Great to have a week of good drying weather and the forecast is looking good for the weekend as well. We have therefore declared the course back open for carts.

This weekend’s Events

Tomorrow, after 2 previous weather enforced postponements, we are playing the Ken and Rose Rigarlsford tournament. This stableford event is open to all members with men and women playing together but for two separate trophies - the Ken Rigarlsford trophy for men and the Rose Rigarlsford for women. We intend to do a draw this evening so its not too late to enter – ring or email the club. Late entries will be accepted if you register by 9am tomorrow. Tee off is at 9.34.

On Sunday it is the final of the Westward Ho! with Peter Kennedy and Jan Sharp squaring off against each other after having fought their way through the knock out rounds. As they say, cream rises to the top, and it is fitting that this trophy sees two well matched lowish handicappers playing for the prestigious shield. Best of luck guys!

Also on Sunday entries close for the men’s Club Championships. If you haven’t already entered, please do so today or this weekend as late entries will not be accepted. The first of the stroke play rounds will be played on Saturday 2 September. Either add your name to the entry sheet on the downstairs notice board or ring/email the club.

Men’s Bathroom Update

Completion is getting close! The urinals are still out of action as there is still some tilling to be done around them but 2 new pan toilets are available for use as are all three basins with their sparkling mixer taps.

Wednesday Club

Wednesday Club Results for 23 August:

A bright, sunny day, with a brisk northerly wind to help dry out the course, saw 30 members enter the 18 hole "Par" competition followed by the usual nine holers. Graham Presland was the winner of the competition with a score of "Plus 4" followed closely by Martin Leung with " Plus 3". Graham also won the prize for closest to the pin on the 4th hole but paid the penalty when his putt for a two sat on the edge of the hole and refused to drop. There were no twos scored elsewhere, so the nine players with scores of "Minus 1" or better in the "Par" competition won golf balls. There was close competition for the "Bunny" prize with 3 players on the same score, Doug Shearer being the lucky recipient. Lucky Raffle winners were Derek Fitzgibbon (17), David Sercombe (18) and Fergus McLean (23). Looking forward to seeing you all next week. Cheers, DS

Committee Feedback

The Committee held its monthly meeting on Monday and can report as follows:

· Membership subscriptions and green fee income for the financial year to date is down on last year but total income is up as a result of the capital appeal and the Four Winds grant.

· Operating costs to date are similar to last year but total outgoings will be up following the purchase of the back up irrigation pump and the upgrade of the men’s toilets.

· Our lesser green fee income this year will probably be partly weather related but Dot Golf statistics show us doing better than most, with the number of rounds having been played at Karori this calendar year being 3% down on the same period last year, compared to 15% down for Wellington overall and 6% down for total NZ.

· We propose to offer a special summer membership this summer as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations and are planning to advertise that next week. We will also do a PnP promotion to tie in with the Spring school holidays.

· The green keepers are planning to undertake more drainage work and are seeking quotes for bridge materials and exploring remediation designs for the scoured bends on our streams

· However, with Spring almost here we will start to get more grass growth which will take up more of our green keepers time. They are not being helped at the moment by the surrounds mower being offsite for repairs, meaning they are currently having to mow our tee blocks and surrounds with hand mowers.

· The green keepers have been slicing the greens frequently over the winter months to aid drainage and aeration but once the Club Championships have been completed they will mini-tine and sand top dress them. They also plan to core the surrounds and our tee blocks.

50th Anniversary Feb/March 2018

Continuing the history of our club, as part of the build up to the 50th anniversary of the current club:

By the 1960s Karori had grown to become the largest suburb in the country and golf was becoming increasing popular, with Bob Charles succeeding on the world stage, our Eisenhower team also doing well, and golf featuring prominently on the fledging TV service. There were also threats to the Miramar golf course from the potential expansion of the airport. As a result, the Karori Progressive Association was prompted to develop a golf course in the western suburbs and called a public meeting on 5 May 1967 with Ted Harcourt in the chair. Over 200 attended and an interim committee was formed that included current KGC life member Len Kenna. Within 6 months the committee had acquired options on the Bertram farm, the site of the previous Westward Ho course, and adjoining land that was part of the Monaghan estate. The cost to purchase these sites would be $60,000 and $24,000 respectively, plus $6750 to buy the rights of the sharemilker, on top of which it was estimated it would cost $72,000 to develop the course. Because the total cost was going to be over $162k, and not including a clubhouse, a further public meeting was held on 6 November 1967 at which around 600 people attended. They unanimously applauded the efforts of the interim committee and approved debentures being established to raise the required capital. An inaugural committee was elected which expanded the interim committee to also include amongst others current member Denys Pinfold and former president Tom Gault (who later went on to become club captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and was knighted in recognition of a stellar legal career). Within a month membership had reached 610 and on 14 February 1968 the club began moves to formally incorporate so that the course could be developed. A meeting of over 400 approved that the club be incorporated as The Karori Golf and Country Club Inc but due to a technicality the full name could not be registered and The Karori Golf Club Inc came into being.

Tune in next week for the next gripping instalment, or purchase a copy of Four to the Fore (One Hundred Years of Golf in Karori 1905 to 2005) from the shop for $20.

Entertainment Books

We have sold our last hard copy but they can still be bought on line. And for a limited time, everyone who purchases an Entertainment Membership through our Online Order Page will receive bonus 2x EVENT Cinema eVouchers!

Happy golfing, play safely,

Your KGC Committee