1989

The oval golf ball and the game of GolfCross are conceived by New Zealander, Burton Silver.Green keeper George Studholme and Rolf Mills, using a polyester resin oval ball and some simple goals made by Burton, play the first rudimentary game in the spring of that year near Wanaka in the South Island of New Zealand.

1990

Initial trials to determine the flight characteristics of variously shaped oval golf balls are made with one-piece composite golf balls that have been turned from round to oval on a wood lathe by Joe Gibson.

1996

The Penfold Golf Ball Company in Birmingham, UK, finally agree to make moulded balls for trial. Chief chemist and production manager there, Peter Smewin, makes a variety of non-dimpled shapes and weights which undergo trials in the field by Martin O’Connor in New Zealand.

1997

The first dimpled, painted and printed one-piece composite “Wairarapa” balls are completed by Penfold and trials by golfers Martin O’Connor and Neil Weighell, and professional golfer Stuart Thompson, begin. Work is begun on the the GolfCross® goal by industrial designer and special effects mechanist, Dominic Taylor. His brief is to produce a goal that is: light, foldable, aesthetically pleasing, stock-proof, non–corrosive, able to be turned to a number of fixed positions, capable of providing a 99.99% efficient ball capture system, as well as being able to withstand 100mph winds.

1999

The tee cup is conceived by Burton Silver and designed and developed by Dominic Taylor.

2000

Successful field trials of the goal are finally completed at the end of 2000 after the testing of five prototypes. The first courses are set up.

2001

New Zealand GolfCross is officially launched