Golf: Development job for player

New golf development officer Michael Ormandy. Photo by Rebecca Ryan.
New golf development officer Michael Ormandy. Photo by Rebecca Ryan.
Michael Ormandy has been appointed as Sport Otago's golf development officer, to replace Michael Smith, who resigned last week.

Ormandy (28) had booked a fully paid trip to the United Kingdom to follow matches at the Rugby World Cup, so will start his new role when he returns on November 16.

He lives in Oamaru and is the bar manager at the Last Post restaurant, which is owned by his parents, Heather and Trevor.

Ormandy will move to Dunedin and work from the Sport Otago office, and is looking forward to working with golfers, especially the junior players.

He has represented Otago at junior and schoolboy level and captained the Otago team that played Aorangi for the Piper Cup in his last year at school.

His one regret is that since his junior years he has not been able to break into the Otago top five, although he won selection in the 10 man team last year.

''I am not trialling this year but I was rapt to win the Otago foursomes title with Mat Tautari last month,'' he said.

Ormandy has shown a strong commitment to competitive golf, including travelling to Dunedin each weekend to play Senior A pennants for St Clair when North Otago did not have a team.

''I did not want to miss out on this great competition and so I made the effort to come south each weekend.''

He has a few ideas but will keep up the tasks already in place, as he sees that the current formula has produced success.

''I can't fix what is not broken, but hope to build a good relationship with golfers in schools and try to link them up with clubs,'' he said.

''There is plenty of junior talent around at present and I want to see these players realise their potential.''

Smith has started his new position with Taylormade and Adidas, so Sport Otago is looking at options to cover the workload until Ormandy commences work in November.

 

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