FROM THE PRESIDENT
Club Champs
Congratulations to all our 2026 Club Champions!
After several days of heavy rain and cold temperatures, the finals on Sunday 10 May were played on a beautiful sunny day, in front of a small but appreciative gallery.
It was great to see all matches played in a competitive yet friendly spirit, with some close finishes and others matches more decisive. It was particularly nice to see family success across the grades, with Peter and Astrid Tudberry both winning their respective grades, and Nick and Mason van Leeuwen also each claiming titles in their grades.
We congratulate all the winners and finalists and extend our appreciation to the members who took part in the championships. We could not have Club Champions without a field of players vying for the title, so it was good to see the fields in all divisions - men, women, 18 hole and 9 hole - whittled down week by week until only the champions were left standing!
Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this year's championships another enjoyable and successful event for the club. The full list of winners appears further down in the newsletter.
Opinions on the format of this year's Club Championships are mixed, with some members preferring all grades to be played 'off the stick'. This year, only the Senior Men's and the Women's Championships were played as scratch match play, while the other grades were contested on handicap. The new format has received some positive feedback, but it is also clear that some members remain dissatisfied. As the format has now been tried and tested, and we have information to base a review on, we will evaluate this year's competition and determine the preferred format for next year and beyond.
Bylaws
Some minor amendments and rewrites of three bylaws have been undertaken over the past month. The Disputes Process has been updated, as foreshadowed in the April newsletter; the bylaw relating to the use of Membership Cards has been updated to reflect the introduction of the Loyalty Scheme; and the bylaw relating to the refund and rollover of membership subscriptions has been updated to reflect current practice.
The bylaws were introduced in conjunction with the new Constitution last year, and as they are applied in real situations, it has become apparent that some provisions do not fully reflect existing procedures. The bylaws are available to be read on the Club website.
Member Feedback Questionnaire
We will shortly be emailing members a questionnaire seeking feedback on a range of matters relating to the club, including the course, facilities, priorities, and future direction.
You will see that the questionnaire has been designed to be quick and easy to complete. It can be completed online, or alternatively a PDF version will be attached to the email for you to print and complete. It is an important opportunity to share your views and assist the Management Committee with future planning and decision-making. Your responses will help ensure that decisions made by the Committee are based on genuine, representative feedback and reflect the views of the membership.
When it arrives in your in-box, please take a few minutes to share your views with us.
Rule 14.7 (b)
And finally, a friendly reminder to members that while "taking relief" is an important part of golf, it should also be remembered that under Rule 14.7, taking relief in the wrong place may result in the general penalty. Unfortunately, it appears that taking relief in the wrong place can also result in complaints from the neighbours!
The days are getting colder, and all of us are getting older, so the need to take relief may well be arising more frequently. Members are encouraged to make use of the designated "drop zones" near the 7th green and 15th fairway whenever possible, or alternatively to find somewhere discreet, well away from fellow players, spectators, and neighbouring properties.
Ron Noordijk
Club President
FROM THE HOUSE CONVENOR
The installation of acoustic tiles in the Clubhouse has been completed and already a noticeable difference in noise levels has been observed and we have had a positive response from members. No longer does it seem necessary to shout when having a conversation with your playing partners.
You will likely have read or heard of the fire at Te Arai Links golf course north of Auckland in early April that pretty much destroyed their restaurant. Preliminary investigations by FENZ reveal the most likely cause as a lithium powered service cart stored behind the restaurant. This event and subsequent advice received from The Club Management Association of NZ has led us to initiate our own review of lithium battery storage procedures. While the review is ongoing, management have decided that anyone with an electric trundler must now take their batteries home to charge them. In addition, the (infrequent) practice of charging batteries in the Matchroom will cease.
FROM THE GOLF CONVENOR
Congratulation to the winners of the 2026 Club Championships. Full results are:
Ladies Senior - Donna Mitchell def Amanda Duff
Mens Senior - Nick Van Leeuwen def Simon Hollyer
Ladies 9 Hole Div A - Astrid Tudberry def Meredith Rayner
Ladies Intermediate - Diane Strong def Suzanne Park
Mens Intermediate - Mason Van Leeuwen def Bernie Hedges
Ladies 9 Hole Div 2 - Helen Dryden def Lynne Hardie
Ladies Junior - Jo Arthur def Jan Dobbie
Mens Junior A - Peter Tudberry def Nick McIntyre
Mens Junior B - Bob Ilton def Allan Barbara
Mens Golf - Ken Melind by default
With the weather getting colder and the ground softer, we are noticing a lot more unrepaired divots in the rough. Please repair these as they occur; there's nothing worse than trying to hit out of one.
Our 18 Hole Ladies report that National Teams finals at Rarangi was not a great golfing day for the Motueka team. They struggled on the greens (along with most others).
Our 9 Hole Ladies report that one of their special lady golfers, Melva Webby, is 'retiring' from playing golf. Melva has been playing for over 50 years and has helped and supported players learning the ins and outs of the game...whether it be rules, etiquette or how to putt! Melva will join them for lunch on Tuesday May 19 about 12:30pm where we can chat and share stories of times spent. A warm welcome is extended to come and join in.
On Old Hickory matters - On a perfect day and a course in even better condition there was some very average golf played last Thursday. Although Motueka didn't play well, it was still good enough to claim the Old Hickory. Best score for the day was Norman Hensley, the owner of Redstone Golf Park, with a well compiled 38 points. Eric Satherley (Tasman) had 36 points and the rest of the field ranged between 34 and 18. Only one 2 for the day, on No14. Individual Motueka scores were lead Bernard Walsh with 34 followed by Mike Hay 33, Andrew Fenemor 31, Bob Ilton 30, Keith Dowie 30 and Frik Van Heerden 27. We now lead the Club of the Year by 20 points from Tasman with Takaka another 12 points behind them.
And from our Sloan Men: Motueka played Waahi Taakaro at Totaradale on Sunday 17th May. WT is unbeaten so far this season and Mot was sitting in second equal place going into this round. The teams of six play matchplay on handicap. The result this time was a hard fought half, with the highlight being Dennis Wrights disposal of the WT Captain (James Campion) 2/1. WT remains unbeaten though and Motueka now sit mid table. The next round is at Greenacres in June.
NEW & RETURNED MEMBERS
We welcome the following new and returned members:
Full Playing: Gary Burnham, Paul Tasker
9 Hole: Christian Kelly, Zane Thomas
Country: Grant Russell
Junior: Baxter Button, Luca Murphy, Sonny Stowers-Fry
