From the Tasman Sea shore
Golf Notes is coming to you from Blackball, New Zealand. Blackball is a small town close to the Tasman Sea shore, nestled into the western slopes of the Southern Alps. The drive from the Landsdowne area was close to four hours across open sheep grazing plains, then winding up through the Alps through Authors Pass. My daughter, Alice, and I are visiting my, many moons ago, former wife, Lyndsey. She owns a lovely little house on the outskirts of Blackball,
a population of 276 people. Blackball is known locally as the center of the universe- the part where nothing moves. Looking out the windows of Lyndsey's house, you see lush tree-covered slopes with some leaves becoming fall colors. We are sliding into the fall down under.
Returning to golf, the Tai Tapu course, located close to my daughter's house, the course management has by-laws written by the Management Committee. Under the bylaws are written four basic principles introduced by this proclamation: As a member of Tai Tapu Golf Club, a certain standard of behavior (that is how behavior is spelled in NZ) is expected that reflects the basic requirements of sportsmanship, integrity, courtesy and respect to be shown to all other members, competitors, officials, employees and the public. Here are the four principles: Bad temper, club throwing, foul and abusive language. Failure to adhere to the rules and etiquette of the game of golf. Unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary gamesmanship. Physical violence and threatening behavior. Players are encouraged to report any violation of these principles. If a golfer is reported, their incident may be categorized as a 1,2 or 3-level infraction. A committee is assigned to review the reported violation, and depending on the level of the incident, the player might just get a talking-to, a warning, or a bye-bye.
Blackball, rich in gold and coal mining history, does not have a golf course. The course closest to Blackball is the Greymouth course. Green fees for the Greymouth Club are $40.00 for the eighteen. A set of clubs and a trundler goes for $10.00. Annual memberships go for $625.00. On June 27th and 28th, the Greymouth course is having a Hooley, a four-person team Stableford tournament, with
a $400.00 per team entry fee. Come on down and sign up before it's too late.
New Zealand, located here and there, has these colorfully named rural pubs. With the names and unique look, you'd expect characters from Harry Potter to be cozied up inside. Here are a few names. Located down the road from my daughter's house is a joint called The Bicycle Thief. My daughter says it's expensive. In the Rotorua area, a police headquarters was converted into a pub called The Pig and Whistle. In Blackball, the only pub is called The Formerly Blackball Hilton. It was initially called Blackball Hilton, but the Hilton corporation complained and renamed it The Formerly Blackball Hilton.