Nightcaps fairytale continues with record-breaking feat

The remarkable Nightcaps golfing dynasty has entered uncharted territory.

Six years ago, the Nightcaps Golf Club beat Winton to claim the Laing Shield, Southland’s symbol of supremacy for men’s golf.

On Saturday, against Queens Park, Nightcaps defended the shield for the 62nd time, setting a record for the prized trophy which was first contested in 1909.

The Laing Shield is a challenge trophy amongst men’s teams representing golf clubs throughout Southland.

The challenger and the holder each put up six amateur men who are full financial members of the respective clubs.

Players in each team meet an opponent in matchplay over 18 holes.

The Dipton Golf Club held the record at 62 defences from 2005 through to 2011.

In July, Nightcaps equalled that mark with a victory over the Invercargill Golf Club, and the small western Southland club went on to topple Queens Park on Saturday to become the new record holders. They did it in style with a 6-0 win.

The Nightcaps Golf Club’s fairytale story has been a well-documented one, given that before it won the Laing Shield in 2016 there was talk of closing the club and leasing the course land out.

The playing membership was down to just seven at the time.

However, the Laing Shield win halted the lease talk and over the following six years, the club has not just etched its name into the Southland golfing history books, but has been able to grow its playing numbers and in turn survive.

Seventeen players have been used during the Nightcaps’ six-year Laing Shield tenure to date. They are: Ash Murray, Alan Roberts, Gordy Sharp, James Harding, Murray Proctor, Peter Booth, Jay Pethric, Keith Clark, Chris Sherlock, Kyle Dobbie, Ross Mangels, Stu Dobbie, Brett Dobbie, Keith Harvey, Snow Black, Stan Todd and BJ Hansen.