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Life members of Tauranga Golf Club gathered for the first official meeting this morning ahead of the club's centenary this November.

Tauranga Golf Club life members Ernie Craig, Noel Copestake, Joyce Edwards, Maurice White, Phyll Sandlant, Keith Dawkins, Nen Sim and David Mowat and Hazel Casey at the high tea this morning. Photos by: Cameron Avery.

Both male and female members reminisced over a high tea at the club. Among them was Joyce Edwards, who has 55 years' of memories with the club since joining in 1954.

'The people are just wonderful,” says Joyce. 'We practically lived here. Every weekend everybody was here.”

Joining in 1959, Nen Sim says her biggest pleasure is witnessing the moulding of men and women golfers.

This made it easy for her fellow life member, Phyll Sandlant, to join the club a few years' later.

'The foundations were already built and coming here was so easy.”

Phyll was involved in starting nine-hole golf here in the Bay of Plenty about 16 years' ago and says 'by the years' end we had 100 new nine-hole members.”

Keith Dawkins joined the club in the 1950s and says golf has always been part of his and his wife's life. 'I just love golf,” says Keith, who has seen the club develop into what he says is now a professionally managed club.

Joining the club in 1948, Ernie Craig says he's enjoyed 66 years of memories and lasting freindships.

Tauranga Golf Club celebrates its 100^th birthday in November this year.