Huntly Golf Club in trouble

Uncertain times lie ahead for the Huntly Golf Club as members have only months to decide on its future as bills pile up.

Dwindling membership has meant the club has struggled to cover some essential costs, club captain Graeme Tait said.

A special members meeting will be held later this month to move towards a plan.

Tait said a decision on whether to sell the North Waikato course needed to be made by the end of the year but its sale would be the last resort.

“Nobody wants to sell it…It would be an absolute tragedy if we had to relinquish it,” he said.

Tait said the land was freehold with concession on rates from the Waikato District Council but the membership of around 130 was not nearly enough.

To make it viable, full time memberships needed to sit at around 150, he said.

Tait said the facility had been an asset to the town since it first opened in 1960.

Purchased in 1959, a lot of work was poured into establishing the course over six months thanks to the late Bob Harvey.

In the early days, there would be up to 80 players on the course on golf day.

When the Huntly Power Station opened in the 1970s, Tait said it was expected the course would become more popular.

“We expected a huge influx of members and unfortunately they didn’t come, they [workers] travelled.”

The current membership still had “high interest” in the club, Tait said.

Committee member John Walker said if the course was to be sold he hoped it would stay as a golf course, saying it’s an “ideal going concern”.

Coming from Howick more than a decade ago where the course there was “hilly”, he said for players over 50, the Huntly was the perfect course with good drainage.

To establish a new course would also cost “mega bucks”, he said.

Despite the Huntly struggles, New Zealand Golf chief executive Dean Murphy said usually the smaller clubs were the most financially secure.

Nationwide  the market was growing especially with the likes of 19-year old Lydia Ko striking up success in the sport, he said.

“That’s what’s cool, there’s lots of promotion by the likes of Lydia, we’ve seen a 20 per cent increase from young ladies.”

And membership wasn’t the key to success anymore for some clubs.

“Membership isn’t the main income earner, it’s far from it….it’s half their income.”

He said casual visitors that payed with a green fee generated  more revenue.

Murphy didn’t know what Huntly’s situation was, but said each club had its own set of challenges.

“If you look at Huntly as a town, the businesses that have moved away is quite significant.”

The meeting on the course’s future will be held on September 17, 9am at the Huntly Golf Club.

Source: stuff