Fore Info August 2022
Content
- Team Golf: a successful end to the season
- Clubhouse update
- Mens and Ladies Results and Team news
- Rules Quiz Question: another tricky decision on a lie
- A roundup of all the Team Matches
- Vets update
- Social : lots of new events coming soon…
- Greens News: latest on the state of our course
- Winners in the 100 Club: check if you won
It was great to see the continued success of Team Golf, 23 years since inception. It proves a great way for new and existing members to meet others and most importantly have fun. It is great to read that Ben is doing well in his bar and catering role. Thanks to members who remained patient as he stocked up and can now better manage the high demand from members. It is good also to read in this issue that the Social Committee has lots of new events coming our way. Don’t forget to regularly check the Social Noticeboard. AGC had and will have a great social scene for the future.
I got some stick that last month I did not show all the Jubilee ‘Fore Info’ Challenge team photos I was sent. Sorry, here are the rest below.
A big well done to our Stoneham Ladies Team that have successfully reached the quarter finals. Captain Rosemary Verrall and all the players, you have done us proud and continue the accomplished playing record of the club. There are many other successes in this edition so read and enjoy.
With so much going on at the club it’s easy to miss out on opportunities. Read this month about the sign up for the Mens Lombard 4BBB and Winter Mixed Foursomes. Don’t miss the deadline coming soon.
Our website is presently being refreshed and we will bring it up to the latest standards. Thanks to the unpaid members who use their skills to help us all. Go and have a look soon- very impressive so far!
Finally I hope you are making most of our wonderful, very dry course. Read about the challenges facing our greenkeeping team. Having just played at Hayling, I see all courses are struggling but we are still up there with the best. The first week of August is GREEN MAINTENANCE WEEK so maybe stay home and stay cool.
As always keep in touch to get your news in this, your club mag e-zine
David Marshall
Editor
newsletter@alresfordgolf.co.uk
Another Successful Team Golf Year: Winning it for Lee
What a year we have had as the League went down to the final match on the final day to decide the winners and the Championship saw a (nearly) full clubhouse, as all 12 teams played from a two tee start.
We welcomed new, and familiar, teams and faces as the League matches got under way in May. A resounding win for the newly formed ‘The Cobblers’ saw Captain Adrian Cobb and son Finton, start the year with a bang by posting a total of 27 points, which was then not beaten all season!
As the weeks progressed, it was good to see different teams managing to win a sleeve of balls for best score of the evening and all their photos and the weekly newsletter have been posted on the TEAM GOLF button of the members area of the website. Do have a look and if you think any photos are worthy of a caption contest, let us know…!
Most weekly wins were from The Cobblers (x4) and the Sunrises (x3) however the final League night was full of drama as both the top two teams lost and Papa Morph(ed) themselves to the League title by winning their match against The Cobblers!
On Finals night Captain Ian Cantrill was presented with the trophy but we were saddened to hear from him that the original founder of the Papa Morph team, Lee Cheong had passed away a few years ago however, they were delighted to ‘win it for Lee’!
The Championship on Thursday evening was also full of drama – sadly two teams only had three players (and one team only had Kim!) but there were some superb scores across the board. After triple checking (!) the scores, the eventual winners were The Cobblers by 6 points from Sultans of Swing.
All teams enjoyed a meal from Ben and The Kitchen before a fun evening started by a game of Heads and Tails. ‘Balls for Birdies’ rewarded the players (20 of them) with a sleeve of balls and before we finished with the team awards.
To conclude, John White described how pleased he was to see so many people playing in Team Golf, now in it’s 22nd year. Chairman Rob White finished proceedings with some kind words reflecting the efforts of the White family in keeping TEAM GOLF a permanent and integral fixture in the club’s calendar.
See you next year!
Jim and John White
on behalf of the Social Committee.
Management Corner
Clubhouse
Most of us are really enjoying the new bar, lounge and dining areas but already becoming impatient for the final touches, such as the honours boards, that will make it feel more like our Golf Club.
