Golf club sells sheep after 55 years: ‘They’ve been integral to our success’

Tahuna Golf Club’s flock of sheep that ‘mow’ the course are being sold and life member Frank Hopper says it means they need new members to fund course grooming. Photo / Mike Scott
It’s a case of out with the ewe for Tahuna Golf Club.
For 55 years the golf course north of Morrinsville has farmed sheep and used them as greenskeepers to maintain fairways, until a decision last week to sell the sheep and revamp the course into a groomed state.
From December 3, the sheep will be sold and instead, the course groomed into a more manicured state, with hopes that new members will offset the financial loss arising from discontinuing the farming
TGC life member Frank Hopper tells the Herald it was a decision made with the club’s future at the centre.
“We were going to have to replace a lot of our ewes this year, that was going to be a significant capital cost for us.
“That really is what it boiled down to.
“Are we better off spending that money on replacing the stock then in five years time, trying to think about ‘shall we go to a groomed course or not?’.”
At current rates, the cost of replacing about 125 of the 421 ewes would be about $25,000 – a significant amount for a club the size of TGC – and would have conflicted with the club’s goal of attracting new members.
While local members are largely retired or current famers and have little issue with the droppings left behind by the woolly greenskeepers, those coming in from Morrinsville or further afar are less keen on the idea of scraping excrement from their shoes after a round, Hopper says.
“There’s been a desire from people to play on a fully-groomed course as opposed to playing with sheep on the course.
“The most obvious reason is that there’s no animal crap on the course, it’s easier to clean your shoes and gear when you come off the course, if it’s a groomed course.”
Their objective of boosting membership and being realistic about falling lamb and wool prices were key factors behind the decision.
“Losing the income from the sheep we’ve been getting [will be a blow], we started farming sheep 55 years ago on the course, so they’ve been an integral part of our financial success but we’re at a stage where if we don’t move forward we’ll end up going backwards,” says Hopper.
Once the course is in a groomed state, the opportunities for tournaments to be held at TGC are opened up, as Hopper says the sheep droppings put groups off.
“Over the last few years we’ve been grooming the course more and more so it’s changed considerably from what it used to be, it’s natural progression really.”
Hopper and TGC hope to gain 40 new memberships as a result, which would net about $14,000 per annum based on the lowest yearly membership fees and up to $19,800 for full memberships – a yearly injection that would offset the increased costs associated with maintaining a groomed course.
TGC currently have a mower that is adequate for the current situation, but once the sheep are no longer there to trim fairways and the rough, a new mower will have to be purchased. The club aims to spend about $100,000 on the new equipment, Hopper says.
“We’ll look at getting a self-propelled mower to mow the fairways, currently we have a mower that’s ideal for our circumstance at present but going forward it won’t be.”
With a large farming community surrounding the course, TGC hope volunteers will be able to handle the bulk of maintenance that will be required to keep the course in condition for the short term.
The club has seen a surge in green fee-paying golfers in recent years.
Hopper acknowledges the unique pull of playing amongst sheep will have contributed to this and the removal of that point of difference is an “act of faith” that golfers will want to play the course based on its quality.
“You can make a decision based on what you have, but you’re never quite sure it’s going to be the correct decision.
“It’s been a really beneficial rise for us so we’re just hoping people driving past will see the course, see it’s a groomed course and say ‘Well, I’d like to play there’.”
Will Toogood is an online sports editor and golf reporter for the NZ Herald. He enjoys watching people chase a ball around on a grass surface so much he decided to make a living out of it.