When Island Park starts its Dunedin metropolitan pennant series campaign against Otago Gold today, it will be the first time in about 20 years a nine-hole club has competed in the competition.
A combined Port Chalmers and Otakou team, which included former New Zealand Open champion Mahal Pearce and former New Zealand amateur champion Ben Gallie, was the last.
Michael Minty will captain Island Park in its first match against heavyweight Otago Gold at Balmacewen today, and said the team was ''fizzing''.
''We have got no expectations this year, but there's a quiet confidence around the team,'' he said.
''The message I'm going to give them is to just go out there and enjoy themselves. The club is really behind the team.''
Island Park boasts three former or current Otago representatives in Minty, Andrew Hobbs and Gary Creedy.
Mike Wray, Nick James and Kelly Adam will also play for Island Park today.
''From six to nine, we have got three or four guys that are at the same level that could slot into the six,'' Minty said.
''A lot of those guys would be quite handy playing at Island Park, just with that local knowledge factor.''
Island Park's first match on home soil is next weekend, against Taieri, a match-up Minty dubbed ''the battle of the saddle''.
Players will go around the nine-hole Island Park course twice, something ''quite different'' for some people, Minty said.
''The course here is pretty short, but you've got to know where to hit it or you can get yourself in a bit of trouble.''
The Otago Golf Club again has two teams entered in the competition - its A team won a year ago - while St Clair, Chisholm Park and Taieri make up the rest of the teams.
Minty tipped Otago Gold, Otago Blue and St Clair as the early favourites, but said it could be a couple of weeks before all the teams were at their best.
''A few clubs are holding their club champs at the moment. So it's probably going to be a couple of weeks until all the club champs are finished and each team starts fielding their strongest teams.
''It's a bit like any competition. You don't really know until you've had a couple of rounds before you know how each team stacks up.''
In the weekend's other matches, Chisholm Park hosts Otago Blue today and Taieri hosts St Clair tomorrow.
