‘Dagg’s Queenstown Open’ is running in conjunction with All Blacks Tours over the weekend of September 19/20, with a warm-up at the Arrowtown golf course, two rounds at Millbrook Resort and a dinner hosted by the man himself.
Dagg, who had 66 games for the ABs and scored 26 tries, played in the New Zealand Open pro-am at Millbrook and The Hills over the past two summers.
‘‘It’s the greatest event, man, I love it,’’ he tells Mountain Scene.
‘‘It’s always a fun week playing on the best golf courses, I reckon, in NZ that are in the greatest nick, and you’re surrounded by pros that are playing absolutely amazing golf.’’
Christchurch-based, Hawke’s Bay-raised Dagg’s a huge fan of Queenstown.
‘‘We’re very lucky in NZ to have that on our doorstep, so every opportunity I get I go down.’’
His next trip’s a family skiing holiday in a month’s time.
He says All Blacks Tours, which normally sells packages for fans to see the ABs, approached him about hosting a Queenstown tournament.
‘‘I said, ‘mate, why not, let’s do it’, and obviously with Covid-19 we want to get people out there and helping the tourism sector.
‘‘It’s not a full-noise golf tournament, we’re just going to get out and have fun and hopefully the weather’s good and the wine flows.’’
At the dinner, ‘‘basically people can just ask me a few things they want to know and I’ll probably tell the truth - mostly’’.
Dagg says about 25 people have signed up so far - the three-night package is from $1595 for golfers and $1095 for non-golfers — and he’s already had some ‘‘bloody awesome’’ Instagram banter with would-be tournament-goers.
Referring to his career-ending knee injury, one wrote: ‘‘I’m going to end your golf career
like you ended your rugby career.’’
Nowadays a Sky Sport rugby commentator, Dagg says he’s had a lot of time to play golf since retiring last year, and also has sponsored gear, ‘‘so no excuses’’.
‘‘My golf’s not too bad - I’m off about a 4.1 - but the other day I got brought right down to reality, I shot 95.’’
But if he keeps up his form at this year’s NZ Open, he could be in contention at his own Open: ‘‘I made three days out of the four and just missed the last day by one shot.’’
He’s also likely to get pre-tournament lessons from local-based pro, Ben Campbell.
‘‘He walked around with me and ‘Beaudy’ [All Black star Beauden Barrett] at the NZ Open and gave us some good tips.’’
