Amateur golfers will get to tee off with some of New Zealand’s leading professionals in the Bay of Plenty’s first-ever indoor golf tournament next week.
Fore Seasons Indoor Golf is hosting the inaugural Premium Golf Simulators Pro-Am on September 23.
The event will include two-person amateur golf teams, which will each be partnered with a professional from the Carrus Tauranga Open field.
The Carrus Tauranga Open, returning to the Tauranga Golf Club on September 25 to 28, is an annual 72-hole professional golf tournament and a featured event of the Jennian Homes Charles Tour.
Fore Seasons Indoor Golf manager Marcus Niles said the pro-am aimed to create a unique community event that tied in with the Carrus Open.
“We also wanted to bring professionals, local golfers, and sponsors together in a new format that hasn’t been seen before in the Bay of Plenty, or even New Zealand.”
Niles said the event, which was open to adult golfers of all levels, will be played in an ambrose format and combines the amateurs’ score with their pros to determine the winners. A significant prize pool was on offer.
“The emphasis is on giving local golfers a rare opportunity to play up close with professionals in a social yet competitive environment.”
New Zealand golf professional Harry Bateman said he was looking forward to playing the inaugural indoor pro-am.
“I have never played actual golf on a simulator,” he said. “I have only used them for training purposes, so I’m intrigued how it will work.”
Bateman said indoor golf was great for people short on time or during wet weather and hoped a new tournament would encourage more overall participation in the game.
While the Masterton golfer has stepped back from playing fulltime professional golf, he still tees it up from time to time.
Earlier this year, Bateman won the 2025 Rothbury Insurance Masterton Pro-Am and the Fruehauf Omaha Pro-Am.
He also won his first speedgolf national title at the New Zealand Speedgolf Open in April, just 15 months after taking up the new format.
This week, he will turn his focus to the Christies Floorings Mount Open before playing the prestigious Carrus Tauranga Open later this month.
“I’m really just trying to find my game after a long winter break. I’m feeling okay in practice, but competition is usually a different beast.
“I really enjoy the course [Tauranga Golf Club]. It’s quirky with drivable par 4s and lots of elevation. I had a decent record there with a few top fives, so I’m still looking for the win.”
The details:
What: Premium Golf Simulators Pro-Am
When: September 23Where: Fore Seasons Indoor Golf, 58 Paerangi Place, Tauriko
To enter, visit pgsproam.golfgenius.com or email admin@foreseasons.co.nz
Zoe Hunter is a freelance journalist based in Tauranga.
