Golf: Matarangi club to host first professional event in 17 years

The Dunes Matarangi Golf Club is gearing up for the Winton Pro-Am on September 14 when 36 teams with 36 pros will converge on the coastal course.

A golf club near the northern tip of the Coromandel is set to host its first professional event in close to 20 years.

The Dunes Matarangi Golf Club is gearing up for the Winton Pro-Am on September 14 when 36 teams will converge on the coastal course.

Dunes Matarangi Golf Club chairwoman Bev Gwyn said it would be the first Pro-Am held at the course in 17 years.

Gwyn said the event came about after four pros from Auckland visited Matarangi.

“They had previously been invited to play here and during that time we organised the coaching weekend.”

At the inaugural event, a group of 18 members was coached by three of the pros before teams of six played their pro-coach in an 18-hole Pro Am-type tournament.

“At that time, a pro, Blake Cowley from Golf HQ, was approached about the possibility of organising a Pro-Am event at The Dunes.

“Blake went back to Auckland and spoke to PGA tournaments co-ordinator Peter Witten who got in touch with us.”

The Dunes was originally a nine-hole Sir Bob Charles designed golf course developed by Matarangi Beach Estates, extended to an 18-hole course in the early 2000s.

Gwyn said the Pro-Am provided The Dunes with an opportunity to showcase its “beautiful” golf course and put Coromandel “on the map” as one of the top golf courses in New Zealand.

“The golf course is in peak condition, and we are receiving very positive feedback about how well the greenkeeping staff are doing to maintain it in such a condition; it looks magnificent at the moment.”

Gwyn said The Dunes was originally a nine-hole Sir Bob Charles-designed golf course developed by Matarangi Beach Estates, and was extended to an 18-hole course in the early 2000s.

“It is now a very different golf course to the original nine-hole course.

“It has changed ownership over the years and the current owners, Matarangi Land Holdings, have invested a lot of money reinstating and upgrading the course condition and facilities to bring it up to what it is today.”

Matarangi Land Holdings had invested money in reinstating and upgrading the course condition and facilities to bring it up to what it is today.

The Winton Pro-Am would see two competitions taking place: one for the pros only, and one team event including the pros.

The team event would be a stableford, with the top two stableford points counted for each hole.

“For the pros, the PGA Pro-Am Series order of merit allows a pathway for full vocational members to the New Zealand PGA Championship and to compete in the Club Professional Championship.

“It also allows for full vocational members to be selected for the biannual Four Nations Tournament, and for all members to try to qualify for the season-ending Cello Invitational Tournament in Queenstown.

“At the same time the Pro-Ams allow amateur club members to compete alongside and engage with a PGA vocational or tour professional in a fun format over 18 or 36 holes.”

The pros who would attend this year’s event are Mason Lee, Nick Coxon and Jake Meenhorst so there would be “some exciting golf to watch”, Gwyn said.

The Details

What: Winton Pro Am golf tournament

When: September 14 at 10am

Where: The Dunes, Matarangi

Entry: online via The Dunes website