Avondale Golf Club: Where it all began

By Neville Idour

Where what all began? Forgive me a little indulgence, but this story from this golf crustacean is a little bit personal.

Avondale Golf Club in east Christchurch was the first member club for my wife and I. So I decided the time was right to revisit the reborn facility and tell it’s story and a tiny bit of mine.

Memories, memories. The time comes sadly, when that is all we may have left. For me most of my memories of my time at Avondale were great, just a couple were not and they both involved the unpleasant club captain at the time. I’m going back decades here but the events and lessons I learned are worth relating.

It was my first Saturday club day and this greenhorn went into the clubhouse for apres golf. I get inside in the buzzing full lounge and I’m halfway in when this loud voice bellows out above the chatter “Take that b….. cap off.”

The whole lounge went quiet with me the star turn. I was unaware you never wore your cap in the clubhouse. Lesson learned. Unfortunately a couple of Saturdays later I was put in a four that included the same guy. I was in some trepidation and it was not displaced.

I have always taken one practice swing before my shot. Just one and I don’t dilly dally or freeze over the ball or take an age to line up. Despite that, early in the round he proceeds to inform me “You don’t need a practice swing.”

You can imagine how much I enjoyed my round. So after that, thoughts of cancelling my membership briefly floated by but thankfully I settled on avoiding this guy, period.

Now that I have got the unpleasant out of the way we can look at the positives and where the club is today. The news is all good. Our years at the club were thoroughly enjoyable and there was a very welcoming and friendly membership. Club events were always enjoyable and the clubhouse was more than adequate in size and the ladies ensured the café was a popular place with great food.

The course was always a pleasure to play, if a little tight on some fairways. I scored one of my two holes in one on the excellent 134 metre 12th, a par three. The memory is still alive. My best 18 hole score was also recorded at Avondale. Incredibly my wife Philippa scored four holes in one at Avondale on four of the par threes, the 15th hole eluded her!

So it is easy to see why we have a fond spot for Avondale, which I have played on occasion over the years with great friend of 60 years, entertainer Neville Barrie.

I have digressed enough so it is time to talk about the club and course today. When I visited for this story I encountered Paul Franklin and was staggered when he remembered my wife and I as he wouldn’t have seen us for 30 years.

So we had a chat. Paul has been a member since 1981. He talked about the 90-year-old clubhouse before the earthquake destroyed it.

“Before the earthquake our clubhouse was literally falling down,’’ Franklin said.

``It was in very poor condition and the earthquake put an end to it. We would never have had the money to rebuild it, but the insurance money actually covered the rebuild costs. So we came out smiling with a new clubhouse.”

Caption: Inside the clubhouse at Avondale.

Franklin said the club had an excellent general manager, Richard Sinclair who has been with the club since the earthquakes. Sinclair has various awards for his management skills. He looks after the golf shop which has an excellent variety and plentiful stock, and is a good earner for the club.

The new clubhouse is outstanding. Spacious and well appointed it also includes at one end a big bonus for members. It was the first club in New Zealand to install two state of the art simulators that members can use as their warm up driving range as the club does not have a driving range. They are great for members but fair use is requested. You can also enjoy some tuition here with professional Andy Sams.

The clubhouse is truly a 19th hole and more. It offers 270 degree views of the course. The simulator areas are ideal to house bands for functions. The bar and café facilities are top notch and can cater for any event. There are excellent outdoor areas as well.

Membership numbers are very healthy — 560 men, 104 women. The men's membership is capped at that number although there is room for limited numbers of mid-week or nine hole players, but they can still accommodate more women.

Green fees are an absolute steal. Affiliated for 18 holes is $30. Nine holes $20. Unaffiliated $35 and $25. Sunday/Monday special $25 and $15. Carts $25 and $35. Sunday/Monday pairs deal — two players with cart $75.

Membership fees are also very amenable. Full membership is $995. Midweek $755. Nine-hole full $575. Nine-hole Midweek $475. Junior from $115.

The course has evolved over 106 years from the sandhills in the east of Christchurch. The original 80 acres purchased by George Scales consisted of sandhills, swamp and dense scrub. Few could have envisaged the transformation of this wild area in to an appealing matured very playable but challenging 18 hole layout. Founder George Scales’ desire was to create an inclusive golfing experience, and that is exactly what the Dale, as the course is effectively known, has become. It is also known as the most social club in Christchurch.

It was originally a links course in its purest form. In 1919, 12 holes were formed using only the natural contours of the land as it lay. Natural mounding and sand dunes were included unaltered. Vegetation was left in place to encourage accuracy. In the following decade it was developed into 18 holes. Thousands of trees were established and many of them today define the course and demand accurate tee shots. Meet the challenge and good scoring is in the offing.

Finance was a problem from the beginning but the committees soldiered on overcoming any obstacles. Like for many clubs the post war years were difficult with membership being depleted and maintenance and administration costs spiralling upwards.

However by 1950 the light had got brighter with membership increasing and improvements to the course including the installation of a watering scheme in 1962.

So to the present day. The greens staff Garry Worsley and Merv Kitto have been looking after the course for 15 years and the results are obvious with fairways and greens offering fine playing conditions all year round. Looking ahead to the next decade there will be improvements to tee blocks, bunkering and naturalisation of some areas. The aim? A playable course for all in ever improving condition.

The course is a par 70 with 35 each nine. There are three par fives, 10 par fours and five unique par threes. By unique we mean different challenges in looks and very much design. From the white tees they measure in metres 144, 135, 134, 175 and 172 respectively. No pushovers. They all have bunkers lurking to snaffle the wayward or short ball.

Plus, on seven and 18, there is runoff. No 18 is ranked one of the most challenging in Canterbury. My hole in one hole the 12th is fun with the chance of the green shape aiding the ball towards the hole if well directed. But get the length right.

Undulations are a feature on several holes and add to the interest, challenge and enjoyment — and at 5404 metres from the white tees and 5071 from the forward tees distance is not going to overwhelm. Apart from the par threes, standout holes are the par four second, the par five fifth and the par four 8th, 9th, 14th, 15th and 17th holes. It all adds up to a great day out and you won’t come away exhausted from a swag of lost balls, more than head high deep bunkers or having to negotiate matagauri bushes.

Stay out of the trees and a good score is very much for the taking. If not then the opportunity to play some miracle recovery shots may present themselves. Whatever the case if you can’t enjoy a round at the Dale then maybe you should try tiddlywinks.