We now have a working party including representatives from The Captains Committee, House Committee, Competitions and Handicap Committee, and the Management Committee defining our needs and options for the future. We have around 50 honours boards for traditional competitions, honours boards for Captains and of course the wonderful Representative Honours board which used to hang in the foyer. However, we also have many competitions for which there are no honours boards, such as; Alresford Show Trophy, Druids Cup and the Husbands and Wives bowl.
We also need to ensure that the future of our honours boards reflects the diversity in our Club. We have very strong Juniors, Vets and Ladies sections which were under-represented by our previous display of the boards before the Clubhouse Development.
Snagging
We have temporary sails in place of the permanent patio canopy as we experience continued delay in the permanent solution being fitted. From around the second week in August the much-needed secure gates to the car park will be in-place. For many years, we have been a bit of a sitting duck for trespassers, particularly during the unsupervised hours. Our new gates will open manually, and are likely to be opened first thing in the morning and closed at night as the bar closes. Those of us that leave our cars overnight after an emotional evening at the Club will not be able to retrieve those cars until the gates re-open in the morning. So, there is quite a big, but necessary change coming. Full procedures will be communicated.
Bar, Dining and Lounge
The quality provided of both food and bar products continues to impress! Sales are higher than in previous years as members and visitors enjoy the food, drink and atmosphere during much longer opening hours. Ben and his team from The Kitchen@ have made such an impressive start. The Club continues to benefit from the contractual terms which are on schedule to return a higher net profit from Bar & Catering than ever before at the Club. Trevor Pearce, Chair of Bar Catering, negotiated an excellent contract with The Kitchen@ which is delivering the win-win outcomes for both the Club and our contractor. Thank you all for supporting, and thank you to Ben and team for your innovation and excellent service.
Sub-Committee Structure and Rules
There is work progressing on potential rule amendments that will need to come to the AGM in November, which will be shared with all Members as soon as we have final versions. We are hoping this will be well in advance of the AGM at which these rule changes will need approval or rejection by our Members. These rule changes are mostly intended to tidy up some custom and practice and to update some language.
We are also likely to have two vacancies at the AGM to Chair our sub-committees which gives the further privilege of being a voting member of the Club’s Management Committee. Any full member with the desire and skill sets to contribute are encouraged to contact me, chairman@alresfordgolf.co.uk for an initial chat. We need the Management Committee to reflect the diversity in our Club, so all are most welcome.
Finance
Our Finance Committee, led by Richard Lane, are working hard on next year’s budget. They are also reviewing the subscriptions and annual increases of our neighbouring Clubs to ensure that our fees align with our competitors and friends. It is a tough year for all Golf Clubs, and our households, as we balance double digit inflation.
We will of course bring all of the information to the AGM.
Robert White
Chairman of the Management Committee
From the Club Captain
July is a busy month for golf in the UK and we all had packed diaries. The Men’s Friendly team, superbly organised by Vice Captain Simon Freemantle, had matches with Lee-on-the-Solent at home (won), Blackmoor at home (draw), Basingstoke away,(won) and Meon Valley away (tomorrow 30th!). All highly enjoyable contests.
We also had some super mixed team fixtures, entertaining Rowlands Castle for the first time (won 7.5-0.5), visiting Bramley (lost 5-3) and Hayling on Sunday 31st.
We are now coming into Invitation Season at AGC. These days are special for myself as I was honoured to be invited by Ron Chamberlain some 20 years ago. I was really impressed by everything Alresford! Course, company, catering all made a big impression on me and certainly influenced my decision to join. The Vets Invitation on Thursday 11th is followed by the Mens Invitation on Sunday 14th. The Mixed Invitation will take place on Sunday 4th September and full details are on the noticeboard. Invite a golfing friend from another club to share a great day!
Jim White, Dave Fox, Gary Mugford and Trevor Pearce joined Simon Freemantle and me at the Waterlooville Cup. We finished in a creditable 4th place. Simon, Jan, Gunnel and I represented the club at the Royal Winchester Promethian yesterday (28th) and I am looking forward to the 100 Club dinner tonight (29th).
