Club & Course Closure

The Club and course have been necessarily closed due to Covid-19 restrictions which have been imposed. I am really missing my golf and club community; and I am sure that is the same for all members of Alresford Golf Club.

Course Management

Our magnificent Greens Staff continue to work to maintain our course and have organised themselves into two teams to ensure that they can comply with social distancing, and remain well. They are very well led by our Course Manager, Simon Justice; and supported by Chair of Greens, Bob Moore. We thank you all for your commitment which will hopefully ensure that the course can be brought back to provide suitable playing conditions in a reasonable timeframe once restrictions have been lifted.

Impact of Covid-19

The Personnel Committee and the Management Committee were able to ‘meet virtually’ on 30^th March 2020, and both meetings were quorate with full agenda.

The Personnel Committee agreed recommendations to be made to the Management Committee in relation to the HMRC Job Retention scheme, which were unanimously approved. A further review by the Personnel Committee will take place in two weeks time.

At the Management Committee we obviously discussed the impact of Covid-19, the temporary closure of the Club, and the impact of lost revenue. The Club still carries most of its costs at this time, although we will get help with wages and salaries for Staff that are officially laid off. These are really difficult decisions for us all as there is a balance to be struck between taking care of our valued staff yet ensuring the Club is financially well. Chair of Finance, Ray Panter, is doing all he can to reduce our costs at this time and I thank him for many hours of line-by-line, detailed planning. Obviously, we do not know how long we will be closed, but whilst we are closed, we have no further income.

Membership

The Club was not able to agree terms to renew the HPLS scheme this year; despite protracted negotiations which reflected the democratic view of our members and the Management Committee. Once this was known; the Management Committee acted immediately and offered preferential joining terms to current HPLS members and current Winter Members, closing on 31^st March.

I am delighted to report that 26 people have requested membership and they will become full 7-day members on payment of their subs. This is a huge vote of confidence in our Club, and I will be delighted to welcome them all to the Club when we are back playing golf.

Recruitment of a New Head Professional

The recruitment advert for our next Head Professional has gone live, and applications are coming in. A sub-group of the Management Committee will consider all applications and work to provide a shortlist of applicants to be interviewed by the entire Management Committee when this is possible.

If Covid-19 restrictions are lifted in a couple of months; we would hope to offer the role to someone in the Summer so that they can be ready to take over on 1^st November as planned.

Looking Forward

I really hope that my next ‘Management Corner’ brings much better news on the golf front.

However, let’s all continue to do everything we can in our homes to make sure that we are all fit and well for sunny days on the course… and lovely afternoons on the patio!

Do stay well!

Robert White

Chair of the Management Committee

We decided that, regardless of when the course is re-opened, it would not be possible to schedule the play-by dates for the Men’s and Mixed Summer knock-out competitions sensibly.

• The Esme Norris Vase has been cancelled.
• The Committee Cup and Evelyn Laming competitions are normally held later in the summer so a decision on these competitions will be taken later.

Other Competitions

When the course re-opens for play we will attempt to reschedule as many of the Board and Trophy competitions as possible.

For the men we will also look to add in some more mid-week medals and Stablefords and Over 60’s competitions.

For the ladies we will take a similar approach.

We will do our best to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to submit as many qualifying scores as possible before the switch over to the World Handicapping System on 2^nd November – of course this might now be postponed.

George Clelland & Gill Freemantle

Question.

In a pairs stoke play competition, a player putts with their partner tending the flag stick. The putt is over hit and the partner decides to leave the flag in.

The ball hits the flag, is deflected and finishes 10 feet from the hole.

Is the player subject to a penalty?

Here is Gareth addressing the ball in true ‘professional’ fashion!

Followed by an expertly delivered glancing blow!

The ball’s resting place
Perhaps he would have done better with a “tree” wood!

