TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN It has come to my attention that the Chamberlain Park Golf Course may lose some or most of its 18 hole lay out to be used for a facility other than golf. This is most disturbing to someone who is endeavouring to grow the great game of golf. Participation and membership in golf in New Zealand is falling, as in most of the world, due to three things - Cost, Time and Difficulty. We are about to lose a wonderful golf course in Invercargill due to a reduced membership base. There are most likely more to fall here in New Zealand. Therefore, we can ill afford to lose Chamberlain Park, one of two public golf courses in a city of over One Million people, which produces fifty thousand rounds of golf per annum. This figure compares with many of the leading public courses in the USA. If Chamberlain Park was losing financially, like Oreti Sands, I could understand the rational but to destroy a golf course in this manner is beyond my comprehension. Chamberlain Park is a family golf course within the scope of low budget enthusiasts and to deprive young children, men and women, the opportunity to play and learn the game of golf is a great tragedy. Golf is a game of a life time, with people continuing to play into their nineties. With guidance from New Zealand Golf we can reduce the cost of playing with a programme for cheaper used clubs, balls etc. The time element can be reduced by installing shorter tees and fewer hazards which also removes some of the difficulty. Personally, I have enjoyed considerable success from playing this great game of golf, as has Lydia Ko, and it hurts me to think many young boys and girls will not have the opportunity to follow in our footsteps because Auckland’s premier public golf course comes to an end. Sir Bob Charles