Mr Simpson (62), the chief executive of the Otago-Southland Employers Association for the past 11 years, will resign from that position sometime in March to move to Auckland to take up the job which has been vacant for about seven months.
Golfing runs in the Simpson blood with his father playing for 50 years on a single figure handicap and Mr Simpson having a three handicap years ago when he was an oil company representative and had plenty of time for practice.
However, neither he nor his father could claim a hole-in-one, something Mr Simpson's grandfather could, even though he only played twice a year on holiday.
"You could say this new job was mixing business with pleasure although sometimes my golf doesn't create as much pleasure as it should," Mr Simpson said in an interview yesterday.
"The trouble is I will probably end up playing less golf than I do now and that's not enough. But I think the job will go well.
"Having been a keen golfer and student of the game most of my life, I'm naturally looking forward to the challenges of the role."
However, he was leaving Dunedin and the many friends and business relationships he had built up over the years in Otago and Southland with regret, he said.
Fortunately, there was plenty going on regarding golf in the region and Mr Simpson expected to be back down on a reasonably regular basis.
The New Zealand Golf Open would be held at the Hills Course for the next three years and was likely to make a profit thanks to the hard work of businessman Michael Hill.
There was a lot of new course design and building in Queenstown and Wanaka, some of it aimed at the high end of the tourist market.
Golf and wine-tasting seemed to be a natural fit, he said.
Apart from the Hills Course, Millbrook was extending its golf facilities, the new Jacks Point course was "absolutely fantastic" and a new golf course would potentially be built along from Glendhu Bay.
Another course was being planned for Gibbston Valley, designed by Greg Turner.
"There is potential for a world class golf circuit in this area because we have four good courses in Dunedin that are not to be ignored."
The new job would have two parts: New Zealand's touring professionals and the 300 PGA club professionals who ran their own businesses and the 30 apprentice going through the ranks before they received their professional tickets.
Stand alone golf shops were also association members.
Mr Simpson would also be dealing with corporate sponsorship for major events, something that would present a few challenges in the current economic environment.
However, he was optimistic.
"Many relationships have been fostered on a golf course."
Mr Simpson would not stand for re-election for the Otago Rugby Football Union and would resign from the Tourism Dunedin board.
Employers Association president Phil Broughton said Mr Simpson would be missed but he was leaving the association in good heart.
Since Mr Simpson became chief executive, the association had grown to 1400 members with nearly $2 million in members' funds.
