President's Report

It appears spring weather has quickly adjusted to allow a bit of El Niño into the weather mix. Great days and high temperatures up to 22–25 degrees, then within a day or two we can be back down to 10 or 12 degrees with an early morning frost thrown in for good measure. With generally windy days we are seeing the course in drier conditions which is providing some run. The greens are getting firm and fast as we head into Stroke Champs. It certainly makes a huge difference to have sunshine on your back and dry ground underfoot to enjoy your golf. Make the most of the great conditions as we expect this year’s weather pattern to be quite dry and windy. Time will tell!

Jared has done a fantastic job with the digger root raking over the last couple of weeks. Also you will have noticed the new Putting/Chipping green has been seeded, as has the new ladies’ tee block on 15 (grass is up already on 15 so please take care to keep off the area of new grass). We are planning to commence the tree removal on Number 1 and a few other areas although the contractors are rather busy and will get to us when they have the right crew available. A notice will go out to all members once the contractor confirms a start date. We have confirmed pricing for the roof repair and currently we have applications in for grant funding. Once we have a response to this we will go ahead with the job. Also on the horizon is our next project to add Solar Panels and battery storage to the Clubhouse. Pricing is in and we have Grant applications underway to see if we can gain Green Energy Funding.

Club membership numbers have changed with a small number of people deciding not to renew their membership due to relocation, age or health reasons. On the other hand we do have new people signing up to join our Club including a few Juniors so as you meet new members please help them out and make them welcome.

Our Executive meeting this week was a first for us to have George in the meeting via a phone call from Salzburg. Great effort, George. Enjoy the rest of your trip. We are commencing budget planning and a scope of projects will be reviewed by the Finance Committee over the next 2 months to go back to the full Executive for review and comment. As I have said on many occasions we intend to reinvest into the course and facility as we support members with fair value golf fees and a course I believe is in the best condition I have seen it in my 16 years as a member. Keep up the good work folks.

Get out and enjoy your golf.

Chris Collins, President

Jared's been busy with his "Tonka Toys"

Captain's Comment

Hello and welcome to October. It feels a bit strange once daylight saving hits and now it is light until past 8pm. Plenty of after-work time to work on your golf.

There is a lot happening out at the Island, especially Sundays, so make sure to check and book, not just roll up and hope to squeeze in.

Stroke champs are underway, with the first round completed last weekend, a round off white tees this Saturday and, on the 17th, Yellow tees for all.

Labour weekend Saturday we will play the American foursomes that was rained out two months ago. That is a fun event where you pair up and both tee off on every hole. Then you hit each other’s ball for your second shot. Then choose the best and play alternate shot until the ball is holed. Importantly, the 3rd shot is played by the owner of that particular ball.

Then on the 31st look forward to a four-person team stableford which is also a 9am multi start.

Thursdays are a lot of fun. If you are new to the club, come along if time allows and bring your friends from other clubs too. We have a fun event with good meat prizes, 9:30 start, usually Stableford off the White tees. However, this week we are playing Reds just to spice things up a bit.

Interclub for the Men: our top team, the Simon, has had a tough season, but with one round to go we are not last! Pressies and over 60s have only had a couple of games. Metro starts on Sunday for the Bs, not until November for the As.

Thank you to Keith and Graeme for painting colours on the posts on 8 in case your ball flies over the fence. Remember if you are using the rule where you drop for a two-shot penalty, it is where the ball crossed the fence, Not twenty yards down where it rolled along the path. Also the OB is the inside of the posts, not the wire.

Another playing rule people are forgetting is the longest putt on 18. This is for your first putt only, not if you blow it ten feet past and sink the next one. Also the putt must be longer than the flagstick, not the two and a bit feet it was marked at last week! A putt is a putt on the green of course; a putt from the fringe will not count.

Enjoy your golf, remember to be respectful of other golfers, sand your divots and repair ball marks. Thanks for that and I'll see you out there.

Captain Warren.

Twilight Golf is Back!!

Join us every Wednesday evening for 9 holes, weekly prizes and a relaxed round after work. The first half of the season runs from 30 September to 16 December, before returning after the Christmas break from 6 January to 31 March. With both members and visitors welcome, it’s a great way to enjoy a summer evening at The Island.

Rule of the Month

Giving & Receiving Advice

Part of the challenge of golf is making your own decisions on how to play each shot.

During a round, you cannot give or ask for advice that could influence what club to use, what shot to play or how to play a hole.

You CAN ask about:

• Distances

• Wind direction

• Locations of hazards, greens, bunkers etc.

• The Rules of Golf

You CAN’T ask:

• “What club did you hit?”

• “What should I hit here?”

• “How should I play this shot?”

