About me and why I write this golf blog
I started writing this blog because I have a real passion for Golf. I started playing golf back in 1990 when I was 13 years old. I was living in Auckland at the time, not that far from Chamberlin Park Public Golf Course near Mt Albert in Auckland. I went to have a game with my sister who had just got a half set of clubs for her birthday.
I think for my 1st nine holes I scored 75. I keep playing there for about a year until I joined my first Golf Club which was Akarana Golf Club in Mt Roskill. I joined there in 1991 as a junior, and in 1993 I won the A Grade Junior Club Championship when I beat Strahan Smith 3&1 in the 36 hole Match Play Final. In 1994 I played Reserve Pennants for Akarana with a lot of Success although our team didn’t fear so well.
The 1st Big Tournament I won was the Nett at the Anniversary Tournament on Anniversary Weekend at the end January in 1996. I was playing off an 8 Handicap and scored rounds of 76+5, 72+1, 76+5: 224 Gross and 68, 64, 68:200nett to easily win the nett. And I won one of the latest Sony Television Sets at the time.
In 1998 I suffered a stroke which set me back in my Golf Career a lot. I moved to the Hauraki Plains and became a member of the Hauraki Golf Club in 1999. In my 1st year of playing there, I played Championship Pennants for them, and made the semi finals of the Senior Championships. In 2001 I decided to join the Paeroa Golf Club. I had considerable success there as well. I came 2nd in the 2002, 54 Hole Open, scoring 3 brilliant rounds of 71-1, 73+1 and 72 even. For an even par score of 216 even par. I missed out on a playoff by 1 shot.
The same year I played Division One Pennants for Paeroa GC and had my share of wins, but the team didn’t fear so well. We stayed in Division One in 2003 but came last and had to playoff with Matamata GC for our place in Division for 2004. We lost the Home and Away match so we went down to Division 2. I played pennants for them until I left the Club in 2005. I also was the Runner Up in the 2003 Senior Matchplay Championship which I lost on the 40th hole. The longest senior match play game in Club history. And the very next year in 2004 I won it 1up on the 36th hole. I also won the Senior Stroke play Title in 2003 and was runner up in 2002 and 2004.
Midway through 2005 I changed Clubs to Thames Golf Club. I had had consistently good success at Thames GC with winning the Senior Match Play Championship in 2006. I won the Top Dog Trophy in 2008 & 2010, and I won the Brownlee Handicap Match play Cup in 2010 as well. This year I am playing Championship Pennants for their Championship Pennant Team.
NZ Open Golf Tournament – Caddying experience
I have also caddied at a few NZ Opens over the years. The first time was at the 1994 Air NZ Shell Open at the Grange GC in Auckland for a Rich Mueller (USA) professional, then in 1995 at the NZ Open at the Grange as well for Marcus Cain (Australia), and in 2001 at the Grange GC again for Jon Riley (Australia) and in 2003 Holden NZ this time at the Auckland Golf Club for Brad King (Australia). Unfortunately none of these Professionals mentioned made the cut. However in 2004, I caddied for Nigel Spence (Australia) in the NZ Open at the Grange and he made the cut and finished in the top 30.
