A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Four days ago John Collier Jr was on a 30.6 handicap index.
Today he is on 19.0.
That huge drop came after the new Park member destroyed the course at the Electrinet Gisborne Park Xmas Tournament on Sunday.
Collier Jr, the son of long-time Park member John “Eyes” Collier, shot 80-28-52 — romping to victory in the men's net.
Glen McKinnon shot an excellent 78-12-66 to finish runner-up . . . 14 shots behind.
Electrician and refrigeration engineer Collier Jr has been playing Thursday twilight and enjoying it so much, he joined up full-time.
A man of many sporting talents — softball, football and basketball — he has quickly added golf to the list.
His new on-course handicap is 17, the same as the old man.
Tolaga Bay's Ginger Watts made the trip to the city well worth it. She won the women's net with 97-29-68, with Maria Sheridan second on 72.
Darrel Gregory was on fire on the front nine holes, carding 2-over 38 in his stableford-winning 85-19-66, for 43 points.
Anaru Reedy had five birdies in his men's gross-winning 2-under 70 while Joe Kerr won the women's gross with 83.
SUNDAY — MTF Finance Electrinet Gisborne Park Xmas Tournament, men's net: J Collier jr 52, G McKinnon 66.
Women's net: G Watts 69, M Sheridan 72.
Men's gross: A Reedy 70, T Akroyd 75.
Women's gross: J Kerr 83, C Pipi 88.
Stableford (men and women): D Gregory 43, G Cranfield 42, C Aramakutu 41, R Walford 40, D Rameka 40, A Drake 40, S Nepe 39, B Lumsden-Nicholls 39, M Emery 39, M Yates 39, J Situ 38, C Christophers 38, S Rolls 38, Wynne 37, R Taylor 37, J White 37, J Witika 37, R Walford 37, V Grace 37, E Wynyard 37, J Foot 37, D Boyle 36, J Collier 36, M Henwood 36, E Parkin 36, P Stewart 36, M Marino 36, S Paku 36, J Van Helden 36, D Harrison 36, H Schreiber 36, R Moore 36, M Vette 36, B Cameron 36.
Long drives: T Adamson (men), M Sheridan (women).
Closest to line (women), D Webb.
Approaches: R Moore (on 2), S Fonoti (on 5), R Moore (on 7), A Baldwin (on 14).
SATURDAY — Men's stableford: A Nairne 38.
Twos: S Peneha.
TUESDAY (Nov 30) — Veteran men's stableford: P Koorey 40, P Simpson 37, J Wikita 37, K White 37, C Brown 36, B Cox 35, A Nairne 35, R McGann 34, S Mohlmann 33.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, Dec 19, Colin Campbell Trophy drawn mixed pairs aggregate stableford, draw in clubhouse.
THE Morrow Cup remains in Hazel Miratana's hands.
Miratana retained the women's 27-hole net crown courtesy of a spectacular 18 holes — 84-24-60. She added 34 for the other nine holes for a 94 total, five strokes ahead of Hiria McClutchie, with Georgina Roberts a distant third.
Hazel's husband Jack also had the winning touch. His 88-25-63 topped the men's net on countback from Rob Yule.
The Cooks Passenger & Courier Services Christmas tournament is on Saturday. It is a rolling start from 10.30am to midday.
SUNDAY — Men's net: J Miratana 63, R Yule 63, R Walker 66, J Puha 67, P Savage 68.
Morrow Cup women's 27-hole net: H Miritana 94 (60, 34), H McClutchie 99 (68, 31), G Roberts 101 (67, 34).
Twos: H Miratana, H McClutchie, R Ngatai.
THURSDAY (Dec 2) — Stableford: R Yule 39, H Rasmussen 39.
COMING UP: SATURDAY, Cook Couriers Xmas Ham & Pork Tournament, men's and women's sections, gross, net, stableford, rolling start from 10.30am to midday, entry includes twos.
ROCKY Pardoe, Lorraine Haisman and Tom Hindmarsh were the Sunday winners.
Pardoe won the junior men's net with 67, Hindmarsh the senior net with 70 and Haisman the women's stableford with 38 points.
SUNDAY — Men's net, senior division: T Hindmarsh 70, G Brown 71, J Neilson 71, P Johnston 71.
Junior division: R Pardoe 67, S Pittar 69, M de Luze 69, M Smith 69.
Women's net: L Haisman 68.
Twos: A Hindmarsh.
FRIDAY — Meat pack 9-hole stableford, senior division: T Brodie 23, A Nimmo 21.
PIP Dymock did the double in the Primo Cup finals and Country Foods Hidden Partners competition on Saturday.
Dymock fired 97-27-70, for 40 stableford points, to win the women's final of the Primo Cup series while Warwick Thompson's 89-22-67, for 41, off the championshp tees won the men's title.
Bill Simpson only had 33 points but it was good enough to win the Hidden Partners drawn pairs as he was drawn with Dymock for a combined stableford total of 73.
The Primo Cup is a points qualifiying series held over the season, culminating in an 18-hole final and the club's annual prizegiving.
The format is net for the front nine holes minus stableford for the back nine.
Thompson posted a score of 12, one ahead of Glenn Morley, who carded 73 off the stick, with Alan Baldwin third another point back.
Allan White's warm form continued last Thursday. He had 15 pars in his 1-over 73-6-67, for 41 points, which topped the division one men's stableford.
SATURDAY — Twos: N Richardson, P Butler, J Situ, R Foon, S Andreassen.
THURSDAY (Dec 3) — Men's stableford, division 1: A White 41, P Clayton 39, A Abrahams 37, G Morley 36, W Mortleman 36.
Division 2: J Pittar 38, M Dodgshun 38, W Thompson 37, J Aitchison 35.
Twos: P Clayton, J Pittar.
AUDREY Tamanui-Nunn delivered career-best golf in winning the stableford on Sunday.
Tamanui-Nunn shot 94-33-61 for a huge haul of 47 points, leaving Aaron Coker's impressive 42 in her wake.
Her efforts saw her handicap drop from 38.9 to 35.3.
SUNDAY — Stableford: A Tamanui-Nunn 47, A Coker 42, T Smith 34, C O;Brien 33, K Tamanui 33, M Tuapawa 31.
COMING UP: SUNDAY, AGM, 10am, club competition to follow.