North of the Bombay Hills.............

It is always interesting to head to another office and Auckland has been no exception - within minutes of my arrival the building was cleared for a fire drill - 7 levels down then 7 levels back up ( I am not sure if it was related to my presence!!).

In my first mediation I managed to inadvertently trip the "panic" button and had persons bursting through the door to my rescue!! Being geographically challenged I was often confused as to my actual whereabouts and on one occasion ended up in a secure section of the 10th Floor rather than the mediation suite on the 8th - don't ask!!!

I politely declined an offer to go race sailing on the Auckland Harbour being firmly of the view that if God had intended us to go on the water he would have given us webbed feet!! I was subsequently relieved to learn it had blown quite hard creating difficult conditions (a good decision making process!!).

I discovered early in the week the best coffee was available from Sheinkin - 3 Lorne Street (one back from Queen Street) which utilises Allpresss beans in its own special blend. I was so moved I actually purchased some beans to bring home. I was amazed at the proliferation of Subways, Burger Kings and Esquires Coffee Houses in the central city and the fact there are huge numbers of different food options available in the CBD.

In a purification process I refrained from all forms of alcohol for 4.5 days and ate in a healthy manner preparing my own meals based around salads I have therefore returned feeling very virtuous (apart from the popcorn & potato chips)!!

Thought For the Week................

Diplomacy - the ability to tell a person to go to hell in such a way they look forward to the trip!

What's Happening Week of 22 March............

This weeks Blog arrives to you via Auckland where I am spending the week helping out with some workload issues around a perceived backlog of mediations. So I will not be back in Christchurch until early on Friday evening and haven't even brought my golf clubs with me!!

In any event it is now time to take a big breath because there is a lot of golf coming up in the next few weeks. Clearly all current attention is focused on the Club Champs through the semis and into the finals at the weekend. I would encourage as many members as possible to come out and watch the finals as they play out on Sunday.

For those who have not quite progressed in the Champs match of the day is pairs stableford. The course also plays host to two corporate events with the Wool Exporters Council on Monday and NZ Customs on Friday. It is great for the Club to see so many organisations using our facilities as it gives us the opportunity to showcase our course and club to a much wider audience as well as providing a welcome source of addition finance.

Remember to check the draws for the Top Dog and Page Trophy competitions as there are some prelim rounds that need to be played and there is s tight time frame for the completion of the first round. The Masters Tournament takes place on the weekend & Monday of 10, 11, 12 April and the following week we have the Wood Trowel. The Heritage visit on the 25 April and the Alpine Classic is set for the first weekend in May so time is at a premium.

Squashed in amongst all that we have Easter and the Mixed event for the Centennial Jug on Monday 5 April for those who are not venturing away from Christchurch for a break. In the interim good golfing and I will see you at Shirley if not before.

Club Champs..........

With two rounds of matchplay completed the semi finalists for the Club Champs have now been found and it would be fair to say there have been a number of upsets.

In Seniors the 18th qualifier Mark Dunn has had two stunning victories seeing off Jordan Bakermans in the first round then beating Brad Clark in the second, his match with Richard Reed with attract a fair amount of attention. On Saturday two time past champion Paul Dunn got the better of Nic Fry in the first round but fell to the ever consistent Rod Hayes in the second. At the bottom of the draw JB Sanders seems to be moving into ominous form with a victory over Brian Ronan in the second round to go with a win over Matt Hicks in the first.

The Intermediate Grade is poised at an interesting stage, the top qualifier William Wootton continues to play well and will meet the surprise package Dean Corry on one side of the draw while David Wallace and Jimmy Paulsen will do battle on the other. The matches look evenly balanced and one hesitates to pick a winner at this stage.

As expected Don Forbes has made steady progress in the Junior grade and his game against Stephen Boyd promises much while Graham Purkis will test his skills against Demetri Kotzikas in what will be another close encounter. Again this is too close to call although the "smart" money is on the playing through champion Don Forbes.

For all the draws and tee times go to the News section under the Members tab on the web site. We wish all the competitors well for the final two rounds of the competition.

