A reminder that course renovations are under way and will be continuing on all this week.  Please be respectful of greenstaff and volunteers and give way at all times. 

 

There will be times when holes and or entire nines are closed and these will be notified as necessary. 

 

We have a dedicated group of volunteers but if you have time available please let me know at my home email (peck.m@xtra.co.nz).  This seems to be the best way to contact me.  The skills required to volunteer are being able to use a shovel and a rake.  Good footwear essential and a pair of gloves.

 

Once again this is going to be an abreviated report.

 

 

 

A big thank-you to Adrian for producing the flyer.

 

Please get your entries in as soon as possible in order that we have a good idea of numbers for catering purposes and to prepare the draw.

 

This is always a special day at Karori.

 

Feel free to encourage your friends from other clubs to join us for the day.

 

 

Sunday was our first day for our "Futures Members" and it was good to see the first tranche of our younger members enjoying each others company and chowing down on a bowl of fries and some complimentary drinks.

 

On Wednesday WGI and the club are going to set a "Futures" short course which can be rated for our younger members. 

 

Maurice and Clayton have been coaching our juniors and the committee will need to assess how we can accommodate our more competent golfers with further tuition.

 

Our "Futures" members are being encouraged to join a WhatsApp group to keep in touch with each other and to receive information from the club that is more directed towards this group.

 

A note for our regular golfers.  The Futures Competition is only for our junior members.  At present there is no way to separate the competition out from our general competitions so please when printing your card don't click "Futures" if you are over 25. 

 

This is exciting for the club.  Our juniors will be the future of our club and as they move away for work or education later on, they will become the golfers of tomorrow.  Well worth investing time and effort to encourage junior involvement.

 

The committee will also be considering how to encourage families to become more involved in the club in a cost effective way catering on to all areas of ability.

 

A big thank you to Clayton and Maurice for this start.

 

 

A recent report I read shows that in a growing golf market (from 2009 - 2024 golf membership in the Wellington/Wairarapa Region has grown by more than 1500 members) that our membership has declined significantly in that time.

 

While it is accepted that a number of members we counted in the past had simply not been purged from the records when they left the club for various reasons, the trend nonetheless has been for a drop off in membership. 

 

There have been a couple of blips where membership increased but this financial year will see the club down another 28 members (in cold hard cash terms in excess of $28k) at a time when other clubs are growing.

 

In the next financial year clearly our challenge will be to grow membership. 

 

We have a couple of very attractive options available.  For example we are offering sixteen months membership for any golfer from another club who wants to change to Karori for the sum of $995.  That's got to be an attractive option.

 

As I've said before, our members are are our best advertisement.  Please promote our wonderful club whenever you can and encourage any friends and acquaintances to come and give our course a go. 

 

We could easily take another hundred members without congesting the course.

 

 

I have noticed a bit of laxness creeping in with our care for the course. 

 

On the 8th fairway yesterday, in the middle of the fairway, I noticed eight divots within a few centimeters of each other that had not been repaired.  I did empty a sand bucket in these.

 

Most frustrating was that the grass divots were quite handy to the damage and would have taken but a moment to replace. 

 

Good golfers always replace their divots, bad golfers must replace theirs too.

 

And, please carry a sand bucket and use it.

 

 

Check the events page for this weeks events; but note that our women have their midweek day on Tuesday, we have a Wednesday competition and Sunday competitions too.

 

The greens will be slow and bobbly until growth comes through and grooming is possible again.  Patience will be appreciated during this time.

 

The semi finals of the Holland Cup will see Gail Kirkland playing Tane Cassidy, and Matthew Roche playing Keith Atkinson.

 

Good luck to you all.

 

Tee time is booked at 10.02am on Sunday.

 

 

 

Chris Pearce has now opened an impressive gap with only three more rounds of the competition (for non inter club golfers) to go.  The next round will be Saturday 4 May by which time the greens should be almost back to normal.

 

 

Division 2 had a win at home 9 - 6 over Boulcott Farm.

 

Division 5 gained 3.5 points away at Carterton.

 

Division 9 had a 6.5 - 8.5 loss at home against Royal Wellington.

 

Division 12 (The Hillbillies - once again Norkless) picked up 3.5 points away at Judgeford.

 

All our teams have a tough finish to the season coming up as we seek to remain in divisions.  Good luck to all teams in the next round, this being Saturday 4 May with Division 2 away to Trentham, Division 5 at home to Te Marua, Division 9 away to Te Marua, and the Hillbillies Division 12 away to Otaki.  Maybe Gail will get another chance to play Nobby!

 

 

There will be a playoff between Clayton Willocks and Dominic Milicich on Sunday for the monthly Medal as both shot 69 nett.  Four other golfers shot nett par 70, Scott McHardy, Nicholas Mills, Julian Davies and Ian Dumbleton.

 

 

Ossie Santos prevailed over Sandra Lepper on a score of -2.3

Sandra leads on the accumulative standings after three rounds.

 

 

Ossie Santos prevailed over Brigitte Boenisch Brednich both on 38 points, from Dominic Milicich 37 and three on 36 Nick Mills, Scott McHardy and Ian Dumbleton.

 

 

Only thirteen golfers have entered this year long qualification event.  The top 19 golfers go to a play off in early December so there is plenty of time to enter.

 

You may play a counting score at anytime simply by selecting the competition when you print your card.

 

The cost of $25 to enter needs to be paid first before the competition will appear for you to select.  You may pay online or at the clubhouse.  If you pay at the clubhouse make sure they enable the competition for you and that the money goes to the shootout competition as this forms the prize pool.

 

Get your entries in and lets get some activity going for our end of year shootout.