Disc Golf: Australian professional disc golfer Patrick Robinson wins New Zealand Disc Golf Championships

Australian professional disc golfer Patrick Robinson won the open men's division at the New Zealand Disc Golf Championships in Tauranga. Photo / George Novak

Australian professional disc golfer Patrick Robinson has taken the top spot at the New Zealand Disc Golf Championships after narrowly beating multiple New Zealand title holder Simon Feasey in a tight competition that came down to the final hole.

The 28-year-old Geelong man, who was first introduced to disc golf in high school through a friend, said that competition was strong with no one really knowing the outcome until the final putt.

"It was super tight, it came down to the final hole," Robinson said.

"I got three strokes up on him and he came back and we were even going into the last couple of holes."

The 2019 NZ Disc Golf Championships were held at McLaren Falls Park from Thursday until Sunday afternoon with 98 competitors from around New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Europe competing.

Disc golf is similar to traditional golf but instead of trying to get a ball in a hole, disc golfers throw frisbee-like discs at steel basket targets. Players carry a range of drivers, mid range and putting discs and the holes have par 3, 4 or 5 with the aim of making each target in as few throws as possible.

Robinson said his win was a great way to mark his first New Zealand tournament and given the quality of the course, which was one of few fully basketed, permanent courses in New Zealand, he said he would definitely be back to play future competitions.

He said the Tauranga course was "amazing" and "technical", which made for great playing.

"I'd been wanting to come and play a tournament."

Last year, he had planned to play a tournament in Queenstown this year, but when he received an entry to Tauranga's NZ Disc Golf Championship for Christmas from his wife Emily Robinson, he was excited to be heading to the Bay of Plenty.

He said the Kiwi players often supported competitions in Australia so he wanted to do the same.

Having played tournaments for about seven years, Robinson said he had enjoyed disc golf for many years and would continue playing until he is no longer physically able to.

"A friend of mine back in high school started playing and then I met some of the guys at the Geelong Disc Golf Club, they're a good bunch of people."

Tournament co-director Haydn Shore said the tournament had gone "pretty smoothly" with some exciting games being played by competitors - Robinson's and Feasey's in particular.

"It got down to the very last putt."

Shore said there would have been about 120 people in the area watching those final moments.

He said the feedback from athletes was positive and they were able to give away thousands of dollars worth of prizes throughout the event.

NZ Disc Golf Championship results:

Open Men: 1st Patrick Robinson; 2nd Simon Feasey; 3rd Jackson Sullivan.
Open Women: 1st Hayley Flintoft; 2nd Gemma Sullivan.
Pro Masters (40+): 1st Andrew Taylor; 2nd Nigel Hailstone.
Advanced Men: 1st Michael Yu; 2nd Jimmy Tu'itufu; 3rd Morgan Harteveld.
Advanced Women: 1st Liene Krastina; 2nd Paula Wilson; 3rd Charlotte Dunkley.
Amateur Masters Men (40+): 1st Blair Joines; 2nd Dominic Hayden; 3rd Yuong Ha.
Amateur Masters Women (40+): 1st Fiona Ming Menzies; 2nd Jennifer Joynt; 3rd Shelly Flintoft.
Amateur Masters Men (60+): 1st Peter Boyle; 2nd James Smithells; 3rd Bob Gentil.
Junior: 1st Samuel Hulbe Pulver.