Novice Whanganui golfer hits hole-in-one to win $10,000 prize

Adam Bevins (right) receives his prize from Snaps Construction’s Apirana Hooper.

An unlikely hero has emerged from Rivercity-Tawhero Golf’s fundraising tournament in Whanganui.

Novice golfer Adam Bevins, of Whanganui, managed a hole-in-one to claim the event’s $10,000 top prize.

He said he missed the ball completely when he teed off on the next hole.

“I think that’s called a ‘whiskey’.

“At the clubhouse afterwards, a guy said it was better to be lucky than good.”

Bevins said he certainly did not play off scratch - “I don’t even know what that means” - and he was still on the hunt for his first par ever before the hole-in-one shot. Scratch refers to having a handicap of zero or better.

“A friend of mine got me into golf at the beginning of the year,” he said.

“This would have been my fifth game. I thought it would be a good thing to do with my son.”

The hole-in-one challenge was part of an Ambrose tournament that raised money for the Tawhero club, with the $10,000 prize provided by the event’s main sponsor, Snaps Construction.

Bevins said his team came last.

“Even then, we still got prizes - golf lessons from Rivercity Golf and a polar fleece from Snaps.

“We had a great time. I’ll definitely be using those lessons.”

Rivercity Golf leases the course from Whanganui District Council and operates a pro shop and driving range next door to the Tawhero Golf Clubhouse on York St.

Rivercity Golf and Tawhero Golf Club officially merged in 2021.

Pro shop manager Amanda Howe said membership at Tawhero had been climbing in recent years.

Her husband, Rivercity Golf managing director Ivan Howe, is the Tawhero club’s co-captain.

“It’s definitely a growing club. It’s gone from 45 members three or four years ago to 115 now,” she said.

“The merger is going really well.

“There was a lot of hard work to get everyone on board, but there’s a really nice culture at the moment and new people are coming through all the time.”

Bevins said before this year, he had not touched a golf club for quarter of a century.

“Years ago, my wife and I played one game with some friends while we were on holiday in Melbourne.

“They told her she should take it up as a sport but said, ‘Adam, not so much for you’.

“I think nine holes once a fortnight is probably my limit.”

He said he put a tab on the bar after finishing his hole-in-one round and it “disappeared pretty quickly”.

“I also went out and bought a Lotto ticket but that was unsuccessful.”

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.