Hi there

We hope 2021 has started well and you had time to enjoy some golf over the Christmas break.

There have been a number of events this month for golfers to enjoy. We are looking forward to hosting the Canterbury Stroke Play this weekend at Clearwater with one of the highest calibre fields in recent years. This will be a great opportunity for spectators to come and watch some great golf where players will be tested on the championship course.

Pegasus Win Pollock Cup

The rescheduled 2020 Pollock Cup final between Pegasus and Christchurch was held at Waitikiri Golf Club in January. The final was closely fought with Pegasus etching their name on the cup for the first time.

Pegasus's number one Momoka Kobori defeated Christchurch's Catherine Bell 3/2. Pegasus then secured two other wins -  one from Deanna Matthews at number three defeating Melissa Newburn 3/1 and the other from Bobbi Oliver at number five who defeated Margaret-Mary Coughlan at the 18th. With wins for Christchurch by Nicola Webb over Sally Rossiter and Mel Brew over Sharon Stewart, there was only one match still alive between number two players Olive Tapu (Christchurch) and Amy Weng (Pegasus). Amy was 2 down after the 16th but then calmly sunk two long putts to birdie the last two holes to half their match and give her Pegasus team the 3.5 to 2.5 win over Christchurch.

Zach May Achieves Another Special Performance

Zach May is proving he is an emerging talent not only in Canterbury but also on the National stage. May took out the North Island U19 Championship in January backing up the national U19 title he won in December. 

He started the day three shots back of Harry Ward after rounds of 74 and 73 to be three-over for the tournament. May showed his pedigree in the final round carding a three-under 69 to get to even-par and win by two over Stephen Liu.

Canterbury Age Group Championships & Futures Event

The 2021 Canterbury Age Group Championships was played at Waimairi Beach Golf Club with the event now aligned with Golf NZ's national age group events with the 36 hole event played over two days. A quality field of over 40 players enjoyed the event providing the opportunity to reflect on their first tournament round before coming back on day two to reset with the seeded draw.

U19 Girls Winner - Maddie May (Russley)
U19 Boys Winner - Lachie Mackay (Waimairi Beach)
U16 Girls Winner - Deanna Matthews (Weedons)
U16 Boys Winner - Hayden Lam (Everglades)
U13 Girls Winner - Aneroos Beneke (Kaiapoi)
U13 Boys Winner - Cooper Moore (Russley)

The club team's event was also played in conjunction with the 36 hole stroke play event with the best three of four scores counting. With nine teams competing this was closely contested over the two rounds. Russley teams took out both trophies.

Day one of the event also featured a Futures 9 and 18 hole event providing the opportunity to compete in a shorter format.

Canterbury Golf Development Day

Canterbury Golf continues to work closely with Golf NZ to provide development opportunities for our academy players. 2021 will see a digitally centralised approach to allow players to become better connected with the work that is done during these development days as well as linking in their support team.

The day held at Harewood Golf Club last week included skill testing, a focus on understanding the data rather than just numbers, practice habits, and how to constantly review and reflect for growth de

Golf NZ Performance Coach Jay Carter leads the delivery of these days to encompass a complete and integrated approach encompassing tactical, physical, technical, mind, and the player. The players in this programme are embarking on an exciting learning opportunity to further their golf.

Smiths City Sponsor Canterbury Golf

A new, rejuvenated and rebranded Smiths City is partnering with Canterbury Golf to sponsor a couple of projects.

The first was the Spring She Loves Golf 6's series that took place through November at Waitikiri, Harewood, Bottle Lake, and Russley Golf Clubs. Smiths City generously donated spot and participation prizes including a lucky participant draw for a Sleepyhead Queens Size Bed and an LG Soundbar. A summer series is underway this week. The She Loves Golf Series has attracted over 100 women to participate as an introduction to the game.

Smiths City will sponsor the 2021 Canterbury Stroke Play to be held at Clearwater Golf Club this weekend. They will provide two major prizes for the men's and women's champions.

We thank Smiths City for their support and encourage the golf community to patronise the locally owned new and improved company.

Canterbury Golf Life Member Terry Downey Passes Away

Canterbury Golf Life Member Terry Downey passed away on 8 January. Terry was heavily involved with the administration of Canterbury Golf culminating in being President in 1984. He was also a long time member of the Canterbury Golf Referees Association.