The Dunedin strokeplay is hoping a new formula will honour the legacy of a great tournament.
For the first time in nearly a decade, the event will not be folded into the South Island strokeplay, which was established as a 72-hole tournament at St Clair until New Zealand Golf decided it should be moved around various courses.
So, the Dunedin strokeplay is back this weekend as a standalone tournament, as it was for some 70 years.
Elite men’s, open men’s and women’s golfers will contest their separate titles with 18 holes tomorrow and 18 holes on Sunday.
"I suppose we’re trying to reinvent it a little bit," tournament director Patrick Moore said.
"We want to attract more local golfers by running it just Saturday-Sunday rather than the old format of 72 holes, which only really attracted your low single figure golfers."
There was still an elite division playing off the back tees, but the open division would be more attractive to "regular club golfers".
About 125 golfers have signed up across the three events.
The largest number (about 75) will compete in the open men’s, while the elite men’s field will be at least 30 and the women’s field about 20.
"We’re really stoked with the numbers," Moore said.
Two early favourites in the elite men’s field are Tom Lee and Phil Bungard.
Lee (Otago), the Otago No 1, was beaten in a playoff by Zach May (Russley) in the Taieri Classic last weekend, and was also runner-up in the Canterbury strokeplay.
Bungard, playing on his home course, has also been having a fine summer, and would love to add the Dunedin strokeplay to his Otago matchplay and New Zealand mid-amateur titles.
It was not too tricky to host a golf tournament under the Red setting, Moore said.
The only major change was that players would be ferried around the course so they could tee off on various holes, 10 minutes apart.
Players would only be grouped with players from their respective divisions.
February had been a wet month, so the St Clair course was looking perky, Moore said.
"It’s been a challenge at times but it’s beautifully green. It looks like October out there."
Event sponsor Southern Motor Group has put up a car, a shiny Audi, for the first golfer to ace the 16th hole.
The tournament is an Otago Order of Merit event.
