Why not consider playing in a multi-round golf tournament next year? ... If you’re interested, then this is the one for you to enter. At last year’s event, everyone involved including players, non-playing partners, sponsors and organisers, had a wonderful time!

The tournament is played over three wonderful golf courses, namely, Nelson, Greenacres and Motueka, with two days to be played on the highly-rated Nelson Golf Course, which has hosted three of the top NZ amateur tournaments. They were the New Zealand Amateur Championships, the New Zealand Seniors Championships, and the New Zealand under 19’s championships. Every event resulted in glowing reviews for the course from all the players.

We have just completed our first two day Pro Am at the Nelson Golf Club and the top pro golfers of New Zealand were very impressed by the golf course and the newly refurbished clubhouse.

The courses are all very different, giving the competitors a real challenge for the week. Nelson being a true links course, whereas Motueka is a mature parkland course, and Greenacres offering a mix of challenging waterfront and parkland holes.

Tournament dates for the 2020 Nelson Festival of Golf are Monday 27th April – Friday 1st May, with a rest day on the Wednesday to allow competitors to put their feet up, or get out and about to visit the many attractions the region has to offer or get some practice in for the next two days of golf. We are looking to hold a quiz night on the Wednesday just to keep the fun going. Non-playing partners are also very welcome to join us for the quiz and the major prize giving dinner on the Friday evening. There will be an extra cost involved for non-playing guests for both these events.

The organising committee has decided to keep the number of entries to 128, the same as last year. This created both a competitive yet friendly environment for all the participants. By the end of the week players had golfed with and made new friends with golfers from all over New Zealand and Australia. Tournament Director, Derek Drysdale, said, “At the final prize giving it was really pleasing to hear many of the competitors saying how much they’d enjoyed their week, as we tried to create a tournament that mixed both great golf and great fun, and it seems we did just that!

“We are delighted that we have had many of last year’s entrants already registered to enter the tournament again,” Derek said. “So, if you are keen to enjoy a week of golf in early May in the stunning Nelson region, now is the time to register to confirm your place.”  

Major naming sponsorship is under discussion and we are looking to secure a new name for the tournament in 2020. The Nelson Festival of Golf has in the past received sponsorship funding for the event from the Nelson Regional Development Agency Programme, which is funded by Nelson City Council. The programme’s objective is to stimulate Nelson City’s economy in the shoulder and off seasons by bringing new spending through visitors coming to Nelson for district events.” For further information contact NRDA Mark Rawson on 03 545 6858. 

Further sponsorship is being looked at and Total Golf have confirmed their support. This year the hole-in-one prize on Friday will be a brand new set of golf clubs through Total Golf. Another not to be missed opportunity is our Long Putt competition. Qualify on Monday for the Friday Final and you could win a very nice prize. We will also be running our lucky draw prizes, where each day some lucky competitors will win vouchers from our chosen restaurant partners.

The event itself will consist of a Team Event on the Monday at Nelson, followed by three days of individual stableford competition on Tuesday at Greenacres, Thursday at Motueka and back to Nelson on Friday. There will be team prizes on the Monday, and daily prizes and weekly overall prizes for individuals. The Entry fee of $265 includes four rounds of golf, individual and team competitions, golf gift and a two-course dinner to be held during the final prize giving at the Nelson Golf Club on the Friday evening, where we are planning a party atmosphere to finish the week off in style! We have recently completed a major refurbishment in our clubrooms and we are very pleased with the end result. Our Function Manager, Monique, will delight you all with the food that will be on offer at our Friday night dinner.

The organisers want to continue to build on the great success of all their previous tournaments. They invite you to register now and enjoy the challenging competition offered on the variety of different courses along with the opportunity to widen your golfing experiences, meet new friends and most of all, enjoy the week. The golf days will start with a 9.45am shotgun start on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday with an earlier start of 9.15am on Friday, ensuring that all players are back in the clubhouse around the same time providing a great fun atmosphere for the daily prize giving. 

You can enter online, by visiting our website: www.nelsongolf.co.nz and click on the “Nelson Festival of Golf” box on the home page. Scroll down for an entry form, and please remember, we need payment to secure your entries. 

Our preferred accommodation providers are The Greens Motel, book with them directly on reservations freephone NZ: 0508 246 6835 or email: reception@greensmotel.co.nz.

We look forward to receiving your application forms soon!