Firstly, as always, a warm welcome to our new members.
Full Member; Neil Barns
Country Member; Sandra Gover
Juniors; Lewis Langford, Ben Johnston
Let's start this newsletter talking about the deck. And the place to start is with a big thankyou to Tony Louis! Tony took on the initiative of getting the deck stained, completely at his own choice. It's fair to say that he did not get universal support at the start but he soldered on and there would now be very few who are not happy with the outcome. The second big thank you is to Craig Brown and Rochelle Holden from Dulux, not only did they supply the stain but they applied it and were happy to support the club. Isn't that awesome! The deck has had two coats and will get a third in the Spring.
We have had heaps of complimentary comments and been asked what the stain is. It is Dulux Intergrain Natural Stain and the colour is Teak. This is a quality product! The deck was first cleaned with Intergrain Reviva Timber cleaner. If you are interested in the product pop in and see Willie at Guthrie Bowron. (They are very good supporters of the club and a discount on this product is available to our members.) So the deck now has the big tick, thanks to all that worked on it over its various stages. It is a fantastic addition to our clubrooms and has been a great project to be part of.
More good news! NBS have renewed their sponsorship with us again this year. This continues a long and successful partnership, NBS have been our major sponsor for a number of years now. We are extremely grateful for their support and I also want to thank all our members who reciprocate by banking with NBS. I know that I am always emphasising the need for our members to support our sponsors and this is a great example. Greg and his team at NBS Motueka offer a very friendly and comprehensive banking service to our community and they are very aware and appreciative of the support our members give them. It makes my yearly conversation with Greg a very pleasant experience when we can talk about the mutual benefit both organisations get from the partnership. And don't forget you can win a car through their current promotion, pamphlets are in the clubhouse!
And while we are speaking of cars! I mentioned last month our new association with Bowater Hyundai/Isuzu and that I had more news for this month. I can now tell you that they have very generously put up a brand new Hyundai Kona as a Hole in One prize on the Sunday of our 2020 Open. The Kona is a very smart SUV valued at $31,990 plus. The Hole in One will be on No 14. The Open dates next year are 11th and 12th January so mark your diaries! We have also had our first member buy a vehicle under our new agreement so the club will benefit by $250!
As you know, if you are hosting a guest on the course they play at a discounted rate of $25. However it is your responsibility to take them into the clubhouse and introduce them to Rob or Jenny so that they know they are entitled to the discount. If they go in alone it puts everyone in a difficult position. Even more so as we have had visitors come in and say they are playing with a member only for us to find out later that they haven't been!
I was very pleased to see that our Karearea (NZ Falcon) is back. The piles of feathers on the course were a sure sign of his return and we spotted him regally sitting at the top of a Macrocarpa ignoring the irritated Tui's who were hassling him! We can also report that we have caught our first Mustelid, a very nasty mature Weasel!
You will have noticed that the dead pines have been removed from the seaward side of number 11. These died as a result of the sea water invasion from the two cyclones that hit us last year. The upside of the work on trees lately is that we are now building up a supply of firewood again. Probably a bit wet for this year but ideally now is the time to store up for next winter. If you would like a trailer load please talk to Barry Riordan or myself. It's still the cheapest firewood in town at $140 for members!
To offset the removal of trees I can also tell you that over the last few weeks we have planted just on 40 trees and shrubs, mainly natives. I don't expect you to find them all! Many of these have been grown from seedlings that we have collected from the course, potted up, nursed for a couple of years and now planted. We have also planted 24 grasses including the new ones around the deck. This is all part of our plan to continue to beautify our course, plant bird friendly varieties where possible, and increase the diversity of the Flora.
Finally I'm sure you all agree that our course is fantastic condition for the middle of Winter. We all have a responsibility to assist in keeping it that way. Can I ask you all to repair your divots, both on the Fairways and in the Rough. Divots replaced and stamped down will reattach at this time of the year. Shallow divots please fill with sand. Likewise on the greens, which are softer at this time of the year, please repair your pitch marks. I know we have many conscientious members who are always filling divots and repairing pitch marks, most of which are not theirs! However it is simply not fair to expect others to repair damage they have not caused. So please take the time to repair any damage you do!
That's it for this month folks, good golfing.
Peter
