General Managers Message
Allan Botha

Kia ora Members, 

Welcome back to those who made the trip down to Queenstown for the NZ Open—though I’m not sure who packed the cold winds in their suitcase on the way home! A huge congratulations to Daniel Hillier, who lifted the trophy for the first time. What an incredible couple of weeks for him: getting married the weekend before and winning the NZ Open right after. Clearly, he’s discovered what he was missing! 

Course Update – 5th Green Works 

Progress on the 5th green surrounds and pathway improvements is tracking nicely. The pathway has been lowered by 300–500mm, and the area between the green and path has been raised with new drainage installed to improve long-term playability and maintenance. 

We’ve shared a short video update Click Here to view—be sure to check it out.  

5th Green Back in Play 

We’re pleased to confirm that the 5th green will be back in play from Saturday, 7 March. 

The area to the left of the green will remain Ground Under Repair (GUR) and will be classified as a No Play Zone. Players must take free relief under Rule 16.1 – Abnormal Ground Conditions if their ball lies in this area, or if the area interferes with stance or swing. 

To assist players, a Drop Zone will also be provided as an optional relief area for any ball finishing in the marked GUR/No Play Zone. 

Thank you for your cooperation as we bring this part of the course back into full play. 

Special General Meeting – Thank You 

Our SGM on 27 February was very well attended with 84 members present. Thank you also to everyone who submitted apologies—they were recorded. 

Key outcomes: 

• Clubhouse Project: Des delivered a clear update, giving us all better understanding of current progress. 
• Membership Fees: Presented by Sue and passed unanimously. 
• New Constitution: Ken walked us through the updates and the requirements for re-registration. Amendments were made where needed to better reflect our Club’s identity and culture. The final version passed with a unanimous ‘yes’ vote. 

A big thank you to our Board for their continued hard work behind the scenes, and to you, our members, for your feedback and support. We are in this together.  

Coring Week – 23 to 27 March 

Coring Week is scheduled for 23–27 March. Please mark your calendars. 

This is your chance to swap the golf gear for workwear and lend a hand. Many hands make light work, and member support always makes a big difference. 

If you’re able to help Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th, please email me your name and preference for either an AM (10:00 to 12:00) or PM shift (12:00 to 14:00) and I’ll co-ordinate from there. 

My email manager@omokoroagolf.co.nz 

Power Outage – Tuesday 17 March 

A planned Power outage on Tuesday 17 March means we’ll be without power for the day. 

Because of this: 

• The 19th Hole (bar) will be closed 
• The Caddie Shack (food truck) will not be able to operate 
• The time sheet will be open to members only for the day 

We appreciate your understanding. 

10th Tee Safety Netting – A Community Contribution Making a Real Impact

Many members will have noticed the new safety netting installed alongside the 10th tee, and we’re pleased to share that it is already performing exactly as intended.

The netting is effectively catching balls that head offline early, offering important protection for golfers on the 11th hole—especially those standing on the 11th tee. In addition, it provides greater safety for the homes located behind the 11th, reducing the risk of stray shots reaching residential areas.

We would also like to extend a special thank-you to the resident and member who generously funded the netting in full. Their support has allowed us to implement this safety improvement promptly and at no cost to the club.

This is a great example of the club community working together to enhance safety and enjoyment for everyone.

Course Care – Cart Distances & Pitch Marks 

A friendly reminder to all members to please adhere to the cart-distance-from-greens rule. We’ve recently observed several carts being driven too close to greens, which creates unnecessary wear and tear on some of the most delicate playing surfaces. 

Please help protect the course by keeping carts at least 10 meters from greens and obeying all ropes, signs, and marked areas. 

In addition, we’re noticing a growing number of unrepaired pitch marks on the greens. A single unrepaired pitch mark can take weeks to heal and affects putting surfaces for everyone. 

Please remember to repair your pitch mark—and if you see another one nearby, kindly fix that too. It makes a big difference to course quality. 

