Justin Brown to represent NZ at Drambuie World Ice Golf Championships in Greenland
Roving Auckland reporter Justin Brown has been assigned to his next mission – to play among the polar bears and seal
holes in the most extreme golf tournament in the world.
He will represent New Zealand at the Drambuie World Ice Golf Championships on the Island of Uummannaq in Greenland. The
event is from March 27 to April 3 2003.
Why Justin Brown
Justin is not afraid to get outside the comfort zone and what’s more he doesn’t mind the cold (temperatures will reach
minus 40 degrees and the sun will be shining).
His “go get’em” attitude to work, sport and life have seen him thrive in tough situations – excellent training for this
ultimate golfing adventure.
A self-confessed “frustrated” golfer Justin loves the game. He started when his dad gave him a set of clubs for his 10th
birthday. He’s now on a 16 handicap.
New Zealand’s Drambuie distributor Hancocks was looking for a player with an “edge” both on and off the golf course.
Hancock’s General Manager Rod Taylor says “According to past players, the match requires skill, endurance and luck – and
it’s Justin’s ability to combine all three that’s seen him get to where he is today”.
So, who is Justin Brown?
Justin is a presenter for Classic Hits in Auckland and a budding author.
He recently had his book “UK on a G-String” published about his most recent travel adventure. In it he recounts the
hilarious tale of losing a bet to an Australian over a game of rugby, which led him to busk door-to-door around England
to earn enough money to return home and he only had one song.
·
· What is he up against?
·
· He will battle it out with 36 players from around the world. The field is still lining up but based on last
year’s participants, Justin will be competing against golf professionals and sports stars along with leading sports
journalists, as well as the defending 2002 champion.
·
· Jpeg photos available on request: Caption
·
· Ice flies as Justin Brown starts practising his golf swing in the best conditions he can find in Auckland to
those he’ll tackle in Greenland. Ends
·
· For More Information Please Contact
·
· Justin Brown (021) 685 554
·
· Anna Lorck (021) 245 8300 – photos
·
· Hancock’s Wine and Sprits Merchants General Manager Rod Taylor (09) 308 8331
·
· Visit the Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship Website on www.drambuie.com
·
· Fast Facts
·
· The Ice-Golf Course
·
· The tournament takes place on the frozen Arctic Ocean which melts within weeks of the event finishing The
course, designed each year, ‘transpires’ overnight, as movements in the pack-ice allow new jutting outcrops of ice to
emerge into the course Beware - dog-sleds have right of way on the ice-golf course During the summer months the bay
which holds the course becomes a breeding ground for five types of
· The Game
·
· Playing golf on ice is like trying to control a golf ball on a marble floor, some players thrive others perish –
but it is not predictable Don’t expect to be a record-breaker as each year the course is freshly hewn out of the newly
frozen ice from the fjords. Cold air affects the play with the Orange balls only travelling 80% of the normal distance.
Luckily the length of the course is reduced by about 25% to accommodate this. Constant strenuous walks over the icebergs
and the metre-thick ice of the Arctic Ocean means play is extremely tough with no golf trolleys During the prize-giving
ceremony the World Champion is hoisted aloft on a sled, in traditional Inuit fashion Ice golfers require a good ‘short’
game, and need an array of different shots around the ‘white’ to be able to control the ball The Tournament is a 36 hole
stroke-play competition played over two days where the lowest gross score determines who will become the World Champion
The Equipment
Graphite clubs would shatter in the cold so steel-shaft clubs are needed to cope with the sub-zero weather conditions
Balls are orange in colour to stand out on the white ‘green’ Course attire includes ski-goggles, balaclavas, snow
mittens and even calf-length sealskin boots!
Greenland
Greenland is the world’s largest island and measures 2700 km from north to south, that’s equal to the distance from
Scotland to the Sahara or New York to San Francisco 85% of the country is covered by inland ice, which in places is over
3000 metres thick. The icebergs move northwards with the current, then south, and many do not melt until they reach a
latitude level with Newfoundland Approximately 29,000 sledge dogs live North of the Arctic Circle and sleds always have
right of way Greenland has only just introduced its first set of traffic lights, in Nuuk, its capital. Greenland’s total
population is ca.56,000 Greenlandic is an Inuit language and the country ’s official language, although most
Greenlanders also speak Danish Greenland’s national dish is seal meat cooked with rice and onions. A special delicacy is
‘mattak ’- raw whale skin with a thin layer of blubber In the Greenlandic language, Greenland is called - Kalaallit
Nunaat –The Land of the People Polar bears are left-handed! North America is Greenland’s closest neighbour, separated by
just 26 km of water Siissisoa is Greenland’s biggest rock band – from Uummannaq. The band’s name means rhino and sales
of their latest album reached 5,000 sending it ten times platinum in Greenland There is a ratio of 3 dogs to every
person
Uummannaq
Ummannaq, situated on a 12km2 island, is dominated by an 1175 metre high ‘heart-shaped’ mountain, which has given both
the town and the district its name The Uummannaq area is one of the wonders of the world, with the largest number of
glaciers in one place 80% of the world’s halibut supply comes from the Uummannaq area! Uummannaq’s municipality is 170km
in diameter and covers a total area of 75-80,000km2, twice the size of Denmark. 60,000km2 of this land joins the
mainland during the winter months The municipality has 1700 inhabitants called Inuits or Eskimos. Half of which live in
the town, Uummannaq, while the others are spread between the municipality’s 7 districts.