Rotorua is a smallish city on the shores of Lake Rotorua. The
surrounding areas are a geothermal wonderland, with geysers,
boiling mud pools, and steaming craters - accompanied by
the pervasive smell of sulphur. Rotorua is also a showcase
of Maori cultural activities, a centre of tourism and a
place of extraordinary natural beauty. It is surrounded
by volcanoes, lakes, parks and recreational areas, and is
a great place to go hiking or to view native birds and animals;
you never know, if you're very lucky, you might even see
a Tuatara!
Rotorua is one of the major tourist attractions
in the North Island, but despite this, manages to retain
some of the charming characteristics of a country town.
Their small museum is of particular note in this respect.
The 2011 North Island Champs were played on the relatively new Scion Tree Nursery course which - as the name indicates - has a lot do do with Scion, a Crown Research Institute that performs a lot of research on forestry in New Zealand and are world leaders in many areas. As part of their contribution to the community, Scion have kindly permitted a course in a park under their ownership and based on the people we met over the weekend, this generous move will provide a lot of locals and visitors to this tourism Mecca with plenty of good healthy fun. For free! You can keep up to date with the course's development at this page (bookmark it now!) and stay informed by joining Gabb's Rotorua mailing list.
Whilst the course has previously hosted 2 National Events, this was the first time the Rotorua Championships were held and in 2011 it was the first event on the ever popular New Zealand Tour. It was a fairly low key affair with the focus on some great fun out on a fabulous course and getting the word out to the locals that they can play disc golf in this fine town. "We are working to complete the 18 holes course such that the information is freely available to all." commented Tournament Director Gabb. "With funding support from sponsors we hope to have the existing 12 loan baskets paid for by the end of 2011 as well as installing the other 6 needed, along with informational material so everyone knows where to tee off, the general rules of the game and simply get out there and give it a go."
We wish Gabb and his team the best of luck as this is a true gem that we know will become a great asset to the city of Rotorua at a time when disc golf is growing world-wide and the need for Kiwis to get out and exercise is greater than ever.
Interested in sponsoring a hole at the Scion Tree Nursery Disc Golf Course (NZ$550 per hole)? Click here to contact Gabb.
Hole 1 - "Underway"
- 106m Par 3 |
Underway - The first - a classic disc
golf hole.
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What a start to a round! The
fairway is pretty plain to see, but it's a question
of whether you can get your disc to travel the required
distance before fading nicely into the shaded green.
Fail on this count and you are soon struggling for
par... |
Hole 2 - "Leftez Luv It"
- 104m Par 4 |
| Shank Baby,
Shank! - Scoobie Doo makes it look
easy, but puts everything into forcing his disc
right from the tee.->->->
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The name of the second
hole - 'Leftez Luv It' - is
a precursor to what is to come. Doglegs that
curve to the right, tree placements that reward
the physical handicap of being left handed.
From the tee at the second, you must choose
a channel between the mighty trees and then
curve around to the right to face the green.
Not a long distance for a par 4, but once you
have experienced the amount of nasty bush that
you can land in, you will appreciate having
4 shots to try and get the par. |
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Hard Worker |
Hard Worker - After the great work in getting this course approved
by Scott Caesar, Simon Feasey poured much effort into design and then spent a whole
day marking it out solo. His efforts continue...so
much so that he cannot even find time to shave!
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Hole 3 - "Easy With an F"
- 101m Par 4 |
Made It! - If you have the above view after 1 or 2
shots, then you would have to be pleased.
The targets are currently taped poles - you
must hit the tape or above. Simon
Feasey surprised all (right) by choosing
the high line from the tee. Sure enough, he
had spied a path for his precise 'S-bend'
throw that almost made it all the way to the
tee.
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As you stand
at the third tee, you can be excused for thinking
'How a I ever gonna get my disc there?!'. Never
fear, there is a way and you have 4 shots to
get there. The current thinking is a low shank,
resulting in an 'S' bend arc. We've seen it
work - but admittedly that was after 6 attempts
that ended in disaster! |
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Hole 4 - "Styley Freaky"
- 120m Par 4 |
Fly My Pretty - Scoobie Doo does all he can to to curve to the right
and set himself up for a birdie on the second par
4 of the course.
