Golf: Chisholm Links hosting tourney despite fairway worries

Chisholm Links will host next year's Freyberg Masters tournament despite doubts its fairways will not be up to scratch.

Speculation was rife at the masters (over-40) tournament on the Ngamotu course in New Plymouth a fortnight ago that the Dunedin course would not be granted hosting rights.

However, Chisholm Links has been confirmed as the venue for next November's event, which the club is looking forward to hosting.

With hot summer weather, the Chisholm Links dries out and the fairways lose any green tinge, going a light shade of brown.

Between 1973 and 1977, a fairway irrigation system was put in by Rainbird, then Parkland Products, and the Dunedin City Council upgraded the system in 2006.

Regan Boucher, the greens convener at Chisholm Links, said the course was at its best in November, when the masters event will be played.

''Water is not often used at Chisholm, as over autumn, winter and early spring there is sufficient rainfall to keep the ground moist and give a good coverage of grass on the fairways,'' Boucher said.

''In December, February and March, northwesters are predominant and the ground dries out and the fairway grass browns off, giving tight lies and fast fairways.

''This is true links-style golf where golfers have to compensate for buffeting winds and bad bounces.

''We do not water the fairways during this period due to the associated costs involved. We water the greens and 90m out along with the tee blocks.

''In a nutshell, Chisholm is a true links course on sandy soil, with few trees, thick marram grass, rough and crusty fairways.''

New Zealand Golf tournament director Phillip Aickin confirmed that Chisholm Links would be the venue for the 2016 event.

''I look forward to meeting with the club and going through the tournament requirements and completing a course inspection in March,'' Aickin said.

''I am aware that the condition of the fairways currently requires placing and we would ideally like to play the lie.

''But I understand the challenges with limited resources around fairway irrigation and the excessive cost of watering.

''We have run many events in the past when, for various reasons, we have had to introduce placing. This has happened in Charles Tour events and even on two holes in the New Zealand Women's Open at Pegasus when the Christchurch course was in its infancy.

''Golfers need to remember that we ran a very successful New Zealand amateur championship at Chisholm in 2003 and the course is currently a venue for one of the regional qualifying tournaments for the New Zealand Open,'' Aickin said.

-Bill Trewern

 

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