Thank you all for your ongoing support of the Club. There’s plenty happening both on and off the course, and it’s great to see everyone so engaged as we continue to build a strong future for Omokoroa Golf Club. 

See you out on the course. 

Nga mihi, 
Allan Botha 
General Manager 
Omokoroa Golf Club 

Weekly Member Drop-In Session – Next week Monday 

In an effort to ensure accurate information is shared and to keep communication open, I will be making myself available on Monday, 9 March 2026 in the Marquee from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. 

Feel free to grab a coffee and join me to discuss any issues, concerns, or ideas you may have. If I don’t have an immediate answer for you, I will make sure to follow up as soon as possible. 

Your feedback and questions are always welcome—let’s keep the conversation going! 

Fuel Up at the Caddie Shack – Because Golf Is Hard Enough 

The Caddie Shack – Our Culture & Goals 

We put a lot of care and effort into making sure you get the best food and service we can offer. Our days start around 6:30am as we prepare for the busy days ahead. 

We know our time here is temporary, but while we’re with you, our goal is simple: great food, warm service, and a welcoming spot for everyone to enjoy. Even with limited facilities, we hope you’re loving what we’re putting out. 

If there’s something special you’d like, just let us know early in the day — we already cater to a few regular requests and are always happy to help where we can. 

A big thank-you to all the members who continue to support us and appreciate the effort behind the scenes. Your encouragement truly means a lot. 

Keep an eye out for new offerings as the cooler weather arrives, along with our daily changing combo specials. 

Thanks again for your support. 

Kelli and the Team 
The Caddie Shack 

Omokoroa Golf Club Logo
Sue Dark  

We've had a good response to the question about changing the club logo; equally both for and against. We've also had offers from members with graphic design experience to have a go at a new design.  Our next steps will be to brief those interested in designing a new logo and finally put any shortlisted designs up against the existing club logo in a vote, i.e., whether to keep the existing one or go with one of the proposed designs. 

A Word Around The Greens
Nathan Kerr, Head Greenkeeper

It has been a busy week on the course with the lifting and new drainage work that is taking place on the left side of the 5th green.

This area has been a problem for a while now with water holding and not getting away.

With an effective drainage system installed and the whole area being lifted up, we will now have a dry play able area.

Once complete which will be early next week, we will then get it all hydro seeded which is the best option for this area being so close to a green, with fast grass establishment, hydro seeding will bring this area back into play faster.

Mike, my 2ic sadly lost his dad earlier in the week so our thoughts go out to him and his family.

Mike had some time off to grieve so it was just me and Shane running the ship for the last week, so if certain parts of the course look a little untidy that is a big reason why just having 2 of us.

A big shout out to Collin and KD for all there work and help on the 5th green surround project, top men that are always there to lend a hand when needed.

Enjoy your golf and the settled Autumn conditions.

Presidents Message
John 'Swampy' Marsh

Sadly, Reg Deane passed away yesterday.

Reg joined the club in the late 70s, He played pennants, was a great volunteer and all-round club man.

Our sympathies and thoughts go out to Mike and Joanne Deane and family.

9 Hole Ladies
Yvonne Hoskins

On a perfect day to play golf (no wind, no rain) today we had a field of 26.  Some very good and close scores were achieved.  We played R 1 of Shootout and the day's winners were - Debbie Hardaker, Lynn Lind, Lyn Bird, Dianna O'Brien, Carolyn Robinson and Pauline Thurston. Congrats to you all.

Last Monday our interclub team played Ohope at Otumoetai.  The day started very cold and windy but warmed up as the day went on.  The team did exceptionally well with three wins and a draw, coming first overall on the day, and are a clear two points ahead at this stage.  Well done team.

PaR n.z. Twilight Series - Update

Awesome evening for Par 3 challenge of the PaR n.z. Twilight Series! 

Congratulations to our winners: 

Coming up: 

11 March – Final Shootout and Prize giving.  

See you next week!