You also can’t look through or touch another player’s equipment to find out what club they have used.

Keep it simple — distances and course information are fine, but club selection and shot advice are up to you!

Clubhouse news

3-Month Voucher Expiry

From Saturday 10th October, we will be bringing back expiry dates on all newly issued vouchers. All new vouchers will have a 3-month expiry from the date of issue. This is being brought back into place as we currently have quite a few vouchers waiting to be collected. So if you’ve won a voucher, make sure you pop into the bar after your round and collect it. Even if an expiry date is not written on the voucher, the 3-month expiry will still apply, with staff keeping a record of when vouchers are issued.

Smokers Area Reminder

Our designated smokers area is now located around the side of the Clubhouse. With the new outdoor furniture now in place, we’d really appreciate everyone using the designated area when smoking, so the space out the front can remain comfortable and enjoyable for all our members and visitors.

Welcome to new Members

It’s been fantastic to see so many new members joining us here at McLeans Island Golf Club over the last month!

We’ve welcomed 19 new members, with six of those joining within just 24 hours of each other! It’s especially pleasing to see so many younger golfers joining the club and becoming part of The Island.

A warm welcome to:

Full Members

Jon French

William Oberg

Nick Grimwood

Alistair Pilditch

Phill E Lawson

Phil Reid

Joelle Reid

16–20 Years Members

Jake Burrowes

Henry Calvert

Joseph Ryan

Zachary Dawes

Taj Chapman-Peters

Eden Chapman-Peters

Oscar Hill

21–25 Years Members

Oscar Adams

Finn Rogers

Sam Smith

Hugo Reid

Summer Member

Adam Hollingworth

It’s great to have you all on board! If you see any new faces around the clubhouse or out on the course, be sure to say hello and make them feel welcome.

We hope you all enjoy your time here at The Island!

Halberg Eagles Golf Tournament

On Friday 9th October, we hosted the Canterbury Eagles Fundraising Golf Tournament in support of the Halberg Foundation.

This was our third year hosting the event, with 79 golfers in the morning and 116 in the afternoon, bringing the total to 195 golfers across the day!

It's a great event to be involved with, raising funds for a very worthwhile cause. We're also pleased to confirm that McLeans Island Golf Club will be hosting the tournament for another three years, something we're really looking forward to.

A big thank you to the Canterbury Eagles for continuing to choose McLeans Island Golf Club, along with all the organisers, volunteers and golfers who helped make the day a success.

We look forward to having everyone back at The Island next year!

Get to know your McLeans Island staff - Alan Smythe

Coming up in October

With plenty happening around The Island this October, there’s lots of golf on the calendar! Our Twilight Golf season is underway, Metro Interclub is kicking off, and hopefully we’ve got plenty of beautiful spring weather ahead of us!

Be sure to check out the upcoming events and course bookings below when planning your next round.

Fri 2 Oct – Arise Summer Camp (40+) – 11.00am

Thu 8 Oct – 9 Hole Futures Event (Back 9) – 2.30pm

Sun 11 Oct – Simon Cup Reserve Day (80+) – 9.30am–2.30pm

Fri 16 Oct – Schick Golf Day (Back 9) – 1.00pm–4.00pm

Sun 18 Oct

Roydvale GC (20) – 8.30am

Thompson MacDonald Semi Final (24) – 9.00am

Presidents vs Waitikiri (16) – 10.00am

Mon 19 Oct – She Loves Golf (40+) – 3.30pm–Close

Fri 30 Oct – Ladies Stableford Tournament (70+) – 9.30am–2.30pm

Please check the tee sheet for availability around these bookings, or contact the Golf Shop if you have any questions.

New Zealand Golf News

Ryan Fox – Presidents Cup
Ryan Fox made his Presidents Cup debut at Medinah, representing the International Team. One of the highlights was his partnership with Australian Min Woo Lee, with the pair winning both of their foursomes matches. Fox holed some huge putts under pressure, including birdies on 15 and 16 in their 1-up victory over Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark.

Daniel Hillier – Chasing a PGA Tour Card
Daniel Hillier continues to put together an impressive season on the DP World Tour. The Kiwi sits 12th in the Race to Dubai rankings and remains firmly in the hunt to earn a PGA Tour card for next season. A recent highlight was his runner-up finish at the British Masters, adding to a year that has already included victory at the New Zealand Open. 

Kazuma Kobori – Canterbury Representing Overseas
Canterbury's own Kazuma Kobori continues to establish himself on the DP World Tour. Recent results include a T9 at the British Masters and T14 at the Irish Open, while earlier in the year he finished T28 at The Open Championship. It's great to see another Canterbury golfer regularly competing against some of the world's best.