Golf has been played for around 110 years in Temora with first reports mentioning a small nine hole course played around a showground area. Players would start on a stock reserve for the first and greens followed by six holes within showground boundaries. Players had to cross the railway line several times during their games, while entering and leaving the showground involved squeezing through small gates in the galvanised iron fence – one at a time.
Today the golfers of Temora are blessed with 18 holes with no railway lines or narrow gates to compete with, just the harsh elements of rural landscape. These days, drought is the toughest competition for the rural golfer, not just in Temora but all across NSW. Town water is not available for the course and what they manage to catch and store must be carefully used.
Continuous improvement for water storage capacity and efficient use of water is vital for the longevity of many country clubs. The Club has been battling the war with water for many years. In 1969 they installed a manual watering system and the club dam was substantially enlarged – making “summer golf a reality”. The water reserves were increased in 1977 to twenty million gallons. Currently plans are underway to raise the spillway of the main dam by 30cms, which will increase the capacity of the main dam quiet considerably, strengthening the clubs chances in the future of coping during the drier times.
Then there is the cost of electricity, irrigation is the best way to use the limited water they have and as all of Australia is discovering, while the water levels are going down, the cost of electricity is on the rise. To water the fairways during the day is expensive and when it is hot and windy the water simply evaporates. By watering during the evening, electricity charges are lower; the water is able to be absorbed and it’s all done in a night's work. So Temora started a project to install automatic irrigation. Former Club President David Crowe kicked off the initial idea. It has been in part to Mitchell Flakelar the current club Secretary along with his Uncle, Barry Flakelar, and the devoted members of Temora, that these ideas are coming to fruition.
With generous contributions from the Temora Veteran Golfers and the Temora Lady Golfers, along with fundraising by the members, the club managed to raise two thirds of the amount required. Mitchell and Barry Flakelar wrote to the NSW Golf Foundation seeking financial assistance and support to commence the project stating “it would be a great start to the second century of golf in Temora.” The Board of Governors approved the application granting $5000 to the club upon completion of the project. Automatic irrigation has now been set up on the 18th fairway with the ability to extend using the same system once the club is able to raise more funds.
For more information contact: wynter.hines@golfnsw.org