General Managers Message
Allan Botha

What a week! It absolutely flew by, with fantastic activity around the club, particularly in and around the clubhouse. The space continues to thrive and is taking off like a rocket, with all of us working hard to keep pace with the growing demand and opportunities that come with it.

On Tuesday, we hosted the AIMS Games Junior Golf Competition, welcoming around 90 junior golfers to the club. With many players bringing family and supporters along, we estimate there were close to 200 people in the clubhouse around lunchtime. It was wonderful to see the building buzzing with energy and activity, and the atmosphere throughout the day was outstanding.

During the event, I had the pleasure of catching up with Dominic Sainsbury, former CEO of the PGA of New Zealand and one of my very first contacts when we arrived in New Zealand nearly eight years ago. Dominic was genuinely impressed with our clubhouse, particularly the acoustics, commenting on how well the space works and how enjoyable it is to spend time in the building. It was great to hear such positive feedback from someone with extensive experience in the golf industry.

The momentum continued on Thursday morning when we hosted the Omokoroa Business Network, organised by Donna and her team. With approximately 30 local business professionals in attendance, the event showcased exactly what our facility can offer. Guests enjoyed the café while making full use of our function capabilities, technology, and, of course, the outstanding service provided by The Links Team. Events like these continue to strengthen our connection with the wider community and demonstrate the versatility of our clubhouse.

A friendly reminder to members that this Saturday we will be hosting our first wedding reception in the clubhouse. Congratulations to Tom and Grace, who will be celebrating their special day with family and friends at the club. Their guests will be located in the west wing of the clubhouse, behind the operable wall, from 4.00pm, and from 6.00pm they will have exclusive use of the Clubhouse. We ask members to please respect their privacy and assist us in making their day a memorable one. Duty managers and staff will be on site to ensure the event runs smoothly. Not only is this an exciting milestone for the club, but it is also a valuable new revenue stream that supports our future growth.

This week also marked our new Course Superintendent, Carl Rumble's first week with the club, and he is already making a noticeable difference. Carl has been busy fine-tuning machinery, reviewing spray nozzles, gathering data, and identifying areas where additional information is needed. His methodical approach is helping ensure that he and the course team are making well-informed decisions for the future of our golf course. It's exciting to see the progress already being made, and we're looking forward to what lies ahead. Next Friday 18 September we will have an informal BBQ at the Greenkeepers shed to meet Carl. Everyone welcome.

Finally, this is your last chance to enter our "Guess the Score" competition for the fourth and final test between the All Blacks and the Springboks. Congratulations to Jason Hugo, who was our closest predictor last week with his pick of 26-24 to the Springboks, earning himself two sleeves of Pro V1 golf balls thanks to the rollover prize pool.

We'll be running the competition again for this weekend's match, so be sure to submit your prediction. Don't forget that we will also be hosting a watch party at the club on Sunday from 9.00am. Click the link below to register your attendance and view full event details:

Click here to submit your score prediction
Click here to register for the watch party and view event details

Other than that, it's been another fantastic week at Omokoroa Golf Club. Thank you to all our members, volunteers, staff, and supporters who continue to make this a vibrant and welcoming place to be.

Have a great weekend, enjoy your golf, and we hope you all have a ball!

Chairman's notes

Thank you to all the members who participated in our AGM. The AGM is always a great opportunity to review outcomes and receive feedback directly from Members, who share with the Board, the very best interests of the Club.

Special thank you to Members who offered to join the board and participate in the governance of the Club. Board members are volunteers like many other Members of the Club and all candidates offered to support the Club in its future progress and development. Congratulations to Sue, Jo and Ken on their election and thank you John and Neil for offering your assistance.

On Monday evening the new Board held its initial meeting to set the scene for the new year ahead. I was honoured to be nominated and elected Chair of the Board and I look forward to the challenges ahead. We have a well-balanced Board with diverse credentials, experience and golfing talent. I look forward to working with you and focusing on the continuing growth and success of our Club. Congratulations also to Greig and John for your re-election to Club Captain and Presidential roles which include attendance at our Board meetings.

