We’ve had some great drying weather this past week and the course is looking fantastic and playing well. Last Monday we hosted the Wellington region men’s vets with a field of almost 80 who enjoyed both stunning weather and a stunning course. Visiting players went home very impressed, not just by the course but also the new bathroom, the lunch that Sara and Tiffany provided, and the general friendliness of staff and members. Many thanks to everyone involved in making this such a successful day and so welcoming for our visitors.

This weekend’s Events

Tomorrow our women’s Saturday club will be playing Stableford while on Sunday it is the first knock out round of the men’s club championships, although many players have byes straight through to the quarter finals. Best of luck to all players.

Recent Results

Last Sunday the winners of the men’s Stroke Play championships were determined with the winners being:

Senior: Matt Spraggs

Intermediate: Carl Beentjes

Junior A: Paul Hawkes

Junior B: Tim Allison

Congratulations to all champions, and especially to Matt Spraggs who went under par in his second round with a very impressive 69.

Many of the entrants in last weekend’s Stoke Play championships also entered the monthly medal. Whereas their Stoke Play round was scored on a gross basis, the monthly medal results took handicaps into account by basing the results on players' nett scores. The winner of the blue division was Paul Hawkes with a nett 63, well ahead of runner-ups Carl Beentjes and Michael Wood who both netted 67. It was a similar situation in the white division where Jim Waters netted 66, 3 better than runner up Tim Allison who netted 69. Paul and Jim are now eligible to compete for the Top Dog trophy to be played for on Saturday 9 December.

Prodrive Custom Fit

Last week on the Holden Golf Show Prodrive fitted out Black Cap opening batsman Martin Guptill with a new Titleist driver. Click here to see how they tailored the driver to his swing by optimising the shaft flex and the head loft and weight combination to enable Martin to maximise his club speed whilst still hitting the ball with the ideal club face and launch angle, thereby minimising the ball spin. If you haven’t bought a driver for a while, it is worth considering trying out a new one as the ability to tailor them to individual players has developed significantly over recent years. AJ and Shaun at the Prodrive outlet at 194 Thorndon Quay have all the equipment and range of drivers to see you right.

Martin Guptill Driver Fitting

Movie Treat

Coming to cinemas on 28th September is TOMMY’S HONOUR, a film which tells the true story of the founding family of golf. With eight Open wins between them, Old Tom Morris and his son Tommy Morris transformed the game forever. As their fame grew, Tom and Tommy were touched by drama and personal tragedy. At first matching his father’s success, Tommy’s talent and fame grew to outshine his father’s accomplishments and respect as founder of the Open Championship in 1860 with a series of his own triumphs. But in contrast to Tommy’s public persona, his personal turmoil ultimately led him to rebel against both the aristocracy who gave him opportunity and the parents who shunned his passionate relationship with his wife. It features NZer Sam Neill amongst the cast and is directed by Jason Connery who was perfectly placed to tell the story having grown up on a golf course playing with his father, Sean Connery. Watch the trailer here.

Wednesday Club

Wednesday Club Results for 13 September:

We warmly welcomed Ben Paradza after a long absence and also thanked Derek Fitzgibbon for the donation of a dozen of his prize winning golf balls. The forecast rain held off and 24 players enjoyed very pleasant conditions with a good drying breeze for the 18 hole stableford competition, followed by 6 nine holers. Three players, John McDougall, Saint Kennach and Victor Diem all scored 37 points with John and Saint winning the first two prizes on countback. All those with 34 points or better won a golf ball. Graeme (Ace) Crocker seems to be making the 4th hole his own, once again hitting a superb tee shot to win the nearest the pin prize but unfortunately missing his putt for two and paying the usual penalty. Don McCrone scored the only two of the day on the 6th Hole. Chris Pearce owned up to taking 14 shots to complete the 15th hole (including 4 balls in the water!) but this wasn't enough to win the "Bunny" prize which went to Graham Presland. Graham's luck was in though, when his number 30 was drawn as first prize in the weekly raffle, with David McLay (35) and Tim Allison (14) winning the other prizes.

EARLIER START NEXT WEEK 20 September - OTERANGA TROPHY

This is a drawn pairs, 18 hole aggregate par competition, open to all men members.

In order to record the pairings before we start the disc draw will be done at the earlier time of 10.50am. Please be ready in the lounge having printed your cards, signed on and paid the usual competition and raffle fee ($5) paid etc by that time.

Harcourts Twilight

We will be running Twilight golf again this summer, sponsored by Harcourts, beginning on Thursday 5th October. It’s a great opportunity to utilise the extra daylight hours to play 9 holes of social golf with a competitive but fun edge, followed by a barbecue back in the club house, all for only $15. Non members are also welcome, for whom the cost is $20. Start blocking out Thursday evenings from 5th October now, and let your non member friends also know.

NZIS Tournament

The NZ Institute of Sport students will again be holding an ambrose tournament this Spring as part of their course studies, on Friday 27th October. As with previous years, the entry fee will be $100 for a team of 4 club members and $160 for non members. Lock this date into your diaries now, and start thinking about forming your teams.

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:

The first few years of the KGC following the opening of the course in 1970 were very successful. Dennis Sullivan, a former tour pro in Australia, was appointed as the club’s first professional and before moving onto the Hutt club in 1974, and subsequently The Grange, was a key contributor to further course development and to improving the playing ability of members. Many of the original members were beginners and indeed, only 11 of the 289 women members at the time had an official handicap. Overall though the club’s playing strength was very high and was able to enter a team in the Duncan Cup, the premier interclub division. Exhibition matches were organised to help grow the game, featuring renowned world players such as John Lister, Terry Kendall, Billy Dunk, and Kel Nagle. Fundraising tournaments were also organised, including events to help the Wellington Pipe Band represent NZ at World Pipe Band Championships. The success of these led to the club creating the City of Wellington Open Championship which was first held in 1978 with a field of 212. However, the economic times were getting tougher following the mid’70s oil shocks and the club’s finances were soon to be tested.

Sponsor Speak

The third hole is sponsored by Capital Plumbing and Gas Ltd. It is another of our signature holes, with both low and high handicappers being challenged by a diagonal stream, a dog leg, and an elevated green that is further back than it looks.


Inline images 2

The photo shows some of the challenges of creating the hole. Note the clump of trees in the back centre of the photo – they are the trees at the back of the 8th green.

Capital Plumbing and Gas Ltd provide 24/7 plumbing services throughout Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua. Whether its plumbing repairs, blocked drains, kitchen or bathroom renovations, hot water cylinder replacement, gas fitting or roofing repairs/replacement, Capital Plumbing and Gas Ltd is your one shop stop. Click here to connect to their website:

Capital Plumbing and Gas

Happy golfing, play safely,

Your KGC Committee