You can play golf in one of the most picturesque places in the world, play with other sporting stars and drink some of that great Central Otago wine at the finish.
But you cannot stop the wind.
Ryan Fox called it one of the strangest days he had ever had as a golfer.
Australian Brad Kennedy was changing clubs on the tees like his country changes prime ministers, while plenty of balls found some water.
Good weather had been a feature of the New Zealand Open in the past couple of years but the wind got up at The Hills, in Arrowtown, yesterday and turned into a howling gale at times.
Rain can be a leveller but wind is twice as bad for a golfer.
The issue yesterday was it appeared to be changing direction three times a minute.
Kennedy said it was a tough day at the office.
‘‘I thought it was going to hail there at one stage.
‘‘The breeze changed — about five or six different directions, and caught me a couple of times there,’’ he said.
He changed clubs as he was teeing off on one hole as the wind changed.
Fox scored five birdies in his opening nine holes but dropped three shots in his back nine as the wind took hold.
Defending champion Zach Murray also fought the wind as he slipped down the leader board after leading early.
The wind calmed slightly in the afternoon and it was almost dead calm as the final golfers finished after 7pm.
