GOLFING TOURS OF N.Z.

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27011, 10 April 1953, Page 6

GOLFING TOURS OF N.Z.

VISIT BY WEALTHY AMERICANS MATCHES TO BE PLAYED IN CHRISTCHURCH (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m. SYDNEY, April 9. More than 200 wealthy United States businessmen, including a number of millionaires, will pay 6000 dollars each fqr a luxury golfing tour of New Zealand and Australia early next year. The first of 10 parties of about 24 golfers will arrive in Sydney at the end of the next January and will spend 10 days playing on Sydney and Melbourne courses.

The organiser of the tours, Mr Alex Pendleton, of World Golf Tours, Chicago, arrived in Sydney today. He said that the “Millionaire tours” would begin in Vancouver next New Year’s Eve. The parties would then fly to Honolulu, Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington and Christchurch and then to Sydney and Melbourne, playing golf in each city. Mr Pendleton said the golfers were “the best type of middle aged wealthy American businessmen and none oi them would be worth less than quarter of a million dollars.” The golf tours would take five to six weeks. They were the first of their kind in the Pacific. Mr Pendelton said the tours would last through January, February and March and there would be roughly one party of 24 every week. The Americans would not play in tournaments, but “just for the fun of it.” Most of them were on a 10, 15 or 20 handicap. He said the tours would be a great dollar-earner for the Dominions and would help to develop the tourist trade for New Zealand and Australia.