Sideline Sid - Sports blogger Sideline Sid is a local sport fanatic. Not only is he a classic rugby bloke but he has views, opinions and knowledge on all sports played in the Bay of Plenty.

Golf took centre stage in the Western Bay last week, with the fifth staging of the Carrus Tauranga Open at the Tauranga Golf Club.
In perfect autumn conditions, a field of professionals chasing a (modest) payday and some of the best amateur players in the country, hit off on Thursday.

Standing on the first tee, every player would have had visions of success and glory. The reality at the end of four rounds was that just one player stepped up to receive the silverware, but every starter would have experienced a full round of emotions.
As a very ordinary player over a many years Sidline Sid knows a little about the highs and lows of the game. The highs of a birdie putt and a good drive, which in my case were usually quickly followed by duffed shots and choice words.
Golf is a great leveller, as just when you think that you have got it sussed, it comes up and gives you a kick in the pants. However the joy of the odd good round keeps the majority of players returning for more misery and bad language.
While golf has been played in the Bay for around 100 years, there have been some enormous changes in the past half-century. After joining the Mount Golf club in the late 1960's, I can still remember a few of the older members taking about the clubhouse that was little more than an army hut.
In the late '40s and '50s most clubs apart from those in the major cities, relied on their members to look after the fairways and greens by way of working bees. While club membership fees were relatively modest, the course and clubhouse facilities were spartan by today's standards.
In rural areas, many clubs were established through the charity of a golf-playing farmer, with the greens fenced off to keep the sheep from the putting surface.
The '60s brought expectations that only paid staff could provide, with clubs employing professional green keepers. At the same time, the advent of television brought the likes of Arnold Palmer into the nations living rooms,
The huge surge in playing numbers was mirrored by the arrival of a professional golf tournament circuit in New Zealand. The Western Bay became the hub during the holiday seasons in the 1960s and 1970s.
Second only to the NZ Open was the NZ PGA, hosted at Mount Maunganui. The entrée to the PGA was held at the Tauranga Golf club, with more modest pro events held at Te Puke and Tokoroa for several years.
The first PGA (Professional Golfers Association) was played in 1965 with Aussie raider Barry Coxon annexing the title. The event attracted some of the best players in the world.

Tony Jacklin, who won the NZ PGA in 1967, went on to win the British Open in 1969 and the US Open the following year. Australian Kel Nagel won the British Open in 1960 defeating Arnold Palmer. Nagle annexed the NZ PGA four times starting in 1970 with three victories coming in succession in 1972, 73, 74.

The Carrus Open has seen the wheel go full circle with the return of professional golf to the Western Bay of Plenty.

Seeya at the Game.