Know your town

Martinborough Golf Club
On 20th August 1908 a meeting was held at the Oddfellow’s Hall to discuss the forming of a golf club. Ten people attended and the decision was made to form a club. Dr Hugh Webb agreed to be the secretary and a member’s annual subscription of five shillings set (2012 = $79) .

Play for the first season was on John Martin’s ‘Waiura’ property next to the then race course (the present golf course). The following year the club moved to George Pain’s property ‘Okoroire” (now the Pain Farm.)

Mr Pain’s garage served as a club house and members made improvements to the course as funds permitted. Enquiries were even made about engaging a professional to give tuition as long as the fee did not exceed one pound ten shillings (2014 = $237) a week.

The club remained on this site until 1923 when Mr and Mrs pain were made life members (There was no play during the war years). That year the club also leased land from Jack Martin at Huangarua where the ground was dryer. The members cut the fairways with scythes and hired the County Council to roll the fairways and greens on the nine hole course. Natural hazards included the river, fences – and sheep.

The following year six club members put up a guarantee of one hundred pounds (2014 = $158,000) to enable the building of a club house. A tender was accepted from W J Hore for eighty five pounds. A veranda was later added. Membership numbers were now high and until a further four holes were later added players were required to play in fours on Saturdays.

In 1934 the ladies formed their own club with Miss M C Martin president and Mrs Kitching secretary.
War again curtailed club activity but by 1948 burgeoning membership gave thought to expansion. The Trustees of he Race course were approached and agreement reached for the 110 acre course to be the club’s new course.
A contractor and huge numbers of volunteers worked long hours and the new eighteen hole course was opened on 9th April 1949. A very strict dress code was in place; plus 4s, jacket, tie etc.

The lease continued to allow public use of the area for a set number of days a year in the off season for public sports, horse sports and picnics. The horse sports continued to use the grounds until 1957. In 1974 the club house burned down in suspicious circumstances (as covered in an earlier ‘Know your town’).
Photo caption (a): The club house at Huangarua (from left) Mick Quin (publican), Bill Kitching (draper), Frank Duffy ( town clerk) and Laurie Turner (barber)