A Word With: Rod Latham | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

Former Black Cap and Canterbury rugby rep ROD LATHAM, now the manager at Harewood Golf Club and supervising big changes there, talks cricket, rugby, and golf with Nick Tolerton

First, what’s happening to the old course at Harewood, Rod?

It’s just under a $2m project and we’re replacing all 18 greens on the Woodlands old course. And at the moment, nine tee-blocks as well. We’ve had Greg Turner and Scott Macpherson in to redesign it.

Why the change?

The course’s condition over the years has deteriorated a little bit and the greens were nowhere near up to the standard of a lot of others around town. So we sold the land of the new course to the airport which needed some land for the extension of the safety area, and it’s allowed us to be able to spend some money on redeveloping the old course.

Losing some history?

I don’t think the history will change. I believe there have been three other changes to the course routing, so this will be the fourth. There is a little bit of history around it and we are not touching some of that.

What was Turner-Macpherson’s brief?

The main brief was to have a course of 18 new greens but a course that is playable and enjoyable for every level of golfer. Things like widening the fairways, bigger greens, easier approaches for every level of golfer. For the higher handicapper it is sometimes easier to run the ball up. So it gives all levels of golfer different options to be able to play the ball.

What’s happening to the new course?

It will eventually go down to nine holes. It’s likely holes 10 to 18 will be kept.

Are you playing yourself?

I try to get around once a week on a Saturday. It’s my recreation now – I don’t play much cricket, just a couple of games a year down at the Willows.

What do you think of rugby today?

The training methods that we had as opposed to today are so different, but it was all relative and what we did here in Canterbury when I was first playing and Alex introduced Jim Blair into the situation was innovative at that time. I guess the one difference is that when we were playing it was a recreation and we played it for the enjoyment of the sport. Now it’s a job and the other pressures that go with that.

What’s your verdict on the All Blacks’ season so far?

I guess the game has caught up with the All Blacks a little bit, and other countries have caught up. Clearly South Africa have worked out their way of being able to achieve. We may need to take a different approach and look how we can be the next step ahead of our key opposition. If we’re looking towards the World Cup we maybe have to do that, because what we are doing at the moment is not quite right.

What’s your take on cricket today?

An interesting beast. That twenty/20’s come in a bit late! I think we’re struggling quite a bit and I don’t think it’s necessarily the depth. I think we probably play too much one-day cricket, and our test cricket has suffered as a result. And that’s the nature of the global game, we don’t have things like an Ashes series. Some of our senior players need to put their hand up and say, ‘Look, we’re not performing.’ I think part of the problem is the money’s got too high, and players are starting to think about the money rather than what they’re there for.

Twenty/20 — wish you were out there?

I’d love to have a crack at it! I guess it’s not so much a block and bash – you get the odd guy gets away with that – but you’ve still got to play cricket shots, so there’s still an art to it, and albeit it’s only 20 overs, you can still get some decent scores if you play decent cricket shots. I suppose it’s keeping up with the times, too — people are now time poor, and three hours is not a long time to spend going and watching a game. It’s a bit like that in golf — four or five hours on the golf course is a long time for people, and I think that’s why nine hole golf will really take off.

You have two sons following in dad’s cricket footsteps?

Matthew just turned 19 and he’s in the under-19 New Zealand indoor team, and he’s been in some representative teams as well. And Thomas who is 17 has been doing quite well, and he had a spell in the New Zealand under-19s last year and he played for Canterbury A. So he’s got a big season ahead of him this year with the World Cup coming up for under-19s. This year they’re both going to be in the same senior team, Burnside West, so that will be quite good to see them playing together.

Favourite movie?

Shawshank Redemption.

TV?

I really enjoy Two and a Half Men.

Holiday destination?

When I finished cricket it was good to go to a destination with the kids, and we went up to Pohara for about nine years. Great when the kids were young.

Book?

I don’t read a lot of books. I get given a lot, autobiographies, and I tend to start them and not finish them!

Ideal night out?

I enjoy a nice Thai, and also enjoy the New York Steak House.

Best mate from sport?

Paul McEwan. He took me under his wing when I first came into the Canterbury team. Now our kids are growing up together.

Your first sports memories in Christchurch?

Ian Kirkpatrick scoring in front of me against the ’71 Lions at Lancaster Park. I was sitting in the children’s enclosure in front of the scoreboard, and he just came straight at us from over halfway and scored in front of us. I didn’t realise I’d spend so much time there!