Omakau Golf Club house manager Carolyn Brown said the 10 teams that played in the morning were hot enough when they finished but the 20 afternoon groups would be making plenty of trips to the chiller on the hill for appropriate hydration as the mercury nudged 30°C.
The Omakau Golf Club had been running a tournament on the same day for more than 20 years, initially as a fundraiser for the Omakau Fire Brigade.
This year the planned Omakau Hub would benefit from the day, she said.
The golf club took over running the event when the fire brigade stopped, then the bowls club ran it for a few years and then the golf club took it on again. This year the club let the Manuherikia Valley Community Trust (MVCT), the community group driving the community hub project, have the use of the course and kitchen, Mrs Brown said.
This year teams came from Auckland, Ashburton, Te Anau and Green Island. Many came back year after year for the tournament, she said.
"It’s always on the same day, there’s no confusion."
A barbecue was available all day on the course and the [Omakau Districts] Lions Club cooked dinner last night for the players. Raffles and an auction all contributed to the fundraising, Mrs Brown said.
The MVCT had already raised more than $1.7 million towards the expected $5.2m cost, including a $500,000 contingency plan, from grants, donations and $1m Vincent ratepayer funding through the Central Otago District Council Long-term Plan 2021-31 process. Earlier this year the trust received $600,000 from the Bob Turnbull Trust for the project.
