Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Greenkeeper set to defend spectacular title
He’s keeping the greens in perfect condition and playing to win
There’s just something about the Rārangi Spectacular, Pip Looker says.
He can’t quite put his finger on it; it’s “prestigious”, but at the same time “chilled”.
Although, it’s not quite as chilled for Looker as it is for the rest of the 200-strong field: Looker is the greenkeeper at Rārangi Golf Club. He’s spent the past two weeks getting the course looking and playing, well, spectacular, as he looks to defend his Spectacular title.
Looker won the men’s pairs with Kobe Hart, a junior at the club, last year. He also won it in 2019, with a different partner.
And while the juniors coach now plays only once or twice a year, he keeps coming back for the “Spec”. After all, one of the biggest weekends in Marlborough golf can’t be all work and no play for the former scratch player from “back in the dinosaur days”.
“Once you’re a part of it, it’s hard to de-part from it,” Looker says of the pairs competition. “It’s just the atmosphere.”
Looker will be up before 5am on both days of the tournament to cut holes, set tees and go round with the mower again before teeing off himself.
It will be a hard weekend for all 25 of the volunteers it takes “to make it
work”, Looker says, adding Monday is definitely a “statutory holiday” for him.
He rejects the idea of having a slight edge over the field, being greenkeeper,
saying, “you still have to knock it close to the flag.”
Looker is just looking forward to getting out with his teenage playing partner Kobe again. He was meant to partner with his 2019 title-winning partner and mate last year, but he had to pull out the week of, so Kobe stepped in. Kobe hadn’t been playing long, it was his first big tournament. and he was playing off a handicap of 23 at the time. He now plays off five, Looker says.
“I was so impressed with him, he made some clutch [must-make] putts. I think he said he learnt a lot [that weekend], but it works both ways.”
They started the 2023 tournament birdie, birdie, eagle, which helped, but won by just one, Looker says.
Rārangi Golf Club treasurer and former two-time Spectacular championJo Rainbird says it “always comes down to the Sunday”.
The format was “better ball” (each team takes their best net score on each hole) on the Saturday, and combined net score on the Sunday.
“Every shot counts on the Sunday,” Rainbird says, adding many a Spectacular was won on a play-off, which could see other competitors spill out of the club house to watch.
The event started in 1982 and Rainbird says it is the “premier pairs competition” in Marlborough.
They had players from Tasman, Christchurch and Auckland coming for the event today and tomorrow.
“It’s normally a hot day,” Rainbird says. “It can be quite exhausting, especially if you’re playing bad golf, that makes it very exhausting.”
Looker agrees it is often played in “extreme heat”, which makes you extra thirsty by the end of it.