December 12, 2025 • 6 mins
Golf continues to flourish across New Zealand, and Canterbury is no different.
Dion Kerr, Chair of Canterbury Golf, joined Lesley Murdoch to reflect on 2025 – the growing participation, new events and initiatives, and the progress made across the game.
In association with the Elmwood Trading Company.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Stocks he'd be it's twenty three away from nine o'clock,
a little bit late getting to Dion Kerr, who was
the chair of Canterbury Golf Deyon.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Good morning, Good morning Leslie.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Well you Canterby. What is it and about Canterby people?
Mike ron dow Like he was the previous chair of
Cannoby Golf now chair of New Zealand Golf and can
it be people doing great things?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah, it's great news that Mike's up there. Good district man,
great chairperson and he'll do a lot of great things
for golf end zed as you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Will for Canterby Golf. What has been some of the
highlights maybe the CGI, Yes, gosh.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
With your start and when we've all our programs from
our junior to our tour development programs are going great.
Inter club is full every heath throughout Beans, through all
the different competitions that we have for mens and women.
You know, rounds of golf is over fifty thousand rounds
of golf played consistently each month now, So golf some
(01:00):
the great.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Space for you though in terms of what you have
to do, what is your how do you execute your role?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Basically supporting our management with Blair Mantine. He's our general manager.
So we work on just on the whole governance base.
That's my main area that we work on as an executive,
and then our management team which are brilliant and our
staff are brilliant in regards to executing whatever we're putting
(01:31):
out there for our programs. Just ideas that we're trying
to do is develop more of the golf put it
out there. For example, Blair wanted a marketing person. We
might have spoken at this last time Mosley, and so
we've just got Steph who started us started with us
about four months ago just to improve our marketing communication
with the Gold community, because it's quite a wide community
(01:53):
that we deal with with different needs and wants, you know,
from the everyday golfer to the just people we just
want to play you casually, to our our high performance
programs and players are representative team. So there's a lot
going on in there, and it's only a small team,
but we seem to turn out a lot of great
programs and work.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
When you look at the kendarby stroke played back into
a seventy two whole event, there has to be one
of the highlights.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Surely one hundred percent. I mean that was one of
the things that we wanted to do is have a
stroke play competition that was like no other in New Zealand.
So there's only one other seventy two one and so,
and then we also wanted to make it into something
quite prestigious in regards to prizes in terms of which
(02:40):
golf courses like it. Now it's on a rotation basis
with clear Water roughly and christ huge and so you know,
from even having that format, we've noticed that there's a
lot more players around New Zealand that want to plant it. Also,
we've got a major responsible with Wolfbrook Residential coming on board,
so that will add some value and it gives us
(03:01):
another It gives us another revenue income with a great
sponsor like our Wolfbrook, and then all of some of
that revenue we can change what kind of prizes we
can give out to the participants as well.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
So Golf New Zealand have made growing female participation one
of your targets that you have to achieve. How's it
going here?
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Yes, still work in progress. It's one of those areas
that we want to keep on improving on. How she
loves golf programs are phenomenal but always well participated, and
then we're just trying to work out how we can
get more young girls playing in the sport and also
(03:41):
ladies going into clubs or just participating in general. What
we founders and now she loves Golds program. They just
like just going out socializing, spending two or three hours
just doing little bits and pieces on a golf course
and that seems to suffice for some of them, and
you know, just that social net where our junior program
(04:02):
with the girls is a lot different. We were trying
to get them into building up to eighteen hole, so
it's always a work in progress.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And your Monster Raffle, how has that gone? Actually wins
the draw for that.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
That's in the first weekend of February, the same day
as our straight play, so again we wanted to do
something different in terms of drawing it out on our
stroke play. So yeah, the ultimate refor it's you know
you can. The first prize is a trip to anywhere
around the world, So if you want to go to
the Masters or play at Saint Andrews, or hopefully they'll
(04:33):
be announcing soon the Rider Cup will be in there
as well. You can take whoever you want with your friends.
And then there's golf fittings with all our major sponsors
and clear Wader memberships and it's a great prize pool.
Golfers love a great.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Prose pool, well I think anybody does. And how do
people get their hands on a raffle ticket?
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Pretty easily, just go to Canary Golf website. There's a
big button with the Ultimate Golf Reffle. Just click on that,
easy to do. One hundred dollar as a ticket. There's
only two thousand tickets that selling pretty well so and
drawing drawn in January. So great Christmas present.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Yes, I'm just going to say that fantastic, really good.
Well it sounds as though you've got everything under control,
dyon Kerve.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Oh as best as it can be. But no, it's
going great. I mean the sports and you know the
sports and great, it's going in the right direction. And
the key is how do we look at that five
to ten year plan that we're still talking in a
positive men of about golf. So that's our goal.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
And for yourself, your own golf.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Was improving, got down to it got down to three
point eight, But just like with golf, it can go
back up just as quickly, So it's always it's always
something that you've got to work on and still enjoying it.
And we had a personally for our Simon for our
Simon team. We won that this year, which was exciting.
So no, it's going fun. It's lots of fun. Oh.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
It always keeps you guessing, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
It does.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Well, good man, Thank you very much, great summation and Christmas.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Merry Christmas to you.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Thank you, dioncour Here is the cheer of Kenniby Golf.
