Taupo Golf Club president Craig Orr (left) pictured with golf professional Hamish Robertson on the site of the 12th Tee where a virtual golf facility is being constructed on part of the existing car park. Photo: Dee Wilson

In the last decade the Taupō Golf Club has thrown off the doldrums of the early 2000s when declining membership, a global financial crisis and a $1 million spend on fairway irrigation put its future in jeopardy.

In the lead up to its centenary celebrations in 2028 there is plenty to celebrate. The club is in a healthy financial position with club membership and green fee players numbers at an all-time high. Both 18-hole courses – Centennial and Tauhara – are reaping the benefits with a full programme of improvements.

Club president/board member Craig Orr, a dynamic, straight-talking, retired businessman, who was raised and schooled in Taupō, has been a driving force on the board. The goal is to position the club as a community asset and a visitor destination for a new generation of golfers.

Orr, a single figure golfer, says the key to success is running the club like any other business with medium and long-term strategies, annual business plans, actions and measurable outcomes.

Stage One of a master plan has been the recent endorsement of a proposal to establish a permanent virtual golf facility – 12th tee – on part of the carpark.

As part of a lease agreement with head professional Hamish Robertson the club will fund the build of the stand-alone facility and act as landlord.

Orr says virtual golf is booming globally and partnering with Robertson offers the club a unique opportunity to diversify and attract more people of all ages while creating a new revenue stream. The golf club will operate the bar and catering facility giving it an additional income earner.

The venture has had its share of opponents. Orr takes the view that change is necessary to progress and grow.

“If you don’t innovate, you die,” Orr says

The 65-year-old’s involvement with the Taupo Golf Club goes back to childhood. His father and mother were both members and keen golfers. His father was instrumental in the development of the Centennial Course on seven hectares of Crown Land in the mid-1960s. Craig and his two brothers were junior golf members taught by pro and club stalwart Jim Clelland.

“We used to joke that the only way to see our parents was to go to the golf course.”

Taupo Golf Club general manager, Cliff Morgan (left ) and course superintendent Gordon (Gordie) Ward check out progress on a $150,000 extension to the existing golf course irrigation reservoir. Photo: Dee Wilson

After a corporate career in the food and beverage industry and working on his own account in real estate and hospitality, Orr and his family returned to Taupō in 2020.

The golf club had survived the financial crisis of the early 2000s - thanks to the diligence of previous boards who slashed costs and did away with the position of general manager during the “austerity years”.

By 2020, improved finances had allowed a new general manager to be appointed.

Orr took on the role as club president and with the then-board chair Grant Hill – a former general manager – and board member Bob Burns, a retired police area commander, set about developing a strategic plan and securing a new lease.

“Although the existing lease wasn’t due to expire until 2034, we needed to have surety well beyond that to be able to get investment and generate loans.”

Orr resigned as president after taking up a position in Nelson as CEO of NZ Hops. The onset of Covid-19 not long after he left Taupō saw development plans go on hold as the golf club negotiated its way through lock-down.

Covid-19 turned out to be a game changer when social distancing restrictions were eased. Orr says enthusiasm for the game ramped up nationally as people of all ages starved for exercise ventured on to golf courses.

“Suddenly golf was on fire bringing in a whole new younger demographic.”

When Orr returned to Taupō in 2022, he was re-elected president with a place on the board. A five-year strategic plan was developed but improvements remained on hold pending a new lease agreement.

A new 33-year lease - the maximum allowable period for Crown land administered under the Reserves Act - was finally signed off in 2024 giving the security the club needed to make a start implementing improvements to enhance the golf experience and attract golfers.

An outdoor summer bar and eatery on the ground level of the clubhouse opened at the end of 2024 to enhance the ‘après golf’ experience.

In July, work began on a $150,000 extension to the existing irrigation reservoir pond that will triple its capacity, enabling summer watering of greens, fairways and tee boxes on the Centennial and Tauhara courses.

**Craig Orr pictured in the club’s new summer apres golf area which opened in December last year. Photo: Dee Wilson**

A native plant beautification programme has resumed with between 12 to 20,000 species being planted on both courses. A tree felling programme has opened rural vistas on Centennial, and dirt pathways on the Tauhara course are being paved. A gardening contractor has also been employed, reducing the reliance on volunteers.

The club has moved away from owning carts and has leased 16 new carts with GPS systems.

The pro shop has been given a mini makeover and front-line staff positions and responsibilities have been streamlined for greater efficiency. A young club member has been employed to look after social media and update the website. Weekly newsletters and intermittent Q and A sessions are designed to keep all members up to date and informed.

Orr says the two 18-hole courses and Taupo’s reputation as a top tourist centre are a huge bonus for the club. The Centennial course is being positioned as an inland links championship course with potential to attract national events. The shorter playing Tauhara course is seen as more of a “thermal parkland” with its own unique appeal.

Behind the scenes the eight-person board is developing a 25-year masterplan and financial model, revitalising the existing five-year plan and updating its constitution as required by law.

Junior golf has been an institution at the club and looking at how it fits into a new model is part of future planning.

Orr says the board is largely made up of businesspeople who are all keen golfers and bring a range of skill sets to the table from financial and legal expertise to golf course management, marketing and human resources.

“Until about a year ago we had trouble getting anyone to put their hands up for election.

“Most of our board members have shifted to Taupo in the last five years, seen positive changes, are hands-on and really want to add value.”

The club works closely with Golf New Zealand to determine what works and what doesn’t at national level.

Orr says although membership is at an all-time high with 1075 club members, green fee players bring in greater revenue thanks to the privilege of having two courses.

“We have some valued very hard-core, old-school members and we want to keep them engaged and satisfied.”

“But it’s important as we move forward that club membership isn’t confused with ownership.”

Orr says the next big decision concerns the future of the 55-year-old club house, pro shop and office facility. Options and costings for renovating or re-building will be taken back to club members in the next few months for consideration.

“What happens on the golf course is a big component, but what keeps golfers here afterwards is where the pot of gold lies.”

Orr says his passion for the Taupō community and a desire to give back to the local golf club that his parents were so passionate about are great motivators. His hope is that work being done now to “future proof” the club will see future generations – including his children and grandchildren – reaping the benefits.