Big changes are on the horizon for Mt Maunganui Golf Club.

Just under 80 per cent of the membership voted in favour of a course redevelopment that will see the club become more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and secure a healthy future for the next 40 to 50 years.

Phil Tataurangi has been tasked with unlocking Mt Maunganui's untapped potential and addressing the underlying course issues the average golfer doesn't see.

The redevelopment includes a redesign of the golf course and an agronomy plan, which could get underway as early as 2024, pending finance.

The club has concerns about their access to water in the future as they have consent for another nine years.

The course has a mix of grasses which requires more water than couch, and Mt Maunganui Golf Club General Manager Michael Williams says having a grass type that requires less water was front of thought.

'You only have to look at the news to hear some of the stories that water is becoming more and more of a valuable commodity in this country.

'We see the writing on the wall that we may not have access to as much water as we currently enjoy right now in a few years' time, and we need to be ahead of the game.”

The club will take the opportunity to redesign the course as many holes would have been out of action anyway if they were to just reseed.

Phil has presented a plan that will see the course play a lot like a Melbourne sandbelt golf course.

Mt Maunganui is sand-based, situated 150 metres from the beach, and is one of a select few golf courses in New Zealand that has a natural rolling dune.

These are all features Phil has visions of enhancing.

'The sandbelt-theme that Phil has talked about is about exposing some of the sandy waste areas, enhancing the rolling dunes, and having trees that are set back away from play, and using the natural bones of the land to make the course as good as it can be,” says Michael.

The club needed 75 per cent of the member's vote to go through with the changes, of which they got 78 per cent.

The members were divided into two categories: Those who wanted the course to be a parkland-style course, and those who wanted the course to be links.

Phil says rather than being one or the other, both elements will be retained.

'As we know, it's a sand-based course, and we are using that as the lineage of the land moving forward and building up from there.

'I acknowledge the mount has been a proud club for a long time. It's a pretty good golf course, and it isn't like it's broken or anything, nor is it like other projects where they are losing property or in massive debt or anything like that.

'It's more about being a proud course with proud members, handing it over to the next generation in good health. Unfortunately, there were some components of the golf course that aren't in good health, so looking toward the future, it's about improving some of that.”

The club divided the redevelopment into two stages: the course plan first and funding second.

As the changes are subject to finance, the club has set up a group to source the funding.

Selling surplus land to the council is an idea they're exploring, which would cover a large portion of the money required.

Whenever they raise the money, the project will start on August 1, no matter what year, as cooch grass grows best in November.

Phil is naturally very excited to get stuck into the new project when the funds have been raised.

'It's really exciting.

'Not only to work on the golf course and help it realise some of its potential, but I'm also really excited to work with Blair [Dibley], the course superintendent, who has a pretty esteemed history in greenkeeping and turf knowledge.

'Michael has also been instrumental as a young general manager who's overseen a lot of change and growth at the club. The whole project is massively exciting.”