CLEARWATER GOLF CLUB TO HOST POWERPLAY GOLF® EVENT IN AID OF SAMOAN TSUNAMI DISASTER RELIEF

Groups led by celebrity golfers will raise money for New Zealand Red Cross charity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

02 November 2009

Golfers will gather at Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Sunday 29th November to raise money for those affected by the recent tsunami in Samoa.

And the special event will use a special format - PowerPlay Golf, the new two-flag version of the game which has attracted comparisons with Twenty20 Cricket.

Celebrity golfers, led by 1963 Open Championship winner Sir Bob Charles, will participate in the one-day tournament, which will be an official fund-raiser for the New Zealand Red Cross Samoa Earthquake and Tsunami Fund. The Fund was set up after a tsunami caused by an offshore earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale devastated large areas of the Samoa islands on 29th September.

The Clearwater Golf Club Celebrity PowerPlay Golf Tournament is open to any golfer. Information on how to book playing spots ($60 per player) will be available online at www.powerplay-golf.com or by calling Andrew Bell on +64 (03) 669 0663. Alternatively golfers can book a playing spot by calling the Clearwater Golf Club pro shop on +64 (03) 360 1246, or by visiting auction website TradeMe from 1 November, and placing a bid to play with celebrities in the event. TradeMe will waive all its normal fees for the auction, as have host venue Clearwater Golf Club, and event organisers PowerPlay Golf New Zealand.

John Ware, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Red Cross, said: "New Zealand Red Cross has been overwhelmed by the public support to the Samoa Earthquake and Tsunami Fund. 100% of all donations to New Zealand Red Cross for the fund will be passed on to the Samoa Red Cross Society for relief and recovery efforts"

Mike Sharp, General Manager of Clearwater Golf Club, said: "We were all rocked by the devastation caused by the tsunami; Clearwater Golf Club and Peppers at Clearwater are very pleased and willing to get in behind their initiative"

Event organiser Andrew Bell, Director of PowerPlay Golf New Zealand, said: "New Zealand has close social links to Samoa, and many of us in the golf industry wanted to do something to help the victims of the disaster there. We hope that playing PowerPlay Golf will inject some extra excitement into what should be a memorable and very worthwhile day's golf."

The flags used in the event will each be signed by the celebrity golfers, and will be auctioned at a post-event function.

In PowerPlay Golf®, golfers choose to aim for one of two flags on the green, a White and a Black. Players earn extra points for birdies or better when playing to the Black Flag, which is generally in a difficult position on the green. As it is nine holes, a round of PowerPlay Golf takes half the time of a normal 18-hole round.

Golf clubs can contact Andrew Bell to become a PowerPlay Golf® Official Venue.

ENDS.

PowerPlay Golf® is a trademark of PowerPlay Golf Holdings Limited.

IMAGE: PowerPlay Golf® logo.

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Notes to editors:

ABOUT POWERPLAY GOLF® (www.powerplay-golf.com)

In PowerPlay Golf®, a 9-hole format which takes half the time of a normal round of golf, golfers choose to aim for one of two flags on the green – a White Flag and a Black Flag. Players score extra points for birdies or better when playing to the Black (or ‘PowerPlay’) Flag, which is generally in a difficult position on the green, thereby creating extra pressure. Golfers can go online after their game, registering to earn PowerPlay Golf® Dollars, climbing World Rankings and competing in user-generated PowerPlay Golf® Leagues both locally and around the world. The format is known for its ‘risk and reward’ ethos, and for the levels of excitement which it creates.

PowerPlay Golf®’s made-for-TV ‘PowerPlay Shootout’ format, which offers a complete golf tournament in less than two and a half hours, offers global broadcasters the opportunity to televise golf in a more compressed time-frame, thus increasing golfing TV audiences.

ABOUT CLEARWATER RESORT (www.clearwaternz.com)

Set within 465 acres and just minutes from Christchurch international airport and close to the CBD, New Zealand's premier lifestyle resort has something for everyone. Stay in supreme comfort in the hotel's chic waterfront rooms, suites and apartments, all with tranquil water views. Play the 18-hole championship golf course, home of the New Zealand PGA Championship. Dine in the casual elegance of The Lakes Restaurant, serving uncomplicated food filled with flavour and prepared with passion. Enjoy the driving range, practice putting greens, tennis courts, extensive walking trails, on-site fly fishing, and popular Lakes Cafe. Invest in Christchurch's most prestigious real estate.

ABOUT THE NEW ZEALAND RED CROSS SAMOA EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI FUND
DONATE ONLINE: www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/pacifictsunami

Samoa Earthquake and Tsunami Fund: New Zealand Red Cross has launched an appeal to assist the disaster and recovery response. Thanks to the generous support the appeal has already received the appeal fund currently sits at over $1.5 million (as at 14 October). New Zealand Red Cross guarantees that 100 percent of all donations will go directly to the appeal. New Zealand Red Cross is only able to accept financial donations. For a full list of the ways in which you can help, please visit www.redcross.org.nz.