Our first meeting focused upon Board roles and responsibilities and concluded with the appointment of Board committees, debate on committee mandates, selection of committee leaders and club members who may wish to add their expertise to delivering the mandates.

Committee leads appointed at the meeting are; Ken- Course Advisory, Rhonda- Finance and Audit, Sue- Communications/Marketing and Clubhouse/Hospitality, Jo- Health and Safety, and John/Swampy- Volunteer Coordination.

We also discussed progress achieved toward implementation of our 2023-28 Strategic Plan. This document remains a detailed record of member and community consultation. It is timely to review our progress towards the objectives and identify the priorities for the next couple of years. As part of this review, we will be sending out a survey seeking feedback on these priorities. The results of the survey will be published for members.

Our Strategic Plan also initiated the development of the Course Master Plan. As stated previously, the Course Masterplan is a long-term blueprint to ensure that the progression of all future course improvement is carefully programmed, costed and prioritised. Whilst Members have advised that certain aspects of that plan are not preferred, and the Board agreed to defer major capital works for two years after completion of the Clubhouse; the Board will focus on improvement of the course presentation and playability. We will invest appropriately in course improvements and capital equipment required to achieve those improvements. Course improvements are a core ambition in both plans but must be implemented as cashflow allows and within budget.

The business model for the Club is clearly changed now that the Clubhouse is open and is achieving our initial objectives. Both the café and bar have been outstanding successes in the first 4 weeks but there is a long road ahead to achieving our goals that will ensure we meet our obligations and invest in the course. Member and community support for the Clubhouse has been outstanding. Our first events are booked. We look forward to working closely with Ryan Ladbrook and his team to grow this opportunity beyond its amazing start.

The Board will keep Members abreast of progress and prospects for the Club. We also plan to publish later in the year another report like the Management(Financial) Report to Members for the period ending July which was tabled at AGM.

Des Hammond

Board Chair.

Volunteers

9 Hole Ladies
Jacqui Kerr

Our haggle this week was net and there were some really good scores achieved.

Robin Lusby 34 followed by Debbie Hardaker, Michelle Ballard, Maggie Seavill, Margaret Findsen and Daisy Harrison all with 35.

One of our ladies has lost her 7 iron. She is a valued player and says as she is getting on in years its not worth buying another. It is Wilson club so if you forgot to hand it in she would be so grateful to get it back

9 Hole Men
Fred Hartley

Nine Hole Men -Thursday 10^th September

Nett and Putting Trophies Round No 6:

Front Nine
Lawson Stewart        34     nett
Russel Turner            35
Brett Dixon                35
Tom Martin               35

Putting:  Francois Richter-Visser   16 putts (c/b)             

Back Nine
Larry Stocks                30     nett
John Thurston              32
Denis Mason                33
Mike Walls                   34

Putting       Tom Hansen                14  putts.

Next week: Final round of Shootout  (Nett)

OMOKOROA GOLF CLUB'S

35th Vets Golf Tournament

Wednesday 11^th – Friday 13^th November 2026

Open to players ages 50+

ENTRY FEE $140 per Mixed Pair

Competition Format - Mixed Pairs Matchplay

Entries close 1st November, 2026

Electronic entry form on NZVGA web site: NZVGA.co.nz

Enquiries to:   Omokoroa Golf Club    07 548 0384

Email:  vets@omokoroagolf.co.nz

•        Omokoroa Golf Club Inc. Bank Account No. 06 0433 0719037 00 - reference: Name and Member ID and ‘Nov Vets 3 Day’

Sponsored by:

Accommodation Wanted

Single gentleman looking for accommodation. If you have a suitable room or unit available, please contact Swampy. Ph 027 492 9996.