But such was the case yesterday when the Otago Daily Times finally caught up with a party of four on the 11th hole in the annual Michael Hill New Zealand Open Pro-am at The Hills.
Australian Ewan Porter (27), a professional golfer since 2001 and now on his third Nationwide Tour, was teamed with former New Zealand professional Greg Turner, who won the NZ Open in 1989 and 1997, along with Jonathan Irvine.
However, it was the final member of the Diners Club 2 team who attracted most of the attention.
Ronnie Hilton is the grandson of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton Hotels Corp, which was established in Cisco, Texas, in 1919.
He is the youngest of Barron Hilton's eight sons.
His brother, Richard, is the father of television celebrities Paris and Nicky Hilton.
Mr Hilton told the ODT the golfing had not gone exactly to plan yesterday.
"I didn't do too good.
"I choked."
He and Auckland-born wife Jo - who reside in Los Angeles - had been "all over" New Zealand since their arrival on December 29.
They have been spotted at the Heineken Tennis Open and the Big Day Out, fishing and visiting vineyards in Marlborough and were reported to have bought an apartment at the Hilton Lake Taupo.
After the round of golf at The Hills yesterday, the Hiltons enjoyed the hospitality in The Hills Clubhouse, recharging their batteries ahead of a trip to Te Anau today to visit Mrs Hilton's parents, who live there.
Although it was Mr Hilton's second visit to Queenstown, it was his first experience at The Hills and even though the challenging course got the better of him yesterday, he had found it to his liking.
"I love the course; it's beautiful."