The Week That Was.............

For those not in the Club Champs match of the day was stableford one grade. Chris Baraclough set the course alight with 44 points and an 82 off the stick which is his best round ever. Warren Glass was not that far behind with 43 points while Raj Rajendra scored 40 including a three on 16 to finish a head of Gary Ulwin on countback, one point further back were Tony Park and Peter Law.

The two's pool was $250= and there were 11 winners each receiving $22.75. Nearest the pins were valued at $40 and won by Warren Glass (3) & Chris Richmond (11) while JB Sanders won the Linden Leaves sponsored prize on 18. Nett eagles fell again this time to Frank Garthwaite who managed to birdie the ninth for $75=.

Inter Club Roundup........

Our President's team continued on its winning way with a 6.5 to 1.5 victory over Hagley at Shirley on Sunday. This success makes it 6 straight wins and catapults them up the points table with a real chance of finishing in the top three. The final round is scheduled for 11 April against McLean's Island at Windsor and we will await the naming of the team with anticipation. For a full report see Dennis Doherty's match summary on the Club website.

Tom Turner's run of good form was extended at the weekend when in a sudden death playoff, which lasted five holes, he overcame Scott Ritchie from Coringa to win the 36 hole Windsor Open. Congratulations to Tom and we look forward to his having more success in the near future.

In another milestone General Manager Struan Cain shot a one under par 71 playing off the blue tees at Clearwater - the first time he has a sub par round. Well done Struan a Metro call up may yet be on the cards when this information filters through to Steve Ellis.

Speaking of which, Steve has hand picked a formidable squad for Metro's away match against Avondale next Sunday with both Brent Musgrave and Ross Campbell making their debuts while Steve Savill fills the unaccustomed position of no.6. For the full team and Steve's exhortations please refer to the Club Website.

It is also good to see that our Women's Pollock Cup team continues to do well. With one round to go they lead the competition just ahead of last years winners Waimairi who they will play at Coringa on the 11 April.

Our Juniors were out and about but unfortunately their efforts did not meet with much success with all three teams ending on the wrong side of the ledger. One round still remains to be held at Kaiapoi on the 18 April.

The Alternate Course................

As mentioned last week during the month of April we will trialing the alternate course. Given this is a large step to be taking I thought it might be appropriate to reiterate some of the points outlined in the Board report. Effectively there are two driving reasons behind the proposal.

Increasingly the course is placed under pressure at popular tee times and we need to look at how to get as many members onto the course in the shortest possible time. This is a particular imperative on Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning which are high peak/usage times. To have a two tee start with clearly delineated morning and afternoon fields provides a start point in attending to the interests of the playing members.

Traditionally golf has been an 18 hole activity taking around 4 hours to play, realistically this concept does not now fit with a growing number of lifestyles as people prioritize there leisure hours. In order to meet this potential need we have to be in a position to offer alternatives that are more time effective such as nine hole options. The alternate course provides a start and finish at the clubhouse allowing this category of member to play without disrupting the field of play.

In addition we believe the alternate layout may improve the flow of play and hopefully the pace of play as there is pressure to get around and onto the second nine before the afternoon field. As well players will now circuit past the clubhouse and pro shop and be able to replenish such supplies as are required. A full assessment will be completed once we have had the opportunity to observe matters in practice.

Time In The South...............

There are some trips away that never, for some reason, ever quite seem to go right. Last weeks trip to Timaru was one!

Picking up the shirts, so carefully ironed by the girlfriend, I forgot that they were doubled cuffed so accordingly arrived at my destination without any cuff links. I was now faced with a number of options - buy more shirts, buy new cuff links or being the Scot that I am roll up your sleeves and get on with it!!

I then find that in my hurry to get to the Men's Committee meeting I have forgotten to pack my "cpap" sleep machine - so I now have an interrupted night's sleep heightened by the trucks pounding past my window into the wee small hours!

