August 3, 2024 • 10 mins
The successful Wellington men's masters golfers begin their season this weekend.
Adam Cooper joined manager Steve Weir and long-serving captain EJ Nicholson to preview the campaign.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
From River Rugby at Rongatide to the Hurricanes. It's sky Stadio.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
We've got it covered on the All Sport Breakfast with
Rutherford and Bond, Toyota and King Toyota News Talk.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
S'd be great to.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Have a company this morning here on the All Sport Breakfast.
As always around the time we talked golf and well again,
we're just having a bit more of a featurey look
at the upcoming golf campaigns from a provincial level here
in Wellington. We'll get to some of the Olympic golf
scores in just a moment, but we're going to be
joined by Steve Where to have a look at the
Wellington Masters team this year and alongside Steve one of
(00:31):
the key leaders and members of the Wellington Master's side. Steve,
very good morning to you and tell us how you've
got to alongside you for our chat this morning.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Indeed, good morning Adam to sit here with c J.
Nicholson who's the captain of our Masters Men's team. EJ's
been in that role since I actually came into this
role as an employee in twenty sixteen and we've formed
quite a good working relationship around that and had some
success with that team across those eight years.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, fantastically so joining us as well alongside Steve this morning.
Can you firstly talk about that success that this team
has had over those years that you've been in the
captaincy role and overseeing a lot of what's going on.
What have you found has been behind the team's success
on the whole?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
I think it's building a successful culture and getting that
team culture right. I know a lot of people talk
about culture within teams and organizations, but that's really important
to get that culture right and get the players sort
of what's the word building into that culture and implementing
(01:38):
that culture and how they play and how they act
and that kind of stuff. And I guess what I
look to when I first came into the role, obviously
with the successful team that everyone knows about down South,
the Mighty Crusaders, and how they've built that over the
last seven years. Obviously they think at the best season
this year, but looking back at that seven years with
that culture that they've been able to build, I sort
(02:00):
of looked at them and looked at resources and online
to how they built that little tips and tricks that
they did with their team and how they got their
team members that basically come on board.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, and Steve, you've been on that journey for for
quite some time now with the team, with your role
overseeing all the operations. Well, how do you, from an
administrator's level, ass the way the Master's program is going
for Wellington?
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Yeah, I've been fortunate I get a couple of hats,
and in this space, so where the team manager's hat.
But certainly I guess in the master space all the
chaps are forty years or older, and many had families
and working careers, so they had a much wider perspective
in some sense, and they've been able to bring a
lot of those values and experiences into that team space.
And again, in some sense, golfers kind of their escape
(02:49):
from some of that. It's not quite the right word,
but it is something they really value and look forward to,
and that really strong contributors. Obviously, we start every year
with a dozen or so people and we pen that
down to eight and we end up with six at
the end of the year. So along the way there's
disappointments and missouts, but from a man, they've all been
supportive of those teams often turned out at the endgame
(03:11):
for those teams. So it's a long journey and a
slow burn. But I guess just good men enjoying the
great game and the makeshift of it all. I guess
they are the key things for me, Adam.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, and Steve, just from the organization's perspective, you know,
how important is a strong master's program. You know, why
do you invest time and effort into making the supper
level of success?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah? Good, good question, And the obvious answer to that
is that that don't demographic of golf is strongly steered
towards forty and fifty year old people two thirds of
all that golf membership and population. So it's really important
there's a pathway for people who might have played red
golf as younger players to pull on the yellow jumper
(03:56):
and represent their province and that the clubs can have
a island there club members representing the province. And obviously
we've had quite a degree of success whinning a couple
of national titles in that time. So you're very.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Important, yeah, EJ for you, especially that the crossover with
the senior team yourself John O'Cain included, and the people
that play for both both the senior but also the Masters.
Great is that important for I guess both teams to
do you think have that crossover and people playing for
a couple of them.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Yeah, I think so because obviously myself and John I
can bring what we have in the master space into
that men's space. As we said, we've had a lot
of success in that master space where we went on
that unbeaten run for thirty one games in a row
over a few seasons, and like Steve said, we've got
two national titles now in the last few years. So
(04:46):
we can bring that experience and what we have in
that master's space into the men's space and then start
building that team up with those younger guys.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
EJ. How devastating was breaking that winning streak with the
defeat to Auckland's last season. Is it something you're still
sort of think back on and think, damn could have
would have liked to carry on that run for a
bit longer.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
You really did have to bring that up, didn't you. Yeah,
that was that was devastating. Obviously there's a chance that's
going to happen at some stage, but yeah, lose to Auckland.
