March 6, 2026 • 8 mins
In association with the Elmwood Trading Company, Lesley Murdoch caught up with golf guru Mike Godinet to discuss the explosion of professional golf in the last month.
Some of the leading players from across the Asia-Pacific region have been competing all across the country.
He also explained what’s happening with one of Christchurch’s prestigious golf courses, Pegasus, as it goes up for sale.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Golf, which we are loving doing in association with the
Elmwood Trading Company and Mike Gone Thee.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Good morning, Good morning, Leslie. How are you this morning?
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Look, how can you not be anything but good? On
the daylight? Today? Fabulous?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yep, it's got a lot of promise today, I can
feel it. Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
And look, I know how much you love your golf
and you must be thrilled with the golf growth, growth
through the ISPs, hand at Australasian Championship and everything that's
happening around.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yes, well, we all have spoken about the growth in
the game of golf and how popular it is, and
you know what's happening in from a local point of
view and an amateur point of view. But I thought
i'd touched this morning on professional golf in New Zealand,
and I mean New Zealand has a proud history of
professional golf, but being stuck down at the bottom of
(00:48):
the world, sometimes things pass us by. But in the
last three weeks there's been unprecedented prize money really available
for New Zealand and overseas professionals that come from a
New Zealand professional point of view. It's a good time
to be playing golf for money. In the last three weeks,
there's been over three million dollars in prize money, first
(01:10):
of all at the MCPGA Championship at Paraparaumu and then
the New Zealand Open of course, a huge blockbuster success.
And now this weekend, for the first time in twenty years,
professional golf returns and there's one point four million dollars
available there in prize money and there's plenty of New
(01:32):
Zealanders buying for it.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So why do you think it's suddenly just exploded like that.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
I think maybe success breeds success. I think because of
the popularity of the game and because more people are
interested in the game, then the money follows. So obviously
the money comes from sponsors, supporters, you know, raising money
for increased or better golf facilities. The Royal Auckland and
(02:03):
Grange Golf Club as a magnificent gold club. The fact
they spent twenty million dollars on a clubhouses slightly puzzling. Anyway,
the golf course matches. It's a fantastic, fabulous golf course
and I just think that with that as well, then
there's investment, there's money. There are a lot of business
(02:24):
opportunities that sit on the periphery of major golf events
and they provide the money. You know.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I mean there are people like and I'll read you
some names here, so Jake Meinghors, Tyler Wood, Marco Thompson,
Jaden Ford, Mason Lee, Denzel Erema, Jared.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Williams, Jimmy Zing, Tyler Hodge, Sam Jones, and Cameron Harlock.
Now there are people you've never heard of until one
day you will. So they're young New Zealand professionals that
are in the field this weekend, and there were many
more in the New Zealand Open and obviously the NZPGA Championship.
But there's a bunch of young guys who are fabulous
(03:03):
super golfers who are part of It's almost like I
suppose a meat grinder. To get through to play in
an event like this is a huge achievement, and then
their hope is that the better they do, the better
events they'll qualify for, the more money, the more prestige,
the more intriase. It's just one big, long or high
(03:27):
ladder to climb on the way to doing pretty well
for yourself and for golf in New Zealand and.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
The Charles Tour as a pathway for those young golfers
to find out how good they are, whether they can
turn professional. Then they do all those parts of it
as such an important key cog.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Yes, well, the Charles Tour that Greg Turners started many
years ago is now a very viable and important tool
for New Zealand professionals. You did, right, But you see
there the prizes or the prize money on that tour
is now over a million dollars for the year. And
(04:06):
then the PGA New Zealand have a pro Am series
and that gets a lot of amateur golf is involved
in playing with professionals up and down the country. So
you know, a million dollars is not to be sneezed at.