Setting up the laptop the next day I connected the printer but then discovered I had left the power cord plugged into the power board under my desk. No worries I thought I will simply use the battery, only to turn on the printer to find the battery was flat. Printing now involves saving the document from a remote location, and it will only save to desktop, then attaching it to an e-mail to send through cyberspace to the receptionist who has kindly agreed to print them off - fortunately only one seemed to get lost and eventually much to my relief it finally did arrive!

Having fearlessly completed two mediations on Tuesday I was looking forward to slipping away for a few holes of evening golf but no; that was the day the temperature dropped 14 degrees in an hour followed by brief rain. Finally to cap it off Thursday's mediation settled so I signed it up and headed for home only to find one of my colleagues had reassigned to me a particularly nasty "holiday pay" claim that I thought I had been very clever in avoiding for Friday!!

So no golf and no coffee to speak of!!!

Golf Rules Course................

It never fails to amaze me, one, how many golfers do not know the rules of golf, or two do not know how & when the rules can be used to your advantage or three do not carry a copy of the rules with them when playing.

For those of you who wish to remedy this deficiency of knowledge or alternatively further develop an understanding of the precepts underlining the game the Referee's Association will be running a "rules course" at the Shirley Clubhouse commencing on Tuesday 13 April and fortnightly thereafter.

The programme consists of discussions, lectures, video's and assignments - for more information please see Struan at the office or are own member Kerry Sullivan from the Referee's Association.

Thought For The Week...............

At every party there are two types of people- those who want to go home and those that don't. The trouble is they are usually married to each other!!

Important Stuff............

Just a reminder that the draws for both Top Dog and the mixed Page Trophy are now out. In the Men's locker room for Top Dog and on the Dobson Gallery notice board for Page. As both competitions have preliminary rounds please check and see who and when you are to play.

The LB Wood Trowel weekend is scheduled for the 17 & 18 of April so please block that out in your diary as once again this promises to be a fun and exciting two days of golf and entertainment.

What's Happening Week of March 15..................

For me the week has already been quite hectic with a Men's Committee meeting on Monday evening and then a drive to Timaru for what at this stage appears to be be an indeterminate period - effectively banished to the provinces with a full calendar of events!!

Focus is now very much centred on the Club Champs with all of those who completed two rounds and indicated their availability being in the Matchplay fields. The draw for Saturday is on the website for viewing. Please note that a number of players have a bye through to the second round to please ensure you know what you are doing and where you are meant to be!!For those of you not in the first round of Club Champs matchplay Saturday sees a one grade Stableford competition in operation with tee time still available before and after the field.

There are a number of good match ups in the Senior competition with previous two time winner Paul Dunn drawn against former Canterbury representative Nic Fry, while Andrew Vincent takes on Charles Whitwham. In what should be a close encounter John Sanders plays Matt Hicks while Woodward manager Brian Ronan will get a chance to access new member Russell Fildes. The top qualifier Jordan Bakermans will have no easy time being drawn against Mark Dunn who on his day can be more than highly competitive.

In the Junior grade playing through champion Don Forbes looks to be the early favourite but in this grade the unexpected can happen. William Wootten has a couple of outstanding rounds in qualifying and if carries his form forward he will be difficult to beat in the Intermediates but Dodge Healy as last years winner will be looking to ensure that he does not have the grade to himself.

Finally as a point of interest at the Men's Committee meeting the proposal to allow Women to play off their full handicap rather then be restricted to 36 was endorsed subject to review at the completion of the season.

In the interim good golfing and i will see you at Shirley if not before.

F.Y.I. ..................

The Board is committed to ensuring that all members are kept up to date with what is happening in and around the Club. To this end the new website is a key component in the strategy so accordingly we are making every effort to keep it is current and informative as possible. We continue to have ongoing discussions with Dot Golf as to the improvements and enhancements that will make the delivery to you the member even better.

Having said that I urge you all to read Ken Fergus's Presidents Update as there are a number of important issues outlined and explained. Of particular importance is a decision to play the Alternate Course over the month of April in an endeavour to establish the pro's and the con's for the longer term. All or any feedback would be welcomed.

