A lot of new members to welcome this month!
Full Members; Peter McCann, Larry Moses (Welcome back Larry!)
Juniors; Hugo and Henry Bowden, Kahu McPherson, Cosma McPherson, Jacob Neha-Manihera, Lachlan Leppien
Summer Members; Karen Brine, Scott Clarke, Roger Taylor
Country Member; Judy Perry
Nine Holes; George Carter.
Great to have you all!
As I prepared to write this newsletter I was reflecting that I have done something like 70 of them since I became President in 2014 and I have never been stuck for things to tell you! I think that's a reflection of what a busy and progressive club we have.
This time I want to start with a summary of the new sponsorships/partnerships we have formed this year. In no particular order, as they are all equally important;
BOWATER HYUNDAI/ISUZU
Please put them on your list if you are buying a new/used car. They will donate $250 to the club each time a vehicle is purchased from them. You just need to fill out the form that is in the clubhouse and give to them. Remember this is done after you have negotiated your purchase i.e.; it does not impact on the price you are paying. We are also very grateful that they are supplying the Hyundai Kona for the hole in one prize for the Sunday of our Open!
BAY PHARMACY
As you know Bay Pharmacy are great supporters of our club. Mark Williams and I have had a chat about how we can strengthen our already excellent relationship. In February each year, a new cycle of prescriptions charges commence, all prescriptions then attract a $5 fee. Mark has made a very generous offer to the club. From 1st February every $5 fee you pay for a prescription will be donated to the club. He will accumulate these fees for 3 months then the amount will be donated to the club. The total from the 3 months will be donated as prizes for the club to utilize as the club decides. As I keep saying sponsorship/partnerships are all about reciprocation and this is a great way that both us and Bay Pharmacy can benefit. We get financial support and Bay Pharmacy have the opportunity to retain and attract new customers. Simply identify yourself as a golfer/golfing partner and Mark will do the rest!
HAMISH.FLETCHER LAWYERS
We are very excited to be associated with one of the pre-eminent law firms in our area. They have produced four excellent and very informative brochures; Going into Business, Powers of Attorney, The Family Trust and Making a Will and Estate Administration! These are all in the clubrooms and you are welcome to take the brochures. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to have a chat with Chris McGeown from Hamish Fletcher, who is also our newly elected Vice Club Captain!
ELITE LOUVRES
Heath Sherrock is the owner of Elite Louvres, and a member of our club, he installed the Louvres on our deck. Heath has very kindly offered to pay the club $250 for each set of Elite Louvres installed by club members or as a result of a referral from the club. He has just donated $500 to the club as a result of this initiative! Heath also wants to acknowledge Rob for the great work he has done demonstrating the Louvres to potential buyers!
These partnerships are all great examples of where reciprocation can work really well. They support us and we, in turn, support them. I recommend them all to you all and trust you will put them on your shopping lists.
Now an update on what's happening within the Club;
The observant among you will have noticed that the roof of the Greenkeepers Shed has been recently been repaired and repainted. The next step is to paint the exterior of the shed.
Even those who are not observant will hopefully have noticed that we have lost a huge branch out of the willow to the left of the green on No 12. Certainly those who played Saturday a week ago noticed it! We have had the tree assessed and its safety is now compromised. We have therefore had the tree "Pollarded" which means it has been drastically cut back. It will look a bit ugly for awhile but willows recover and put on new growth quite rapidly. I'm sure there are a lot of you who wouldn't be too upset to see it go but be careful what you wish for as the garden beside the green has now certainly come into play! We believe that the tree is an integral feature of the hole and by doing what we have we are sure we will have it for many more years. We also have a very active wild beehive in the tree and this has not been damaged.
While we had the tree experts on the course we had them trim the overhanging branches of the blue gum on the right hand corner of No 16. I'm sure those of you who fade the ball will be very happy.
When the tree experts last visited a few weeks ago we had them take some branches out of the Blackwood to the left of the green on No 16 as we were concerned it was getting too top heavy. Plus they trimmed back the shute on No 2. So, with the trees that have fallen, there has been a lot of tree work lately!
As you probably know Anchorage Wines are a good sponsor of the club and we support them by selling their wines through our bar. With our centenary year nearly upon us we have been working with Chris from Anchorage Wines to produce a series of centenary wines. Shortly you will see these wines in the clubrooms resplendent with our own centenary label. They look really flash!
We have recently purchased a new range of Golf Tops and Hats. They are on display in our clubrooms. The tops are $65 and the hats $38, all with our logo embroidered on them. This is a significant cost outlay for the club so we are relying on our members support in purchasing them. They will make excellent chrissy presents!
As we approach the busy Xmas/January period we will have many Green Fee players enjoying our course. When you play casual rounds over this time can I ask you to Tee Off No 1. This ensures the field flows and avoids the frustration of players jumping ahead of those already playing.
That's about it for this month but I want to mention two significant events coming up. Our Motueka Open on 11th and 12th January, which will be bigger and better this year; the three major prizes are $1000 each, there is a great giveaway to entrants plus the possibility of winning a Hyundai Kona for a hole in one on No 14. And then our centenary weekend on 20th - 22nd March which will be a great weekend. You can register for both events on our website or if you prefer to fill out a form, both are available in the clubrooms.
Finally, Shona and I wish you and yours a happy and safe festive season. It's times like this that we need to take the time to reflect on how lucky we are. We believe that we live in the best country in the world and in one of the best places in our country plus we have a magnificent golf course on which to pursue our sporting interest. It doesn't get much better that that!
Cheers and good golfing
Peter and Shona
