Russley Golf Club. Golf NZ’s Club of the Year.

Russley Golf Club has come away with one of the most sought-after pieces of silverware at the National Golf Awards, the Club of the Year award.

The award was given to a club that demonstrated excellence and have an outstanding record of achievement across all aspects of its operations.

Russley Golf Club has ticked all the boxes and more.

They’re constantly putting their hand up, wanting to be involved. Whether it’s looking for ways to grow golf in Canterbury, making their golf club more environmentally friendly and sustainable, or looking for innovative ways of bringing money into the club, Russley Golf Club is into it.

General Manager Giles Beal says Russley Golf Club is delighted to hear the news.

“It’s fantastic news. The members will be really pleased to hear we are Club of the Year. We’ve been doing a lot over the last couple of years trying to make the club a better place for them.

“We’ve been very supportive of Golf New Zealand’s initiatives like She Loves Golf and Futures. We are just trying to get more people playing golf in the region and be good citizens of golf in New Zealand.

“We’ve been focusing on the presentation of the course and always thinking long-term. We’re very focused on our strategic direction and where the club will be in the next 10-years.”

While the next 10-years are the focus, Russley Golf Club has grown from strength to strength in 2020 and recent years.

They offer a vast range of golf services, from playing and learning opportunities for women, young people, and people with a disability. They also have just built a golf studio for regular coaching and club-fitting.

Beal says growing golf in the region is a significant focus for the club.

“We’ll keep focusing on bringing people into the game. A big focus for us at the moment is the under 30 membership category.

“We’re continuing to do lots with the golf coaching services we offer here, which is continually growing; we’ve just built a golf studio which has really assisted all the coaches here.

“We’re also looking to ramp up our junior program a bit more over the next few months as well.”

Sustainability is also important to the club, which is reflected in their sustainability plan, which Beal says is a big part of the club’s future.

“We started working on that a few months ago, and there’s still a lot to do on it. It’s a big part of our future, especially with the limited water resources in Canterbury. We’re going to do some work with the GEO Foundation around greenhouse gases and things like that as well.”