Golf: Dale keen to leave saga behind

A disappointed Peter Dale said yesterday that he was in no hurry to "spill my guts in public", despite much finger-pointing in his direction after the mass resignations that rocked the Golf Association.

"I have had a bit of a tongue-lashing," said Dale.

"But I don't want to turn it into a media frenzy. I would rather sit down and talk things over across the table."

Dale, aged 57, became chief executive of the NZGA in 2001 after 16 years at the Hillary Commission (now Sparc), the last 11 as the commission's chief executive.

Suggestions that Dale's presence had led to the loss of longtime benefactor AMP were "incredulous", according to Dale.

"After 21 years, no one was more upset than AMP," said Dale.

"We had an absolutely amicable arrangement. They had other things on their mind.

"I raised $775,000 last year that went into golf," said Dale.

"But this was not just a money issue. My question had long been when are we going to win something? There was no hurry for anyone to answer that."

Dale is going to sit back, let the dust settle and get on with life.

"I prefer to let people get on with the job. I'm not going to be idle, roll over and die. You are a long time looking at the lid," said Dale, who has a 50-acre farm near Otaki where a few "lazy horses" roam and which he is gradually turning into a wetland. He has renewed his membership at the Waikanae Golf Club, hopes to do a bit more sailing and put this sorry saga behind him.