Golf: Dale leaves job a 'broken man' over Tongue dispute

Chief executive Peter Dale was described as a broken man yesterday as board chairman John Patterson assumed control of the New Zealand Golf Association headquarters in Wellington.

Dale, who spent several hours in his office yesterday before going home, resigned last Friday in an endeavour to stem the bleeding from an ugly falling out with national director of coaching Mal Tongue.

Dale was said to be "a broken man", a description Patterson said was fair.

"He's exactly that. It is a fair description," Patterson told a news conference, the board's first formal reaction to Tongue and his five assistants resigning last Wednesday.

"I've been in the unfortunate position of having two people cry over the phone to me. One was Mal Tongue, the other was Peter Dale."

Tongue and his five assistants - Shane Scott, Murray Macklin, Brian Boys, Bob McDonald and Simon Thomas - have since refused to back down.

This came after Tongue detailed a series of incidents with Dale which left him feeling his contract would not be renewed in October.

The set of seven resignations will be put before the NZGA board in Wellington on Thursday, when it is expected Dale's offer to depart will be accepted.

The contract of Dale, appointed chief executive in August 2001, is due for review in August next year, and the NZGA may now face a hefty bill via a "golden handshake" clause, if one were included in Dale's contract.

"It depends on how Peter Dale wants to leave," Patterson said.

"He still loves this association and the game, and I don't think he's going to be too hard on us."

Patterson took over as acting chief executive and is working with Dale to manage the transition of information, workload and issues for board discussion.

"My primary task and intent is to lead the New Zealand Golf Association into a period of relative calm, effectiveness and efficiency," Patterson said.

The future of the coaches still hangs in the balance and revolves around a meeting today between them and Sport and Recreation New Zealand high performance unit adviser Don Tricker.

Patterson said it was hoped formal mediation with the coaches would start tomorrow.

- NZPA