“I was hoping to break par,” he said, knowing full well that he was on target, bar a disaster, to shoot his age — a golfing accomplishment where a player shoots the same score or better than their actual age.
The percentage of players to do this, according to a couple of online sources, is 0.0000089, or less than nine per million.
For Goldie, however, it has been a matter of when, rather than if.
Currently playing off a 5-handicap at the Bay, he is one of the most consistent players around and his career is littered with successes.
The latest started promisingly. He made birdie on the first, bogey on the second, birdie on the third, then strung together eight pars.
Bogey on the 12th put him back to even-par but he made a bounceback birdie on the 13th and another on the 17th — sinking a 45-foot putt — after a trio of pars to be 2-under standing on the 18th tee.
The post-round reaction from the cool-headed Goldie was one of elation/relief.
“I finally got there.”
He had gone close before, including 2016 at his former club Gisborne Park when he posted 3-under 69 at the age of 68.
Several players in the district have preceded Goldie in the age-shooting stakes, the most recent of those clubmate Brian Morrissey.
To shoot 72 to do it, though, puts him in a special group and those who know Goldie expect shooting his age to become a regularity over ensuing years.
He's fit, quietly determined — as many much younger players who have faced him in matchplay situations will attest — and, equally importantly, rarely strays from the fairway.
Age-breaking gets a smidgen easier from February 21 when he turns 74.
In perusing digital Gisborne Herald archives dating back to 1999 for information on Goldie, the extent of his success drew a short but appropriate response . . . “wow”.
He may not have reached the heights of “legends” such as Heather Booth, Eric Gordon and Peter Rouse, but Goldie is not too far behind them on the pyramid.
1999 — Shot 2-under 70 at Gisborne Park, including three twos, one of those on the par-4 17th.
2000 — Sportsman Trophy at the Oligoi Jug men's interclub pennants.
2003 — Equalled course record at Gisborne Park — 7-under 65 — which he still holds alongside Daniel Collier and Brian Sexton
2004 — Member of the most successful Poverty Bay-East Coast team in Freyberg Masters history - 10th overall at Timaru.
2005 — Member of history-making PBEC senior rep team who beat Hawke's Bay in Bays/Harbour interprovincial quadrangular - the first time they had not finished last.
Captain of Poverty Bay (2) team who beat Tolaga Bay in the Oligoi Jug men's interclub pennants final
2007 — Teamed with Pera Turei to win the Poverty Bay open foursomes gross with a 156 (81, 75) total
2008 — His 2-under 70 at the Gisborne Thistle AFC tournament featured just 19 putts over the 18 holes
2010 — Won Poverty Bay's senior club championship and while it could not be officially confirmed, could be the oldest senior men's club champion in Poverty Bay history and the first left-hander to achieve the beat
Player of the Oligoi Jug pennants series — seven wins from seven matches
2011 — Sinks a 9-iron for eagle-2 on the 17th to beat Brent Colbert in the senior men's club championship semifinals (lost to Andy Higham in the final at age 64).
2013 — The oldest player (67) at the North Island strokeplay held at Poverty Bay
At the age of 66, he plays in his second Southland Invitational interprovincial, possibly the oldest player in the history oif the event
2014 — Won Poverty Bay's 19-man shootout final, having played eight rounds over the five preceding days as a member of the PBEC team at the Freyberg Masters at Waitangi
2018 — Birdie -2s on all par-3s at Poverty Bay in the one round
Also: Winner of multiple mixed pairs titles, has achieved golf's perfect shot — a hole-in-one — five times.
