It was an early start on Sunday, 23 November, as 19 men lined up for the always exciting — and often brutal — annual Men’s Shoot Out at Whangamatā Golf Club. Members play throughout the year to qualify for the exclusive field of 19, and once they arrive, the friendly banter begins.
The event can be a long day, depending on how long each player survives. Two golfers are eliminated on every hole up to the sixth, then one golfer on each hole after that, until the final two competitors head up the 18th for the showdown. After a long, wet season, the course is improving quickly as summer approaches and is set to be a welcome destination for visitors and locals over the peak period.
In a fitting preview of the final result, the two golfers who ultimately battled it out stood side by side in the pre-event photo: runner-up Daryl Wilson, fourth from the right, and this year’s champion, Liam Denton, third from the right in the image above. Denton secured the title with a determined three-putt scramble on the last green.
The women’s Shoot Out followed the men’s competition, with Yvonne Barr finishing as runner-up and Jeanne Wilson claiming the win.
