FOR many Kiwis, Labour Day means a long weekend after the slog of winter. For keen golfers, it’s synonymous with the Ōhope 10,000 tournament.

This Labour weekend marks 30 years since the men’s tournament was first held, replacing predecessor The Ōhope Open.

Big names have competed in the tournament over the decades, including top New Zealand amateur and multiple-time winner Stuart Duff, and inaugural winner Rodney Buck.

Lately, eyes have been on Matt Purdy, who has taken home the tournament trophy for the past three years.

The four founding committee members tasked with making the tournament a success – Peter Patterson, Warwick Wickham, Bryan Henderson and Trevor Hart – are still involved with Ōhope Beach Golf Links but have since passed the baton to a new organising committee.

Back in 1993, they each took on the responsibility of finding sponsors and a free weekend in the golfing calendar to host the tournament the following year.

“There was generosity and support right from day one from sponsors,” Henderson said.

All Bay of Plenty golf clubs were contacted to assess dates, and they settled on the first two days of Labour Weekend.

That decision made the tournament family friendly, with a good proportion of visiting families traditionally taking up residence at the holiday park for the weekend.

Play would usually finish by about midday on the Saturday, allowing players to spend time with their families in the afternoon, and no golf on the Monday meant everyone had time to travel home safely.

It also means the Sunday night prizegiving has always drawn a healthy crowd.

Hart said when it came to the prize pot, which was initially $5000 and then raised to $10,000, they wanted to offer something other than the usual golfing supplies.

In the early days, prizes included mini-TVs, crockpots and other home goods.

Husqvarna came on board a few years into the competition as a major sponsor, thanks to agent Ted Koia and the main Auckland office’s agreement, contributing a $3000 product.

Nearly three decades later, Husqvarna continues to be a major sponsor.

This year, the prize table sits above $10,000 across three divisions.

The Ōhope 10,000 is consistently popular and this year’s competition is a full field at 124 entrants.

Its popularity has supported the club’s operations and upgrades, including the course’s water reticulation system.

Although many tournaments fall over long before reaching their pearl anniversary, the Ōhope 10,000 has just got bigger.

“The success of a lot of things is the volunteers,” Hart said.

The Ōhope 10,000 will see golfers play 36 holes on October 26 and 27. A waitlist has been started for those wanting a chance to enter the tournament.