When a young Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia came to dine at Remuera Golf Club in 1982, he probably didn't anticipate two of the wives at the table being playfully offered up in exchange for a couple of oil wells. Yet, as the fleet of vehicles arrived to collect him he turned to Charlie Dempsey and Barry and said "I'll look into that oil well for you." 40 years on and Barry Ambridge says he is still waiting. Lorna suggests his wife is patiently still waiting too.
The laughs that followed this exchange were hearty, magical, and contagious. The story was one of so many shared by a group of RGC stalwarts who gave a couple of hours to share their memories and fond regard for our club. They'djoined the Club as youngsters and took the opportunity to recall the heady days of their collective youth.
Their passion for the Club is intoxicating. With their banter lies their belief in a golf club that is their third place. It's where their memories have been made, their friendships formed. It's where they played golf, where they drank, and where they socialised. It was their safe space. A place for pushing boundaries without getting into too much trouble, with the sport and competition keeping them on a relatively straight path.
They tell of dogs who were trained to bypass the first hole, meet them at the 2nd and continue on until the 17th where they'd be sent directly back to the carpark to await their master who needed to finish an extra hole. Barry Hall brought his golden retriever on Friday nights to the 19th to sit quietly under a table. He was cordially reminded by the GM that the dog wasn't welcome. So the next time she came, he had her wearing a bow tie, a dress standard he himself was known to flaunt.
Many of their shenanigans will not make it to print, yet the spirit of their adventures will be captured here and I suggest you nudge them in Winstones over a beer, to hear the more intricate specifics of their escapades.
Barry Hall brought together, Allan McSkimming, Lorna Reid, Barry Ambridge, John Rainger, Ewen Miln and Peter Healey for a bit of a chinwag.
Many started at RGC via introductions to caddying, or as they transferred to Auckland from other parts of NZ. However, Ewan recounts how he hid amongst the gauze after stealing golf balls, until emerging after the threat of Police or Dad being called. This resulted in a punishment of several weeks of caddying for free. A win-win eventuated as it instilled a love for a game previously not considered an option. That he suggested a play for his golfer, which translated to success on the hole, is still a mystery, as he offered up advice with zero experience of the gamel
Another chronicle of friendship is the recall of a fun annual day where the course was played with a single club. Packing a chilly bin with beers and precariously balancing the polystyrene box onto a trundler, some poor caddy was employed to haul the goods around, as these lads headed out to play the course.
Just as the hapless caddy was relieved to come up past the water tower and around devil's elbow, with a lighter load, the guys leaped the fence to grab refills from the Ford Zodiac Mk3, conveniently parked with further suppliesI
Much of the conversation focused on the bonds of friendship and community. How a group of them downed a bottle of scotch to steel their nerves before doing a strip tease for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the club. As the more refined performances unfolded, the lads became so empowered they arrived on stage without much left for stripping.
Allan Mc Skimming sums up the vibe,
"Remuera Golf Club was within a car drive and I met so many magnificent people there. The juniors in those days were just incredible guys And we became lifelong friends. We ended up with girlfriends. We would socialise outside of work. We would drink at the golf club. We would drink at the Royal George. We got involved with girls and always had the golf club as part of our activities.I Laughter) But the friendships were just so great. And today we are the best of friends. Unfortunately, a lot of them have passed away and, or moved on, but it's been the nucleus and our wives are now the greatest of mates. They're friendships that will last forever And so to me, that's what epitomises Remuera - a club that has always been so much fun...
Yet, the powerful rhetoric was peppered with pride of achievement too. The Booth Cup was an important challenge, which few have achieved. The opportunity to be President and Chair, to affect change for good, were all told with honour. Understated were highlights of competitions won and prizes awarded, vocalised by their mates, wanting to congratulate them again for a history of accomplishment.
And so to me, that's what epitomises Remuera - a club that has always been so much fun.
