About eight months ago, I sat down with the Kiwi father of three and golfer affectionately known as “Baz” for an online feature while he was putting on one of his golf days across the pond. He was just under halfway through one of the most ambitious golfing journeys you could imagine. His goal was simple on paper and a logistical nightmare in reality – play every golf course in New Zealand. All 417 of them.

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"A great man": the Kiwi conquering a nation in the name of mental health

After a family tragedy, Barrie Coleman set out to play every one of New Zealand's 417 golf courses and raise money for mental health charities. He's since played 201 courses and already smashed his goal of $50,000. Callum Hill caught up with the man behind the mission.

At the time, he had ticked off just over 200. Last week, he crossed the finish line at Clearwater Golf Club.

The golf itself has always been impressive. Hundreds of rounds, thousands of kilometres and endless hours behind the wheel of a campervan. Courses stretching from the deep south to the very top of the North Island. However, the golf was never really the point.

Barrie’s journey began after the devastating loss of his wife, Megan, who tragically took her own life in 2022. Faced with unimaginable grief, he and a group of close friends decided they wanted to do something positive. Something that might help others and could contribute to the conversation around mental health and suicide prevention.

From his “Saving Butts Sinking Putts” mission came the Links Foundation, fundraising efforts for organisations such as I Am Hope and Lads Without Labels, and eventually Barrie’s idea to travel the country one golf course at a time.

What started as a challenge has become something much bigger. Of course, the money raised matters, and the awareness certainly matters. The most important part, though, has been the conversations. That is ultimately what Barrie has been promoting for the last few years.

RIGHT: Barrie at the ultra-exclusive Tara Iti.

Not grand gestures or miracle solutions, because nobody has those answers. Just conversations. The sort of chats that unfold in golf carts, walking down fairways or standing on tees while waiting for the group ahead.

Former New Zealand rugby league captain Richie Barnett was at the golf day and told me when I first met Barrie that golf is a great medium for connection.

He was right.

We are seeing the understanding grow across sport and society. Mental health is no longer spoken about solely in moments of crisis. More athletes are sharing their experiences; clubs are checking in on their members, and people understand that strength and vulnerability are not opposites.

You never truly know what someone is carrying. This is why Barrie’s challenge has resonated with so many people across New Zealand and Australia. On the surface, it is a story about a bloke trying to play 417 golf courses. In reality, it is about honouring Megan’s memory. It is about turning personal tragedy into something that helps others. It is about using golf as a vehicle for connection, understanding and hope.

Most golfers will never play every course in their state, let alone an entire country; it is madness. Thankfully, that was never the lesson; the lesson is far simpler. Look out for your mates and loved ones, ask how they’re going.

Barrie Coleman has spent the last few years driving that message from one corner of New Zealand to the other,

raising $133,000 for ANZ mental health charities in the process. As his remarkable journey draws towards its conclusion, his legacy is already secure. The golf courses were the map, and looking after people is the destination.

Visit https://thelinksfoundation.org/ to see how you can contribute.

Or if you’re NZ-based, get behind the raffle for Barrie’s motorhome he used for his mission, every cent goes towards supporting mental health: MOTORHOME RAFFLE