Voting is now open for the inaugural Canterbury Golf Team of the Year Award, covering the 2025/26 season.
For the first time, Canterbury Golf will recognise a Team of the Year at our Annual Awards Dinner – an award created to celebrate the teams whose achievements, character and impact have stood out across the Canterbury golfing season.
Golf is often thought of as an individual pursuit, but some of the most memorable moments in our region come from teams: interclub squads who train together for months, representative sides who pull on the Canterbury colours, and groups of players who lift a whole club along with them. This award exists to honour exactly that.
The award is open to interclub teams from affiliated Canterbury Golf clubs competing in a Canterbury Golf interclub competition, and to Canterbury Golf representative teams who have represented the district in a representative tournament. Nominations covered team success during the 2025/26 award period, 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026
Following nominations from across the region, four outstanding finalists have been selected – and now it’s over to you.
The finalists:
Harewood Golf Club – 2025 Woodward Cup Team
Russley Golf Club – 2025 Pollock Cup Team
Canterbury Boys – 2025 New Zealand Interprovincial Team
Ellesmere Golf Club – 2026 Central Canterbury Shield Team
Each finalist’s story is summarised below. Take a few minutes to read them, then cast your vote.
How voting works
– Voting is open to everyone in the Canterbury golfing community.
– One vote per person.
– Voting closes at 9pm on 12 August.
– All finalists will be invited to attend the 2026 Canterbury Golf Awards Dinner at Christchurch Golf Club on Friday 21 August, where the winning team will be announced on the night.
Finalist summaries
Harewood Golf Club – 2025 Woodward Cup Team
Twelve months after finishing seventh, Harewood won the Woodward Cup for the first time since 1988, ending a 37-year wait in one of the most dramatic seasons Canterbury interclub golf has seen.
What sets the turnaround apart is how it was built. There were no outside signings. Six of the eight players returned from the previous season, with the two new faces promoted from within the club into the seven and eight positions. That continuity showed: the squad played 85 of the team’s 88 individual matches across the season, allowing genuine partnerships, trust and a shared understanding of roles to develop. The results followed. After failing to beat any of the eventual top four sides in 2024, Harewood went unbeaten against those same opponents in 2025, with four wins and two draws, alongside commanding results against the rest of the field.
The finish was extraordinary. Needing at least a draw against unbeaten leaders Clearwater in the final round-robin match, six of the eight matches went to the last hole, with Sam Watkinson holing a 30-foot birdie putt on the final green to halve his match and secure the team draw. Harewood then finished level with Russley on competition points, individual match results and head-to-head record – every recognised tiebreak exhausted before a coin toss decided the finalist. Given that opportunity, they upset defending champions Clearwater 4.5-3.5 in the semi-final, then led or were square in every match after nine holes on the way to a 5-3 win over Christchurch Golf Club in the final. Tellingly, all three players who lost in the semi-final won convincingly in the final.
Behind the squad stood Team Manager Terry Coleman, whose organisation, calm leadership and regular communication with members drew unprecedented club support to the finals campaign. The team’s success has renewed enthusiasm for representative golf and player development right across Harewood. Read the full citation – HERE.
Russley Golf Club – 2025 Pollock Cup Team
With an average age of just 13, the Russley Pollock Cup team showed that success is built on commitment, teamwork and a genuine love of the game.
Their preparation set them apart. The girls trained together after school, met as a team before every match, and played social rounds together outside of Pollock Cup. What grew from that was as much a friendship group as a golf team – and that trust and mutual encouragement became the foundation of everything they achieved.
Finals day brought extreme heat and difficult winds. The team stayed calm, united and resilient, never losing belief in one another or in the result.
Just as striking was the support they attracted. Parents, club members, and experienced caddies and players from Russley’s other interclub teams gave their time to walk with the girls and cheer them on – the whole club rallying behind its youngest representatives.
Their nomination notes that the achievement wasn’t only about winning the Pollock Cup, but about the way they brought people together, inspired other golfers, and represented Russley with pride. Managers Kara Campbell, Bridget Hoffman and Mark Guy were acknowledged for the guidance and belief that helped these young players flourish on and off the course. Read the full citation – HERE.
Canterbury Boys – 2025 New Zealand Interprovincial Team
Canterbury’s boys claimed gold at the New Zealand Interprovincial tournament, lifting the trophy for the first time since 2017 and ending a run of near-misses. The result reflects the long-term work of Canterbury Golf’s Talent Development Programme – every member of the team came through it, many over several seasons.
The week was a test of nerve from start to finish. In a revised format with additional teams, Canterbury opened with a 4-2 win over debutants Tasman before their scheduled bye. Wednesday brought a dominant 6-0 win over Harbour, followed by a 3-3 tie with Manawatu/Wanganui after a strong position slipped away late. A similar story unfolded against unbeaten Taranaki on Thursday morning – another 3-3 draw from a promising position – before the team responded in the afternoon with a 4-2 win over defending champions Wellington to keep their title hopes alive.
That left three teams tied on eight match points going into the final day, with Taranaki holding a half-point advantage on individual wins. Canterbury needed a big result against Waikato, and delivered, winning five matches after starting strongly across the board. With Harbour taking a win and a half from Taranaki, both Canterbury and Taranaki finished level on 10 match points and 25 individual points – forcing a third tiebreak on game margins, where Canterbury’s 97 to Taranaki’s 79 confirmed them as champions.
Every Canterbury player performed admirably across the week, with James Mordaunt outstanding on debut at this level, winning all of his matches and being named Player of the Tournament. Read the full citation – HERE.
Ellesmere Golf Club – 2026 Central Canterbury Shield Team
Ellesmere’s Central Canterbury Shield side has set a new benchmark for the club, taking the 2026 title to add to their 2023 win – two championships in four years, after Ellesmere had never won the Shield since the competition was established in 1968. What makes that run notable is the depth they achieve it from. Ellesmere draws on a relatively small pool of players compared with the other clubs in the competition, and the same names carry the load week after week. Mike Berry, Jimmy Geddes, Michael Sheat, David Thwaites, Alfie Bell, Paul Bailey and Jacob Jones have built their success on commitment, consistency and teamwork rather than numbers.
The 2026 campaign was the most impressive of the two, with the side losing just one match across the entire season. Jimmy Geddes was singled out for his consistency throughout the year, regularly contributing valuable points and performing strongly against quality opposition. Michael Sheat made an excellent contribution in his first year in the side, quickly establishing himself as an important member of the team.
Their nomination reflects a group whose success comes from more than individual ability – a collective commitment to representing Ellesmere with pride and sportsmanship, and an achievement that has been a source of great pride for the whole club. Read the full citation – HERE.
Cast your vote
Four very different stories – a 37-year drought broken, a team of 13-year-olds who brought a club together, a representative side that delivered gold on the national stage, and a small club rewriting its own history.
One vote per person. Voting closes 9PM – 12 AUGUST.