So a lot of these young guys are starting in
a fabulous time. It's a real good time to start
a professional golf career.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
It is indeed, I guess a lot of local interest
if we're going away from actually on the field to
creating golf courses. There is a bit of interest around
the Pegasus Golf Club at the moment.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yes, well, anyone who is a golf fan or is
involved in golf in Canterbury would know that you know
Peters's golf Course, which was over in two thousand and nine,
so it's been around for a while and it's one
of the better layouts in Canterbury. It's a great course
to play. It's everyone's I maintain that it's everyone's sort
(05:03):
of second favorite course after their own course, and it
is very popular. But over the last couple of years
it's run into a few hassles, of a few speed bumps,
and the owner, who is more of a property developer
than a golf course owner, has run into a few problems.
(05:27):
So the golf course is up for sale and the
sale I think must be got the twenty sixth of March,
and I'm told there is quite a bit of local
interest as far as ownership goes, and if that happens,
that's probably the best news that the golf club were
definitely the members in the golf fraternity in Canterbury have
(05:49):
had for some time, because that golf course really needs
to be loved and locked after and it will fly,
it will do really well.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Do we know? Is there to ask what was.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I suppose it's worth what someone's prepared to pay for it,
and I think that's been the nub of the problems
over the past year or so that the owner who
saw it probably more as a business proposition than which
of course it is, but it didn't really understand the
subtleties of the golf business, I don't think. And he
(06:27):
was pretty heavy leveraged, I'm told, and then he needed
to recover that to get himself out of a tight spot.
And so there were office on the property, there were
officers were made to buy it, which were turned down.
And I think now he's been stuck high and dry,
(06:47):
and I you know, I feel sorry for him, but
you know, hopefully something really good will come out of
all this.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
I'm sure, Well goodness may fabulous course. Yeah, well, twenty
six of March, you.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Say, twenty six of March is the date that the
sales agent has put on on the sale.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
And just quickly you're buying the golf course and the building.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. From what I can go,
there is all we bit confusing. There's about four or
five different titles that put together make up some of
the of the golf club. There's some funny things like
the eleventh Hole, I'm told, which is a great little part.
Three The title for that eleventh hole also sits on
(07:31):
a residential house title next door, so go thick that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Oh well, well that's interesting, isn't it. I know that
Craig cu right now is looking at his budget, but
I don't know anyway. We'll see what happens with that.
You're a good man, Mike, God.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Love your work.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Okay, excellutely excellent info there about golf, the professional golf
and Pikers's Golf Club as well.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
For more from News Talks' b listen live on air
or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
Golf, which we are loving doing in association with the
Elmwood Trading Company and Mike Gone Thee.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Good morning, Good morning, Leslie. How are you this morning?
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Look, how can you not be anything but good? On
the daylight? Today? Fabulous?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yep, it's got a lot of promise today, I can
feel it. Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
And look, I know how much you love your golf
and you must be thrilled with the golf growth, growth
through the ISPs, hand at Australasian Championship and everything that's
happening around.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yes, well, we all have spoken about the growth in
the game of golf and how popular it is, and
you know what's happening in from a local point of
view and an amateur point of view. But I thought
i'd touched this morning on professional golf in New Zealand,
and I mean New Zealand has a proud history of
professional golf, but being stuck down at the bottom of
(00:48):
the world, sometimes things pass us by. But in the
last three weeks there's been unprecedented prize money really available
for New Zealand and overseas professionals that come from a
New Zealand professional point of view. It's a good time
to be playing golf for money. In the last three weeks,
there's been over three million dollars in prize money, first
(01:10):
of all at the MCPGA Championship at Paraparaumu and then
the New Zealand Open of course, a huge blockbuster success.
And now this weekend, for the first time in twenty years,
professional golf returns and there's one point four million dollars
available there in prize money and there's plenty of New
(01:32):
Zealanders buying for it.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So why do you think it's suddenly just exploded like that.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
I think maybe success breeds success. I think because of
the popularity of the game and because more people are
interested in the game, then the money follows. So obviously
the money comes from sponsors, supporters, you know, raising money
for increased or better golf facilities. The Royal Auckland and
(02:03):
Grange Golf Club as a magnificent gold club. The fact
they spent twenty million dollars on a clubhouses slightly puzzling. Anyway,
the golf course matches. It's a fantastic, fabulous golf course
and I just think that with that as well, then
there's investment, there's money. There are a lot of business
(02:24):
opportunities that sit on the periphery of major golf events
and they provide the money. You know.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I mean there are people like and I'll read you
some names here, so Jake Meinghors, Tyler Wood, Marco Thompson,
Jaden Ford, Mason Lee, Denzel Erema, Jared.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Williams, Jimmy Zing, Tyler Hodge, Sam Jones, and Cameron Harlock.
