Whangaroa — John O’Neill in charge

By Neville Idour

General manager John O’Neill started his role at Whangaroa Golf Club in 2017 and now is in his sixth year.

O’Neill has worked in hospitality most of his life having come to Whangaroa after managing the Maonganui Hotel. Originally from Dargaville, he decided to help a mate who had bought the hotel settle in for a year and ended up there for 20 years.

Finding the late nights were taking a toll, O’Neill is enjoying his time at the golf club and as well as managing the club he leases the bar from the club. In earlier times he managed what was the THC Waitangi Hotel, but is now the Copthorne.

So in the time at Whangaroa what has changed?

“It is constantly changing,’’ O’Neill said.

``The great thing about clubs like us is that if you come back in two years we will be better. We will have more paths in, we will have taken some trees out. One of our members owns a concrete plant and he is regularly arriving here with a metre of concrete, which we get for free. Then our volunteers do the work required to lay the paths.

“You may have noticed a lot of manuka planted inside and outside the course, so we have a deal with a beekeeper to provide our own honey which we sell. We also run some sheep as we own almost as much land around the course as the course itself. Quite a lot of that is leased out to one of our neighbouring farmers.”

What is the history of Whangaroa Golf Club?

“Originally there was a course in the Kaio area which apparently shut down during World War II then a course was developed and opened here in around 1952. It was originally a 12-hole course then went back to nine holes. Then in about 1987 a group of younger members decided they wanted to make it into an 18-hole course. They all did the breaking in of the back nine holes and eventually it opened as an 18 hole course in 1990.”

The club has a full time greenkeeper Colin Smith who was head greenkeeper at Kerikeri. He left there to work for a Russian billionaire at Helena Bay for a time.

O’Neill continues: “When our greenkeeper died from cancer a few years ago, Colin, who was at Hikurangi, joined us and he loves it here. He has a paid assistant, a club member, who works two days a week but is here more than that.

“We have life members Ian and Frances Hills who live behind the seventh hole. Ian has been one of the stalwarts of the club and a previous president for many years. He was instrumental in breaking in the back nine. He sold his farm but kept a couple of diggers and a tractor so they can be constantly used around the course. It is that and our ladies that make Whangaroa what we are.”

Looking ahead they will continue the incremental improvements, having paths boxed ready for that metre of spare concrete and having a group of members ready and able to drop everything to do the work.

What about membership? “We are over 250 and have done well after covid. We ran a junior programme and got 10 or so members, as well as a ladies' programme and picked up seven or so members from that. They were summer programmes that ran through daylight saving.”

One of the members wanted to run something for juniors and about 60 signed up with regular turnouts of around 35 enjoying some coaching and playing a few holes. Now there are usually 10 boys and girls who play nine holes on a Sunday.''

A good proportion of the membership are women and O’Neill said: “ The strength of our club is we are one, not a men’s division and a women’s division. They play a lot of mixed events and socialise together which is great.”

The clubhouse facilities are excellent especially the almost new looking changing rooms. There was a hope to build a clubhouse on top of the hill overlooking the course some years ago however it was going to be too costly. The result, about 12 years ago, money was spent on improving the clubhouse and the changing rooms.

You might say the club has a big heart and the course, although not long, still presents an interesting challenge for all golfers. The course is situated on state highway 10 in Northland, about 35 minutes north of Kerikeri. The 18-hole course has excellent fairways and greens. With native carpet grass fairways they don’t rely on water which is a huge advantage. Many of the fairways are flanked by mature native and exotic trees, with a creek winding through.

There is never a dull moment with the undulating terrain guaranteeing plenty of variety and different challenges. The uphill 431-metre par five second hole requires accuracy, playing blind to the green via a marker post. The uphill sixth hole, a par 3 of 137 metres, will test the distance control as anything short or right of the green will feed down the hill. On seven beware of the sloping fairway.

The number one stroke hole is the 321-metre eighth which doglegs left. Watch for the trees left, the creek right and the large gum tree before the green. Good luck. By now you will realise missing some of the greens to the side can see the ball fall down the slopes. The 11th, a par three, looks easy but pull it left and it is goodbye Charlie.

The short uphill 283-metre 12th par four can be illusory as the crest of the hill is just 20 metres from the green. The par four 14th maybe just 306 metres but with trees either side, a with a green that falls away on both sides and out of bounds only a few metres behind the green, an accurate shot selection is the name of the game.

The 18th right dogleg par four at 316 metres requires a left of centre tee shot as anything short or right will be blocked by trees. Big hitters might be able to cut the corner and clear the trees, but fall short and disaster awaits. Finally there is a long narrow green with slopes off both sides to avoid.

A pleasant day was had as part of the Bay of Islands Classic. Whangaroa is well worth a visit and be sure to have a chat with manager John O’Neill as his mission is to make your experience an enjoyable one.