On my travels to other clubs, I have been keen to see how the courses are coping with the heatwave and long dry spell. It’s fair to say that some are better than others! I know I’m biased but I can honestly say that nowhere is better than AGC. At these events many people go out of their way to tell me how much the like our club and course. We are so fortunate with our course which is playable all year round and copes with extremes so well. As ever, thanks to Simon, Adam, Ben, Mick, Dom and Mark. Great work guys!
Mark Tiplady
Club Captain
Ladies Section
On Sunday, 3rd July the ladies ran the Mixed Open. The morning and afternoon competitions were amalgamated as there were too few entries in the morning. The competitors were treated to an excellent half-way house and a great meal after play. All those who attended enjoyed their day.
On Sunday, 10th The Ladies held a ‘new members/academy members’ roll up. Nine holes of golf followed by tea and cake. This was enjoyed by those who took part, particularly the Academy ladies, and appreciative of the effort made. Thanks to Jane Andrews who organised.
Tuesday, 12th was my Lady Captain’s Day. What a fun day in glorious sunshine. 68 ladies turned up to join me on my special day. The theme was ‘Flower Power’ and flowers were everywhere, in hair, on clothes and trolleys. A simple Bowmaker with the exception of the last hole where all had to putt with a hockey stick……. This will be Jennifer Clelland’s new club with which to putt as she managed to get down the hole in two…. Unfortunately it wrecked some people’s cards! We also had a Potty Putting competition run by Tony Hutt, Ray Panter and Mike Hooker and these gentlemen also ran the Halfway House. A great morning, a lovely lunch and every lady went home with a plant for their garden.
Tuesday, 16th was one of the hottest day’s of the year and the ladies medal had very few takers!.
Thursday, 18th Our Triangular match V The Army and Stoneham at The Army. Great day, again very warm and we just missed out by one shot from taking first place.
Friday, 22nd Alice’s Arc Charity day. After a lot of hard work and help from a few people we managed to run a successful charity day for Alice’s Arc in memory of Sophie. Thirteen teams joined us to partake in a raffle, a Silent Auction, a Texas Scramble, nearest the pins, nearest the flag on the 17th, all followed by a lovely lunch. We received great sponsorship and hopefully raised several thousands but the amount cannot be ascertained until after the Silent Auction and the accounts have been finalised. My grateful thanks to Mary and Ray Panter, Sandra and Mike Hooker, Tony Hutt, the office staff and Ben and all the catering/bar staff and to all the sponsors without whom this would not have been such a success. A great day.
Jan Harring
Ladies Captain
STOP PRESS. STOP PRESS
Alresford Ladies Stoneham team , ably captained and led by Rosemary Verrall, today were successful in winning their group and will go onto the quarter finals. A very close match against a very strong Worldham team. A tremendous achievement.!
Competitions and Handicap Committee Report
Winter Knockout Competitions
Men’s Lombard 4BBB
Mixed Winter Foursomes
The C&H Committee have reviewed the schedule of all knockout competitions and aim to bring forward the finish time of the Winter Knockouts, so that thy close before the summer season is fully underway.
The revised schedule for the Winter Knockouts will be:
Entry Opens: 6am on Monday 15th August 2022
Entry Closes: 10pm on Sunday 25th September 2022
League Stages Commence: 1st October 2022
League Stages Conclude: 16th January 2023
Knockout Stages Commence: 23rd January 2023
Entry for both the men’s Lombard 4BBB and mixed Winter Foursomes will be via the Club V1 App/HowDidiDo.
Entry for both competitions if open to 7 day members who have competed in 6 qualifying competitions in the preceding 12 months (26 September 2021 to 25 September 2022).
