Welcome to 2025. Hope you all had a great break over the Xmas New Year and got in some rounds of golf.
Great to see the course very busy over the last month with players getting out early in the morning till late in the evening.
Thanks to the greenkeepers who have presented the course in great condition. And thanks to Linda and David who have managed the ebb and flow of visitors and members.
A big thanks to all the sponsors at our very successful Motueka Open.
The prize table was fantastic and would not have been possible without your generosity.
Will let Donna fill you in with the event details below.
Speaking of Donna and all those who helped put the tournament together, what a fantastic job you all did.
Many hours go into putting this event together, and to get the good feedback from players local and visitors shows how good the tournament was. So well done everyone.
We often get asked if we know of anyone that has clubs for sale. Our most recent is a new member seeking a set of Ladies clubs. If you know of any, please let me know. Any member that has clubs for sale, or knows a friend who may have some gathering dust in a shed or garage and would be happy to part with them, are most welcome to place a notice on the notice board in the Clubhouse.
UPDATING OUR CONSTITUTION
In 2022 new legislation came into force requiring all Incorporated Societies (of which we are one) to re-register with the government by April 2026. As part of that process we have to satisfy the authorities that our constitution meets certain minimum standards.
The main parts of our existing constitution (known as our "Rules") are now around 70 years old, so it is no surprise that parts of the Rules do not come up to snuff when measured against the requirements of the new legislation. The existing Rules are available in the "Murmurings and Results" area of our web site.
The Management Committee have thus formed a small group under the leadership of Chris McGeown to produce a new draft constitution for members to consider and approve at a Special General Meeting to be held later this year. Their brief is not only to ensure that we fully comply with the new legislation, but also to look at our current constitutional arrangements in the light of current day best practice.
I'm pleased to say that the group have already made good progress, and are expecting to put out a variety of points for consultation with members in the autumn. That consultation will help to shape the new draft constitution to be presented to the SGM in due course.
In the meantime, if you have any specific points you wish to make on this subject please e-mail Chris at treasurer@motuekagolf.co.nz.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
It's that time of the year when preparations are being made for the annual subscription process. You will recall that at the 2024 AGM held on 4th November, a proposal that membership fees for the 2025/26 season be increased by 4% was agreed. The new fees are as follows:
Full Playing - $926
FP 19 - 25 years - $364
Full Playing 26 - 30 years - $612
9 Hole - $584
Country - $584
Midweek - $788
Summer/Winter - $584
Junior - $70
Subscription invoices will be emailed to members at the beginning of March and should be paid in full by 1 April unless arrangements have been made to pay by instalment. Those wishing to make use of an instalment arrangement should indicate by email to subs@motuekagolf.co.nz their preferred payment schedule (IE Weekly, Fortnightly or Monthly). Instalment payments must be completed by 31st August.
Bag Tags are Back. Over the previous two years we have received feedback that members get a little irritated at being asked if they are members of the Motueka Golf Club, particularly around the subscription renewal time. So we are reintroducing bag tags which will show your current membership status at a glance. Bag tags will be issued upon payment of your new subscription, or commencement of instalment payments.
FROM OUR GREENKEEPERS
We have spent time this season on the fairways, which are holding up really well. The rotting and die off seen in past years is much less and, we are sure you will agree, more pleasing to the eye and easier on your shots. Hopefully, we can get through February and March without too much trouble in this regard, which will set us up nicely for the winter.
We realise the speed of the greens has been variable, and not up to our usual standard. We tried something different, and it didnt work. So we have done some verti cutting which should see an improvement in the coming weeks.
The turf nursery adjacent the 12th green has come along really well. There had been a little bit of kikuyu ingress, but we have managed to hold it at bay. We should be able to commence replacing No 4 (Tiny) tee box in March/April.
FROM OUR MATCH COMMITTEE
From all accounts, the NBS Open was a huge success, despite the weather trying to put a dampener on things on Saturday morning.
We have received plenty of positive feedback, not just about the condition of the course which was in its usual immaculate condition - well done to our green keepers!! but also about the prize table, and how well the tournament was run. It is always good to know when we are doing things well, so thank you to those who have provided the feedback. This year we welcomed a number of new sponsors as well as retaining the majority of our regulars. The Sponsor's board is still up in the clubhouse so we encourage you to take a look at the list, and as always, to support our generous sponsors whenever you can.
February and March are busy months for Opens at Mot and around the district. The dates for these can be found in the back of the 2025 handbook, which are available now. Sign-up sheets for the Anchorage Wines (22nd Feb) and Motueka Open Foursomes - 36 Holes (23rd Mar) are already out in the clubhouse. As well as these Opens, there is a sign-up sheet out for the annual KIWI's vs The Rest of the World (16th Feb) which concludes with a BBQ - so get your names in asap if you don't want to miss out on some Matchplay, bragging rights and a good feed.
Lastly, I would like to remind everyone that there is a 'Suggestions Box' in the matchroom. This is checked regularly. It is a good opportunity for you to make suggestions or just provide feedback, positive or not, and anonymously if you wish. These suggestions will be discussed at our Match Committee meetings and whilst we won't always be able to please everyone, if 'we don't know its broke, then we cant fix it'.
FROM OUR 9 HOLE LADIES
The 9 hole ladies ran a Summer Golf Stableford Competition every Tuesday and Thursday from 3rd December 2024 to 23 January 2025.
The format was turn up and play when available and the winners were based on the best 3 stableford rounds irrespective of how many played.
It gave our 9 hole members the opportunity to come and have a round of golf and some company over the holiday period in between visitors, festivities etc.
13 members participated and the results were as follows:
1st Geraldine Taylor 60 stablefords
2nd Carolyn Bolland 59 stablefords
3rd Diane Enoka 58 stablefords
4th Raeleen Donaldson 57 stablefords
NEW & RETURNED MEMBERS
We welcome the following new and returned members to our Club.
Julia Armstrong, William Arnold, Sarah Bailey, Alexander Brown, Aaron Coleman, Jordan Delvers, Travis Delvers, Roma Edwards, Ruben Fry, Olivia Gillespie, Steven Gillespie, Jason Hamilton, Danny Hanigan, Henry Harrison, Joseph Hill, Oliver Him, Nathan Howes, Kayleigh Inglis, Amber Grace Johnston, Selwyn Light, Hunter Mason, Benjamin Monaghan, Edward Morris, Tom Nelson, Kevin Peterson, Jan Pinckney, Tom Pinckney, Marti Ryan, Michael Salmon, Gary Selby, Marvin Strub, Steve Vessey, Suzanne Vessey.
Finally, just wanted to let you know that a shiny new silver cart has been purchased to replace the old white cart, which couldn't do 18 holes, so needed new batteries and other work. Has gone to a happy home at the Motueka High School.
Happy golfing.
Pete Cederman.
President.
© Motueka Golf Club
