FROM THE PRESIDENT
A big 'Thank you' to everyone who took the time to complete the recent member questionnaire. We received 165 responses - representing a significant share of our membership.
The questionnaire will serve as a guide for future decisions and a basis for developing a strategic plan for the club. The challenge for the Management Committee is to consider all the feedback received and to balance that with the financial, operational, and strategic opportunities facing the club.
Although analysing all the data will take time, several themes have already emerged
Overall, members clearly value the quality of our course and the culture and collegiality that make the club so enjoyable. Reading exact percentages soon gets tedious, but I will quote a few below, to show the strength of responses in some of the key areas.
The Course:
Ninety-four percent of respondents rate the course as Excellent or Very Good, and almost 99% rate it Good or better. This reflects the outstanding work of our green keepers and volunteers. Although more than one in five responses said no improvements are needed, a range of suggestions aimed at further enhancing the course was made. The most identified priorities were drainage, followed by bunkers, rough management, and tees.
The Clubhouse and Facilities
Member satisfaction with the clubhouse and other facilities was also very high, with 89% of respondents rating them as either Good or Excellent. In the comments section members identified a range of opportunities for future enhancement. The most common suggestions for improvements were practice facilities, clubhouse improvements, and parking, with 72% of the responses identifying at least one of those three areas as a priority for future development.
The Experience
Feedback on the member experience was again overwhelmingly positive. More than 91% of the responses rated member experience as Good or Excellent, and 88% described the club environment as Welcoming or Very Welcoming. Suggestions for further improvements included encouraging greater interaction between membership groups, providing more support for new members, and offering additional social and golfing activities.
The Multi Tee starts and Shuffle Draws on competition days were strongly supported, with 82% of responses from 18-hole members rating Multi Tee starts as 'Very Important' or' Important', and only 8% rating the multi tee starts as 'not important'.
For the Shuffle Draws, 65% of responses from 18-hole members rated Multi Tee starts as 'Very Important' or' Important', 17% as 'Somewhat Important' and 18% as Not Important.
Affordability and value for money are two important factors for club members. When asked how membership subscriptions rated as value for money, 75% of respondents rated them as either Excellent or Good, a further 24% selecting Fair and only 2% rated them as Poor.
Although value for money was rated high, it was also stressed by a number of members that affordability must continue to be a key consideration. In particular, comments highlighted the needs of retirees and lower-income members. Membership subscriptions and cart hire fees were the two expenses most often referred to in comments relating to affordability.
Of course, these comments only reveal part of the story; there is a lot of feedback to work through. The Management Committee will be carefully considering the responses and determining how the feedback can be reflected in the club's plans and priorities.
Thank you again to everyone who took the time to share their views - it really is appreciated. Not every suggestion will be able to be acted on, but I can assure you that every response will be considered. And keep in mind, the questionnaire is just one way to have your say. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome, so feel free to speak with me or any member of the Management Committee at the club, or email me at president@motuekagolf.co.nz.
When it comes to member feedback, more is always better!
Before I finish, I would like to acknowledge one of our members for a very significant achievement. Dr Ron Beatson has been appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the recent King's Birthday Honours. This prestigious honour recognises Ron's outstanding contribution to New Zealand's hop industry and to horticultural science. A scientist with more than 50 years at Plant & Food Research, Ron has led New Zealand's hop breeding and genetics programme for 38 years. In addition to hops-a plant close to the hearts of many club members-Ron has made major contributions to the development of kiwifruit, apricots, and berry fruits. He was also part of the team that received the Prime Minister's Science Prize for its work in responding to the PSA kiwifruit disease outbreak.
Congratulations Ron, on a richly deserved honour.
Ron Noordijk
president@moutekagolf.co.nz
FROM THE GOLF CONVENOR
Congratulations to Allan Barbara who aced Tiny (No4) at Mixed Vets on Monday 15 June.
