ on Saturday with a sub-par front nine.
Giving Stewart 16 shots, 4-handicapper Andreassen found himself 3-down after four holes and while he got it back to two on the eighth, he was always chasing the rock-solid Stewart.
Morley has been in good touch in his last few rounds. The 4-handicapper shot 1-under 35 going out against 9-handicapper Situ to forge a 5-up lead and maintained that to be dormie-5.
Situ launched a mini-comeback, winning the next three holes, but a Morley par on 17 ended it.
In other associated cup finals, Kim Gunness, after beating Stephen Francks on the 20th, will play Cliff Poole for the Willock Cup.
The Low Bros Cup will be a JVH v CD affair — club captain John Van Helden taking on Clive Dean.
Bruce Talbot reached new heights in winning the Division 1 men’s stableford on Sunday. Talbot’s 76-12-64, for 44 points, was a personal best at Poverty Bay, surpassing his previous low round of 78 six years ago.
Ross Morley won Division 2 with 82-15-67, for 41.
Brent Colbert ended a 14-round sub-80 drought in style last Thursday. He won the Division 1 men’s stableford with 76-10-66, for 42 points.
Gray Clapham bounced back from a diabolical 109 for 17 points during the LVA tournament in Ohope to win Div 2 with 84-17-67, for 41.
Two players struck the jackpot of two twos over the week — Simon Jeune on Thursday; Mike Callaghan on Sunday.
Sunday — Men’s stableford, Division 1: B Talbot 44, M Callaghan 39, C Carmody 39.
Division 2: R Morley 41, R Young 37, L. Pollitt 37.
Twos: M Callaghan 2, D Sharp, K Houkamau .
Approach: D Pirimona.
SATURDAY — Men’s stableford, Division 1: P Butler 39, S Andreassen 37.
Division 2: G. Clapham 41, D. Wright 37.
Twos: D Pirimona, A Abrahams, C Dean.
Approach: A Abrahams.
Thursday (March 14) — Men’s stableford, Division 1: B Colbert 42, G. Morley 39, T. Goldsmith 38, S. Harbottle 38, T. Mackie 38 .
Division 2: M Lewin 38, H Williams 37, J Aitchison 35, D. Atkins 35, B Read 35, J Pittar 35.
Twos: S Jeune 2, T Mackie, P Butler, C Christie, M Lewin.
Approach: J Aitchison.
Jackpot: S Jeune.
The draw for the final round of the Fulton Hogan Friday Ambrose Team Series TOMORROW is — No.1: Pioneer Seeds, Up The Pars. No.2: Tee-Rex, Team Xtreme. No.3: Rock Apes, Fulton Hogan. No.4: G-Force, Zack and Hacks. No.5: 2 Lemon, Floaters. No. 10: BDO, White Haulage. No.11: Draggnett, City Lights. No.12: Gis Int 1, Gis Int 2. No.16: Sugar Night Club, Lexi Swingers. No.17: Team Turf, Hook & Slice.
Patutahi
Lucan Nickerson had the round of the weekend in winning the junior men’s net on Sunday.
Nickerson fired 95-29-66 to win by three shots.
Eddie Brown Jr won the senior division with a 1-over 71-5-67 while Shelley Robertson’s 85-14-71 topped the women.
Dwayne Russell was in red figures over the week — shooting 3-under 32 in the Friday meat pack 9-hole stableford and 68-+1-69 on Sunday.
SUNDAY — Men’s net, senior division: E Brown Jr 67, H Harris 68, W Baty 68, G Brown 69, D Russell 69.
Junior division: L Nickerson 66, J Phillips 69, A Zame 67, D Quinn 71, G Holland 71.
Women’s net: S Robertson 71.
FRIDAY — Meat pack 9-hole stableford, senior division: L Jameson 23, T Sharp 21, D Russell 21, C Parker 20.
Junior division: C Holland 22, G Maude 20, S Fookes 19, B Tietjen 19.
Māhia
Elaine Westwood and Gid Pitman pipped Lil Morgan and Bruce Maher for the Johnston Canadian mixed foursomes honours on Sunday. The winners posted net 67.5 and the runners-up 68.5.
SUNDAY — Johnston mixed Canadian foursomes net: E Westwood/G Pitman 67.5; L Morgan/B Maher 68.5; V Kyle/R Bremner 75; R Hiko/P Bremner 75.5.
Men’s stableford: K Solomon 37, B Crowley 36, B Cooper 34, D McKinlay 34.
Approaches: R Hiko (women), R Bremner (men).
Waikohu
One of the club’s personalities of years gone by will once again be celebrated over Easter on and off the course.
Terry Rutene did not walk on water but he did play some God-like shots during his years, and there should be a few of those in the 4x9-hole matchplay tournament played in his honour over Easter Saturday and Sunday.
Aaron Coker, if he plays, will be in the running.
He had 34 points on Sunday and it was good enough to win the stableford.
SUNDAY — Stableford: A Coker 34, K Ruru 33, S Ritchie 28, K Tamanui 27.