Ken has also taken time to explain the new initiatives for a membership drive and the benefits that will accrue to anyone who introduces a new member - it is well worth your while taking time to read this section. If you have questions or queries please feel free to speak to Ken, me or any Board member.

Kingston Heath Visit.............

Club member Will Owen operates a golfing tour company known as Playing Around New Zealand and he was instrumental in bringing a group of 16 Kingston Heath members, known as the Bushrangers - we now know why-, to Shirley for the opening round of their tour prior to departing for parts further south.

Matched against a team of Christchurch members the competition was four ball best ball Stableford. Unfortunately the visitors proved slightly too strong winning 4.5 to 3.5 in an extremely even contest. Leading the Christchurch team home were President Ken Fergus and club stalwart Grant Mitchell who recorded the best score of the day with 45 points (they only just beat their opponents who had 43) to finish in front of Dave Robinson and Barry Fletcher with a creditable 44.

Closest to the pin was Paddy Helmore while Mark Thompson won nearest to the pin for 2 on 18. Given the great individual performances an inquiry is being conducted into how we managed to lose overall!! As always a pleasant social function followed the golf and a number of new networks were established.

Kingston Heath is rated by Golf Magazine as the top Australian course and it was interesting to compare thoughts on matters of common golfing interest. Of particular note was the view that mid week and corporate golf seem to have a prevalence over weekend play, in particular a very strong group were involved in FLAGS - Friday Lunch and Golf. Hopefully we will be in a position to strengthen our relationship with Kingston Heath as a result of this encounter.

Care of the Course..........

The Board and both the Men's & Women' s committees need the assistance of all members in ensuring that player etiquette in repairing course damage is appropriately completed. Unfortunately it appears that the six new fairways have been particularly affected by the non replacement of divots and subsequent absence of sanding.

Vigilance as you go round the course and attending to any defects that may escaped the notice of others would be greatly appreciated. If you see players failing to complete repairs please refer the matter to the General Manager for further action no matter who the culprits are.

As always another and further plea to fix pitchmarks on the green. The greens are currently very soft and receptive so if you play an approach that lands on the green there is likely to be a pitchmark - seek it out and repair it. Again any assistance in identifying miscreants would be welcomed!

The Week That Was...............

In light of it being the second round of Club Champs qualifying the report is by necessity brief given the draw for next Saturday is now out!! The competition was Stroke Nett 3 grades and there were again a number of very good rounds.

In the Juniors 70 was a popular score with 4 finishing on that number and in countback order first was Chris Barraclough, from Peter Eggleton, Clifford Chan, and David Watt. Intermediates went lower with William Wootten firing a 65, from Frank Garthwaite on 67 with Ahmad Hosseini one shot back on 68. Playing from the Blue tees the Seniors were challenged but Jordan Bakermans shot a creditable 69 to lead in Andrew Vincent on 70 by countback from David Clarke & Nic Fry.

Clearly the round of the day was that of William Wootten that included a 2 on the 10th as well as one on a par 3. He therefore collected the jackpot of $80 as well $27 for the twos along with the nine other winners. Closest to the pins were valued at $45 and won by Dermot Martin (No.3) and Andrew Hopkins (No.11). Closest to the pin on 18 for two sponsored by Linden Leaves was Andrew Gillespie while Jeff Gray won the nett eagles of $80 on hole 3 (an extra amount to go with the two making it a very worthwhile hole!!).

Inter Club Round Up...............

A real pot-pourri of results emanated from the weekend some good, some bad and some just plain okay!

The President's Team under the inspired leadership of Dennis Doherty continued its late season resurgence with another hard fought victory at Shirley this time over Waimairi Beach - 5 games to 3. Now with only two rounds to go it is not possible to win the grade but a couple of closing victories, especially against Hagley at Shirley, would be enough ensure a top three finish something that was beyond contemplation in the first part of the season. A full match report appears on the "News" section of the website.

