Hororata overcomes disasters with centenary to come

By Neville Idour

Hororata Golf Club president Nicky Muir has been in the role for just 18 months and it has been a baptism by fire.

Caption: Hororata Golf Club president Nicky Muir standing on the bridge of hole No 2.

This year has seen the course ravaged by massive flooding and then a few months later by hurricane winds.

The club’s history indicates that the only result of these disasters would be recovery and progress. Let us take a brief look at the history.

Hororata, just 45 minutes from Christchurch, is one of the many wonderful country clubs dotted throughout New Zealand.

At an initial meeting on May 16, 1922, it was decided to form the Hororata Golf Club. Godfrey Hall offered the use of some land at Terrace Station where a fine nine-hole course was formed. The official opening was just a month later on June 17.

Back then the club could not afford a mower and so from Monday to Saturday players had to find a way to mow the fairways and greens before play could begin. Hall’s sheep were employed to both manure and keep the fairway grass down. Then on Saturdays members would mow the greens using their home hand pushed mowers. Can you imagine that today?

Things moved quickly in those days and only two weeks after opening it was decided a clubhouse was needed. With no bureaucracy such as resource management and building codes to impede progress, a spartan 20 by 8 feet building quickly took shape although with no floor as such. Yes , it was a case of heads down and bottoms up.

It was a big year in 1923. The club held its first ball, a grand affair where legend would have it, everyone “had an absolute ball.” The club also procured its first professional player Andy Shaw from the Hagley Golf Club. He had much success producing competitive players. Also in 1923 cups were purchased for the greens.

Then in 1924 it saw the club purchase a hand pushed lawnmower for seven pounds and five shillings (that’s about $15). Green fees were two shillings and by 1928 subscriptions were two pounds. The first interclub match was played against Ashburton.

In 1934 a floor was finally laid for the clubhouse as well as closing in the front of the naturally air-conditioned building. The club went into recess during World War 2 with the course being handed over to the army. The club almost did not recover but thanks to president W Stone and 10 members, life was again breathed into the club and in 1946 the show was on the road again. In 1955 a house over the road became the new clubhouse much to the delight of all. It had electricity… bliss.

The year 1966 would become a significant in the club’s history. Always led by sound, dedicated and pragmatic men it is no surprise that in the first 44 years the club had just four presidents. Today the term for a president is usually for two years.

The club was sound financially and had outgrown the Terrace Station course which was far too small to cater for the growth. Nicky Muir’s father Toby Richards, S J Hunt, Dr Brownlee and R Reid were the committee that steered the establishment of a new course. So it was that the club would move from Hororata to the Glentunnel domain, a few miles away. The new course was modelled on a design by internationally acclaimed Pacific Golf’s golf course architect Commander Harris.

For three years the club had two courses. While the new nine-hole course was being constructed members could still play The Terrace. A huge number of plantings were carried out --1000 pines plus many natives, 50 rhododendrons and 150 azaleas. A new clubhouse was built and the official opening on April 18, 1970, attracted a gathering of 300 people.

Within 12 months memberships doubled to 220, a level that remains currently. Progress was rapid and in 1975 the course was extended to 12 holes and by 1979 it boasted 18 holes. Life member Tom Marsh, the club’s first permanent greenkeeper, was principally responsible for the design and modification of the second nine holes.

The course is very popular for green fee players and presents a real challenge with its variety and elevations along with various water hazards dotted around the layout. Get your distance short on shots to some greens at your peril.

Muir talks about the flooding and wind disasters.

“Actually there have been three if we count covid returning. Then the floods in late May and the windstorm later, so (he jokes) I don’t think the members will want me back. The floods were horrendous but it was not the first time the Selwyn river has ventured on to the course, but this was definitely one of the better ones.

TO THIS… Caption: Hororata Golf Club which suffered both flooding and hurricane winds this year.

“However, we received incredible support from the local community and ``boosted sport crowdfunding'' which was only launched in early July to help fund grass roots sport.”

The club took advantage of the platform along with the Hororata Community Trust. Within 48 hours $5000 was donated and after a week the target of $10,000 was achieved. Muir said: “It was an easy and safe way for people all over the country to support and connect with our campaign.”

``We had 200 volunteers on the first day of the cleanup, more than half not members. Our greenkeeper Andrew Bell oversaw operations and did a fantastic job. It took a month to get nine holes up and running.

``The other nine wasn’t so bad and it was only about another week before the 18 were all go. The third green had over a foot of silt sitting on it. It was cleared by hand shovels onto tiny tractors and carted away as you couldn’t get big units on to the area.

“We have just bought $10,000 worth of soil for resoiling and grassing some of the fairways. We are doing them while golfers can still play as we don’t have huge traffic on the course.”

Muir tells about the two windy days.

“They took out many of the trees around the perimeter of the course but they fell on the course. So we had members-only working bees bringing in their chainsaws to cut logs for firewood which will cover the costs of what we lost in that storm. There are still plenty of trees as the course was built as a parkland setting.”

``As a reporter once remarked, the club doesn’t cry or rest on its laurels … or backsides. When things like this happen they just get stuck in and fix it.''

Muir also remarked on the fact Bob Charles’ family was originally from the area and Bob had popped in to see how the club was doing from time to time. Testament to the community spirit.

So how has covid affected the club?

“Not really, in fact after the first covid lockdown ended it went mad with green fee players,’’ Muir said.

``We have a cross section of members. It used to be farming based but that is gone. We just have a few farmers now. Three years ago we built a café at the end of the clubhouse and lease it. It is open daily just like a normal café. It was something of a gamble as it cost plenty to get it up and running but it is working really well.

“It is all about keeping a quality experience here and we have invested in a greens' mower which the greenkeeper is rapt about. We also have a good strategic plan for the future.

``We are planning to build a cart shed to house 16 golf carts by the clubhouse. We only have four at present and there is a demand for them. We plan to raise the money first with a fundraising campaign and hope to have one built within three years. We have noticed younger people want carts as it reduces the time required to spend playing.”

The club has a centenary project to build a deck at the front of the clubhouse as the views are lovely. It will also have doors that can be thrown open to connect the lounge to it. The club is also planning to modernise the constitution and the committee structure to be more efficient if the members approve.

In September, 2022, the club will celebrate 100 years with a centenary weekend. Muir: “It won’t be flamboyant. Two days of golf, food, cocktails and many stories no doubt from invited members and friends. We still have three members who were at the old course.”

Hororata should be on your bucket list with green fees of $30.