Swinging for success | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

It's been a brilliant year for Bay of Plenty golfers. Daily Post sports editor CRAIG TIRIANA explains why the province is fast becoming the mecca for sultans of swing.

If someone had said in 1999 Bay of Plenty would be the dominant force in New Zealand golf in the new Millennium they may well have been prescribed medication.

Sure, the women of the Bay of Plenty/Thames Valley had always turned in title-winning efforts but the men had lagged behind - well behind.

The women have 15 national and five Masters (over 40) titles, but all the blokes had to show for themselves until 2002 was a succession of near misses after spending years making up the numbers at interprovincial level.

But all that has changed and last week in Napier the team of Mark Smith, Josh Geary, Jae An, Terry Hong and Jason McIntosh picked up their third consecutive men's interprovincial title.

The region had never won prior to their first success two years earlier and now stand one win away from joining Manawatu/Wanganui, the only region, so far, to have won four successive titles.

From a previous position of pretenders, the Bay of Plenty region has risen to greatness in just three years.

The region is now the confirmed powerhouse of the New Zealand amateur game - but how did it happen?

While the cream has now risen to the top, plenty of work has and is continuing to be done to strengthen the sport at grassroots level and ensure the future remains golden.

Smith said last week the secret to his side's success was that they were all winners in their own right and combined, working together in a harmonious environment. They were a good team. The best in the country three times over, to be precise.

There are two words which have also had a huge impact on the fortunes of the region's top golfers in recent times - Geoff Smart.

The national women's coach has been involved with Bay of Plenty golf for just over a decade.

Smart was also involved with the Bay of Plenty/Thames Valley women's golf in the late 90s.

He teamed up with the Bay at Wellington's Manor Park in 1995 when they cruelly lost in sudden death to Auckland.

Smart, a former professional player and now Wellington-based coach, has proven to be a valuable technical sounding board for the players.

He is involved in coming up with playing strategies and fine-tuning the swings and/or brains during competition.

Probably one of the biggest pluses for golfers of all abilities in the region is accessibility to courses, many of which are challenging and encouraging, headed by the jewel in the crown, Wairakei.

There are 29 clubs within the Bay of Plenty boundary plus a new one under construction at Kinloch, near Taupo.

That is eight more courses than Auckland had in 2003 to serve 16,070 golfers as opposed to the Bay's 10,337 registered members noted in New Zealand Golf's latest annual report.

For junior golfers there is plenty of encouragement and high-quality coaching available.

There are 31 New Zealand PGA accredited professionals in the region.

Bay of Plenty Golf Association also employs Michael Strong as a development officer after Lesley Noel, who held the role for six years, carried out much of the earlier grassroots introductions to the game.

International amateurs Penny Newbrook and Josh Geary are also involved with development, working in the Kiwi Golf programme at primary school level.

Another important feeder is Rotorua Boys' High School's Golf Academy, which has gained world and national secondary schools titles since 2000.

The academy has also helped groom the talents of Nicholas Davey, Sam Hunt, Brad Iles, Mat Holten, Smith, An and Hong during its short life.

Proof the feeder systems are working was seen when Bay of Plenty's junior team won their interprovincial tournament earlier this year.

For the elite players the Bay of Plenty provides some of the best competition in the country.

The tournament scene is rich with this weekend's Omanu Classic, the Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Te Puke tournaments sprinkled through the year.

There is also a highly competitive and prestigious interclub scene which has been dominated by Smith's Springfield club side in recent times after firstly Mount Maunganui, then Tauranga and Omanu showed the way.

Springfield has also successfully defended the national club strokeplay title - The Montana - for two years running.

The solid foundations already laid should be further strengthened when the men's and women's regional and national golf administrations join forces.

That's expected to happen within the next year and in the Bay of Plenty, should see the sport further consolidated at the top of New Zealand's amateur pyramid.