IT'S ONE of the biggest events on the seniors' golfing calendar and this year Wanganui's hosting it.
The Castlecliff Golf Club will welcome more than 120 men and women golfers, aged 55 years and over, for the NZ Seniors Golf Association's 61st national tournament.
Involving matchplay for men and womenas well as a stableford competition for the women, the tournament runs for five days, from Monday, November 30 through to Friday, December 4. The finals will take centre stage on the last day.
The Wanganui District Seniors Golf Association is running the event, and its president Brian Francis and Grant Clarke from Castlecliff Golf Club, are joint conveners.
"It's a joint project really and we've had a committee in place for some time to get this up and running," Mr Francis said.
So far more than half the entries are from out of Wanganui but they are hoping to get more locals involved.
"There are plenty of them in our area and we're just hoping they'll take part in what is a great five days of golf," Mr Clarke said. "It's a great coup for Wanganui to get the nationals. We're just determined to make this the best one yet.
"We know what we have to do as a club to make that happen."
The tournament has a budget of $22,000 which Mr Francis said represented a lot of money being spent in the city.
"We've had wonderful support from local business in sponsorship," he said.
This is the first time Castlecliff has hosted the event and it signals a busy period for the seaside club.
"We've got four major events in the coming months, starting with the seniors' nationals, followed by the NZ Police and NZ Fire Service tournaments and then the North Island women's chartered clubs tournament," Mr Clarke said.
"What we're trying to do is make locals aware of what this is all about. Getting locals entering a competition on their doorstep is the hardest thing to do but we're working hard at it."
Mr Francis said running the tournament relied on the help from a "tremendous number" of volunteers who will be helping out during the week.
"All we want now is for the weather to be kind and we'll get a great week," Mr Francis said.
