Newsletter Issue 38
December 2014
GREETINGS FROM THE BOARD
As 2014 comes to an end and we begin to celebrate the festive season, it is worth
reflecting on the past year.
As we all know the golf business is a tough and competitive business with many clubs
finding it difficult to make ends meet. Waitikiri continues to live within its means whilst
providing great facilities and a golf course envied by others. 2015 will be another tough
year and your Board is committed to providing the same quality facilities and course as
for 2014.
While we continue to seek ways to improve both management of the club and course
presentation, balanced against resources available, we believe Waitikiri offers very good
value.
The Annual General Meeting was attended this year by more members than previous
years and by and large went well. The various comments made were generally
constructive and provided good feedback to the Board.
The last event for 2014 was Closing Day, held last Saturday, which was enjoyed by at
least 110 members. Allan Hughey has done a superb job in organizing this event and is
to be congratulated, along with all those involved with him.
We welcome all of our New Members and hope that they will enjoy their golf experience
at Waitikiri.
Early in the New Year we will appoint a new Manager to replace the role I have enjoyed
doing. I am sure the new appointee will carry on from where I leave off and promote
Waitikiri as one of the best value for money golf clubs in Canterbury.
The Board has appreciated the support of our valued employees and thank them for their
efforts. This applies also to our Catering Team and our Professional.
To all who won club events, congratulations. We applaud May Chang for completing her
tenth win as Ladies Club Champion. A tremendous effort indeed.
With the changes in the liquor act which has reduced the amount of alcohol we can
legally have to drive we have added a low alcohol Speights to our tap beer selection. I
am told this is a very nice beer.
The Board welcomes Tony Thomas, our new man’s club captain to the team.
We wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.
Please drive your car safely on the roads and your golf ball straight and long on the Golf
Course.
Best Wishes
Norm Facoory On Behalf of the Board of Management
GREENS REPORT
Since my last article in September we have held a number of events including The Canterbury
Matchplay Champs, Woodward and Blank Cup Rounds, and The Canterbury Ladies Club Champs. We
have also had a number of corporate events through the months of October and November including
the large Automotive Colours tournament that starts at 10am and goes most of the day. Looking ahead,
we are looking forward to the Waitikiri Open in January along with future corporate events and the club
year restarting.
The Prestons subdivision boundary has been completed with all trees planted and the grass sown. The
Plant People company have the contract to maintain and establish the area for the next 6 months
before it is handed over to us. Any trees or plantings that die within the next 12 months are to be
replaced by the contractors. The work that has been completed looks great and will provide a great
outlook along the boundary in the years ahead. At present the area along the 3rd, 4th and 12th holes is
marked either as out of bounds (OB) or ground under repair (GUR). Along with these golf course
markings we have also shifted the OB pegs along holes 5 and 6 back inside the hedge so this boundary
is easily identified.
The club took delivery of a new John Deere trim mower in October and to date this mower has
completed a great job in mowing the first cut of rough around the greens and tees. The old trim mower
was sold on the Trade Me website. At present we are obtaining the funding towards a utility machine to
be used for various jobs around the course.
We have had some great comments from members regarding the fairways recently and the coverage of
grass on them. We have extended the trial we completed successfully on holes 13, 14 and 15 of spiking
and wetting agent applications to other dry areas on fairways. At present we are focussing on
increasing the green speed back to where they have been for the majority of the year. The healthy state
of the greens has recently produced significant growth but unfortunately this has been to the detriment
of green speed. A major hurdle for our maintenance of the greens has been finding a new sand supply
to top-dress the greens. Our previous supplier, Ready Mix, have been trying to obtain a consent for the
last 12 months to mine the sand and expect to be back trading in late February.
At the recent AGM, a request for a practice bunker was raised and we have now started planning
towards building a bunker. The position of this bunker has not been set yet, but we believe the best
position will be behind the 10th tee, hitting towards the practice green. You will have noted that we
recently filled some bunkers with more sand and allowed placing in all bunkers until the new sand is firm
enough to play off.
I congratulate the board, Dave, Warren, and Norm who have once again volunteered a large number of
hours towards various projects throughout the year and we look forward to the appointment of a new
manager. I pass on my thanks to my full time staff, Ricky and Ryan for there continued hard work
throughout the past year and to Brent and James who have also worked well in an industry they are
very new to. Thank you to Karyn, Norm, and Steve, whom I work with to ensure the smooth operation of
the golf course and to the club captains from the past year Judy and Howard.