Twos: S Ritchie.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, club competition; SATURDAY/SUNDAY, March 30-31, Terry Rutene Memorial Cup 4x9 singles matchplay mixed tournament, Saturday (10am) qualifying net, followed by matchplay (1pm) Sunday (10am), matchplay, followed by finals (1pm), 18-hole stableford (11am tee-off) for Sunday-only players, prizegiving and shared meal to follow; SATURDAY, May 25, TKKM o Whatatutu Golf Day, Canadian pairs and men’s section, cup of tea 10am, 11am tee-off, entry includes barbecue dinner, contact Audrey
021-177-2474.
Electrinet Park
Extra holes were needed to decide the Women’s Handicap finalists while sub-par golf wasn’t enough in one of the men’s matches.
Carney Pipi and Jean Foot will fight out the women’s silverware this Saturday from 9am.
Pipi took an extra hole to eliminate Tai Aramakutu in their semi while Foot went toe-to-toe with Kath Papuni in a 22-hole marathon.
The Park’s form golfer, Dan Collier, was once again in red figures but six birdies in a 4-under 68 were not good enough to topple Zane Boyle in their senior men’s Handicap Cup clash on Sunday.
Boyle won 2 and 1 to move into the semifinals, where he will face Ian Loffler, who defeated Anthony Pahina on the 15th.
Collier’s round doubled as a trial for the Oligoi Jug men’s interclub team. He added 71, featuring an eagle on the first, in the afternoon to almost certainly book his place in the No.1 squad as Park look to retain the title.
Today is the final round of the Gordon’s Pharmacy twilight 9-hole summer series.
That also means it is the last chance for those vying for a spot in the 10-person shootout final to be played on March 28.
Heading into today, father and son Shannon and Beau Toa and Chris Fox were the top three while Kino White confirmed her place in the final — the 10 qualifiers must include at least one woman — last Thursday.
The shootout final winner pockets $1000.
Karen Hay rolled back the clock to her low-single-figure handicap days to win last Thursday’s twilight stableford. Hay had nine consecutive pars in an even-par 36-5-31, for 23 points, to win on countback from James Witika, who also shot 36.
Next Thursday will also feature the Simulator Challenge final decided by closest to the pin on the big screen on the Park’s 19th hole. Up for grabs is $500.
SUNDAY — Men’s net: P Nepia 68, W Muir 70, C Nepe 71.
Twos: C Christophers.
Women’s stableford: T Ford 37.
Twos: K White.
THURSDAY (March 14) — Gordon’s Pharmacy twilight stableford: K Hay 23, J Witika 23.
Men’s long drive: C Akuhata-Brown.
Women’s long drive: K Hay.
Approach: J Witika.
Birdie board: J Akurangi, M Christophers, D Collier, J Witika.
Monkey on the back: S Johnson.
Simulator challenge: M Christophers.
COMING UP: SATURDAY, April 6, Jack Glassford Memorial Golf Tournament, shotgun start from 8.30am, men’s and women’s divisions (maximum handicap of 24 for men; 36 for women), non-golfers’ division, gross, net (for the Jack Glassford Memorial Golf Trophy) and stableford, long drive and approaches, start sheet at clubhouse or contact club at (06) 867-9849, inquiries to John White 027-613-5070 or Tina Karaitiana 027-2424-222.
“We are back.”
So starts Tahunga Golf Club’s March 2024 newsletter, followed by the news golfers throughout the district wanted to hear.
“We are very excited to say the golf course will be open again this year.”
Tahunga suffered significant damage from Cyclone Gabrielle that included the green on its famous par 3 No.6 bridge hole being decimated after Hangaroa River breached its banks, along with silt piling up on its second and third fairways.
There were fears the country course located about 50 kilometres inland from Gisborne would not reopen. Those fears have been allayed.
“The course has had two new greens built (on the second and sixth holes), fairways re-grassed and we are really looking forward to showing you our great country hospitality,” the newsletter says
“The Club is going to Open a couple of weeks before we hold our 50th season celebrations. We would love to see golfers, non-golfers, sponsors, supporters of the club over the years and community members past and current.
“Please spread the word as we would love to have as many supporters as possible.”
The 50th anniversary celebration is being held on April 27 and will include a nine-hole Canadian pairs competition and a special approach competition to the new green on the bridge hole.
Those interested are asked to RSVP to tahungagolfclub@gmail.com for catering purposes.
“Thank you to our local community who come and help out at working bees and make Tahunga a great place to play golf and socialise,” the newsletter says. “And a huge thank you to the landowners.
“We hope our ‘out-of-towners’ will continue with their memberships and encourage any new people to contact us. We are a great option and we are always looking for new members. Please spread the word to any friends or family who might be interested in joining.”
More information on the anniversary and men’s open on May 18 is available on the Tahunga Golf Club and Community Hub Facebook page.
Vet Kumar in the runs for HSOB; six-wicket bag to Horouta's Sandhu.