Golf legends Sir Bob Charles, Greg Turner, back fight to stop Pegasus Golf Course becoming a ‘concrete jungle’

Wednesday, 10 June 2026

Sir Bob Charles joined the campaign to save Pegasus Golf Course.

The campaign to save Pegasus Golf Course has received a major boost, with New Zealand golf legends Sir Bob Charles and Greg Turner throwing their support behind efforts to stop the course from becoming “a concrete jungle”.

Sir Bob, widely regarded as one of the country's greatest golfers, has joined residents, golfers and community groups opposing plans by Christchurch developer Wolfbrook to rezone the 77-hectare course for housing through the fast-track approvals process.

His backing comes as a petition to Parliament, calling for any redevelopment proposal to go through the normal planning and public consultation process, was signed by more than 10,000 people — over twice the population of Pegasus itself.

The last round of golf was played at Pegasus Golf Club at the start of June after it was bought by housing developer Wolfbrook.

Speaking to The Press, Sir Bob said he was firmly behind the campaign and opposed the loss of one of Canterbury's premier golfing facilities.

“The Pegasus Golf Course is probably the third best golf course in the Christchurch area behind Clearwater where I live and the Christchurch Golf Club, where I go back 70 years or so.”

Having played the course shortly after it opened, he recalled its strong connection to the township’s development and praised designer Christine Kerr and original developer Bob Robertson for creating a facility that helped shape the community.

He said the land was always intended to remain a golf course and was a key part of the original vision of Robertson, whom he described as a very successful “visionary”.

Removing the course would undermine what made Pegasus unique, he said.

“It certainly wasn't zoned for housing. It was zoned for a golf course and obviously I'd like to see the golf course remain.

“If you take the golf course away, what have you got left? You've just got a piece of concrete,” he said.

The former champion said he was particularly concerned about the loss of green space and the precedent it could set for golf courses around New Zealand.

He pointed to the closure of the former Gulf Harbour Country Club in Auckland as an example of what can happen when golf courses were lost to development, saying residents who bought golf-front properties had seen their investments diminished.

“I think it is something to worry about.

“I think there's a campaign to put a halt to this fast-tracking and to retain the golf course for posterity and not to become a concrete jungle, as I describe it.”

Sir Bob said Pegasus was once a thriving club with more than 500 members and remained an important community asset.

Greg Turner, two-time New Zealand Open golf champion and renowned course designer, said what Wolfbrook was attempting to do was “despicable” and needed to be stopped.

“That there is even the remotest contemplation that they should be approved for fast track seems extraordinary,” he said.

Pegasus Residents’ Group president Matt James, pictured at a public meeting last week, says the issue has resonated with people across the country.

Turner, who had “some involvement” with the design of the course in the early days, said it was hard to imagine anyone other than Wolfbrook would think the idea had “any merit whatsoever”.

Sir Bob and Turner’s endorsement adds significant weight to a campaign that has already attracted support from Golf New Zealand, local residents and Waimakariri District mayor Dan Gordon.

Golf NZ warned courses which take decades to mature and become part of a community can disappear far more quickly than they can ever be replaced.

Pegasus Residents’ Group president Matt James said the massive response the group was getting to their campaign and petition had been both humbling and unexpectedly uplifting.

“We honestly thought this would stay a local issue. Instead, we have ended up with thousands of people from all over the country saying that communities deserve a fair say,” he said.

“It is a bit surreal to realise that more people have signed this petition than actually live in Pegasus, and I think that tells you something about how strongly New Zealanders feel about transparency and fairness.”

A meeting between the group and the company was scheduled for this week, but James said Wolfbrook postponed it due to the availability of key people.

“We have yet to hear further at this stage.”