How to enter for Men’s Lombard 4BBB & Mixed Winter Foursomes:
|
2. From the “menu” select  |
3. Select “Sign In/Pre Registration”  |
4. Select “Mixed Winter Foursomes 2022-23 (entries only)”
OR “Men’s Lombard 4BBB 2022-23 (entries only)
|
5. Select “View Info” or down arrow to view details, and select “enter knockout”
|
6. Confirmation Screen Your name will appear in the box labelled “player 1”.
Start entering the the surname of your playing partner in “player 2”, and select the correct partner and click “enter”
Greens Maintenance & Casual Scores The first week in August is Greens Maintenance week during which there could be a number of temporary greens in use on some days. Please ensure that you check the App as to whether the course is qualifying if you intend to submit a General Play score. |
Thanks
Gill Freemantle
Chair Competitions & Handicap Committee, Handicap Secretary
Mixed Matches
The mixed match season is nearly drawing to a close with only 3 matches still to be played this year. The match list is on the Mixed Noticeboard in the club house with a sign-up sheet for the last 2 matches of the year. You can also signal availability for the matches on the club V1 system.
If you are unable to get to the club to sign up or access the club V1 system you can ask the office to add you to the lists or contact Marion or Alan Bruce. The sign up sheets close 3 to 4 weeks before a match.
The last 3 matches are:
North Hants Home Sunday 21st Aug at 1.00pm
Royal Winchester Away Friday 2nd Sept at 12.00pm
Basingstoke Away Friday 9th Sept at 2.00pm
Any club member with a CONGU handicap is welcome to sign up to play. All the matches are played in a friendly manner and everyone is welcome, no matter what their handicap. It is hoped that members who haven’t played before will join in and sign up for the opportunity to play mixed golf both at home and on some very enjoyable away courses. Playing partners are drawn as part of team selection.
The match teams will be communicated by email and posted on the notice board. Team members are requested to play in team colours of white shirts and navy jumpers.
A decision has been made that Five Day members may play in the weekend matches if we are unable to field a team from the Seven Day members. Green fees will not be required.
Mixed matches are normally followed by a meal.
For more information or any queries please contact Marion or Alan Bruce.
A Look at the Rules
Question
Is there a difference in actions a player must take if they find their ball resting against a scorecard on the fairway or finding their ball resting on a scorecard on the fairway?
Juniors Section
It was great to see two of our Juniors, Jenny Myers and Rosie Rooney picked to represent Hampshire at this year’s Junior County Match Week that took place at Kings Hill Golf Club in Kent.
Congratulations also to junior members in the Team Golf. It was great fun and I was so pleased to be in the winning Papamorph team.
Unfortunately the Junior Club championships was cancelled due to insufficient sign ups. Come on Juniors lets get a full field next time.
Harriet Riches
Juniors Captain
Vets Section
It has been a busy month for the Vets.
We had matches against:
Salisbury and South Wilts lost away.
Romsey won home.
The Army lost away.
Bramshaw won home.
We had two matches called off, Hampworth due to the take over and Blackmoor due to greens problems.
The Vets Past Captains Day, organised by the Vets Vice-Captain Steve Oldham, was a good day with 13 playing golf and 17 for the meal afterwards. We played an 18-hole Stableford for the Vets Past Captains Trophy. The winner with 40 Stableford points was Drew Fielden. The trophy was presented to him by the Vets Vice-Captain Steve.
We then moved on to the Vets Championship rounds one and two. The highest gross score of 166 was posted by Drew Fielden, a good month for him. The winner of the net with a score of 132 was Ewan McGregor.
I would like to say well done to Peter Armitage for a very good round while winning the over 60’s medal with a score of 59. The runner up was Ian Hewlett with a score of 63 and Andy Gagen was third with a score of 65.
In the coming month we have matches against Sandford Springs, Lee on the Solent, Farnham, Weybrook Park, and Blackmoor. The sign-up sheet can be found on the noticeboard in the changing room.
We also have one of the big events for the Vets: The Vets Invitation.
This is organised by Ewan McGregor. At the last count we had 72 pairs, we have room for 2 more pairs. This will be followed by a carvery meal and presentations.
Bob Archer
Vets Captain
General Manager’s Update
NEW MEMBERS
Following a decision taken at last months Management Committee, we have now closed our 7-day membership categories until January 2023. We are still accepting 5 day applications. We have however re-introduced a Waiting List category which provides limited access to the course but with a guaranteed space at renewal time in January.