At the last meeting of the Management Committee a new clause regarding entry into competitons was agreed. This was done to remove any confusion, and for the benefit of our newer members. It clarifies entry requirements, which includes payment of entry fees, into Club Competitions, which are those usually played on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. This has been done to remove any ambiguity and to help make the task of those who sit behind the desk less confrontational.
The new clause, which will be added to our Bylaws, reads as follows:
Match of the Day means the official golf competition designated by the Club for a particular day and advertised as the primary competition for participating members. It is the competition designated for the determination of twos, net eagles, and closest-to-the-pin prizes for that day. More than one Match of the Day may be designated where separate competitions are conducted concurrently.
Play on Saturday afternoons is reserved for members and guests who are entered in the Match of the Day.
We still seem to be having good golfing weather, apart from the odd day or two when rain has impacted on playing conditions. It is getting colder.
The Mens Strokeplay champion was decided late on 30 May with Kahu McPherson having the best round of 77 Nett. Well done Kahu!
We had a good turn out for the annual Norm Evans Memorial Trophy on 13 June with 84 in the field, which included 18 Eagles members from other District clubs.
The Mens Rowling Trophy, 4BBB Matchplay on Handicap, is coming to an end with the Final on 4 July. This is one of our older trophy competitions with it being first contested in 1948.
The 18 Hole ladies report that our team came a creditable second to Nelson in the district Westrupp Trophy competition recently. Also, their Pennant competition has completed two rounds with four rounds to go.
Our Old Hickory team report that in a stunning day at Takaka they did not play well, but were good enough to beat the rest. It was a hard day for everyone with Stableford scores ranging from 10 to 35. Best score of the day was Mike Hay with 35 points. In the Club of the Year competition, Motueka (920) lead Takaka (891) and Tasman (885) with the others following quietly.
The Sloan Men report that their latest round played at Greenacres in a top of the table clash with Nelson where, unfortunately for the latter, Motueka proved too strong on the day winning emphatically 8 -1. In the other top of the table battle Golden Downs proved far to strong for Waahi Taakaro dominating 8.5 - 0.5. This now leaves Golden Downs ahead of Waahi Taakaro with Motueka and Takaka biting at their heels. The next round will be played at Motueka on 5 July.
Rex
FROM THE WOODIES
As directed by Nick you will have noticed that we are continuing to work on trees that are shading our greens.
The tree on the back right of our No 4 Green has had a severe back and sides haircut. Not only was it shading the green but it was also creeping over the road. Due to the road overhang we had to get contractors to undertake this work for us.
This week, with the assistance of Nick and Jack, we have felled a large Blackwood about 100 meters in front and to the left of the men's No 3rd Tee. This tree very effectively shaded the No 5 Green. If you are on that green, on a nice day, in the afternoon you will now be bathed in sunshine. This never happened previously. The green will love it!
Less obvious is that we also removed two large Blackwood branches on the right of the No 15 Fairway. One branch was creeping over the fairway about 70 meters in front of the Mens tee and the other branch was removed from the feature Blackwood half way done the fairway. (It was at right angles to the trunk and jeopardising the integrity of the tree) Not very exciting but hopefully you will all be more pleased to know that we also removed the low branches that overhang the fairway from the Blackwood we all love to the left of the 16th Green!
Once we get on to splitting we will have some great quality firewood for sale!
Peter
SPONSORSHIP
One of our valued sponsors has recently changed ownership and Bowater Hyundai/Isuzu is now Gary Cockram Hyundai Nelson. Gary Cockram Motors is a long-established vehicle dealership based in Christchurch. The good news is that the new owner has agreed to continue with the sponsorship arrangement where if you purchase a vehicle our Club will receive a donation of $250. If the vehicle is a new Hyundai you receive $500 from Hyundai NZ toward your subscription fee.
NEW & RETURNED MEMBERS
We welcome the following new and returned members. When you see them, please make them very welcome.
Full Playing: Jane Adams, Thomas Corston, Dane Gerrard
9 Hole: Paul Barrett, Joss Fry, Sid Lambert, Carolyn Steel, Joe Wineera
Junior: George Emery
