Off the tee: Great seed sown from a city hotel

A mass of information celebrating 90 years of the NZPGA are contained in "Golf The Perfect Game", compiled by veteran journalist Jim Wallace and published this week by the NZPGA.

Just over 90 years ago 12 golf professionals met in the City Hotel, Dunedin, and formed the New Zealand Professional Golfers' Association.

They came from Auckland, Christchurch, Nelson, Napier, Dunedin, Wellington, Invercargill, Ashburton and Masterton. They were quickly into the business of protecting their livelihood, challenging an importer who was bringing readymade clubs into the country.

And two months later they proposed minimum fees of one pound 10 shillings a week as a club retainer and three and sixpence an hour for coaching.

Perhaps the most far-reaching decision of the association came in 1960 at a special meeting held during the Caltex tournament at Paraparaumu. With advice from the great Australian Peter Thomson, members agreed to accept Bob Charles as a probationer to allow him to compete overseas. The rest, as they say, is history.

Mention of the Caltex tournament is a reminder of how extensive New Zealand's professional circuit used to be. From November 10, 1976 to January 9, 1977 there were seven events, at Invercargill, Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington, Hamilton, Auckland and Mount Maunganui, with purses from $35,000 to $14,000.

The PGA championship, revived this year at Clearwater as a $1 million event, was worth $20,000 that year and was won by John Lister. The championship roll of honour reads like a history of the game in this country. Scottish migrants Andy Shaw and Alex Murray won it 11 times between them from 1928-48. Kel Nagle won seven times and Thomson once during the years the Aussies were regular raiders.

And Charles, Lister, Simon Owen, Frank Nobilo, Greg Turner, Ross Newdick, Terry Kendall and Stuart Reese all had success when the championship was a 72-hole strokeplay event from 1965-87.

But Wallace's book is also a celebration of the club and teaching pros. Aucklanders will remember Wisemans sports store in Queen St where Murray, Basil Smith and Hugh Doherty were resident pros.

Ernie Southerden was a legend in Napier, Noel Hayden, secretary of the association for many years, was a legend everywhere as he coached, printed the minutes on his own linotype and still had time to give his members advice about where to eat!

Gillian Bannan showed the way for women and then inspired generations of youngsters, Bob Doms of Taumarunui served the same club for almost 50 years and Terry Kelso went from apprentice at Remuera to become one of the world's most respected rules men.

Wallace's handsome book is a celebration rather than a history. It can be ordered from postmaster@pga.org.nz.

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Missing the cut in the NZPGA championship at Clearwater, left some of the American professionals with a costly choice.

Most Nationwide tour members had a $US2400 ($3574) ticket deal, which took them from the States to Adelaide for the Jacob's Creek tournament, on to Christchurch and then home again.

The catch was the deal only worked if you flew back to the States on Monday. To fly back earlier with empty pockets from Clearwater cost an extra $US500. There were few takers. Ideally the Open and the NZPGA event would run one after the other, reducing costs for touring pros and strengthening both fields.