It was a it was a close match, but yeah,
it was devastating to break that, but obviously that gives
me out now, gives us an opportunity to start another
(05:25):
trend and get get on another winning streak and.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Steve with team that players in the wider squad tell
us why it's that big and instead of the purpose
of having an extended squad that high.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Yeah, certainly everyone gets the opportunity to express interest in
being part of that group earlier in the season. It's
really important that those who might not be in there's
a natural pecking order in some sense, that those who
are not quite forcing the selectors to choose them in
five and the sixteen eight see what it looks like
to be involved in a wider group. And all, especially
(06:01):
the chaps in the space are really good at setting
goals and are quite coal oriented. So really, you know,
we have several players I won't name them who consider
in that space and they've enjoyed the team and the
environment and would like to improve their game and get
to the big shirt at the end of the year.
So it's very important.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
E J. Nicholson with us the captain of the Wellington
Men's Master's provincial golf team alongside Steve. Wherefore our Golfer
Chat this morning talking the upcoming season. EJ. How often
do you keep playing during the winter. We know the
commitment that golfers during the summer, but how busy do
you have to keep through these winter months as you
build up to the season to get primed for another year.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
So, yeah, the winter months are a little bit harder
because obviously it's quite weather dependent. If there's a strong
suddenly coming through Alwa's quite windy, it's not much use
going out onto the range because obviously the ball is
going to be going sideways. So I do spend quite
a bit of the winter months more around the conditioning
of things, sort of inside and especially around the pudding
(07:04):
because obviously putting you can do inside on mats and
working on technique and that kind of stuff rather than
being out on a range.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah, exactly. The more experience you get as a golfer
and returning for more seasons, do you do you feel
more confidence coming out to the greens and fairways every weekend? EJ?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Yeah definitely, Like obviously I can draw on that experience.
I've been in this space now for close to eight
to nine years I think it is now, so yeah,
I've got a lot of experience I can draw on,
and I know what works for me and what doesn't
work for me. Now I've been able to go through
that whole process, but I think that's probably one of
the most important things, knowing what works for you and
what doesn't and then find that into a game situation.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
And Steve, we've obviously got a very successful and well
established master's program. What are the other provinces like? Are
they in some of the spaces? Are they in building phases?
Can you tell us we're Wellington kind of ranks overall
in that regard?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Well On certain in terms of the program, we're at
the top of the heat with a couple of others.
Certainly when you look through the team sheets of the
other provinces like the Aucklands and the Canterburys and the
Bay of Plenties to name but a few, they have
named their familiar international n Z and REP level names.
So a lot of seriously good golfers and at this
(08:19):
stage in life, I guess the key part of their
working in life careers that it's the time they can
give and the effort they can put in. But I
would like to think we're at the top of that
bunch in terms of preparation and the way we turn
teams out, the way we conduct ourselves. But you know,
there are some seriously good players and those other teams,
(08:43):
that Auckland team have been a bit of our kryptonite
over the years in some sense, and we've got the
better of them in recent times. But you know that's
just the name one, certainly the Ottaga and Canterbury, and
they have played very good teams. You've got to keep
improving and doing more in that preparation and team development space,
which we work quite hard at, and then the result
(09:04):
will be the result. You can only do that much
and then just give it your best.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Awesome and jadle starts for the season this weekend golf
for the start of August to begin the new season.
Tell us that you've got up there in Gisbon this weekend.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Yeah, So we've got a Poverty Bay team which is
a mixture of masters and men and it's just basically
to grow their development and grow their their men's space
as well. We don't really want to have eight masters
from the Poverty Bay side out, so they'll sort of
mixed that team up. And then we've also got the
Hawk's Bay Masters that traveled up from Hawks Vader come
(09:38):
up and play in a triangular with us.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Wonderful well guys, great to catch up as always, appreciate
both of your time finding out a little bit more
about the thriving Masters program here in Wellington. So all
the best getting underweight this weekend and thanks for your
time as always.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Thanks Aden for more from News Talks B Listen live
on air or online, and
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcasts on iHeartRadio
From River Rugby at Rongatide to the Hurricanes. It's sky Stadio.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
We've got it covered on the All Sport Breakfast with
Rutherford and Bond, Toyota and King Toyota News Talk.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
S'd be great to.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Have a company this morning here on the All Sport Breakfast.
