Coastguard's North Shore Unit will be going from the deep blue to the golf green for its inaugural Golf Day fundraising drive next Friday 17 February.

Held at the North Shore Golf Course in Albany, the charity tournament will test players' abilities over 18 holes and a number of novelty holes including the nearest pin, longest drive and a sprint hole.

Coastguard North Shore President, Mark Raubenheimer, says the Golf Day is being held to raise funds to help cover the Unit's running costs and ongoing maintenance of their rescue vessel North Shore Rescue, which recently underwent a full refit.

"Coastguard volunteers invest hundreds of hours to ensure boaties are kept safe on the water but many Kiwis are unaware of the costs involved in providing this lifesaving service.

"We are very excited to host Coastguard North Shore's very first Golf Day and we hope it will help us continue to deliver on our promise to the community," he says.

Following the game, a prize giving ceremony will be held at the clubhouse and players will have a chance to bid on a number of great items in a charity auction.

The auction will be MC'd by New Zealand rugby legend Eric Rush with items up for grabs including a 2 hour experience in an Air New Zealand flight simulator, a game fishing weekend on the NorthBeach boat, a Jerry Clayton BMW for a weekend, a pair of All Blacks Shorts signed by World Cup player Jerome Kaino and a pair of signed Shane Cameron boxing gloves.

Mr Raubenheimer says the unit is just so grateful to the number of sponsors who have come on board and generously provided such fantastic prizes and would like to thank in particular Placemakers, Orcon, Kodak, Precision Automobiles, Sealegs and Browns Bay Markets.

"Thanks to the ongoing support of our sponsors and their commitment to Coastguard North Shore, we are able host this event and continue our mission of saving lives at sea," he says.

The Coastguard North Shore unit is one of the busiest units in the country with North Shore Rescue responding to an average of 260 call outs every year.

Event: Coastguard North Shore Golf Day

Venue: North Shore Golf Course, Appleby Road, Albany

Day: Friday 17 February 2012

Time: 11.30am for 12.30pm Shotgun start

Format: Ambrose

Registration: To register your team, email northshore@coastguard.org.nz

Fees: $400 for a team of four

N.B: Food and drink available with gold coin donation