Aiden Berry: Departing Clearwater Golf Club GM talks the highlights, challenges during his tenure

Aiden Berry is after a change of scenery. 

Berry is departing from his role as the GM at Clearwater Golf Club – a role he’s held for almost 5 years after a 7 stink at the Pegasus Golf Club. 

He’s off to Australia to spend more time with his family, and joined Lesley Murdoch for a chat about some of his highlights and challenges he experienced in his time running two high profile Christchurch golf clubs.  

In association with Elmwood Trading Company. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Time now to go to our golf segment and of
course in association with the Elmwood Trading Company and it's
a very warm welcome to Aiden, Barry.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Aiden, good morning, good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Well what we need to tell our listeners. You are
soon to leave your position as general manager of one
of New Zealand's leading golf resorts. We're talking about Clearwater
Golf Club. But you're seeing the light so to speak,
going to Australia. We don't like that. But you have
had so much experience. You've been general manager at Pegas's
golf club, You've held various golf management roles and you're

(00:32):
a sitting board member of the PGA of New Zealand.
So it's great to.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Talk to you, great to be on.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Thanks for having So what was your early introduction into golf?
How did you get into the sport.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
I think the father got me into the game at
a very young age, back when we're in sort of
wood and golf club out at Marlborough and then he's
coming out to christ Church after that, having an opportunity
to get into the game and more of a career
sence a apprenticeship under the PDO professional Mike Gaines the
sort of where it all started for me at here

(01:04):
Were Golf Club. It was a number of years ago now,
so any.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Early mentors, anybody who really influenced you apart.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
From your dad, probably Mike gains It. It was probably
my first true coach from the PGA sense, and obviously
having to do my apprenticeship under him, learn an awful
lot during that time and he really shitting me up.
To the crew that I've been fortunate they had since.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
It's interesting, isn't it. You know when you go from
playing a sport to into the edmund I mean you've
held so many different roles, and especially here in Canterbury.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah, yeah, from coaching through to running my own business,
being fortunate to coach on some of the tours around
the world, and now get into management. Yeah, it's been
quite a very.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Creative on When you think about COVID and we talk
about the numbers, how golf really was probably one of
the few sports that actually benefited hugely from the co
experience in terms of how many more social golfers there
are out there now. But you know what, do you
put this up surge too? Apart from that part of

(02:11):
the illness, but every day when we come into work,
we could go on to the internet and find some
golfer around the world a key we doing particularly well.
It's just phenomenal, isn't it It is.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
I mean, it definitely got a huge post, but it's
definitely continued on since then. You've seen so many more
people get into the game at record levels. It's just
it's a great sport and I think a lot of
people that once they get into it, they realize that
it's just getting them.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
To start, okay, And an interesting experience being on the
board of the PGA.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yeah, yeah, it has been. Yeah, just from a governance perspective,
seeing how we work closely with the n Z and
how our sort of direction and strategic parts of the line.
Just purely about getting more people engaged in game of golf, because.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
You know, for some people it's not a cheap sport.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Is it. No? But I think I think all sports
are getting that way these days. Costs of all things
go up that I think the main thing with our
sport is just the cost of maintaining the facilities aiden
holes of golf. It does come at a rather large cost.
Everyone knows how much a cost of maintaining the lawn.
Probably quite a big lawn out there.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
Yeah, and many of them exactly. So, apart from yourself
Aden Barry being a famous person, who else have you
played with it's had a big name attached to them.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
I've been fortunate. I've got quite a few friends that
have done exceeding well in their sports, I guess, probably
not from a playing perspective, but more recently being down
at the New Zealand Open and being on the bag
or kidding for Richie McCord is between. Just to see
it from that perspective was probably quite a big highlights

(03:54):
from the arsenal.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
So what you know, apart from those famous names, what
other golfing highlights of your head? I mean, you've just
said such a varied role and contributed so much off
the golf course.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
Just trying I think it's quite a hard question to answer,
but I think probably the biggest pilot for me more recently,
it would be just seeing the impact that, yeah, that
certain people aren't Cannabry you've had. I mean, we're very fortunate.
We've got some great supporters of golf. The one that
probably comes to mine to Todd Haller with the hello
golf center that he's created in the last year and

(04:29):
just seeing how many, how many kids and family have
been engaging with that, and it probably stands out as
a highlight for me.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
Yeah, it's tremendous, isn't he a backer of so many sports?
Actually told me I love it. Just phenomenal what he's done. Yeah,
and so what has been the lure to take you
to Australia.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
It's family. So look, we've loved that time in New Zealand.
I'm very fortunate with the roles I've had. But we've
got some young nieces and nephews over there that were
my wife and I have pretty ten to be a
little bit more close to two. So it just gives
us an opportunity and now again and spend a bit
more time with them.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
Well, we wish you all the best. We're grateful for
you coming to the phone for our program this morning,
Aiden Berry and go well, thank you for everything that
you've done.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
No, I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
Thank you for more from News Talks ed B Listen
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