Kaiser Jacoby, 10, shows Northland's Toro-winning team what he can do with a driver. Photo / Supplied
Kaiser Jacoby, 10, shows Northland's Toro-winning team what he can do with a driver. Photo / Supplied
Young and old of Northland golf came together to celebrate the Toro-winning Northland men's team on Saturday at Sherwood Golf Club.
About 40 golfing fans came out on what became a rain-filled day to formally recognise and congratulate the team of Luke Brown, Dale Clarke, Kadin Neho, Taylor Gill andAlex Neely on winning the interprovincial golf tournament, a first for Northland in the event's 68-year history.
The Northland team members played a round of golf alongside four Northland juniors so they could inspire the next generation to make a career out of the game.
"It was really cool and fun and I would want to play with them again," 10-year-old Kaiser Jacoby said.
Jacoby, who had been playing golf for two years, said being with the team taught him a lot of new things about the game.
"They taught me to keep calm. If you get angry your game is ruined so you've got to stay calm."
Jacoby said his favourite player was Kadin Neho because of how far he could hit the ball and the accuracy of his putting.
Jacoby is not short of role models as his mother, Kylie Jacoby, was the No 2 golfer for the Northland women's team who were sixth at the same tournament.
Kadin Neho (centre) shows Kaiser Jacoby (right) how it's done. Photo / Supplied
"I like everything about golf. I like being out there and hitting the ball long," he said.
"I learnt just to have fun. Golf is fun and if you have fun, you're going to play better."
The players managed to make it to the 15th hole before the heavens opened and the rain came down.
"The course turned into an ocean! It was torrential but it was still worth it to play with the team."
Jacoby said while he might need some practise to replace any of the current members, he said his dream was play as part of the Northland Toro team.
Golf Northland chairman John Smith said it would have meant a lot to the juniors to play with their idols.
"They look up to these guys and they can see they were just like some of the team five or six years ago."
Smith said this wasn't an annual event and was simply about sharing the team's win with the golfing community.
"We thought it would be a good opportunity for the boys to get back together and to share their win with the ex-members, people who had played for Northland over many years."
Northland golf fans packed out Sherwood Golf Club to celebrate with their Toro champions. Photo / Supplied
The year had been a good one for Northland golfers as in addition to the men's win, the women's team sixth placing, the junior under-19 team beat Waikato for the first time in their interprovincial tournament and good results were seen from the masters and representative teams.
Smith said a highlight from the year was how much Northland teams had impressed other provinces when it came to team unity.
"In Northland golf, both men and women through the years, our teams have had the best camaraderie in the teams."
"Being away with this group, people have asked me how we taught these guys to be so supportive of each other. That's really just the Northland way."
He said this wasn't only the result of the actions of current players but instead, a flow-on effect from generations gone by.
"When you're away at these tournaments there seems to be a real team spirit with Northland teams and that's built on over the years, it doesn't just happen.
"It's a culture that has been established and had been fed through the generations as they've come through."
