Peter Williams: Doing it the McCallum way is right on the money

A year ago on this first Sunday in October, the Herald on Sunday was published for the first time. On the same day the Taranaki Open, the first tournament of the new Golf Tour New Zealand (GTNZ), finished at Ngamotu in New Plymouth.

In the ensuing 12 months, this newspaper has become a respected and regular addition to the country's weekly media scene. During the same period, GTNZ has not played another tournament. But the Taranaki Open is on again this weekend. Next year it might finally have some company to give GTNZ at least a second stop.

The concept is by now well enough known. Greg Turner identified that a country our size needs to organise golf tournaments where our best amateur talent play alongside aspiring young professionals to give them all some quality competition. Nobody disagrees with the basic premise. But making it happen is difficult.

What has emerged is that to promote such a tournament, there has to be at least one enthusiastic local administrator who drives the event and brings it to fruition. Taranaki have that person in David McCallum. In his dual role as general manager of the New Plymouth Golf Club and executive director of Golf Taranaki, he transformed the amateur-only, two-day Taranaki Open into the four-day $40,000 Olex Taranaki Open where professionals and amateurs, men and women, play in the same field.

McCallum's worked his local contacts well. One of his members is John Flowers, the general manager and decision maker at cable manufacturer Olex. The TSB Community Trust contributes to the event, seeing it as raising community profile. Other club suppliers and club members' business have taken on smaller sponsors' roles.

Last year the income for the tournament was almost $100,000. The host club, which like most around the country performs a delicate financial balancing act each year, collected a healthy surplus to help ease their burden. The top 30 professional players were paid, the best amateur players won prizes and everybody had a keen competitive experience.

It was win-win.

Taranaki proved that the concept really works. So how come there hasn't been a rush to emulate their success?

Golf is not blessed with many administrators who are driven to improve the elite level of the game. Most of us who've served on club boards and committees have enough to worry about running our own organisations. We're there first and foremost to run a golf course and competitions for our own members. They're the ones who pay to keep the club afloat.

So it takes energetic and visionary people like McCallum who can see the advantages to a club and to the general well-being of the game in this country in hosting a tournament for GTNZ.

There is also, sadly, an underlying suspicion that because Greg Turner's involved, he must be on the make and why should a local golf club make him richer?

That attitude does Turner an immense disservice. He's accumulated enough money playing the game and does enough course design work these days to keep food on the table. But he is absolutely genuine about his desire to improve New Zealand's best golfers through the highest levels of competition.

He gives this concept credibility. He's spent a considerable amount of his own time and money to get the project going. He also directs the daily television coverage which is supplied to the networks for broadcast in sports news bulletins. It is genuine golfing philanthropy.

But the key to moving GTNZ forward is sponsors' money. McCallum's done really well to find it in Taranaki. Where are those like him in other places?

- HERALD ON SUNDAY