As always around the time we talked golf and well again,
we're just having a bit more of a featurey look
at the upcoming golf campaigns from a provincial level here
in Wellington. We'll get to some of the Olympic golf
scores in just a moment, but we're going to be
joined by Steve Where to have a look at the
Wellington Masters team this year and alongside Steve one of
(00:31):
the key leaders and members of the Wellington Master's side. Steve,
very good morning to you and tell us how you've
got to alongside you for our chat this morning.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Indeed, good morning Adam to sit here with c J.
Nicholson who's the captain of our Masters Men's team. EJ's
been in that role since I actually came into this
role as an employee in twenty sixteen and we've formed
quite a good working relationship around that and had some
success with that team across those eight years.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, fantastically so joining us as well alongside Steve this morning.
Can you firstly talk about that success that this team
has had over those years that you've been in the
captaincy role and overseeing a lot of what's going on.
What have you found has been behind the team's success
on the whole?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
I think it's building a successful culture and getting that
team culture right. I know a lot of people talk
about culture within teams and organizations, but that's really important
to get that culture right and get the players sort
of what's the word building into that culture and implementing
(01:38):
that culture and how they play and how they act
and that kind of stuff. And I guess what I
look to when I first came into the role, obviously
with the successful team that everyone knows about down South,
the Mighty Crusaders, and how they've built that over the
last seven years. Obviously they think at the best season
this year, but looking back at that seven years with
that culture that they've been able to build, I sort
(02:00):
of looked at them and looked at resources and online
to how they built that little tips and tricks that
they did with their team and how they got their
team members that basically come on board.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, and Steve, you've been on that journey for for
quite some time now with the team, with your role
overseeing all the operations. Well, how do you, from an
administrator's level, ass the way the Master's program is going
for Wellington?
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Yeah, I've been fortunate I get a couple of hats,
and in this space, so where the team manager's hat.
But certainly I guess in the master space all the
chaps are forty years or older, and many had families
and working careers, so they had a much wider perspective
in some sense, and they've been able to bring a
lot of those values and experiences into that team space.
And again, in some sense, golfers kind of their escape
(02:49):
from some of that. It's not quite the right word,
but it is something they really value and look forward to,
and that really strong contributors. Obviously, we start every year
with a dozen or so people and we pen that
down to eight and we end up with six at
the end of the year. So along the way there's
disappointments and missouts, but from a man, they've all been
supportive of those teams often turned out at the endgame
(03:11):
for those teams. So it's a long journey and a
slow burn. But I guess just good men enjoying the
great game and the makeshift of it all. I guess
they are the key things for me, Adam.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, and Steve, just from the organization's perspective, you know,
how important is a strong master's program. You know, why
do you invest time and effort into making the supper
level of success?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah? Good, good question, And the obvious answer to that
is that that don't demographic of golf is strongly steered
towards forty and fifty year old people two thirds of
all that golf membership and population. So it's really important
there's a pathway for people who might have played red
golf as younger players to pull on the yellow jumper
(03:56):
and represent their province and that the clubs can have
a island there club members representing the province. And obviously
we've had quite a degree of success whinning a couple
of national titles in that time. So you're very.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Important, yeah, EJ for you, especially that the crossover with
the senior team yourself John O'Cain included, and the people
that play for both both the senior but also the Masters.
Great is that important for I guess both teams to
do you think have that crossover and people playing for
a couple of them.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Yeah, I think so because obviously myself and John I
can bring what we have in the master space into
that men's space. As we said, we've had a lot
of success in that master space where we went on
that unbeaten run for thirty one games in a row
over a few seasons, and like Steve said, we've got
two national titles now in the last few years. So
(04:46):
we can bring that experience and what we have in
that master's space into the men's space and then start
building that team up with those younger guys.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
EJ. How devastating was breaking that winning streak with the
defeat to Auckland's last season. Is it something you're still
sort of think back on and think, damn could have
would have liked to carry on that run for a
bit longer.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
You really did have to bring that up, didn't you. Yeah,
that was that was devastating. Obviously there's a chance that's
going to happen at some stage, but yeah, lose to Auckland.
