We are delighted to see the up and coming future golfers

Photographs from our 9-Hole Junior Golf Tournament held on Monday,22nd April.

The leaders, Hugo Harvey and Finn Molloy were tied on a 47 Gross, went to a play off on hole 18 with Hugo Harvey having a par to secure his win.

Thank you to all the participants, committee members, volunteers and parents who supported to make this event a success. We look forward to seeing you all at our next Junior Golf Tournament - Date to be confirmed

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10th April 2024 -  The team at The Dunes extends our congratulations to Nicky Fanning for her recent appointment as the Golf Shop Operations Manager.

With five years of dedicated service at The Dunes, Nicky has emerged as our esteemed expert in all things golf. We are confident that her wealth of experience and passion for excellence will continue to elevate the standards of our golf shop operations.

Join us in celebrating Nicky's well-deserved achievement!

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The Dunes will be hosting the Pennants Waikato Division 4 Finals on Sunday, 14th April. A Big Good Luck to our Pennants Team

Play well & show them how it's done. 

Pictured, from left- Garry Bancroft, Bruce Walkley, Raymond Fanning, Nicholas Healy, Jared Adams, Ross Haliday and Tony Joblin.

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28th March 2024 - Pictured: Max Gaskell Progressing his apprenticeship greenkeeping career at The Dunes Golf Club.

Max is a top student and diligent worker who takes great pride in his duties with a humble obliging nature. We are delighted to see Max receive his Level 3 Certificate and wish him continued success as he progresses in Level 4.

We admire and appreciate Max’s efforts at The Dunes Golf Club.

Thank you.

Ray Fanning

Course Superintendent

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Don't ever borrow money off a leprechaun because he will always come up short

Happy St.Patrick's Day from The Dunes.

What a fabulous tournament with a great turn out.

Congratulations to all the winners

May the luck of the Irish continue with you throughout

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Congratulations to our Dunes Members David Ellis who aced the 18th with a hole in one yesterday and Garry Perry who aced the 5th with a hole in one during summer.

Congratulations from the Dunes Team

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15th Jan 2004 - 

We had our very own NZ Golf Pro Greg Turner from Millbrook Golf Club play the Dunes today and he broke the course record playing off the Blue Tee's with an outstanding score of 68!

He said "It's my 1st time breaking a course record, but I lost 4 and 3 to the local bandits! I must have left my bad clubs out of the bag because I only had half a set!
I really enjoyed playing here and it's my 1st time since the change of ownership. It's great to see a lot of passion put into the course and facilities!

Greg is back tomorrow for a round of golf. Will he shoot under 68 to break his record?

*Greg Turner pictured here with the Course Superintendent Raymond Fanning.

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The Longest Day Golf Challenge

Rob Stevens and his group of 8 friends playedThe Dunes Golf Course, Matarangi on Friday, 15^th Dec, from 5.45am, playing 72 holes in one day to raise money for the Cancer Society.
Every dollar raised went towards cancer care across New Zealand which includes education and awareness programes, and research. 
 

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The Dunes final big club tournament of the year - 'Christmas Ham Tournament' was held yesterday, Sunday, 3rd Dec where we had a full field of 72 golfers! Congratulations to all the winners-some great scores!

~A big Thank you to Countdown-Whitianga and Whitianga Fine Wines and Spirits and Ross Mear for the honey.

Men’s Best Gross

1st Mark Boe 74 on countback

2nd Tracey Mulligan 74 on countback

Women's Best Gross

Allison Drake-Wells 77

Men’s Best Net

David Todd 62
 

Women’s Best Net

Polly Lambert 61
 

Stableford

1st Dee Mear 43

2nd Karen Bodle 41

3rd Barry Bowen 40

9-Hole Stableford

1st Peter Murphy 21

2nd Marinka Hood 18
 

Ladies Closest to Pin - Dee Mear

Men's Closest to Pin - Doug Smith and Norman Gilbert

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A fabulous weekend (24th -26th Nov 2023) of coaching with Blake, Hamish, Sam and Luke, Golf Pros from Golf HQ. Both individual coaching and group coaching took place on Saturday and an 18 hole tournament was played on Sunday with the coaches. The winning team was Ross Mear, Maree Cabaret and Peter Mathias. A fun event which both Golf HQ and The Dunes look forward to repeating in 2024.

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 Winner of the Mebourne Cup ‘Old 9 Open’ was Pip Perry with 24 stableford points - well done Pip!!