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Hole 4 - Styley Freaky - seems
like everything is in reverse. This dog leg par 4
is a classic case of trying to place your shot twice
to set up for the birdie. But, as you will find with
the Redwood Revenge Disc Golf Course,
there are plenty of mature trees to jump out at you
at force the par recovery. |
Hole 5 - "Bomb It" - 71m Par 3 |
Check out our Freaky Styley
pan shot as Scoobie Doo sets off his bomb towards
the target that, like him, is around the bend!
CLICK
HERE FOR A HIGH RESOLUTION VERSION OF THIS PIC
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This is one you want to birdie.
But get it wrong and you are trying to recover from
some tough scrub. At 71 metres, hole 5 is the third
shortest on the course. Named Bomb It because there is little choice but to hurl your disc
high and predict the distance to the fade as it drops
(hopefully) onto the green for a birdie attempt. If
you're a leftie, its a completely different story
- ha ha ha! |
Hole 6 - "Framed" - 90m Par 3 |
Blair Joines the Revolution - 2010 National Champion (on this very course!) Blair Joines is drawfed by the mighty Redwoods on the majestic (and nicely shaded) 6th tee..
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You can see the target nicely
'framed' through a corridor of palms and natives.
Drive with control and you should be able to land
in the clear. Beware - its not that easy and the target
is further away than it looks. A par here can be considered
a very good result. |
Hole 7 - "Where's Spanky?"
- 92m Par 3 |
Nigel 'Waiheke'
Hailstone tries one of his trademark forehands
in an attempt to circumvent the fairway bunkers (read:
trees) on the 7th fairway for a decent attempt at
the target.
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By this stage, most golfers are
wondering 'Where's Spanky?' - that
lunatic mountainbiking legend that has been known
to throw a disc more than often is bound not to show
up as he embarks on his out-of-the-closet moto career.
At 92 metres, the 7th rewards a good drive with the
remote opportunity of a birdie. But realistically,
like many of the Redwood Revenge holes, a par is a
good result. |
Hole 8 - "Total Blank"
- 63m Par 3 |
Swamp Hop - American youngster Enoch Gawain is improves every time we see him - it's only a matter
of time before he starts beating us all!. Here he
has dropped short of the tricky little swamp on hole
8 so he can chip in and record a nice par 3.
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There are all sorts of theories
why this hole is called 'Total Blank'
- suffice to say leftie Marty de Haas was involved
and one look at his dumbfounded face tells the story.
Whilst shortish, the eighth has its own unique challenge
in that there is a little nasty swamp just before
the green at about the 50 metre mark. And, due to
the stunning overhanging foliage of the trees, one
cannot bomb in from the tee, but has to choose a delicately
judged drive that brings the swamp into play every
time. Good luck! |
Hole 9 - "The Sleepless Grove"
- 80m Par 3 |
Yoga Comes In Handy - 4 time National Champ and course designer Simon
Feasey shows mastery recovery on hole 9 to
hit the post from over 30 metres.
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'The Sleepless Grove'
is no doubt a reference to Freaky Stylist
No Sleep Pete, who's first shot on this very
tricky hole had it all - ground skim, tree bounce
and a roller that eventually ended up in the right
place. The tree placements for the ninth turn it into
a hidden dogleg that is very tough to negotiate due
to lots of lovely native bush that reaches out to
turn your game around for the worst. |
Hole 10 - "Into The Open"
- 127m Par 3 |
Riding the Shot - Taumarunuian Blair Joines is lucky to be in the open for his 2nd shot.
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On this tree intensive course
it is not until the aptly named tenth that you walk
out onto an open field to try and see who has the
biggest arm. That doesn't mean you don't have to be
accurate. At 85m from the tee is a line of trees ready
to stop the perfect target-bound flight in its tracks. |
Hole 11 - "Tongue 'n' Groove"
- 85m Par 3 |
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Pinball Wizard - Another hole that features a nice open fairway,
however at the end of your drive is a tricky
forest of pines (right) to negotiate through
to the target. It can be like playing pinball
with frisbees. A lucky drive can get you close
to the green, but either way you will need a
high level of accuracy to make it to that target
in 3.
