Marking a century of Stead Cup
One hundred years of the Stead Cup golf tournament will be marked in Invercargill next week.
The longstanding women’s golf event at Queens Park has attracted 95 entries, with Invercargill golfer Robyn Boniface attempting to win it for the 18th time.
She finished runner-up last year to Angela Gerken, of Timaru. Gerken, formerly of Invercargill, is returning to defend her title.
‘‘It’s always been a tournament everyone wants to win . . . I’ve played in it for 40 years,’’ Boniface said.
The three-day tournament is on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
‘‘A lot of the players are in the older age group and playing 36 holes each day will be a bit challenging.’’ Boniface said.
The average age of golf club members in New Zealand is 64.
‘‘It’s probably higher in Southland,’’ Boniface said.
Despite a shortage of young people joining clubs, there are good numbers of them in Southland paying green fees to play in social groups.
Boniface thought playing in groups was a good way for newcomers to ease into the sport and meet like-minded people.
Interestingly, the Queens Park Golf Course is one of the few venues in the country where a mens and a women’s golf club operate independently. Ladies club captain Jo Raines said both clubs worked well together.
‘‘The men look after the grounds and do the maintenance and we pay them a fee [towards the upkeep].’’
Raines said the Stead Cup was the biggest women’s tournament in Southland. She and four others organise the tournament, with many club members assigned various tasks to ensure it runs smoothly.
The Stead Cup is named after John Stead who had two terms as Invercargill mayor, from 1917-21 and 1898-99.
‘‘It’s always been a tournament everyone wants to win.’’ Robyn Boniface