Tahunga Golf Club is located at Pehiri and last year marked its 50th anniversary.
Official celebrations of that were postponed because of rain events and one of those caused extensive damage to the sixth green, which made it near unplayable for last year’s popular Tahunga men’s open.
Members obviously have a lot more to worry about than the course.
Gabrielle caused widespread havoc throughout the area.
Kylie Johnson said power was restored at their house on Friday and they had access out, but others remained without power and with bridges gone, remained stranded.
The recovery was under way but was going to take extensive work and time.
Johnson said the 50th would be observed, possibly with a barbecue.
Meanwhile, Electrinet Park former course superintendent and life member Ray Grace summed up their cyclone damage situation succinctly as the course moved closer to reopening yesterday.
“We were lucky.”
The storm brought down trees and flooded a Park course already sodden from sub-tropical Cyclone Hale a few weeks prior.
“We had about a dozen trees down,” said Grace, who despite retiring from his position last year, has continued to help out at the course.
The more prominent trees that fell were on the roadside fourth hole, the 11th, the eighth and 17th holes.
Grace said they took advantage of the damage to get a couple of other hazardous trees chopped down.
Grace, greenkeepers Pete Tamatea and Quentin Peneha and a team of committed volunteers got stuck into the task at hand.
By yesterday, most of the course had been tidied up, Grace said, and they were contemplating opening today before more rain arrived.
It was decided this morning to stay closed.
Drainage continues to be an issue, particularly with the water table so high and more rain forecast.
But Grace was happy to see the drain that runs on the Chalmers Road side of the sixth hole do its job during the storm.
“We now know it works.”
Grace was full of praise for those who rolled up their sleeves and helped out and gave “a big shout out to the lovely ladies who spoilt the workers with lovely meals”.
While the Park has been hit by multiple rain events over the last few years, Grace wasn’t complaining.
“When you see places like Maraenui and Waiohiki (in Hawke’s Bay) . . . we were lucky.”
Other Poverty Bay-East Coast courses came through the storm OK.
Te Puia Springs women’s club captain Hiria McClutchie said she and a few others turned on up Sunday, but did not play.
Member Henry Rasmussen was busy on the greens mower and other than the fairways growing quickly, it looked in “brilliant” condition, she said.
The major issue for them is the huge slip between Tokomaru Bay and Te Puia Springs that has cut off road access.
McClutchie said with their Tokomaru Bay-based players unable to get through, it did not feel the same without them, so they decided not to play on Sunday.
They were looking at having a meeting this Sunday. On the agenda is likely to be what to do about the East Coast men’s open scheduled for the end of April.
The Waikohu course was OK other than flooding on its lower-level fifth hole, but its open opening day tournament scheduled for Saturday has been cancelled.
A group of volunteers helped clean up the Patutahi course of debris. The course dried out quickly, so members were able to play from Sunday.
Tolaga Bay only had “a puddle” in front of the third and fourth holes, club captain Taine Lincoln said on Tuesday. “Apart from that it’s alright.”
Poverty Bay had a bit of surface flooding and the odd branch down but that was it.
