Good morning golfers

Last Sunday was a wonderful celebration of all that is good about our golf club.

The finals of the Club Championships were played as well as, for the first time in many years were the finals of a plate competition for those who lost in the first round. 

A very big thank you to Gipps Street Deli our sponsor.  Their generous contribution allowed us to be able to offer some appropriate prizes in recognition of the value winning a club championship represents. 

It was also really good to have twenty people enter a Championship Stableford played in conjunction with the Club Champ Finals.  There was some hot scoring in this event and it served to swell the numbers in the clubhouse for the trophy presentations.  There is nothing better than a happy clubhouse to help celebrate an important event such as this one.

What was really pleasing was that the contestants in the Championship Stableford who had each contributed $2 to the 'two's' pool were of the view that as no two's were scored that the proceeds from this pool would all go to the equipment fund rather than drawing  for the distribution of golf balls.

It was also possible on the day for the club champs, Shirties and Matts Mob all to play in their normal times and now that the club champs are over Sunday golf can completely return to normal.

So, from this Sunday 15 October everything is as it was.  Which means that Sunday Club Day can rebuild back better. 

Shirties, Matts Mob and Gaskies support Sunday Club Day and will welcome anyone looking for a game. 

In particular. Gaskies meet at the picnic table at 8.45am for a card draw ahead of the 9.06am tee time. 

This is a great way for members and guests (affiliated visitors) to make up fours and head off to the tee.  It is a very good way for new members to get to meet other members and you never know who you will spend time with on the course.  Afterwards there is always good natured banter in the clubhouse while reliving the good, the bad and the ugly of the golf that was played.

Members should make a point of calling in to the clubhouse when they are on the course, certainly before tee off so that we know who is around and afterwards for a snack and a libation of your choice.  It all helps the club and it is a bit of fun.  After all we are not playing for gold cups so enjoying the company of others is one of the great strengths of belonging to a golf club.

Please also, if you are not joining an organised group, book a tee time.  It helps the shop staff manage green fee players who may just rock up for a game.

It is nice to see some good weather now which should give the green staff a chance to make progress on the course renovations. 

Current priority obviously are the greens (fertilising and seeding) and the tee blocks (verticutting, sanding and seeding).  This work will be getting done over the next couple of weeks.  Hopefully fairways and rough will get some attention too.

There is a lot of weed in the fairways and rough but it is the intention of the green staff to play through the remainder of spring and summer before spraying off the weeds and renovating these areas.  In light of a forecast hot dry summer, spraying off now would lead to bare fairways which would be quite unpleasant to play from and also would be a lottery as to how the golf ball would behave. 

Some of our long time members will remember that previously we had very little weed on the course and it is TK's intention to get back to that happy state of affairs.

If you see the green staff out working on the course please say hello and please give them right of way where it is needed. 

So, on to the report.

1. New Manager

Hi. My name is Keith Kincaid and I’m delighted to be the new Manager for the Karori Golf Club.

A little bit about me. I live in Khandallah with my wife and 3 young boys (aged 16, 13, and 7). I enjoy playing golf but my main sporting background is in volleyball where I have played competitively and now coach several teams around Wellington. I am a big All Blacks fan and enjoy pretty much all sports.

My background is in Commercial Account Management and have spent the last 15 years in the Energy and Telecommunication sectors.

I am looking forward to meeting you all and seeing you out on the course.

Keith Kincaid

2. Club Championships

There was a crowd of golfers in the clubhouse to greet our Club Championship Winners this year.

In getting to this point 65 golfers entered the qualifying rounds, the qualifiers played four rounds of match play to get to the winners circle and the first round "exiters" (sounds better than losers) played the plate competition.

This is the best turnout in a very long time and judging from the happy group on Sunday bodes well for next year too.

A fine looking body of men!

From left to right, Club President Make Suggate (who presented the trophies to the winners), David Farmer Senior Club Champion (defeating Adrian Porter), Mark Peck (Club Captain), Fergus McDougall Intermediate Champion (defeating Ngatau Hemopo), Kevin Norquay Junior A Champion (defeating Ian Dumbleton), Ciaran O'Kelly Junior B Champion (defeating Terry McAlister).

Winners of the plates were: Senior Grant Pollard, Intermediate Eric McAuley, Junior A Matthew Everett, and Junior B Garth Mickell.

Championship Stableford:  This was won by Jordan Roes on 41pts frm Neil Hoskin on 38pts, Kevin Kane 38pts.

Prizes were distributed down to 36pts.

3. Sunday Club Day

What cored greens?

Scoring for Sunday Club Day was extra hot!

Top of the pops (on countback) was Tim Richards 41pts, from Charlie Timpany 41pts, Jordan Roes 41pts, Phil Hartley 40pts, Neil Hoskin 38pts, and Kevin Kane 38pts.

