KEY POINTS:
The New Zealand Open should remain part of the European Tour.
That's the conclusion organisers must reach when they begin planning for the next event.
The future of the country's premier golf tournament has been the subplot behind this week's happenings at Gulf Harbour. A three man sub-committee
from the board of New Zealand Golf - Geoff Saunders, Alan Isaac and Richard Taylor - have taken control of the Open's future direction. The trio has undertaken conversations with players, former players, European Tour officials and individuals from the commercial and corporate world to get the best possible information in order to plot the way forward.
The arrangement with the European Tour is nothing more than that. It is not a formal contract but it is a connection this event must maintain. The European Tour is the second-most important sanction a golf tournament can have.
Being part of the US PGA Tour is not practical and the Nationwide Tour is second division, so affiliation to Europe is the best possible relationship a golf tournament in this part of the world can have.
Sure, it means the prize money must be at a certain level and that means the total tournament budget is more than $3 million.
But what isn't widely known is that the single biggest contribution to that budget comes from the European Tour itself.
The Tour, which has some lucrative television contracts in various parts of the world, has provided the Australasian PGA Tour $1 million to help fund this year's two co-sanctioned events - last week's Australian Masters and the New Zealand Open.
Thankfully for New Zealand's sake, the Australian Masters was able to meet its budget through sponsorship and didn't need European Tour money to balance the books. Therefore the entire $1 million was gratefully received by the New Zealand Open.
But the tournament is still expected to lose around $400,000 for the second year in succession.
The European Tour still want New Zealand as part of their schedule. They need to provide playing opportunities for their members for 11 months of the year and see this country as a valuable extension to an international schedule that has encompassed, at various times, every continent except North America.
This year, the take-up by European Tour players was disappointing. Only 34 of the 65 available spaces were filled. A variety of reasons for that low turnout have been cited but they include, in no particular order, the late finish to the qualifying school, the time of year, the quality of the golf course, the Ashes series and the fact no serious shopping for marquee players could be undertaken because of uncertainty over the budget.
The first and most important step New Zealand Golf must take to ensure the future of the New Zealand Open is to appoint a tournament promoter as quickly as possible. Bob Tuohy and Associates of Adelaide took on the task only three months out from this year's tournament and are known to be interested in doing the job long-term.
They've successfully tied the New Zealand PGA and the South Australian Open to stellar sponsors and have an impressive track record in delivering quality golf tournaments. Their touch with the New Zealand Open would be hugely appreciated.
The next issues are establishing the best time of year and venue, how it can be delivered for less money and how some marquee players can be enticed to play.
The ideal time to play golf in New Zealand is February. The weather is better, players are just starting their year's schedule and fans don't have to decide between going to Christmas parties or the golf.
But next year is 2007. That will be 100 years since the first New Zealand Open was played. Only a handful of golf tournaments have survived a century and the occasion must be celebrated with a Centennial Open in late November. Scheduling beyond next year should remain an open subject.
Gulf Harbour cannot be a long-term home for the tournament. The property has its advantages such as adequate car parking and good practice facilities. But the golf course is and always has been flawed. There are too many holes where you can't see the bottom of the flag for the approach shot and too many fairways where good tee shots are not rewarded because of the contours. It's also a dreadful venue for spectators because there's just too much real estate to walk. Its also frustrating to get to because of the 14km that must be negotiated at no more than 50km/h once you turn off the main road.
New Zealand's most successful golf tournaments have always been easily accessible for the fans. It's time to take the Open back to the city.
The next major issue is the cost of television production. The tournament still has to pay for it. In 2005, the price was more than $600,000. That can be reduced by cutting the number of holes covered, therefore having less cameras and cable, fewer staff, less hours on air, and not importing Australian production staff and commentators.
Serious consideration should also be given to getting back on free-to-air TV to give sponsors better value. Sky's first day audience was never higher than 40,000 at any one time, a pitiful figure even for daytime viewing. Spongebob Squarepants was doing nearly three times that number on TV2 at 4pm.
As for some headline playing acts, this is where Michael Campbell comes in. If he wants to be serious about the future of the New Zealand Open, the best thing he can do is convince the players he calls his mates to come and play here.
His status as a star of the European Tour has never been higher. He has serious influence and the best thing he can do for his home country tournament is to use it.
New Zealand sport should have a really classy and profitable New Zealand Open.
For now, the event is falling short of its potential. The lure of 100 years should be incentive enough to make 2007 much, much better.
