Auckland's Peter, Dave, Ant and John were pitted against formidable opponents from the Hawkes Bay (Richard, Julian, Andy and Bruce) and Taranaki (Steve, Peter, Mark and Kerry) in a 36 hole combined Stableford competition.
For a number of the competitors, playing Kinloch was to be a first and with a reputation for its difficulty (especially in the prevailing South Westerly wind) there were the inevitbable jitters on the first tee.
Despite this course being described by many as one of the country's toughest, it was generally agreed that the spectacular scenery on course and off (the backdrop is dominated by beautiful Lake Taupo and beyond to the Tongariro National Park) made for an amazing golfing experience. Day one was dominated by the Taranaki team who took a commanding lead over Hawkes Bay and Auckland, respectively. Despite Auckland having taken the opportunity to formulate some team spirit and cohesion by playing Wairakei International the day prior to the tournament, this was to prove a futile exercise as they struggled to come to terms with the unforgiving nature of the Kinloch course.
All teams resided at 3 lakeside homes in Kinloch town with the first evening prior to day one hosted by team Hawkes Bay more aptly, chef extraordinaire Richard Chambers
The first day's competition was completed with drinks and dinner at the clubhouse. Despite being an all male crew, without a single wife/partner in the region, the evening was relatively uneventful, as all competitors were conscious of the need to step up the following morning in the best possible physical and mental shape - Teams Auckland and Hawkes Bay especially aware of the monumental effort required to haul back the Taranaki lead.
Day two dawned clear and relatively still although the breeze did start to come up a little prior to tee-off. With near perfect conditions and some experience of what to expect, most of the competitors played improved golf with scores to match. Unfortunately however there was to be no miracle finish by the chasing crews with Team Taranaki able to hold on to its first day's lead to take out the THA Tournament in convincing style. Despite a superb second round by Auckland's Ant Grayson, they were not able to make any inroads on either of the other teams.
A quick drink at the clubrooms was followed by a great finale to the event with a superb afternoon on the deck of the Lakeside residence of Team HB followed by another sumptuous dinnner again provided by Richard - prizegiving and plenty of banter to follow.There were a number of 'side' haggles including the all prestigious Russian Stableford, for the record won by Kerry Hamilton and Mark Gilmour.
A big heads-up to organiser Steve Lepper with Richard Chambers hosting two of the evenings superbly.
On reflection, a wonderful time was had by all. The location was second to none with Kinloch a true golfing experience of the highest order (Jack Nicklaus designed and ranked in the Top 10 new courses in the world in 2007). The staff both in the clubrooms and proshop made us feel very welcome morning and night!
To be able to travel within 3 hours of Auckland and play two of the country's finest courses was a real privilege - the two courses differ quite significantly, so the opportunity to play both in one weekend made for an ideal combination.
1 round at Wairakei to be included. No naked swimming. Kitchen knives to be used as cooking utensils only. Compulsory town 'visit' on at least one occasion. Richard retain cooking duties. No chipping comp. Savvy stays on ice until after 5.00pm. Absolutely no spoofing.