Milestone for Island Park club

Island Park Golf Club stalwarts (from left) Colin Clapperton, Robyn Harrex and Neil Hall reflect...
Island Park Golf Club stalwarts (from left) Colin Clapperton, Robyn Harrex and Neil Hall reflect on the club’s 1976 pennant success as they take a break from planning for the club’s 50th anniversary weekend. PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN
It has been a year of achievements at the Island Park Golf Club.

In July, it celebrated its inaugural Otago senior A pennant title.

Just over a week ago, its youngest member — Maia Koni (8) — made an impressive hole in one.

This weekend, it will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

The club will host about 75 past and present members at the festivities, which begin tomorrow night and run through the weekend.

Those will include a game of golf, as well as a dinner with former Black Cap Warren Lees acting as a guest speaker.

The club had its origins in 1969 when approval was given for a new golf course to be constructed in Dunedin.

A nine-hole course, it was initially intended to expand to 18 holes. But that never happened.

The course was one with great greens and its hills made it challenging to play.

However, women’s convener Robyn Harrex said the club went beyond what it offered in terms of golf.

"I just think it’s a club where our members think about each other and care about each other.

"We’ve had a lot of illnesses and people coming back. It’s a reasonably close club," she said.

"You don’t just come along to play golf."

The club has 195 men and 27 women members at present.

It attracted players from all over the city and has recently proved popular with university students, as it did a deal for them.

The club won its first pennant in 1976 when it claimed the Otago provincial junior title.

It took 44 more years for it to claim the senior title, beating the Otago Bombers 3.5-2.5 in this year’s final.

House manager Colin Clapperton, who was in the 1976 junior team, said that was the standout highlight across the 50 years of the club.

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