Best dressed man goes to Pete Murphy who played in his tux and said the jacket was a bit limiting!

Polly Lambert took out best ladies hat with her swanky fascinator !

Bring on the race @ 5pm!

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Club Champs 2023

What a weekend of top-notch golf!  A field of more than 65 competed across all divisions at The Dunes Club Champs – 2023.

Well done to all who played braving the weather and congratulations to the winners!

Club Champs Winners 2023

Men’s Senior - Ivan Adams,

Men’s Intermediate - Brian Tomlinson

Men’s Junior- David Todd,

Men’s 9 Holes – David MacDonald,

Ladies Silver – Allison Drake-Wells,

Ladies Bronze 1 – Marie Dunn,

Ladies Bronze 2 – Ann Dale,

Ladie’s 9 hole – Maree Cabaret

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How lucky are we to be on Tina Duncans book launch tour! Grab your book from The Dunes! 

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Thursday, 5th October we saw The Dunes Master Cook Matarangi 2023 crowned, to which we posted the winner on Friday. Here are some pics of the lead up to, and that moment where Adriann Van Rooyen was announced this years winner and received the $1000 prize money! All the contestants received Goody Bags with some great products from our sponsors - Engraved chef’s knife sponsored by Southern Hospitality, wine sponsored by Euro Vintage, G&T Premix, BBQ tools and wine from Lion, Chutney & sauces from Castle Rock Fine Foods and a photo collage from their big day!

Thank you to all our contestants, Adriaan, Jo, Shelley, Petria and Carol, with out you stepping up for this experience we would not have an event! Thank you also to Maree Taylor for being our MC each week and to all our sponsors, judges and diners for making this event happen. If you'd like to see this event return next year, we need cooks, so start thinking about your signature dish you could cook for us!

More photos to come from the evening where lots of chatter, laughter, celebrating and dancing occured!

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Monday morning, October 2nd we had 13 juniors brave the wind [in the sun] for our 9 hole junior tournament! We had a mix of ages between 8-16yrs of golfers and relatively newbies to the game and it was great to see them all out there having a go and having fun out on the back 9. We had very positive feedback from the parents and supporters who walked around with the players.

Well done and congratulations to you all, keep it up, we heard there’s some promising talent amongst you! We’ll see you on the course again soon (see some of you are straight back out there this arvo - loving the keenness!)

RESULTS

Riley Bennett - 37 gross

Tate Hayr - 35 net

Price Hayr - 39 gross

Boston Clark - 43 gross

Nico Varga shot a 2 on the 18th hole

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5th and final week of The Dunes Matarangi Master Cook Series!

Thursday night Carol Blair from Kuaotunu was our 5th contestant to showcase her cooking skills in The Dunes Master Cook Matarangi series taking charge of the kitchen for the day! Carol, owner of a B&B loves cooking for others and especially enjoys cooking Raghu slow cooked style meals which helped inspire her chosen dishes, that and a laden lemon tree at home!

The 60+ diners were treated to a drink and canapes in the bar before being seated for a 2 course meal prepared in the kitchen with Carol as head chef. Her impressive main of slow cooked lamb on a vege mash of carrot, swede and potato, topped with a zesty oregano and lemon salsa and fresh watercress on the side was full of flavours and left diners bellies full & satisfied!

Carols aim with dessert was to provide a mouthful of lemony goodness!! This she succeeded in, without it being overpowering, she served up a delightful lemon crumble topped with lemon curd, mini meringues, lemon ice-cream and blueberries It was suggested among some that she should perhaps open an ice-cream stall over summer on the main road outside her B&B!!

Carol enjoyed her experience & the challenges of working in a commercial kitchen with the [helpful] staff whom she thanked along with thanking all the Dunes crew for their support throughout the day. She thanked her friends for their great support in the lead up and on the night and for the lovely table decorations. It was great to have so many Kuaotunu locals in the ‘house’ on the night!

Diners judged Carols dishes an average score of 49.2 out of 60! The judges scores will not be revealed until the grand finale party when our Master Cook Matarangi 2023 will be crowned!

Our guest judge joining Award winning Chef Scott Corbett & past winner Maree Taylor this week was Andy Corles from Castle Rock Fine Foods. Thank you Andy and Castle Rock for your donated product for the contestants goody bags, we are sure they will enjoy incorporating them into their recipes.

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4th week of The Dunes Matarangi Master Cook Series!

