Minigolf pro league teeing off
First came the New Zealand Minigolf Open, now a national pro league has been launched.
The New Zealand Minigolf Federation has announced that a circuit-based pro league will start on April 8 at the Enchanted Forest minigolf course in Onehunga.
It will feature 10 events, each at different courses, across 10 months - culminating in the 2018 NZ Minigolf Open.
A points system will determine the leaderboard, and a $20 buy-in at each event will create a prize pool of cash for the winners.
Bobby Hart, a New Zealand minigolf champion and member of the New Zealand Minigolf Federation, said the pro league was a way of furthering the sports interest after a successful first NZ Open last weekend.
‘‘We wanted it to be a success but it was definitely a lot more than we expected,’’ Hart said.
‘‘But we didn’t really want to lose the hype around the Open. If we did nothing until next year we sort of would have started all over again.
‘‘We want to keep growing the sport and get people identifying that you can go and represent your country in minigolf.’’
Seven of the events will be held at Auckland courses, with the other three scheduled to be played in Hamilton, Rotorua, and Mount Maunganui. Registration for the pro league will be through the NZ Minigolf website.