Siblings make Waikato team
Fourteen-year-old Sam Towers and his sister Gemma, 12, have made a meteoric rise into the Waikato Booth Shield team a year after taking up golf.
Sam started playing on a 36 handicap at Te Awamutu last year. One year later he has reduced to a 15 handicap. His first competition was the Aims Games in Tauranga last year when he and DJ Mills finished third in the teams golf.
The Year 9 Te Awamutu College student has represented Te Awamutu Golf Club this year in the Junior Pennants team, men’s Prebble Cup team and Handicap Pennants team.
Gemma started out on a 53 handicap. Nine months later she plays off a 33.
The Te Awamutu Intermediate Year 8 student finished 14th individual at this year’s Aims Games. She was a member of her club’s Junior Pennants team and won the Shayna Memorial tournament played at Nga¯ruawa¯hia in August, upstaging all the other players.
The siblings joined the Waikato Junior Golfing Society this year and will travel to Gisborne for the Booth Shield between all Junior Golf Societies over Labour Weekend.
“We have had siblings qualify for the team before but not usually in the same year,” said WJGS president Andrew Galbraith. “This year is very unusual as not only do we have Sam and Gemma, we also have two brothers in the team.
“Our team is very young this year with the youngest 11 and the oldest 15.”
The WJGS runs monthly tournaments for players under 25. Players must attend three tournaments to be able to trial for the team.
Those players with the top five boys’ and top five girls’ nett scores over 72 holes gain selection.
Sam and Gemma shot 90 and 112 respectively in the wind and rain at Morrinsville where only 18 holes, instead of 36, were possible because of the conditions. Sam followed up with 80, 83 gross, and Gemma 92, 98 at the second trial in Cambridge.
Gemma had her younger sister Katelyn, who also plays golf occasionally, caddying for her at Cambridge.
They had a ‘little mishap’ on the fourth hole during the second trial at Cambridge when Gemma’s trundler broke. With a nice touch of sisterly love, Katelyn raced to the clubrooms to borrow another trundler. In the meantime Gemma had to carry her bag and clubs for a few holes — and it didn’t stop Gemma from getting a par on the next hole.
The Tower’s dad Stuart and mum Jenny also play golf when they can find the time. You’ll often see the whole family out playing in the evenings when daylight saving starts.
“Our children are very excited to make the team together,” said Jenny Towers.
Galbraith said Waikato is the only society to send the players away at no cost. Two fundraising tournaments each year covers the cost.
Some of the other societies are controlled by their local golf associations and they send their junior rep teams.
“We are totally independent from the Waikato Golf Association, although we do work closely together for the betterment of junior golf,” said Galbraith,
The Booth Family started the competition after getting the idea from a trip to England.
They had a daughter who played golf but at that time there were very few tournaments for girls.
The first Booth Shield was played in Gisborne in 1960 making this year the 58th tournament.
Junior golfing societies were formed to select and compete for the Booth Shield.
The Waikato Junior Golfing Society was also formed in 1960 and has competed at every tournament.
Waikato is one of the most successful societies in the Booth Shield history, last winning it in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Waikato last hosted the Booth Shield in 2016 at Riverside Golf Club. The Tower siblings are following in the footsteps of a number of Waikato players who have gone on to play at senior level for Waikato and New Zealand, American universities and professional tours.