Thursday night saw Petrina Youl from the Whangapoua Store step into a commercial kitchen and play chef for a day/night as our 4th contestant in The Dunes Master Cook Matarangi series. Petrina loves being in the kitchen and that was evident from her smile and banter throughout the day! Cooking for 60+ diners did not phase her, she was just happy to be cooking for those who would enjoy what she served up - her children are not fans of her cooking and would prefer chicken nuggets!! We are sure in time they will grow to love and appreciate the flavours of your food Petrina!

Diners were treated to a drink and canapes in the bar before being seated for a 2 course meal prepared in the kitchen with Petrina as head chef for the night. Her beautifully presented main of panko crusted snapper served on a bed of spinach and creamy sauce topped with a fresh tomato salsa was full of flavour, so much so some plates were returned to the kitchen having been licked!! When asked what was in the sauce by a keen diner, Petrina kindly shared how it was made. Dessert may have seen more plate licking [Petrina thanked whoever the plate lickers were, the ultimate compliment to a cook!], we were served baked winter fruits with a raspberry reduction providing the tart to compliment the sweet of the brownie & meringue crumble served with a light custard, the textures, flavours & colours creating a beautiful looking and tasty dessert.

Petrina enjoyed her day in a commercial kitchen doing what she loves, she however did not enjoy cooking with gas - she is not a fan of gas hobs she discovered!! However she did say she would do it all again!

Diners judged Petrinas dishes an average score of 50.25 out of 60! The judges scores will not be revealed until the big finale party when our Master Cook Matarangi 2023 will be crowned!

Our guest judge joining Chef Scott Corbett & past winner Maree Taylor this week was Brenda Riggs, past owner of Pipers Cafe, thank you Brenda for taking on the challenge, it was great to have you.

We have one contestant left to showcase their skills this Thursday, however this event has already sold out and has a wait list!

The Grand Finale party will be held on Thursday 5th Oct, if you would like to come to this, and have not yet booked, please book by emailing admin@thedunesmatarangi.com or calling into The Dunes.

There will be live music, continuous finger food and of course The Dunes Master Cook Matarangi 2023 presentation!!

Come along for a great night, support our contestants and see who takes out the Master Cook title!

Cost: $25/person

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3rd week of The Dunes Matarangi Master Cook Series!

The 3rd night in our Master Cook Matarangi series was held on Thursday night with school teacher Shelley Corles having a day out of the classroom and spending a day in a commercial kitchen cooking for 60+ diners (in the very kitchen her proud husband Andy used to be the chef in back when they first met).

Diners were treated to a drink and canapes in the bar before being seated for a 2 course meal prepared by Shelley our ‘chef’ for the night, who once upon a time never cooked and even managed to once fudge up the baking of a box cake mix!! It wasn’t until Andys car accident hospitalising him for months and putting him in a wheelchair that Shelley was forced to learn to cook, he must’ve been a good tutor over the years as Shelley served up a superbly presented main of Salmon with greens, beetroot and horseradish complimented with a tasty Vietnamese nuoc cham sauce followed by a beautiful Lemon curd tart with strawberry compote.

When asked what was the most stressful part of the day Shelley replied “coming out here in front of you all” but that can’t have been too scary as she went on to reply without hesitation “absolutely” when asked if she would do it again! Obviously she enjoyed her experience even though tiring - she may have been spied having a wee shut eye out the back late arvo after a day of prep!

Diners judged Shelley’s dishes an impressive average score of 49.25 out of 60. The judges scores will not be revealed until the big finale party when our Master Cook Matarangi 2023 will be crowned!

A special mention must go to the students of Te Rerenga school who made the table decorations that were both colourful and meaningful

Our guest judge joining Chef Scott Corbett & past winner Maree Taylor this week was Richard from one of our sponsors Southern Hospitality. Thank you Richard, we are sure our contestants will all enjoy their own professional chef knives in their home kitchens.

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2nd week of The Dunes Matarangi Master Cook Series!

What a fabulous night it was when our second contestant Adriaan showcased his cooking skills to 60+ diners!  Dairy farmer & father of five, Adriaan is the main cook in his family. His wife Tassia said "Adriaan is a very patient cook". This was quite evident watching him live on the screen - cool as a cucumber!!  Adriaan said "talking to the audience was more nerve-wracking than cooking"

Adriaan's main; slow cooked lamb shanks in a red wine sauce was perfectly done. This was served on a creamy rice risotto with a divine moussaka inspired tomato & roasted eggplant sauce. The diners had a taste of South Africa where Adriaan is originally from, when the rich dessert 'South African Milk Tart with Coffee Mousse' was served!

