A torrential downpour caused professionals and amateurs to scurry back to the clubhouse in the PGA heritage golf day at Balmacewen in Dunedin yesterday.
Flooded greens rendered the course unplayable and after the siren was sounded, the competition was reduced to a nine-hole stableford competition with the best three scores of each team counting on each hole.
The honours went to the team led by Greg Turner, which possibly had an unfair advantage as Turner played at Balmacewen during his formative years.
Turner, Ian McPherson, Craig Parata, Duncan Harvie and Cyril McWilliam came in with 65 points, winning by a five-point margin.
Former All Blacks coach John Hart's team of Eddie Walter, Graham Sykes, Lindsay Browning and Athol Stephens finished second with 60 points.
Although the weather took the gloss off the event there was still plenty of interest in how the players fared playing the par 3 seventh hole, teeing off with a hickory-shafted club.
Hills professional Craig Palmer must have given some good coaching tips as he, along with Colin Strang, Laurie Mains and David Skeggs, all made pars.
In another group, professional Ben Matheson and amateurs Aaron Charteris and Chris Timms all made pars, while Hart also made a par 3.
On the other side of the coin many top players failed to master the old clubs, notably JK World of Golf professional Marcus Wheelhouse who made a double bogey.
Millbrook professional Allan McKay has one of the biggest collections of hickory-shafted clubs in New Zealand but neither he, nor his team, managed to master the mid-iron shot yesterday.
Heritage golf day
The scores
Scores. -
65 - Greg Turner, Ian McPherson, Craig Parata, Duncan Harvie and Cyril McWilliam.
60 - John Hart, Eddie Walter, Graham Sykes, Lindsay Browning and Athol Stephens.
59 - Susan Farron, Rowan Greaves, Tracey Storer, Rachel Lissaman, Sally Shaw; Jamie McIsaac, Simon Forshaw, Granville Joynes, John Stephens and Simon Hollyer.
57 - Craig Palmer, Colin Strang, Laurie Mains, Les Wilson and David Skeggs.