How good For more from News Talks at b Listen
live on air or online, and keep our shows with
you wherever you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
Stocks he'd be it's twenty three away from nine o'clock,
a little bit late getting to Dion Kerr, who was
the chair of Canterbury Golf Deyon.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Good morning, Good morning Leslie.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Well you Canterby. What is it and about Canterby people?
Mike ron dow Like he was the previous chair of
Cannoby Golf now chair of New Zealand Golf and can
it be people doing great things?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah, it's great news that Mike's up there. Good district man,
great chairperson and he'll do a lot of great things
for golf end zed as you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Will for Canterby Golf. What has been some of the
highlights maybe the CGI, Yes, gosh.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
With your start and when we've all our programs from
our junior to our tour development programs are going great.
Inter club is full every heath throughout Beans, through all
the different competitions that we have for mens and women.
You know, rounds of golf is over fifty thousand rounds
of golf played consistently each month now, So golf some
(01:00):
the great.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Space for you though in terms of what you have
to do, what is your how do you execute your role?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Basically supporting our management with Blair Mantine. He's our general manager.
So we work on just on the whole governance base.
That's my main area that we work on as an executive,
and then our management team which are brilliant and our
staff are brilliant in regards to executing whatever we're putting
(01:31):
out there for our programs. Just ideas that we're trying
to do is develop more of the golf put it
out there. For example, Blair wanted a marketing person. We
might have spoken at this last time Mosley, and so
we've just got Steph who started us started with us
about four months ago just to improve our marketing communication
with the Gold community, because it's quite a wide community
(01:53):
that we deal with with different needs and wants, you know,
from the everyday golfer to the just people we just
want to play you casually, to our our high performance
programs and players are representative team. So there's a lot
going on in there, and it's only a small team,
but we seem to turn out a lot of great
programs and work.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
When you look at the kendarby stroke played back into
a seventy two whole event, there has to be one
of the highlights.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Surely one hundred percent. I mean that was one of
the things that we wanted to do is have a
stroke play competition that was like no other in New Zealand.
So there's only one other seventy two one and so,
and then we also wanted to make it into something
quite prestigious in regards to prizes in terms of which
(02:40):
golf courses like it. Now it's on a rotation basis
with clear Water roughly and christ huge and so you know,
from even having that format, we've noticed that there's a
lot more players around New Zealand that want to plant it. Also,
we've got a major responsible with Wolfbrook Residential coming on board,
so that will add some value and it gives us
(03:01):
another It gives us another revenue income with a great
sponsor like our Wolfbrook, and then all of some of
that revenue we can change what kind of prizes we
can give out to the participants as well.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
So Golf New Zealand have made growing female participation one
of your targets that you have to achieve. How's it
going here?
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Yes, still work in progress. It's one of those areas
that we want to keep on improving on. How she
loves golf programs are phenomenal but always well participated, and
then we're just trying to work out how we can
get more young girls playing in the sport and also
(03:41):
ladies going into clubs or just participating in general. What
we founders and now she loves Golds program. They just
like just going out socializing, spending two or three hours
just doing little bits and pieces on a golf course
and that seems to suffice for some of them, and
you know, just that social net where our junior program
(04:02):
with the girls is a lot different. We were trying
to get them into building up to eighteen hole, so
it's always a work in progress.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And your Monster Raffle, how has that gone? Actually wins
the draw for that.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
That's in the first weekend of February, the same day
as our straight play, so again we wanted to do
something different in terms of drawing it out on our
stroke play. So yeah, the ultimate refor it's you know
you can. The first prize is a trip to anywhere
around the world, So if you want to go to
the Masters or play at Saint Andrews, or hopefully they'll
(04:33):
be announcing soon the Rider Cup will be in there
as well. You can take whoever you want with your friends.
And then there's golf fittings with all our major sponsors
and clear Wader memberships and it's a great prize pool.
Golfers love a great.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Prose pool, well I think anybody does. And how do
people get their hands on a raffle ticket?
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Pretty easily, just go to Canary Golf website. There's a
big button with the Ultimate Golf Reffle. Just click on that,
easy to do. One hundred dollar as a ticket. There's
only two thousand tickets that selling pretty well so and
drawing drawn in January. So great Christmas present.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Yes, I'm just going to say that fantastic, really good.
Well it sounds as though you've got everything under control,
dyon Kerve.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Oh as best as it can be. But no, it's
going great. I mean the sports and you know the
sports and great, it's going in the right direction. And
the key is how do we look at that five
to ten year plan that we're still talking in a
positive men of about golf. So that's our goal.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
And for yourself, your own golf.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Was improving, got down to it got down to three
point eight, But just like with golf, it can go
back up just as quickly, So it's always it's always
something that you've got to work on and still enjoying it.
And we had a personally for our Simon for our
Simon team. We won that this year, which was exciting.
So no, it's going fun. It's lots of fun. Oh.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
It always keeps you guessing, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
It does.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Well, good man, Thank you very much, great summation and Christmas.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Merry Christmas to you.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Thank you, dioncour Here is the cheer of Kenniby Golf.
How good For more from News Talks at b Listen
live on air or online, and keep our shows with
you wherever you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
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