Waimate Disc Golf Club hosted the New Zealand championships last weekend.
It was an impressive feat for the club as it was only formed in 2023.
The event was a roaring success, club chairman Dylan Murray said.
‘‘Certain things that are out of our control, like the weather, really played ball.
‘‘That’s the best five-day stretch we’ve had this summer and virtually no wind, so Waimate conditions were perfect.’’
Hosting the national tournament was ‘‘by far the biggest undertaking we’ve had’’, he said.
‘‘We partnered with the Wanaka Disc Golf Club and the Timaru Disc Golf Club to make it happen because the volunteer hours were pretty big.
‘‘It was just a big effort from Waimate.
‘‘For us to be able to host such a big event was extremely satisfying when we pulled it off.’’
Almost 200 players from across the country played across five days.
‘‘With their partners and supporters and caddies and children and carry on, there was a lot of people around.’’
The course at Knottingley Park was the ‘‘envy of the country’’, Murray said.
He loved the vibe on the course throughout the tournament.
‘‘It’s just one of those sports that has a great culture.
‘‘We didn’t have disputes, there was no rules arguments or anything like that — it was all very amicable, all very encouraging.
‘‘Even though there is some competitiveness out there, everybody wants everybody to do well.’’
Eight Waimate players were in the field including Brian Webber who took part at the ripe age of 79.
‘‘If we’re all still playing disc golf at 79 we’ll be very healthy people,’’ Murray said.
Invercargill duo Levi Stout and Alison Tweedie won the mixed and female professional open grades, respectively.
