Stepping back with Ken

After producing some 243 issues of the Men’s Golf newsletter over a span of 15 years, keyboard warrior Ken McKinley’s fingers are having a wellearned rest. Lawrence Schäffler caught up with him at his Edmund Hillary retirement home.

With their fascinating, diverse and often controversial content – Ken’s newsletters became the stuff of legend – helped in no small part, one suspects, by plenty of ribald jokes and humour. While the title – Men’s Golf – underscores the point that they were targeted at RGC’s male membership, rumour has it many women savoured the publications with equal relish – even if surreptitiously.

Ken became a member of RGC in 1994 and began producing the newsletters – every three weeks – in 2006. “I thought the club needed a communication tool, something to help keep members informed. A range of health issues had forced me into early retirement and I had to do something to stop me going insane – and that’s how Men’s Golf was born.

“It quickly took on a life of its own and became allconsuming – virtually a full-time job – to the point where my golf began to suffer. But I loved it. It involved an enormous amount of background work – sourcing material from the internet, old books, magazines and newspapers – and, of course keeping my ear to the ground about developments at the club. And then doing the layout. My wife (Helen), fortunately, was very supportive.”

Ken’s newsletters became the stuff of legend – helped in no small part, one suspects, by plenty of ribald jokes and humour.

Ken playing bowls

Helen, he confesses, was also his fiercest critic and content-moderator: “You can NOT print that – don’t you dare!” Of course, he usually ignored her – and admits this often got him into trouble. “I sometimes received letters of complaint – usually from the wives of members. I always apologised but also pointed out that the target audience was male.”

Proof of the newsletters’ popularity was the speed at which they disappeared. Each issue was placed on the bar in the 19th – and as I can attest, if you weren’t quick you often missed out.

A notable feature of the issues was Ken’s in-depth analysis of golf history and the larger-than-life characters that punctuated the game over the centuries. But it was perhaps the unusual and quirky content that most members will remember.

“One of most memorable stories I was able to provide was the first-hand account from a chap called Ken Saxby. He was in the air when 9/11 happened. He detailed the attack’s impact on his travels – and particularly prescient was his sobering assessment that the world had changed forever.”

Ken completed the final issue of Men’s Golf in March 2019 – and believes the tally of total pages produced exceeds 5,000. I’ve asked a few golfers for their impression of the impact of Men’s Golf and this was the common answer: “They did an awful lot for the ‘heart’ of the club.” Amen.

While Ken still plays golf occasionally, his legs aren’t as robust as they once were and he can only visit the fairways if in a cart. His interest has switched to bowls – played mostly at the Edmund Hillary village. “A flat green is much easier on the legs and I like the camaraderie – but you’d be surprised at how feisty and competitive bowls can become among a bunch of old farts!”

Ken and Helen with copies of Men's Golf

From the Vaults: Stepping back 50 years

Read at the Club dinner in 1974 to open new rooms

Bill Tizard; Colin Smith; Neville Walker; Graham Gordon

First off first tee - President, Neville Walker; watched by Captain, Charlie Dempsey

Opening Night Function, 1974

Graham Gordon