CLUB ‘ROLL UP’
Fancy a game during the week? All members are welcome to come along to the informal ‘club roll-up’ on Wednesday mornings. There is a tee reservation between 11.00-12.00 – members wishing to take part should meet at the starters hut from approx. 10.45am for allocation of groups. As per the times highlighted for the Ladies and Vets Sections, we politely ask members to show courtesy to those who wish to play in this ‘roll up’ at this time. If you do not wish to play with this group please choose another time if possible. If there continues to be a limited use of this time , then the Captains Committee will review the tee allocation.
WEBSITE REFRESH
Our golf club website, a key marketing and member resource, was becoming increasingly dated. It was agreed by the P&D Committee to concentrate resources on refreshing and updating all the content. This refresh has involved considerable effort from a small team of volunteers, at minimal cost to the club. The initial stage in this work was brought live on Friday 29th July – we are aware that a number of pages still need significant additional work and there are currently some issues accessing certain pages – these should be rectified shortly. In particular we are well aware of the need for updated photos, some have been already updated using our library of course photos accumulated over recent months and years, but any further updates to course photos will wait until it decides to rain and we green up again. We appreciate your patience whilst this project nears conclusion.
David Maskery
General Manager
FACEBOOK – check out our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/alresfordgolfclub
Make sure you ‘like’ our Facebook page and you will link to it and get the regular pictures and updates on what’s happening ! Share with your friends to help us boost our online and social media profiles
Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/alresford_golf_club/
DON’T FORGET ITS GREEN MAINTENANCE WEEK – Monday 1st – Friday 5th August
There may be times when temporary green are in play – we suggest that you do not plan to submit cards for handicapping during this time.
Greens Staff have priority on the course.
STARTERS – HELP REQUIRED
Can you assist with Starter duties for visiting Golf Societies on the following dates?
Tuesday 9th August 1.00pm
Thursday 18th August 1.00pm
Friday 19th August 11.00am
Thursday 1st September 11.00am
Friday 2nd September 10.30am
Please advise David if you can help. Thank you.
ON-COURSE SAFETY
We have revised our safety instructions for golfers (members and visitors). These are available via the website. Please make yourself aware of these guidelines and instructions.
/www.alresfordgolf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Health-Safety-Course-Information-for-Visitors.pdf
BAR & CATERING
Bar opening from 07.00am for Tea/Coffee/ Juices etc and 11.00am for normal alcohol sales.
Kitchen open for food service from 09.00am for breakfast/brunch menu (until 12.00) and All Day menu from 12.00noon.
Food service ends at 19.00pm on Sunday -Wednesday, 20.00pm Thursday-Saturday
Choose a SPF+ 30+ sunscreen. You can still burn when its cloudy. Stay hydrated- take water with you on the course. Don’t forget to use sunscreen on your non gloved hand. Protect your ears. Tell others if you see them burning. Seek shade or use a brolly to keep out of the sun.
Social
The Club House is now open and is looking good. Ben and his team have settled in well so now let us bring on some ‘Events’.
Monday 29th August – Ben and his team are going to hold a BBQ on the patio for the ‘Par 3’ Competition with the course being set up by Les Thorne and Alicia Hardy
Saturday 24th September Mezze & Music Night – Full details will be on the Notice Board shortly.
Saturday 8th October Kit’s Quiz – 18.30 start for a Red Thai Curry or Chickpea & Potato Curry. Both served with Basmati Rice, Poppadom’s, Naans and a couple of side dishes. Full details will be on the Notice Board shortly.
We have the Club Dinner in November, Night Golf and a ‘Race Night’ in December.
There are many more in the pipeline with details to follow in the next issue.
Greens News
Whilst having a warm dry summer is a pleasant change and increases our opportunity to play golf I have to admit that for possibly the first time in my life I’d like a prolonged period of rain (preferably after dark for at least a week)! We have nearly used all of our bore hole allowance and will soon only be able to use mains water.
