John Stirling Roche

John’s life in golf began as a caddy for his Dad at Dunedin’s Chisholm Park.  At the age of eight or nine, he would carry the clubs in the freezing wind for a hot pie and a glass of lemonade.

John attended King's High School from 1956 to 1960. He played Cricket and Rugby while at school. He gained University Entrance in 1960 and left to take a university course in 1961.

His career highlights in his younger years include representing Otago for ten years, winning the New Zealand University Championship in 1962 in Christchurch, and being selected for the Australasian University team. He was awarded a University of Otago Blue for Golf. In 1971, in Central Otago, he turned professional.  There were no other Golf Pros outside Dunedin and Christchurch in the South Island. Every Monday in the 1970s, for eight months of the year, he ran Golf Tours to a different Central Otago location, “Ranfurly, Roxburgh, Queenstown and all the places in between,” and ran coaching sessions.   

John has been actively organising major Golf events in Central Otago. The Mount Michael Central Otago Autumn Golf Classic is one such event that showcases the region's beauty and attracts Golf enthusiasts. He’s left his mark on many other tournaments in the region, including the Central Otago Charity Golf Classic, the Sunshine Classic, and the Golf Trilogy in Wānaka and Central Otago. John's dedication to Golf extended to the Alexandra Golf Club.

In 1974, as Club Professional John accepted the role of Course Developer for the Alexandra Club and tabled a plan for a new layout, introducing some new holes, changing the order in which some were played and resitting some greens. The overall effect was to make the course more interesting and a still greater challenge.

A stint away from Central Otago took his family to Hamilton, where they bought and ran Westlands Golf Course. He gave up his Professional status in 2000 and “struck form” again, rekindling his passion for playing after being on the business side of Golf when he owned the course.

With his wife, Dawn, he moved back to Central to retire in 2005. In 2007 he earned a place in the New Zealand Senior team for over 50s; he was 65 then. He went to Bangalore in India as part of a six-man team. They won the trophy for the 13th Asia Pacific Senior Amateur Golf Championships.  

John has been an Otago Golf Representative, a Golf Professional, the first CEO of Golf Otago, and a long-time member of the Alexandra Golf Club, still dedicated to running Golf tournaments in Central Otago. He has been on the New Zealand Golf Association board while he was a Professional and contributed to Golf Otago and the New Zealand Golf Council (the group for amateur golfers).

In 2020, he was honoured as a Life Member of the Alexandra Club, recognising his significant contributions to its growth and success. In May 2024, John was inducted into the Central Lakes Trust Hall of Fame as one of the first inductees at the Forsyth Barr Central Otago Sports Awards ceremony.

John's passion for Golf and his impact on the sport continues to inspire players and enthusiasts in Central Otago.