Unfortunately for Metro the "away from home" bogey continued to afflict the team. Against a Waimairi Beach team at home and in form, the obstacles were to great to overcome and the team faltered to a 6 & 2 loss. To read the full recriminations view the match report, penned by Steve Ellis, again on the News section of the website. In two weeks time Metro is away for the second leg of an east coast sojourn when they play Avondale at Avondale, another hard match in the making.

Saturday saw the commencement of the new Simon Cup competition as we played host to Clearwater. Under the auspicious of Antony Doyle our team has very much a developmental flavour with the four younger members of last years team having been joined by a clutch of other keen junior golfers. Playing from the blue tees at the end of the Men's field the team recorded a 4 all half against an older and more experienced opposition.

Congratulations to Jack Harling and Taylor Reid who both clinched victory by holding their nerve up the last to win 2 up and 1 up respectively. Each sunk critical putts which shows that all that practice does pay dividends. Earlier in the round wins were recorded by Sam Van Hulten and Cairan Selwyn. A solid start by the boys and we wish them well with their next assignment on 10 April against Avondale at Avondale.

Thought For The Week..........

Is the fear of flying groundless??

What's Happening Week of 8 March..............

After the trials and tribulations of the first round of stroke qualifying for the Club Champs those that can stand the pace face up yet again on Saturday for the second round. As always anything can and usually does happen in a stroke round. From conversations in the Club House I am aware that there are a number of members who are committed to playing better this Saturday and eliminating those high digit numbers!!

Unless you have specifically made other arrangements the same draw applies for the second round so if for some reason you can not play or need to change please speak with Struan at the office as soon as possible. Once again we will have a marshall on course for most of the day, we are thankful for the help being extended by Bill Abrams during the recovery from his back operation in this regard as play certainly seems to flow faster.

The Board meets again on Wednesday and Ken Fergus as President will report on its outcome via the website later in the week. For those of you who are still having trouble registering on the new site please log your problems with the office so we can have Dot Golf remedy the difficulties without any further delay.

Over the past few weeks we have had a number visitors from overseas including a couple of groups from Royal Queensland. This trend is extended with 16 members of Kingston Heath playing on Sunday as the first part of a golfing tour of New Zealand. An informal match against club members has been arranged together with a BBQ to follow. Kingston Heath is one of the leading courses not only in Australia but throughout the world therefore we are keen to foster closer relations and see this as an encouraging first step. A report will follow next week.

In the interim good golfing and I will see you at Shirley if not before!

Congratulations.................

On Wednesday I attended the AGM of Canterbury Golf and am pleased to report that club member and former Women's Club Captain Glenys Falloon has been elected as President of Canterbury Golf. On behalf of the Club and all its members I wish Glenys all the best for her tenure and I am sure it will be most successful.

As an aside from our Club we have not only Glenys as President and David Page as Chairman of the Board of Canterbury Golf but also Ken Fergus and Liz Douglas serving on the Board of New Zealand Golf!! A pretty good representation I would say however if anyone would like to serve on the Canterbury Golf committee I know they are looking to co-opt some more members so feel free to speak with me if you are interested.

Wellington Salver..........

A larger than expected field turned out in the mixed event to compete for the Wellington Salver a four-ball best ball stableford. The only aspect to mar an otherwise perfect day was the strength of the nor'east wind which threatened to make scoring a difficult pastime.

For whatever reason this did not eventuate as once again the points recorded bore no resemblance to the conditions or to the reputation of the course. Hitting off first and scorching around the 18 holes in less than four hours were Marcel & Mel Brew and Chris & Helen Richmond proving that speed of play is no impediment to good golf - they said if they hadn't been held up over the last few holes they would have been faster. Mel & Marcel compiled 44 points to win while Helen & Chris put 21 points on both sides to finish with 42 and third on countback from a host of other couples.

In second place were Barry & Robyn Fletcher who amassed 43 points with an amazing 25 on the back 9 - 7 three pointers and 2 two pointers on the card a fantastic effort that just came up short. Prizes for the day were vouchers for the pro shop so many thanks to JB & Ant. The next mixed event is scheduled for Easter Monday and is an Ambrose for the Centennial Jug with tee times from 12 noon so book it in your diary now!!

