Four golfers with high golfing handicaps from Rakaia have knocked out all other competition and lifted the national women’s 18-hole team championship title.

Sally Smith, Bev Sutherland, Sue Martin and Freda Bierema, representing Rakaia Golf Club — a nine-hole course club —  surprised themselves winning the 2026 New Zealand National Women’s Teams Champion title.

"I was a bit shocked,” Smith said, of hearing of the win.

It’s “very exciting for us. We are struggling to get our numbers to go and play anything in Aorangi.”

Smith said women members at the club numbered about five 9-holers, and 10 who played 18-holes.

The team, made up from the four best players from an earlier club day ladies match, had qualified to enter the 18-hole Aorangi tournament.

"We try as a club, and always have done, to support Aorangi fixtures.”

“But, because we are such a small club, we only actually had five players that could play, and one of those had a commitment on that same day,” Smith said.

Collectively, the four in the winning team had been playing golf for about 100 years.

“We were a club that had high handicappers, with no low handicappers," Smith said.

"So that was probably to our disadvantage.”

Handicap numbers measure a golfer's ability and range from zero to 40.4; the better the player the lower the handicap.

Rakaia’s lowest was 28 and ranged through to about 36 at the top end, Smith said.

Playing in pairs, then combining scores at the end, resulted in the team’s total of 25-under par. 

Results from the play were submitted to Golf NZ and the final national tally revealed it was a close result. They had beaten Manawatu by one point.

The national title involves a trophy to keep for the club and each player gets a badge, which were due to be officially presented to the team next month.

Following news of the win, via a phone call from Aorangi ladies match committee convenor Lynn Stratford, Smith said fellow club members had been full of congratulations.

"We went to Aorangi … and we won. We won the national teams in Timaru. We played 25-under, so that gave us the New Zealand title.”

"It’s a privilege, and we are very proud,” Smith said.