CSB - Paul Radovancich - President Tahuna Golf Club

It’s a case of out with the ewe for Tahuna Golf Club.

For 55 years the golf course north of Morrinsville has farmed sheep and used them as greenskeepers to maintain fairways, until a decision last week to sell the sheep and revamp the course into a groomed state.

From December 3, the sheep will be sold and instead, the course groomed into a more manicured state, with hopes that new members will offset the financial loss arising from discontinuing the farming

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sport, the latest from the Land and just great rock.
It's the Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on gold Sport,
your home of live commentary. Caught it to wait here
on gold Sport. Right, we're going into the White Cuto
now to the Tahoona Golf Club to be exact, just
to put you in the picture of the club's about
one hundred and twenty kilometers south of Auckland, and they've

(00:23):
made a decision recently when they've been faced with a
big bill to replace the one hundred and twenty five
us that they used to well, I guess keep the
fairways trim. Joining us as the club president. Paul Radvanovitch, Paul,
good morning, Good morning, How are you very well? Thank you? So.
How difficult a decision was this to sack the sheep?

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, a little a little bit of nostalgia. You know
a lot of people might turn up there and old
Barbara won't be on the job.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
You've had the sheep. They're keeping the fairways trim for
something like fifty five years, so why are you now
getting rid of them?

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Just times, you know, we sort of want to go
with the times, getting modern. A lot of people won't
come to our course because of the sheep. Cheap shit.
Basically it's run it's in a farming area, so we
don't mind. But you know, they won't come out of
the towns to play our toornaments and that. So yeah,

(01:26):
and we had to replace update our flock, et cetera.
So it's going to cost money. So we thought we'd
see if we can we can put it without the sheep.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
So to replace the sheep. Basically the bill was going
to be what something like twenty five dollars for replacing
one hundred and twenty five years. It's a lot of money.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yes, there's a lot of money. Yeah. So and nowadays
it's all voluntary labor. So you know that most of
our people are dairy farmers, so that there's very few
know much about sheep farming. So we've of thought, oh well,
we'll try and go with the times and gain a

(02:05):
few members and pay for things that way.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
You know, does it now mean you're going to have
to go and buy some some bigger tractors or bigger
moas to keep the fairways trum.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
We've we're a semi groom course. We've had tractors and
moas so in the growing season, you know, from September
through to December, our course is mode quite regularly anyway,
because we don't push the sheet numbers. So we have
got enough gear at the moment, but we will down
the track we will need more gear and modern, more

(02:37):
modern gear.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Yes, poor old Barbra's not going to be happy, is she.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
No, not at all. Some of the boys are out
there loading out now. There's store lambs and some the
older us going to Franklin sale today. So we're still
we're in the process of, you know, making it all happen.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
At the moment, you're not the only golf club, I
mean in the in the world world that actually has
sheeper animals that actually keep the fairways trim, are you.
I think there's a club near Melbourne that have even
got old packers and ponies out there.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Yeah, there's still quite a few really throughout New Zealand
and that. Yeah, it's just the way it used to be,
you know. So yeah, but I don't think I don't
think Ramuera or somewhere like that carry cliffs or anything.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
You wouldn't see that there, that's for sure. How many
how many members have you got at t Huna Club Paul.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
About one thirty at the moment. When golf boomed in
the eighties and nineties, we got up to the two hundred,
but small, smaller farms, and that have affected our membership.
But Gold's very strong at the moment, so hopefully we
can gain a few.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
Obviously, you keep the you keep the sheep off the greens,
don't you.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah, fences around our greens, so that's another thing. Some
of the older people don't like hopping o dullow fences,
but don't like hopping over the fence, you know. So
it's a lovely.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
Week course that I've driven past many many times when
I drive the oh anyway, Tahuna Road. How much is
membership to join?

Speaker 2 (04:12):
We've had, we've we've decided to put it up. Happened
to last year was three ninety So next year a
full playing membership and titlers to all our competitions and
that will before ninety. So yeah, once again, a little
bit cheaper than the city clubs.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
Yeah, I was going to say, probably a bit cheaper
than carry cliffs.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Oh yeah, yeah, and green Fas you can come and
play eighteen holes for twenty five bucks.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
So oh there you go and you can play them.
You can play them now without stepping in cheap shit,
so to speak.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
Yeah, and then in a week and so yeah, you
won't even get green on your shoes. Mate, it'll be
just like going to heaven.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
Oh lovely. Hey, nice to chat, Paul, Well done and
thanks for joining us this morning.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah no, thanks, awesome, thank you very much. Come and
play our course over the sun.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Love to I love the course I've driven past many times.
In fact, Mark my producer loves his golf, drives past
it off and you might even drop in there. Paul
Redvanovic joining us out of the Tahuna Golf Club. The
sheep have been sacked. Poor old Barbara