To all members, I hope you have enjoyed the golf course and the parklands getaway it provides from
your busy life. From the golf course staff we wish you a Merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing
you in the New Year.
Richard Belcher
Course Manager
OFFICE HOUSEKEEPING
We welcome the following new members to the club. Alex Watson, Marie Caesar, Berni McCrea, Ray
McQuillan, Pat Barwick, Roy Mullins, Douglas Edginton, Daniel Greenfield, Adam Salter, John Keenan,
Rob McDonald, Barry Fadden, Matt Rangi, David Lee, Keith Doherty, Peter Lloyd, Helen MacAskill,
Roger Mathieson, Thomas Oh, Daniel Johnson, Elizabeth Kim, Justin Dove, Geoffrey Reeve, Greg &
Chris Marple, Jenny & Chris Clarke, Tetsuya Igarashi, Hayato Shimizu, Masayuki Kobae, Takashi Sato
and Hayato and Hiroko Oishi. Please make them all feel welcome.
The office will be closed from Monday 24 December until the 5 of January. It will be open from the 5 to
8 January and then from Tuesday to Thursday each week for the rest of January. Normal office hours
will resume from the 2 of February.
The bar and café will both be closed the 25 and 26 of December and the 1 and 2 of January. Normal
hours will resume from the 3 of January.
An updated calendar of events is available on the Waitikiri Golf Club website, under news and events.
We also put posters, draws and results on there for members to view.
We have recently upgraded the computer in the tournament where scorecards are entered. As a
result we are now able to use the scanner again. However in order to do this we would
appreciate it if all members could please put clear crosses in the left hand boxes on the
scorecard. These need to be written in pen, not pencil. The scorecards are entered by
volunteers, not paid staff, so please make things as easy as possible for them. Thank you.
When you are away over the holidays playing golf at other clubs, please remember to leave your cards
at the club where you play golf. This is the quickest way to get them entered in the system.
Karyn Gardiner
Dates to Remember
8 January
18 January
1 February
14 February
2-5 March
16 March
29 March
Twilight Golf Resumes
Waitikiri Open Tournament
Canterbury Over 50’s
Crusaders v Highlanders Rugby Dinner
Greens Scarifying
Women’s 36 Hole Interclub
Women’s Weekend Interclub
MERRY CHRISTMAS
TWILIGHT GOLF
16 October 2014 to 26 February 2015
Every Thursday except the
25 of December and 1 January
Tee off between 4pm – 5.30pm
$12 for all players
Includes two’s, teams, nearest the pin.
Great prizes and fun atmosphere.
All the bar staff and café staff would like to wish
the members and visitors to Waitikiri Golf Club a
happy and safe Christmas and New Year period.
They look forward to seeing you all again in
2015.
Lois, Geoff, Nikki, Paul and David
Diane and her team
9 HOLE WOMEN
We held our Closing Day and Prizegiving on November 19 followed by a delicious lunch prepared by
Diane and her team. The trophies and prizes were shared reasonably widely and it was a fun morning
of celebration. The first Summer Trophy match set the bar high with some really great stableford scores.
After two years as Convenor, I have stepped down and thank Donalda Barr for offering to take on the
responsibility of organising our group. I’m sure she’ll do an excellent job.
Thanks to everyone who has supported us this year. Nine Hole Golf is alive and well at Waitikiri.
Compliments of the season to you all.
Sue Orpwood
WOMEN’S REPORT
While everything is slowing down as far as competitions go, we have had a very busy time with closing
days and Hamper Days.
Thank you to retiring Committee Member, Helen Burne, for her contribution to the women’s committee
and welcome to Pauline Anstiss, elected at the AGM.
I was invited to the 9 hole closing day, lunch and presentation of trophies. The 9 hole ladies that play
on a Wednesday morning, have good numbers, and my thanks to Sue Orpwood, who has done a very
good job of leading them and running their club days. She in turn thanked Sally Fairweather and Chris
Dyer for helping her. Donald Barr is taking over the reins in 2015.
The weekend women had their annual trip away to Akaroa, playing at Charteris Bay on the Friday, and
then on to Akaroa for two more games and a fun weekend. I believe that what goes on tour stays on
tour, but they made good use of their 3 putt club money.
