A Hamilton man who goes by the nickname "the Kiwi Caddy" has just finished a marathon effort on some of New Zealand's premier courses in a bid to raise funds for suicide awareness in Aotearoa.
Matt Wallbank has just completed his "607 Holes for Hope" campaign in 10 days - the number representing the number of suicides in New Zealand in 2021.
The 26-year-old finished the final 45 holes at The Hills this morning in Arrowtown, but also played rounds at Royal Auckland and Grange, Cape Kidnappers, Jack's Point and other top Kiwi courses.
Wallbank played roughly 33.7 rounds at courses across the country, walking nearly 300 kilometres in the process.
Accompanying his efforts is a Givealittle page with funds going to Mike King's "I Am Hope" charity.
"As we know, golf can be a therapeutic experience, and my goal for this challenge is to bring together the golfing community in New Zealand and around the world, to bring awareness and financial support to the cause," Wallbank said.
"The golfing community is strong and so tightly knit, where else do you find yourself walking and talking with 3 strangers for 4 hours?
"It's time for the game we love to band together and make a genuine difference."
Wallbank added he was also excited to showcase a number of New Zealand's best courses with the campaign.
At the time of writing, Wallbank has raised almost $18,000 for the charity with some donations coming from golfers who "by chance" played rounds with Wallbank midway through the campaign.
It's not the first time Wallbank has set himself a challenge to raise awareness. In October 2021 he completed 654 kilometres of running in 53 hours, raising $12,000 for mental health as well.
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