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A 4am wakeup call for most of the team signalled the beginning of another Otaki Cup season. Heading to BFHGC to play RWGC, the first hurdle for most was getting their heads around the fact that our refreshment stop was now at Z Rimutaka rather than Caltex Rimutaka but there was plenty on offer for them all to fuel up for the day.
With many of the regular faces from recent years not available for this season, there was a real sense of new beginnings and rebuilding. On that note, we were thrilled to welcome Otaki Cup debutants Gordon Reisima and Luke Lange to the team.
A few early nerves from young Luke were to be expected but with the calming influence of PGA Professional Joel Macklin alongside him, he soon settled into his work. As the first pairing out in the morning foursomes, there was great anticipation of them being able to bring home the first point of the season. When they were three down with five to play, this seemed unlikely but a strong finish saw them secure a half to get the season points tally underway. Awesome!
Rob Blackett and Gordon Reisima started with the first hole wobbles but managed to halve it before quickly finding their rhythm together to get ahead in their match. When they were one up through five holes, Gordon told me he felt like they should have been up by more and he was clearly correct as he and Rob built a three up lead by the time they reached the turn. From there they remained steady to ensure they never gave their opponents a sniff and were able to close out an impressive 5/3 win. What a start for both debutants, earning one and half points between them alongside their foursomes partners.
Our more experienced pairing of Simon Dew and Peter Jackson in the middle of the order were in a tight match and were just one down at the midway point but they struggled to stay with their opponents throughout the second half, finishing with a 4/3 loss. Great to see you back out there playing in the Premier Grade though Jacko. With Simon Dew suffering a similar fate in the afternoon, he mentioned that his after match shower was the highlight of his day…… I think that is best left right there!
Another member returning from the past was Jack Forrester. Pairing up with recent Wellington Representative, Dean Gray, the combo traded blows with their opponents to be all square at the turn. This was a tight one and when they were two down with seven to play, a strong finish was going to be needed and they gave it to us. Needing a two-putt from around 25 feet to secure the win on the last hole, there were a few nerves amongst the gathered support as Dean lined up the first putt. This was largely due to his lag putt on the previous hole that he later described as the “worst putt I have ever hit in my life”. There was some debate about whether this was actually true over a few beers later in the day, with numerous examples on offer to challenge the statement he had made. However, in this situation, Dean delivered with a great roll and the final putt was conceded for another well-earned point. It was great to see those who had time before their singles matches, out supporting Dean and Jack through their final few holes. What that support can do for players in tight matches should never be underestimated.
Team and Club Captain Sam Forrester teamed up with Jamie Frew at the top of the foursomes order and they too were in a tight tussle being one down at the turn. With Sam having a few issues with his swing, he was quick to acknowledge the “phenomenal golf” produced by Jamie in the morning session with a particularly strong finish to secure a 4/2 win.
With a 3.5 / 1.5 lead going into the afternoon singles matches, the team were feeling really good about proceedings. Unfortunately, as many teams in this grade have experienced before, the tide turned for us after the break. None of our top four could find their rhythm which resulted in heavy losses (Dean 5/4, Joel 6/5, Sam 5/4 and Jamie 5/4). Our middle order also struggled to get much going with Jack suffering an 8/7 loss and Simon a 3/2 loss. After being three down at the turn, Simon had done a great job to get his match back to square with five holes to play but the momentum of his fight back was halted with back to back losses and an opponent that gave him little opportunity to pull it back from there. Maybe the thought of a refreshing shower distracted him down the final stretch!
So it was up to the bottom order to do their best to bring home any points for the team from the afternoon session. Despite being two down at the turn and four down with five to play, Gordon displayed great fighting spirit to make his opponent work very hard for his final 3/2 win. An impressive debut and we look forward to future contributions from Gordon throughout the remainder of the season.
Playing partner Rob Blackett has become very comfortable playing at this level and got out to an early lead in his singles match. A fight back from his opponent meant they were square at the turn but Rob confidently went about his work throughout the second nine to frustrate his opponent. Some foul language and club-throwing was evidence of this! A nice 3/2 victory to cap off a successful day for Rob, having secured two points for the team. Well played!
The heat of the day seemed to take its toll on Peter “Jacko” Jackson, evidenced by his repeated calls for “another cold water” throughout the day. Jacko was in a real battle and was all square with five holes to play but the wind came out of his sails down the final stretch, resulting in a 3/2 loss. An impressive effort nonetheless.
The story of the day belongs to 14 year old Luke Lange on his Otaki Cup debut. As mentioned earlier, he earned a half with Joel Macklin in the morning foursomes and followed this up by sticking with his much more experienced opponent to only be one down at the turn in his afternoon singles match. Most would back experience over youth in a tight match like this but Luke would have none of that. He went on a three-hole winning streak through the middle of the second nine and then held his nerve to earn a very impressive 3/2 win. So good! We were all super-proud of your efforts young fella!
I felt a weird sense of symmetry as I watched the youngest member of the team win his singles match 3/2 as the most experienced (I thought “oldest” might sound disrespectful) lost his match 3/2 at the same time. During the after match festivities, it was also quite humorous to see the different approaches from these two. Jacko sipped a few well-earned beers and talked about his aches and pains while young Luke spent most of his time hitting a few wedge shots around the18th green. Maybe it’s the mullet but we were all wondering how he still had energy to spare after such a long day!
It was great to see Tony Rowntree out there supporting the boys just like he did last season. Personally, I love having Tony out there with me supporting the lads and keeping everyone up to speed with the happenings around the course. He has more than earned his promotion from “Number One Supporter” to “Co-Manager” this year!
With a 4am start and most of the lads not being dropped home until 8-9pm, these guys need to be commended for their commitment to represent our club at this level. It is not easy and despite a rough afternoon, the team can still be very proud of their efforts. The 9.5 / 5.5 loss still keeps us right in touch with the other teams in the grade at this early stage of the season.
There is a realistic but positive focus amongst this team. This will be a year where we will struggle to match the firepower of some of our opponents but there is also a strong sense of determination and an attitude that we will scrap hard for every point on offer. Looking forward to the rest of the season boys!
Nathan Frew, Co-Manager
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