Tauranga Golf Club members have been doing a double take at the sight of one of New Zealand's finest tournament golfers practising on their course.
Wellingtonian Mark Brown had enough of trying to prepare for a start in the British Open in Wellington's windy conditions so made the decision tocome north for the late summer and autumn.
Brown qualified for the Open, to be held at Muirfield, Turnberry in July, by winning a pre-selection tournament in Australia at the renowned Kingston Heath course in Melbourne. He shot a scintillating course record 62 at the International Final Qualifying for the Open and he had good friend and Golf Fusion head pro at the Tauranga course, Jay Carter, as his caddy.
Brown says the arrangement worked so well he is taking Carter with him to Turnberry for the British Open.
"We go way back to playing amateur golf together about 15 years ago, when we were together under Mal Tongue at Manor Park. We had a lot of fun in that final round so I thought it would be good to bring him over to Scotland with me."
Brown says moving to the Bay has been a great help for his preparation.
"I was just losing too many days' preparation in Wellington and it is mainly the wind that gets to you when you stand outside for eight hours a day. It is not much fun when it is howling.
"I also wanted to get away from my home town. I probably only have another three or four years in the game so I wanted to dedicate all my time to practising and getting better without the distractions of my home town.
"It is something I have wanted to do for a while and obviously I am close to Jay. I thought he could help me with my game, based around improving my short game, even though Mal is still my coach.
"I have put a lot of thought into what I am doing, with a plan in place to get better, rather than just coming out and hitting a few balls."
Brown has a liking for the Tauranga course. Last year he shot a nine-under 62 in the final round of the Carrus Open tournament to win the event and says he had a lot of fun during the week.
"There were a lot of young guys around and Jay is pretty motivated with what he is doing, so it was very enjoyable as I usually practice on my own a lot."
