IN-HOUSE golf clubs are playing a key role in keeping the Fiji Golf Club’s tournament calendar active, while giving members more opportunities to compete, socialise and enjoy the game.
That was evident yesterday when more than 60 golfers took part in the Pandanus Three-Club Competition, with players tackling 18 holes using only three clubs, including a compulsory putter.
Fiji Golf Club member Alvin Avikash Nair said the tournament was an example of what could be achieved when members stepped up to organise events.
“Sometimes it gets a little bit hard to get sponsors to come across,” Nair said.
“What the internal club members do is they get combined together to organise this.”
The Pandanus Club has supported the three-club competition for what Nair believes is its third or fourth year, with members contributing their time and resources to stage the event.
He said the tournament was not only about competition but also about bringing members together and supporting the club.
“This is basically for all the members to enjoy the day and keep the club running better for the financial and better sales at the bar and all these things. So everyone enjoys the end of the day.”
The Pandanus event is one of several competitions supported by internal clubs at the Fiji Golf Club, with Nair also naming Stiff Shafts Fiji, Waidamudamu Golf Group and Pirates Golf Fiji among groups that organise tournaments.
For players, yesterday’s format added a different layer to the usual game.
With the standard 14-club bag reduced to just three, golfers had to think carefully about every shot and make their limited selection work around the course.
“It’s a bit challenging on the club choices you make. The club choices that you’re going to pick at the end of the day is going to help you either to bring in good scores or maybe muck it up.”
Nair said the club’s junior and women golfers also continued to feature in its tournaments, highlighting the range of players taking part in competitions.
