23/10/2026
We are extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Sean Towndrow as Head Professional, starting approximately March 2027. Sean is currently assistant professional at Hastings Golf Club (Bridge Pa).
After an exhaustive recruitment process, the board was gratified with the response and high calibre of applicants, both domestically and from overseas. Head Professional is a pivotable position in any club, and fantastic to have Sean join us at Wanaka.
Pictured here with Terry Carr, chair of the Wanaka Golf Club (who Sean has already taken the b**r off in his first hit out at Wanaka). 😅
Some background on Sean, in his own words:
"I am delighted to be joining Wānaka Golf Club in the coming months. Living and working in Otago has been a dream of mine since I first arrived in New
Zealand in 2023. Queenstown was the first place I called home here and, like so many others, I instantly fell in love with the region.
For those I haven’t met yet, one of the first questions people normally ask me is how tall I am, I’m 6ft 7, or just over 2 metres, and the second thing worth
knowing is that I’m an Everton supporter!
Golf has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. I first picked up a club at the age of five and grew up on England’s Golf Coast at Southport & Ainsdale, where I quickly fell in love with the game and gained a real appreciation for the community side of a member-focused golf club. As I got older, golf gave me the opportunity to compete around the UK and Europe, including
being selected for the England squad, before turning professional. I became a UK PGA Professional in 2017 and spent several years playing various tours, mainly in the UK with sometime in the Middle East, before deciding I was ready for a new
chapter and moving to New Zealand.
Since arriving here, I have been the Assistant Professional at Hastings Golf Club and joined the NZPGA in 2023. My time in New Zealand has been an amazing experience so far, both professionally and personally. I have travelled the country playing more than 100 golf courses as part of a quest to play them all, and along the way helped build an app called GolfedNZ that gives golfers free access to
information on every course in New Zealand, allowing them to review courses and tick them off as they play them.
Having grown up in a very member-oriented golf club in the UK, I have always valued the sense of community that comes with being part of a club. When the opportunity at Wānaka came up, it immediately felt like a great fit. The Club’s strong membership, welcoming atmosphere and its place within the wider Wānaka
community were all things that really appealed to me. I’m excited by the pportunity to play my part in continuing to grow the game, providing a great experience for members and visitors, and becoming involved in club life both on and off the course.
I would also like to congratulate Alan and Maree on everything they have achieved during their time at Wānaka Golf Club. It is clear they have built a strong team around them and created something that is highly valued by the membership. I have a huge amount of respect for that, and I’m looking forward to getting to
know the team, understanding how things currently operate and building on the strong foundations already in place."
Welcome Sean! 🙂
