In the early 1900s, while studying medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dr Malcolm Morrison became captivated by golf, a game said to have originated there. His enthusiasm spread to the Morrison family, who played their first game on their Woodcocks Road property in 1908. Malcolm’s brothers were representative hockey players, making golf a complementary activity, and many Rodney representative hockey players joined the early games.

In this early period, no doubt golf clubs, especially good woods, would have been about as plentiful in Rodney as the proverbial hens’ teeth but this didn’t worry the early exponents – in fact they made their own, using Puriri or Miro for the wood head and either Ti-tree (Kanuka) or Tanakaha for the Shafts.

There are three woods used by Robert Morrison in 1909 encased in the bar top. There is also photograph as well as the eel skin bag used by John Morrison in 1910 on display in the Warkworth Museum.

In 1914 a meeting was held in the Warkworth town hall where the Rodney Country Golf Club was officially formed with Dr Malcolm Morrison the president.

In 1925, the first set of club rules were drawn up by John Ewart and witnessed by V.W.Holden, a young Warkworth Solicitor and club member. These were duly presented to the Incorporated Society, approved, and in 1925 we officially became a registered Golf Club.

From 1908 to 1932 the club had four different (9Hole) courses around the Rodney area. In 1933, members purchased a block of land on Matakana Road consisting of 88 acres and set about transforming a wilderness of swamp, gorse and ti-tree, into the nucleus of what is a fine golf course today.

The total price was about 880 pounds ($17,600) which doesn't seem much on today's prices. In keeping with many other country courses throughout New Zealand, this was brought about by the dedication and enthusiasm of succeeding generations of golfers, but especially the countless hours of voluntary labour and materials, given so generously at the many working bees by the members. All this on a shoestring budget.

Initially the new (and present) course opened in 1935 with 9 holes, later extended to 12. For the clubhouse, a "bach" was moved in two sections onto the land and was enlarged and modified several years later.

The development of the last six holes was slowed by the advent of World War Two and was not without supreme sacrifice on the part of two of the Club's oldest and most revered members. Whilst burning gorse in 1943, they both succumbed in the fire. No one else was present at the time so the circumstances concerning this double tragedy are not clear. A brass Memorial Plaque in the clubhouse commemorates the names of these two members, Ross Pulham and Selwyn Morrison.

For a detailed history of the club, refer to the Clubs website using – Our Club>Trophies & Competitions/Club History or click here