The weekend women also had their inaugural shootout, which was also a lot of fun and they have plans
to hold this as an annual event. Lynley Watts was the winner. This was held on a Sunday because of
the time it takes to get around the first few holes.
The mid-week ladies held their shootout in the last week of November. Bev Craigie was the winner on
the 12th Hole from Jane Jackson.
Our closing day was played in the afternoon and then on to a lovely meal and prize giving. It was
another good evening. Contributing in no small part was Board Member David Browne who came and
presented the trophies.
May Chang was overwhelmed and very appreciative of the special glass trophy that David presented to
her, recognising her achievement of Waitikiri Club Champion for the tenth time. We had a brief history
of May’s career. May and her family joined Waitikiri when May was about 11. She and her sister Ava
joined Sally Burn’s junior group on a Saturday morning and were allowed to play 9 holes, learning the
etiquette and simple rules. They had fun, including Sally getting the men in front of them to put lollies in
the hole, and the first one to hole their putt, got the lolly! Peter Davis then coached her for the next 6 –
7 years, and in that time May achieved the distinction of becoming a member of the N.Z. Golf Titleist
Academy development squad. May was also selected for the Canterbury Women’s team at the N.Z.
women’s Toro inter-provincials several times.
May’s golfing achievements are as follows:
87 matches for Waitikiri team in the Pollock Cup.
10 times Waitikiri Senior Champion
4 times Canterbury Champion of Champions, including this year’s tournament.
The Senior Men invited the midweek ladies to their Hamper Day and this was another successful day,
with the Senior Men going out of their way to look after the ladies, getting small Christmas Cakes made
as prizes These were very well received.
Lots of ladies are commenting on how attractive the planting along 12, 3 and 4 looks. Some of the
plants look a bit sad, but I understand that the plant people are responsible for the first few months of
watering.
Best wishes to all for a safe Happy Christmas, and good golfing in 2015.
Judy Clarkson
Women’s Club Captain
MEN’S REPORT
We have just had our final Christmas tournament for the year and it was my first tournament as your
Club Captain. What a great tournament it was. I would take this opportunity of thanking Allan Hughey
for doing such a magnificent job organising the raffles and obtaining great sponsorship for all the
wonderful prizes. The prize table certainly looked a treat. Initially it didn’t look too good on the weather
front but I am pleased that the day ended up being fine and the match committee team of Allan, Mike,
Frank, Trevor, Peter and Paul ensured a most enjoyable day was had by all. My thanks also to Judy
and her helpers for arranging the fantastic fruit trays and to Diane for the wonderful platters which we all
enjoyed after the round- it was great to see so many of you enjoying your golf.
Back on the 1 November a Quiz night was held in the club house. This was organised by Richard and
Dawn Belcher with Reon Murtha being the compere – this was well supported and was a great evening
and many members also took the opportunity to have one of Diane’s wonderful meals before hand.
In 2014 our Woodward Cup team finished eighth overall and I thank Pete Gerard for managing the team
for me while I was away overseas. The Blank team just missed the finals and were cheated by a fluke
shot on the last hole costing them a place and so they finished fifth overall. The Simon team came
tenth. I thank Paul McEwan and Stuart Turner for their help with managing these teams and on 3
December all team members and partners enjoyed a wonderful end of year meal thanks to Diane and
her helpers. The Presidents are currently in tenth place after six rounds and Metro are in sixth place
after four rounds. Thanks to John Barnes and Stuart Turner for being the team managers. Special
thanks also to Paul Holden who has been the manager/selector for the Metro team for a number of
years and has done a great job organising players for the team over that period.
For the New Year - days to look out for:18 January is the Paul Minifie (Waitikiri Open) tournament – this is a 36 hole tournament open to men
and women but also has a Masters section for men only aged 50+. Entries can be obtained on our
website or via our Pro Shop.
24 January is our Club Opening Day. I will not be here for Opening Day but the balance of the team will
be there to ensure the year starts out well. I do look forward to catching up with you all the following
week. Please also mark 14, 21 and 28 February on your calendars as we begin our programme with
the Mens Club stroke championships.
Many thanks to Richard and his team for the condition of the course during the difficult weather
conditions experienced during the winter. The course is now looking a picture and we look forward to
some great golf in the coming year.
I would take this opportunity of wishing all members a very merry Christmas and all the best for the New
Year. I look forward to catching up with you all again in 2015.
