Celebrating discgolf in New Zealand - the land of the Great Long Drive
This is part of our '2004: The Year That Was' feature click here to go to the current www.discgolf.co.nz website.
 

Enjoy our hole-by-hole visual commentary!

Well done to Simon Feasey - what didn't he win this year?!

Our sexy Swedish photographer Meg Arpikzel was at Spa Park and captured these cool snaps of all the action. Click on an image to open the full version in a separate window. She is selling full hi-res versions, so if you are interested then drop her a line by clicking .


Click on any image below to open the full picture in a separate window. If that doesn't work, get a new computer!

Hole 1 - Shooting from the Hip
Dave Routley started off with his usual forearm action and took Steve Scarbrough all the way, coming within one putt from causing the first upset of the weekend.

Hole 1 - Cooper S Triple Turbo
After his traditional 3 practice rounds at dawn, Des Cooper was well warmed up for the first hole, Round 1.

Hole 2 - And the Jandals Take the Hole
He's tackled crocs in the Aussie outback, wrestled elephants in Mongolia, so playing in jandals was just second nature for the brute of a man they call Juan Unda. Here he pots a birdie on hole 2 to go one up against Dylan.

Hole 3 - GM: Grimace More
Tournament Director and the man behind the push for a permanent course at Spa Park, Bob Gentil makes sure his shank is strong for the downhill aceable third hole.

Hole 3 - Lean Mean Super Dean
Match Play at its best, sole Tauranga representative Dean Marshall slammed this one into the chains - he had to if he was going to halve the hole with Pete 'Street' Boyle.

Hole 3 - Slick Vic
One of the unsung heroes of kiwi Disc Gold, young Vic is always there to lend a hand. Here he helps himself to a birdie on hole three to go one up against Lean Mean Super Dean.

Hole 4 - 3 Cars, 4 Bars and The Man From Mars
Desparate Dylan - always entertaining, he seized the motor on his own car and so it looked like we would have no Wellington showing. But thanks to Uncle Jake, Dylan made it, albeit late. And he even had the cheek to beat the gals' favourite Juan Unda 2 and 1.

Hole 5 - Fetch!
It's an awesome sight - seeing top Taumarunui golfer Blair Joines fire forearm on the fifth. It sure had Fido excited!

Hole 5 - Enoch You Out of Match Play
Yep, it won't be long before young Enoch is beating some of the senior players. At 12 years old, this junior athlete is firing off some incredible drives, not to mention putting with an innocent confidence.

Hole 5 - The Bermuda Fairway
The sinewy strength that is Juan Unda fires a fine drive on the 5th. The only one in his group to stay out of trouble, the jovial Mexican was flambasted to find his disc...nowhere! After much help from over 8 friendly players, he had to hand the hole to Dylan, never to recover. We have since determined some non-playing dork on the course swiped Juan's disc. But Juan may have the last laugh; "If not immersed in chilli powder every week, my drivers will emit a pungent smell reminiscent of Jim's socks."

Hole 5 - 'In da Hole!'
Match play does call sometimes for the confident, nothing-to-lose type putt like this one by Vic that slammed in and stayed in to halve the hole with Des.

Hole 6 - Like A Puppet On A String
It's like Feasey has the disc on a string - here he directs a long putt right into the chains. But he is human - this bounced out!

Hole 7 - Wonders Never Cease
We were shocked when this pic came of the developing tray - forehand!!? Who is this you may ask - suffice to say he admitted practising the forehand for this very hole. Click on the image to see who has taken on the Lost Tribe technique...

Hole 7 - He Just Can't Miss
We must admit, Chris K is an example of practice makes per...formance increase. Since he started a concerted campaign of serious disc golf mid 2003, Chris has featured in the top group more often than not. This long putt was the norm for his first round against a bedazzled Fish.