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Hole 12 - "Crossfire"
- 127m Par 4 |
One in the Bag - Taumarunuian Pete Boyle forehands the drive, ensuring he stays in the clear for his approach.
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Another hole in the open and
one that the bigger arms will be hoping to make the
green in one. The objective is to curve left towards the green after a good 80-90m. |
Hole 13 - "Burn Up"
- 56m Par 3 |
Disappointment - One of the many top Tauranga players Dean Marshall is in despair during the Top Siz playoff for the 2010 Nationals as his 'chip shot' catches and overhang virtually ending his title hopes..
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At last! A nice short, straight
hole. The 13th would have to be deemed most-likely-to-be-aced.
A short 56 metres to the target, which is tucked in
a group of trees, but highly accessible. Look to fire
an easy birdie to make up for some of those previous
bogies. |
Hole 14 - "Under Fire"
- 150m Par 4 |
Waiheke Wonderment
- All the way from the mighty island of Waiheke, Nigel Hailstone shoots the gap on
the longest hole of the course.
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No sooner do you feel good about
yourself with a birdie on the 13th, you walk to the
14th tee and are presented with a 150 metre behemoth
of a challenge. Named 'Under Fire' as you will be
crisscrossing the fairway of the 12th, this hole has
at least been made a little more bearable due to the
par 4 status. The aim here is to get out into the
shared fairway to give yourself an uninterrupted second
shot to the green. Easier said than done! |
Hole 15 - "Nokin da Coken"
- 76m Par 3 |
One for the Kids - 12 year old budding kiwi disc golfer Bridget
Rogers makes a relaxed recovery on the 15th
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Only three left and if you are
hoping to improve your score, best you do it here.
Mind you, with a strand of tall, thin tree trunks
between you and the target, cross your fingers. However,
some players have been seen to try the bomb here to
great effect. |
Hole 16 - "Go Ridin'"
- 85m Par 3 |
'Leave' Me Alone!
- Course designer and 4-times New Zealand
Disc Golf Champion Simon Feasey shows all the tricks
with a casual forearm drive on 15.
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This hole was named 'Go Ridin'
by legendary mountainbiker Gabb as
he looked at his dismal scorecard and decided he'd
rather be in the mighty Whakarewarewa Forest,
only metres away, riding some of the best trails in
the world. |
Hole 17 - "Redwood Revenge"
- 96m Par 3 |
| "Where
Are The Nightclubs?" - Trendy
golfer Pete 'No Sleep' Anderson is already thinking about the Rotorua nightlife
as he nears the end of his round ->->->
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So you're
having a great round. All looks good. And then
you hit the 17th, with its innocent looking
fairway alongside the Rotorua highway. Beware,
because we have already seen this hole bite
some players in the butt and spit them out with
a triple bogie. Take a tip from Bob:
'Don't go for the pin - work out the best spot
to give you an easy second and aim for that".
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Hole 18 - "Sweet" - 93m Par 3 |
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Shoot the
Gap - Local mountainbiking legend
Scoobie Doo makes it look easy, but believe
you me - the eighteenth has plenty of trouble
waiting for you,,,.->->->
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Set to decide the match,
the eighteenth is yet another hole that seems
to call for the freaky disc that can break both
ways. From the tee, you must shoot the gap between
two trees at 25 metres, clear the next 40 metres,
clear over the ditch (that could be a water
hazard depending on conditions) and fade left
into the green. Simple really - NOT! |
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"I Am Simon Feasey" |
"I Am Feasey"
- many of us champion-wanna-bees mutter this
under their breath as we try and picture ourselves
letting loose a whopping 130 metre drive. Well, this
is one fella who can say it with conviction, 'cos
this IS Simon Feasey, 4 times New Zealand Disc Golf
Champion and designer of this challenging course.
Married to the lovely Yvette, proud dad of Talia with
another on the way (call it Frisbee Simon! - ed),
Simon also has a tough little course on his dad's
farm in Kaukapakapa in North Auckland.
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"Thanks for
the round!"
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