Now there are people you've never heard of until one
day you will. So they're young New Zealand professionals that
are in the field this weekend, and there were many
more in the New Zealand Open and obviously the NZPGA Championship.
But there's a bunch of young guys who are fabulous
(03:03):
super golfers who are part of It's almost like I
suppose a meat grinder. To get through to play in
an event like this is a huge achievement, and then
their hope is that the better they do, the better
events they'll qualify for, the more money, the more prestige,
the more intriase. It's just one big, long or high
(03:27):
ladder to climb on the way to doing pretty well
for yourself and for golf in New Zealand and.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
The Charles Tour as a pathway for those young golfers
to find out how good they are, whether they can
turn professional. Then they do all those parts of it
as such an important key cog.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Yes, well, the Charles Tour that Greg Turners started many
years ago is now a very viable and important tool
for New Zealand professionals. You did, right, But you see
there the prizes or the prize money on that tour
is now over a million dollars for the year. And
(04:06):
then the PGA New Zealand have a pro Am series
and that gets a lot of amateur golf is involved
in playing with professionals up and down the country. So
you know, a million dollars is not to be sneezed at.
So a lot of these young guys are starting in
a fabulous time. It's a real good time to start
a professional golf career.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
It is indeed, I guess a lot of local interest
if we're going away from actually on the field to
creating golf courses. There is a bit of interest around
the Pegasus Golf Club at the moment.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yes, well, anyone who is a golf fan or is
involved in golf in Canterbury would know that you know
Peters's golf Course, which was over in two thousand and nine,
so it's been around for a while and it's one
of the better layouts in Canterbury. It's a great course
to play. It's everyone's I maintain that it's everyone's sort
(05:03):
of second favorite course after their own course, and it
is very popular. But over the last couple of years
it's run into a few hassles, of a few speed bumps,
and the owner, who is more of a property developer
than a golf course owner, has run into a few problems.
(05:27):
So the golf course is up for sale and the
sale I think must be got the twenty sixth of March,
and I'm told there is quite a bit of local
interest as far as ownership goes, and if that happens,
that's probably the best news that the golf club were
definitely the members in the golf fraternity in Canterbury have
(05:49):
had for some time, because that golf course really needs
to be loved and locked after and it will fly,
it will do really well.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Do we know? Is there to ask what was.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I suppose it's worth what someone's prepared to pay for it,
and I think that's been the nub of the problems
over the past year or so that the owner who
saw it probably more as a business proposition than which
of course it is, but it didn't really understand the
subtleties of the golf business, I don't think. And he
(06:27):
was pretty heavy leveraged, I'm told, and then he needed
to recover that to get himself out of a tight spot.
And so there were office on the property, there were
officers were made to buy it, which were turned down.
And I think now he's been stuck high and dry,
(06:47):
and I you know, I feel sorry for him, but
you know, hopefully something really good will come out of
all this.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
I'm sure, Well goodness may fabulous course. Yeah, well, twenty
six of March, you.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Say, twenty six of March is the date that the
sales agent has put on on the sale.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
And just quickly you're buying the golf course and the building.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. From what I can go,
there is all we bit confusing. There's about four or
five different titles that put together make up some of
the of the golf club. There's some funny things like
the eleventh Hole, I'm told, which is a great little part.
Three The title for that eleventh hole also sits on
(07:31):
a residential house title next door, so go thick that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Oh well, well that's interesting, isn't it. I know that
Craig cu right now is looking at his budget, but
I don't know anyway. We'll see what happens with that.
You're a good man, Mike, God.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Love your work.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Okay, excellutely excellent info there about golf, the professional golf
and Pikers's Golf Club as well.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
For more from News Talks' b listen live on air
or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.