Hole 7 - The Gentil Fan Club
Concern on the faces of Sheree and Toby as the Grande Master myteriously loses a disc after a decent drive on hole 7. Would it turn out to be a crucial loss - we think so.

Hole 8 - Tip of the Triangle
With more practice throws than the rest of the field combined, Des Cooper was well versed in the approach into the tricky eight green...

 


Hole 9 - 'I'll Try Anything!'
Des Cooper finds himself in a tricky position for his putt on nine. Nothing a hammer can't sort out, eh Des?

Hole 10 - Happy Chappy
Blair is pleased to get this one! And rightly so - check out the overhang he had to contend with. And it meant he kept in touch with a rampaging .

Hole 10 - Triple Putt
No, these three are not ignoring disc golf etiquette - it's just our Freaky Styley photo technology catching all three approach shots in one. Vic, Baz and Quan all threatened the basket here.

Hole 10 - Super!
OK, so we thought Blair's putt was good (see above), but check out this beauty from Vic to keep Dean in his sights before eventually going down 5 and 4.

Hole 11 - The Gallery Likes It
Visitors to Spa Park were treated to some of the finest disc golf (what's disc golf?) on the planet. This hole proved crucial in the Grand Final with Simon potting a long putt from in the blackberry to go one up.

Hole 12 - Do the Gentil Shuffle
After 25 years in this business, Bob has learnt that a little shuffle and swing of the hips can help the disc turn on the tough tight shank shots. Or is that for picking up chicks at the nightclub?

Hole 12 - Give It Up, Tree!
One of the ironic advantages of developing a strong throwing arm is that we are usually able to dislodge discs caught in a tree without too much trouble. Doesn't help the pain of dropping a shot, though!

Hole 12 - Pete the Smokin' Mountain Covergirl
The man who putts with two disc in his hand, you can't help but love the covergirl from this year's Smokin' Mountain tournament!

Hole 12 - Houston, the Eagle Has Landed
American Scott Ceasar was pleased to make the top 16, thanks to a fine performance at Smokin' Mountain. But that meant he had to face number 1 Simon Feasey. In this shot, taken from a cool vid we took, Scott launches his Eagle towards the green.

Hole 14 - 'Oh Robert!'
Sorry Bob, it's the only shot we had on the 14th. This was the one that went low and hit the basket. That was a putt to win the hole and put Bob in an almost unbeatable position. I had a call last night from his psychiatrist asking me what 'hole 14 at Spa Park' was...

Hole 15 - FOUR!
Dropping down to the race village, hole 15 is a birdie target for many players. But like Bob here, you first have to shank around the trees close to the tee. And then you must master the S-bend down onto the green.

Hole 15 - Oh Bob - You're SO Big!
Yep, despite hole 15 being fairly long, Big Bob still managed to over-drive the basket, thereby calling for a tricky putt to the basket. It's a comment he usually only hears in the showers...

Hole 16 - Dive! Dive! Dive!
A nice gentle bomb from Simon in the Grand Final after hitting a tree on the fairway on his drive. This was enough to halve the hole with Bob.

Hole 18 - This Could Be The Last Hole
Freaky Styley photo-join technology again shows the tense action on the last hole of regular play. This was the 18th hole of the final. Simon shot first from a tough snookered kneeling position behind a tree and could only place his putter close for par. Therefore Bob was able to have a bit of a dig, utilising his trademark hop-skip-and-jump putt. However, he fell short and it was off to 19 - and we don't mean the clubrooms!

Come On Dad!
Toby in a moment of contemplation as he watches Dad wander off to play his 73rd hole of the tournament. 'Will I ever be able to play like that?' he asks himself. 'Will I grow up with funny curly hair? Will I always be saying ey-oop?'

My Daddy Sure 'Nose' How to Play Disc Golf!
Like a true champion, Simon Feasey was even able to putt with Talia in his arms. Upon inspection of the Rules Book, we were not able to disqualify him for unfair balance assistance. There's just no beating him!

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