Clubs on course to join together

BY NICHOLAS BOYACK - HUTT NEWS

A big change in local golf is being teed up, with the pending amalgamation of the Boulcott and Hutt clubs.

The clubs last week voted for the merger, which is being driven by the need to upgrade the Boulcott stopbank for flood protection.

The new club will feature a 24-hole course, clubrooms and practice facilities. The new clubrooms will be accessed off Fairway Dr (near GNS) with the cost of the new set-up estimated at $11 million.

Funding will come from the sale of land in Military Rd and from compensation from the regional council for the disruption caused by the flood protection work.

The new club, which as yet does not have a name, could have a major impact on other golf clubs in the Hutt Valley.

There are nine local clubs and the Hutt News understands a number are struggling financially.

Earlier this year, Wainuiomata indicated it needed to raise extra money to remain open.

A new club based in the central Hutt, with modern facilities, is likely to attract players from other clubs.

Hutt president Bruce Webster says he is pleased that both clubs have voted for the merger.

''We are pretty delighted with the result so far.''

Hutt voted unanimously and Boulcott achieved the necessary two-thirds majority.

Major decisions will be necessary to ''map out'' a way forward, Mr Webster says.

He met Boulcott president Joe Liddle last Friday to discuss the merger.

The two men released a statement noting that the two special general meetings had been well attended and that the clubs could now begin working on the way ahead.

Both men noted the work undertaken by a six-person working group, involving members from both clubs, which over the past five months had investigated all aspects relating to the merger.

The working group had supported the merger on the grounds that it was in the best interest of both clubs and for golf in the region.

They're working to a timeframe of having the clubs merged prior to the start of flood protection in October next year. 

The latest edition of The Bugler, the newsletter of the Hutt Golf Club, notes that the amalgamation will result in a potential operational saving of $250,000.

The new club aims to have a common subscription level within five years.

Hutt's subscriptions of $1250 are more than double Boulcott's.

The new club will include a six-hole option suitable for learners or those not wanting to play 18 holes.