Motueka Golf Course has integrated the innovative game approach of ‘Five Fs‘ by New Zealand golf legend Sir Bob Charles in attempt to attract the broader golf community.

During a visit to Mouteka, west of Nelson, Sir Bob Charles had the opportunity to discuss his concerns for the sport, with time-consuming golf rounds resulting from courses too long and rules too complex for novice players in particular.

Sir Bob’s proposed solution was to simplify the rules and shorten the course in a new approach to golf he calls the Five F’s – ‘Forgiving, Faster, Friendly, Family, Fun Golf’.

In contrast to many other New Zealand clubs, Mouteka Golf Course has experienced a solid increase in memberships over the past five years. Nevertheless, Mouteka management decided to integrate Sir Bob’s innovative approach and trial the Five F format.

When the news was announced, real-estate agent and long-time member, Roar Kristoffersen, understood the attraction of a faster, friendlier game and offered to sponsor the event.

The first ever Five F play was held in a series of five consecutive Sundays in March and April earlier this year, with Sir Bob’s outline of a reduced overall course length from both sets of tees by approximately 15 per cent.

One par-5 needed to become a par-4 and one par-4 a par-3; every hole on the new course needed to become a different length, requiring the tees to be relocated up the fairway on 12 of the men’s holes and 14 of the ladies’.

The new Five F course was trialed by a group of members before played in the five events open to the public.

The results were mixed, with the youngest competitor being only nine years old and the oldest participant 89. Each event was run as a Stableford and the stroke indices were based upon the length of the hole, with participants playing off their regular handicaps.

The non-members were assigned a handicap of up to 36 or their twilight handicap, and each handicap was adjusted between rounds dependent upon their scores.

On the shorter course, the single best gross score recorded was a level par 70 and the best Stableford score was 43 points. Rounds generally took between three and three-and-a-half hours, well under the Mouteka average round.

The Five F events fulfilled Sir Bob’s expectation of a faster, more family-friendly game that everyone could enjoy, and the approach can now be replicated at clubs around the Tasman region.

Sir Bob believes, that at essentially no cost, the approach could be a fun addition to any club, and play a vital role in ensuring the satisfaction of the game and help revise the gradual decline in clubs membership rates.