He impressively scored an average of 45.8 out of 60.  The judges score will not be revealed untill the big finale party when The Dunes Matarangi Master Cook 2023 will be crowned.

Our guest judge joining Chef Scott Corbett & past winner Maree Taylor this week was Logan from Lion Breweries. Thank you Logan for the Gin&Tonic, Wines & BBQ utensils which will go towards the prize pool for the winning chef.

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The first night in our Master Cook Matarangi series kicked off with a bang last night with our first home cook contestant Jo Nicholson setting a high standard!

Diners were treated to a drink and canapes in the bar before being seated for a 2 course meal prepared by Jo our ‘chef’ for the evening - she said it took a bit to get used to telling the professional chefs what to do in their kitchen!!

Diners got to judge Jo’s dishes and she impressively scored an average 52.3 out of 60. The judges scores will not be revealed until the big finale party when our Master Cook Matarangi 2023 will be crowned!

Our guest judge joining Chef Scott Corbett & past winner Maree Taylor this week was Rowan from Eurovintage who supplied some great wine matches for the meal - thanks Rowan they were very much enjoyed and appreciated!

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening and are re-booking for the coming weeks - get your tickets sooner than later to experience this great community event!

Master Cook Matarangi is on every Thursday throughout Sept.

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Starting 31st Aug and running throughout September on Thursday nights.

Who will be crowned our 2023 Matarangi Master Cook

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.........................Congratulations to The Dunes Team for winning the North Coromandel Mixed Inter-Club challenge yesterday.

We also like to thank all the participants from Mercury Bay Golf Club , Coromandel Golf Club and Purangi Golf Club for your effort.

What a great day of golf!

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22nd & 23rd July - The Matarangi Masters 2023

Congratulations to the winners overall gross Jason McIntosh from Taupo. 3 under 141.

Fleur Reynolds from Muriwai 161.

Also to alll the players over the 2 rounds during the weekend, well done!!!  Special thanks to Craig Batty for organizing and to all the sponsors , staff and community who helped with the event. We are proud to have hosted this event!! We will be back for the 2024 edition.

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5th July 2023 - MWSS Golf Tournament 

This week at The Dunes we hosted the MWSS golf society for their annual Ryder Cup event. A great 3 days of in Matarangi. Thanks to all those attending and congratulations  to the winners from the North team 29-28. Looking forward to next years event already.

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26th May 2023 - Ladies 18-Hole Tournament 

Big day of golf here today at The Dunes

Congratulations to Noeleen Mulligan for winning the trophy for the Best Gross 88 and to all the other winners

 What a stunning day for all these ladies!

Big thank you to Richardsons Real Estate Matarangi and all other generous sponsors, this event wouldn't have been a success without you all!

And a big shout out to Bev Gwyn and committee for your hard work in organizing this event.

And lastly, it was an honour to have all the golfers that participated, both locals and visitors - we hope you enjoyed our course and we look forward to seeing you next year!

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20th May 2023 - What a great field of golfers for the Jack Daniel's Tournament. Yet another successful event!

The Dunes is very proud to be the host of this popular annual tournament.

Big thank you to Richard-Sheryl Jillings for organizing & awesome prize table!

Congratulations to all the winners.

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6th May 2023  The Battle of the Beaches

What a fabulous event on Saturday, 6th of May at The Dunes!

We had 3 Teams of 24 players, representing The Dunes Matarangi, Mercury Bay and Whangapoua battling for the trophy

The top 20 Stableford points were taken from each team.

The trophy was won by Mercury Bay with 663 points, The Dunes being runner up with 613 points.

A great success and another Battle is planned for 2024

A big thank you goes out to the organizer, Jared Adams and all our generous sponsors, Mike Pollock from Ricoh, The Clubroom , Mike Purchase from One NZ, Andy Swainbank from J.A. Russell, Nick Lambert from WBND and Shane Webster for our awesome ‘WAKA’ trophy and a special thank you to Neil Purchase for all your help.

Well done to the overall winners and Saki Mosen from Mercury Bay Golf Club for taking out both Stableford (45 points) & Nett-63. Gross was won by Issac Steel from the Whangapoua team - 71.

Thank you to everyone who played and made it a successful and fun event