The Week That Was............

A stroke round generally brings out the worst in most "weekend" golfers but occasionally participants rise to the challenge and play beyond their expectations. While Saturday was the first round for Club Champ Qualifying match of the day allowed some relief by being structured on the best nett.

Playing from the blue tees is always a challenge for the Seniors but it was great to see some of the club stalwarts making it onto the leader board along with a new member. Russell Fildes a new member fresh from the North Island (Te Marua) led home the field with a nett 71 on countback from the man in the cart David Robinson with Charles Whitwham ahead of Brian Ronan on 73 again by countback. It was also good to see Russell's dad down caddying for him as well.

In the Intermediates Nick Sekeris, playing at an earlier time than usual, opened with a nett 69 to be in front of William Wootton on 70 by countback from Lawrence Wong with David Barley and Michael Sidey close behind on 71. Scoring was also of a high standard in the Juniors with Jeff Suddens posting a 68 from Grant Borrie on 69, Stephen Boyd on 71 and Lindsay Buxton on 72.

There was considerable interest in the two's situation in light of the growing jackpot. There were 13 winners who shared a pool of $207 (approx. $15.92 while Mark Dunn collected $405 for having 2x2 - well done Mark we may now see you on the course more frequently?! The nearest the pins were worth $50 and won by Andrew Hopkins (3) and Andrew Topp (11).

Closest to the pin on 18 for 2 sponsored by Linden Leaves was won by Dean Corry while in a day when jackpots fell Warren Glass secured the nett eagles prize of $230 when hole 15 was drawn.

Support The Sponsors...........

I recently went to the Benjarong Thai Cuisine Restaurant, with some friends, for a quick Thai dinner and had a very pleasant meal despite the advanced hour of our arrival. The highlight was a chicken flamed at the table which was both spectacular and delicious - although it was just as well I heeded the warning to sit back.


However another interesting feature was we were able to observe the lady who completes the vegetable carving; it was amazing to see how the art was undertaken. As a token of remembrance I purchased (for the girlfriend) a scented soap carving of a flower which I am assured will last for a considerable time.

Wherever possible I urge members to support those who support the Club so to David Wallace and Benjarong a big thank you for your continued sponsorship it is much appreciated.

In a similar vein Graham Clark has opened his new cafe Clark's @ Scenic at 87-89 Kilmore Street in the Scenic Suites building - just along from the Conference Centre - the Edgeware Road shop is now closed. Graham is continuing his take out menu as well as private catering but also combining breakfast and the occasional opening for lunch. I have been able to establish the coffee is good even if I have to walk an extra block to purchase it. Pop in and see Graham I am sure he would be glad to see you!!

Inter Club Golf...........

It was a good weekend for the Club as our Presidents grade team recorded a meritorious win over Windsor 5.5 to 2.5, for a full report from manager Dennis Doherty check the website. The team fronts up again this Sunday against Waimairi as it looks to continue the run of good form recently displayed with a strong team already named.

Our Juniors made the trip to Coringa and despite a few hiccups the result was positive. Our top team recorded a further win as did our youngest team and while we could not make it a trifecta our second team also played well. Many thanks to the parents who provide so much support to the team and individual players during this competition.

This weekend our Metro team takes to the road and heads east to Waimairi Beach for the first away match of the season. All the best to Steve Ellis and the team as they try to reverse the poor results that beset the team when they tee it up away from Shirley.

This weekend also sees the start of the revised Simon & Blank Cup competitions. In Blank we have negotiated the bye because of the commitments to the Club champs and the first match for us will be 10 April. Anyone interested in playing please speak either to me or to Struan as soon as possible.

Our Simon team makes its 2010 debut against Clearwater and they will be playing at the end of the field to minimise disruption to the members. This year the team is under the control and direction of Anthony Doyle as we look to increase the playing strength of our younger players. We will await the results of the opening rounds with interest and I am sure there will be plenty of support around the course as the afternoon wears on.

Thought For The Week................

If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy!!!!