On a very busy Sunday 36 entries were received for Sunday CLub Day.

Bigger and better this coming Sunday.

4. This weeks golf

a) Women

Our women have had a stunning spring day for their golf today.

By now our nine hole women are likely to have finished their games and the 18 holers may still have a bit to go.

Somewhere in here I believe that the Nine Hole women are playing their Club Champs too.  Best of luck to you all.

b) Wednesday Competition

Be at the club house by 10.15am this Wednesday for the disc draw ahead of the 10.30am tee time.

$5 covers your entry to the competition of the day and buys a raffle.  As well as that the Wednesday Competition are running a special fundraising raffle for an additional $5.

This competition is open to all members and affiliated visitors. 

It is a good way to meet up with club members and others so feel free to come along.  You will be made to feel most welcome.

c) Thursday Twilight

Round two tees off this Thursday in the late afternoon.

Twilight is open to everyone whatever your level.  There is a $20 entry fee which covers your nine holes of golf (from the short tees) and a "gourmet barbecue".

In the realm of fun events, this is right up there.  A great way to unwind after the days toil, relaxing, and with some user friendly and quirky rules (ever heard of muligans?).

This event runs every Thursday until the end of Daylight savings in April.

Enjoy!

d) Sunday Golf

Sunday Club:

Shirties, Matts Mob and Gaskies support Sunday Club.

As mentioned earlier, the Gaskies meet at the picnic table at 8.45am for a 9.06am tee time.  Print off your card and leave it on the table for the draw to be done.  Fours are drawn at random.  This is a ggod way to enjoy your golf at Karori Golf Club. 

All members and visitors welcome.

e) Monthly Medal

This is played in conjunction with Sunday Club. 

We are coming to the end of the competitive calendar year and this is your second to last opportunity to capture a medal and be able to play in the top dog event in December.

If you are not joining one of the organised groups, make up your own fours and set off.  Make sure you putt everything out in this stroke play event.  Please also make sure you have a 'marker' who can verify your score.

5. Coming Events

City of Wellington Classic, Saturday 4 November, 9am Multi Tee Start

This is the Karori Golf Club's premier tournament with a generous prize table.  It doubles as a Wellington Golf Inc order of merit event so there will be some of Wellington's top golfers in the field.

There is a mens and womens competition and the mens competition is played across two divisions.

The entry fee for Karori Members is $40.

All inter club players and aspiring interclub players should make this event a priority.

To enter you can do so online at (https://www.karorigolf.co.nz/event-calendar), or let our new manager know at clubhouse@karorigolf.co.nz, or by phoning the club on (04)476 7337.  There is also a sign on sheet in the downstairs foyer.

Entries close at 5pm on Friday 3 November.

Don't delay, enter today.

Murray Halberg Day

I eroneously advised last week that this was a free entry event. 

There will be a fee for entry and this will be notified shortly.

It will be held on Saturday 25 November.

Tee times and other details will be advised as they come to hand.

In the meantime you may still enter this worthy event online (https://www.karorigolf.co.nz/event-calendar), or by emailing our new manager clubhouse@karorigolf.co.nz, or phoning the club (04) 476 7337, or there will be a sign on sheet in the foyer.

6. Inter Club 2024

This week I will be emailing the usual suspects and those who have recently come to the club's attention to advise of the organisation around this. 

In the meantime I have set up a inter club challenge series from early November until the middle of January in two divisions based on the handicap divisions used for the club champs.

Please use this challenge event to record your scores to aid us in our selection work ahead of squad announcements in mid January 2024.

Our mission is to get to the point where we have a team in the Waikanae Cup Competition so we are looking for our very best to be ready and available come January 2024.

7. Members Incentives

A reminder that if you bring an affiliated golfer to play with you that the green fee will be $20, and, more importantly if you introduce a new member you will get a discount on your membership fee (an extra three months added to your membership).  The club can certainly use more members.

8. Volunteers

We can always use volunteers.

We have a couple of members who are capable of helping to mow fairways and the like, others who help keep our streams clear but the never ending task of repairing divots is something we could help with.

I would appreciate half a dozen or so volunteers who would help out sanding and seeding a couple of fairways each (say one a month?) to keep our course in good shape.

Could you please let me know by emailing our new manager on clubhouse@karorigolf.co.nz

We will make sure that your are provided with a cart and TK will have the sand and seed ready for you when you need it (so long as he is notified first).

Thank you in advance.

 

That's quite enough for this week.

I'll report back again next week.  For now enjoy your golfing week and take the time to say hello to Keith so that he can get to know you.

Mark Peck

Club Captain

 

 

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