On the 13^th March, we hosted Corhampton GC for the first of the scheduled 39 inter-Club Summer Matches. I’m pleased to report that we managed a convincing win by 5-2 with several really strong performances, including:

• a 6&4 win for Tony Freeman and Alfie Le Marquand
• a 5&4 win for Keith Turner/Nick Duncan
• a 5&4 win for Roger Corkhill/Chris Thompson.

Well done guys – an excellent start to what may well be a ‘shortened season’. With much of our planned golf, including the ever popular Vets and Ladies Breeze Up now ‘on hold’, it may be some time before there is a great deal more to reflect on. So for now at least, I urge all at Alresford GC, and Vets in particular, to be ultra-careful and stay safe.

Ed Tinley

Everything has been cleared up and the stumps ground out. The yellow machine is what Stumpbusters use with the photo being taken near the Academy Course.

The areas where the stumps were will be soiled and seeded. We know, for some of you, that removing trees is quite traumatic but we are very hopeful that the increased light and air around the 16^th in particular will allow the remaining trees to flourish.

Our greens are in good shape with the roots now double the length of what they were last year. The last fungicide to be applied was at the end of January so the systemic approach being followed is paying dividends. The new hand mowers arrived towards the end of last season, so weren’t used very much. Before the course closure the hand mowing appeared to make a marked difference to achieved green speeds so you are likely to see more of them. As always it’s a balance of time and resources with our main goal being to achieve consistent speeds around the course.

The new bunkers have settled in nicely with the turf taking very well. They have been edged and fly-mowed and just need a top up of sand.

The photo shows a relatively new grooming brush we have.

This will be used on the fairways to aerate and

rake out dead matter before being fertilised. The fertiliser is a slow release type so should continue to work for the next 4 months and set us up nicely for the summer. The relatively steep sides of the new 13^th tee will be seeded in due course.

The sheep have now left us, doing so with more of a “bark” than a “bite”!

New “Beware Steep Drop” signs have been positioned on the 7^th and 8^th tees.

The seeded extension to the old 1^st tee chipping area has now germinated.

The soil mounds on the range and at the back of the chipping area will be seeded in due course to improve perspective.

Our Greenkeeper of the Month is Mick.

Also Level 2 qualified, whilst he has “formally” been with us since the summer of 2018, he goes back a lot longer than that.

You have possibly aimed at him on the range whilst he was collecting the balls!

He is also very good with mechanical things and helps Adam out with maintaining our course machinery.

He also services garden machinery with a family history involved in their hardware store in Medstead that is now sadly closed.

Bob Moore
Chair of Greens Committee

Answer.

Yes

Once the putt is made, the flag stick must not be left in by the, partner or caddy to deliberately deflect or stop the ball.

(Rule 11.2)

extra funds to support and enhance the club Centenary celebrations which took place in 1990. Almost £5,000 was added to the Centenary Fund – a fantastic contribution. It proved so popular that members who had joined chose to continue the scheme indefinitely.  The ongoing objective of the 100 Club was then agreed as being “to provide funds for capital expenditure to enhance the Golf Course and/or Club House”.  This is still very much the objective and projects supported by the 100 Club would generally be considered ‘extras’ and not necessarily within the Golf Club budget. Many items have been purchased over the years with the new rattan patio furniture being the most recent.  In recent years the 100 Club has purchased the drinking fountain on the 4^th/15^th holes, the finger post signage, the Information Board and Clock at the first tee and the automated Defibrillator in the Entrance Hall.

So, can I join the 100 Club?  

Yes of course. New members are always welcome and so as a Golf Club member you can actively contribute towards future enhancements to the facilities on the Golf Course or Clubhouse whilst having the opportunity to win a monthly cash prize. Or why not increase your existing shareholding for an even better chance of a prize.  Shares can be purchased for £1 per month paid for by Standing Order and there is no limit on the number which can be held – most members have between 1 and 5 shares.  Each share is allocated a number which is entered into the monthly draw with a top prize of £100, with a second prize of £50 and four other prizes of £32. For more information contact Pat Wallis on 01420 564417 or peterpat51@outlook.com, or call in to the Secretary’s Office.

Pat Wallis