It was a it was a close match, but yeah,
it was devastating to break that, but obviously that gives
me out now, gives us an opportunity to start another
(05:25):
trend and get get on another winning streak and.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Steve with team that players in the wider squad tell
us why it's that big and instead of the purpose
of having an extended squad that high.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Yeah, certainly everyone gets the opportunity to express interest in
being part of that group earlier in the season. It's
really important that those who might not be in there's
a natural pecking order in some sense, that those who
are not quite forcing the selectors to choose them in
five and the sixteen eight see what it looks like
to be involved in a wider group. And all, especially
(06:01):
the chaps in the space are really good at setting
goals and are quite coal oriented. So really, you know,
we have several players I won't name them who consider
in that space and they've enjoyed the team and the
environment and would like to improve their game and get
to the big shirt at the end of the year.
So it's very important.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
E J. Nicholson with us the captain of the Wellington
Men's Master's provincial golf team alongside Steve. Wherefore our Golfer
Chat this morning talking the upcoming season. EJ. How often
do you keep playing during the winter. We know the
commitment that golfers during the summer, but how busy do
you have to keep through these winter months as you
build up to the season to get primed for another year.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
So, yeah, the winter months are a little bit harder
because obviously it's quite weather dependent. If there's a strong
suddenly coming through Alwa's quite windy, it's not much use
going out onto the range because obviously the ball is
going to be going sideways. So I do spend quite
a bit of the winter months more around the conditioning
of things, sort of inside and especially around the pudding
(07:04):
because obviously putting you can do inside on mats and
working on technique and that kind of stuff rather than
being out on a range.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah, exactly. The more experience you get as a golfer
and returning for more seasons, do you do you feel
more confidence coming out to the greens and fairways every weekend? EJ?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Yeah definitely, Like obviously I can draw on that experience.
I've been in this space now for close to eight
to nine years I think it is now, so yeah,
I've got a lot of experience I can draw on,
and I know what works for me and what doesn't
work for me. Now I've been able to go through
that whole process, but I think that's probably one of
the most important things, knowing what works for you and
what doesn't and then find that into a game situation.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
And Steve, we've obviously got a very successful and well
established master's program. What are the other provinces like? Are
they in some of the spaces? Are they in building phases?
Can you tell us we're Wellington kind of ranks overall
in that regard?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Well On certain in terms of the program, we're at
the top of the heat with a couple of others.
Certainly when you look through the team sheets of the
other provinces like the Aucklands and the Canterburys and the
Bay of Plenties to name but a few, they have
named their familiar international n Z and REP level names.
So a lot of seriously good golfers and at this
(08:19):
stage in life, I guess the key part of their
working in life careers that it's the time they can
give and the effort they can put in. But I
would like to think we're at the top of that
bunch in terms of preparation and the way we turn
teams out, the way we conduct ourselves. But you know,
there are some seriously good players and those other teams,
(08:43):
that Auckland team have been a bit of our kryptonite
over the years in some sense, and we've got the
better of them in recent times. But you know that's
just the name one, certainly the Ottaga and Canterbury, and
they have played very good teams. You've got to keep
improving and doing more in that preparation and team development space,
which we work quite hard at, and then the result
(09:04):
will be the result. You can only do that much
and then just give it your best.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Awesome and jadle starts for the season this weekend golf
for the start of August to begin the new season.
Tell us that you've got up there in Gisbon this weekend.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Yeah, So we've got a Poverty Bay team which is
a mixture of masters and men and it's just basically
to grow their development and grow their their men's space
as well. We don't really want to have eight masters
from the Poverty Bay side out, so they'll sort of
mixed that team up. And then we've also got the
Hawk's Bay Masters that traveled up from Hawks Vader come
(09:38):
up and play in a triangular with us.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Wonderful well guys, great to catch up as always, appreciate
both of your time finding out a little bit more
about the thriving Masters program here in Wellington. So all
the best getting underweight this weekend and thanks for your
time as always.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Thanks Aden for more from News Talks B Listen live
on air or online, and
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcasts on iHeartRadio
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