Tony Thomas
Club Captain
RULE OF THE MONTH
BALL COMES TO REST IN SPECTATORS POCKET – Rule 19-1
During the second round of The Tour Championship, Rory McIlroy sliced his tee shot on the 14th hole. The ball
hit a tree and fell into the pocket of a spectator standing under the tree. Fortunately that spectator had enough
knowledge of the rules of golf to stand reasonable still until Rory arrived at the scene and shortly followed by a
referee. The referee asked the spectator if he had moved to which the spectator replied “no”, the referee then
asked which pocket the ball was in and the spectator motioned to his right pocket. The refereee instructed Rory
to place a tee in the ground directly beneath where the ball lay in the spectators pocket and then drop the ball as
near as possible to that spot.
Rule 19 Ball in motion deflected of stopped, states:
19-1. By Outside Agency (A spectator is an outside agency)
If a player’s ball in motion is accidentally deflected or stopped by any outside agency, it is a rub of the green,
there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies, except:
a. If a player’s ball in motion after a stroke other than on the putting green comes to rest in or on any moving or
animate outside agency, the ball must through the green or in a hazard be dropped, or on the putting green be
placed, as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball came to rest in or on the outside
agency, but not nearer the hole.
SENIORS REPORT
Seniors golf this year has been most pleasing and enjoyable. The numbers playing regularly throughout
the year have swelled to 42.
With two regular days set down for Senior play, the Monday turnout has grown to be as many as 21,
with Thursdays averaging around 25. However the most popular events were visits to outside clubs on
a home and away basis. 42 players rolled up in the annual match against Harewood in September.
The trophies for the year were presented at the year’s official closing day.
The winners were…
Cockram Cup
John Barnes
Wroth Cup
Brent Moore
Robinson-Peterson Trophy Brent Moore
Spyder Cup
Blue Team
O’Shea’s Trophy
Owen Blockley
Swabhim Trophy
This trophy awarded to a player who registered an outstanding individual
performance during the year and was awarded to Bob Jack, David Harley &
Reon Murtha on consecutive occasions.
Walsham Jacket
Roger Craig was the recipient of this award for the most consistent overall
performance during the year in the regular weekly competition events. Roger
scored 25 points to hold off Brent Moore and Reon Murtha by 2 points. The
winner of each weekly round scores 4 points. The runner up scores 2 points
and the next 4 places, 1 point each.
The year comprises of Stableford , Stroke and match play competition in all the above trophy matches
with a good blend of other fun games.
The social interaction among the Senior players is one of the strengths and popularity of Senior golf.
The regular visits to and from other golf clubs within the Canterbury area are keenly anticipated.
The Seniors have a strong and proud dedication to the up keep and appearance of the Waitikiri golf
course and throughout the year they contribute both time and funds to the beautification of the
surroundings.
The senior committee, led by Convenor Brent Moore, is always exploring innovative ways and ideas
to make golf for those who’ve reached retirement age or nearly there, a chance to enjoy
companionship and friendship in a social setting without too much stress and over exertion.
Best Christmas wishes and happiness for a bright New Year.
HOLE IN ONE 2014
Reon Murtha
HOLE IN ONE 2014
We would like to congratulate the following members on achieving ‘the perfect shot’ during the year.
The following members achieved their hole in one here at Waitikiri: Keith Elliott, Ken Cowles, Nick
Yannakis and Brent Durham on Hole 17 and Andrew Regaldo and Mike Heenan on Hole 12.
Pauline Anstiss also scored a hole in one on Hole 7 at Avondale Golf Club, Stuart McCullum scored
a hole in one on Hole 3 at Gulf Harbour and Mark Fagg scored a hole in one on Hole 5 at Kaiapoi Golf
Club.
We also had a hole in one scored on one of our corporate days but thankfully for the sponsor it was not
on the par 3 which had a car as a hole in one prize!
Remember, if you score a Hole In One either here or at another club, please bring your scorecard or a
copy of it to the office and we will obtain a special Hole In One badge for you from Canterbury Golf.
You are also eligible for a $100 bar voucher when you hole in one at either Waitikiri or at another
course. Either take your scorecard directly to the bar or if you have achieved the hole in one at another
club either bring the scorecard to the office for your bar vouchers or shout the bar at the golf club you
are at. Bring the receipt back to the office and we will compensate you up to $100.
The Office