The lack of rain and high temperatures make greenkeeping a real challenge. You will all have noticed the changes in the course and we all have adapt if we are to protect the course we all appreciate so much, for example when entering, leaving or raking bunkers please do not stand on the edge. The edges of bunkers, because the ground is so dry, are becoming fragile and can give way as shown in the photograph of the greenside bunker on the 6th hole. Currently, tees and aprons are being cut twice weekly and they are drying out quickly after little rainfall. We are watering these areas to keep them going. Some fairways such as the 8th are bone dry so we have avoided cutting to give them as much protection as possible. Simon and the team monitor the moisture content in different areas of each green and supplement the sprinklers with hand watering as necessary.
The green keeping team will carry out the scheduled maintenance in the first week of August. This will mean that temporary greens will be used so that the team can work on the greens. Consequently the course will be non-qualifying whilst the work takes place. The plan is to work on greens 1 to 9 on Monday 1st and holes 10 to 18 on Tuesday 2nd, however, members should be prepared for the work to continue into Wednesday if necessary. During maintenance week the team will hollow core, scarify, seed and top dress the greens. Core removal will reduce thatch and firm up the surfaces, scarifying will create a linear line for the seed to contact the soil and remove surface thatch and top dressing will fill the holes and lines. Granular fertiliser has already been applied which will create growth and help the greens recover quicker. During the recovery period greens will be cut at 4.5mm and we will lower the cut height when all the sand has gone. We will add liquid nutrition and a wetting agent to the greens throughout August and September. During maintenance week the team hope to scarify tees and aprons to remove thatch, however, this may have to wait for sufficient rainfall and therefore may have to be done outside maintenance week.
The team continue to maintain our woodland, there will be an inspection of our woodland stock towards the end of August and any remedial work will then be planned. Almost certainly we will remove more Ash trees as we continue to manage the effects of Ash Die Back. Recently the team have undertaken some base pruning to remove unwanted growth and raised some canopies to improve lines of sight. However, at this point I need to state the obvious; trees in full leaf obstruct our view. On most holes this is not a problem but on several holes members of the public cross the hole following a public right of way. On these holes we need to be particularly vigilant. For example on the 2nd tee all members of a group should be looking for walkers approaching from the right and the left, if a walker appears we should warn the golfer addressing the ball and they should not play their shot until the walker has moved away. If it is too late and our partner plays the shot an early call of FORE would be sensible. In addition, if you play your shot and you lose sight of the ball (I’ve been known to slice a ball off the 18th tee towards the 9th fairway) you should immediately shout FORE! We don’t know where our ball will land or if anyone is in the landing area. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
Finally, those of you who use the driving range will have noticed some work has begun. We will be laying some new Huxley tees which should improve our excellent practice facilities further.
Derek Myers
Chair Greens Committee
A Look at the Rules
Answer
Yes,
If the ball is resting against a scorecard (movable obstruction) The player may move the card and if the ball moves, the ball should be replaced without penalty. Rule 15.2a1
If the ball is resting on a scorecard (movable obstruction) it should be lifted, obstruction removed, and the ball should be dropped in the relief area with the reference point being under where the ball was found on the card. Rule 15.2a2
For full details of how a ball should be replaced or dropped, see rules 14.2 & 14.3
If you would like to find out more about the rules, there is a wonderful rules section on the R&A website www.randa.org where you can also find these exceptions. Just download the R&A app (Rules of Golf) from the app store.
Thanks to Brian Overton for all these Rules Q and A’s and James White for the photo and situation. If you have any rulings questions for Brian he will answer them here in future editions, just email the editor.
100 Club
It’s our first draw with an extra monthly prize and increased value
Our winners in the 100 Club prize draw for Aug 2022
£100 Ashley Wright
£50 Andrew Thorne
£35 Prizewinners
Sarah Staines
Mike Pigott
Terry Parfitt
Laurie Clark
George Clelland
Congratulations to all our prize winners this month – our first draw with our extra monthly prize and at our new increased value of £35 to mark the 35 years since the start of the 100 Club. I wonder how many of our current members were included in that initial draw? If you were then perhaps you could let me know so I can build a little more history of the 100 Club.
By the time you read this the 100 Club 35th Anniversary Summer Stableford and Evening Meal will have been held on Friday 29 July. Watch out for details and the results next month.
Why not make this the year you join the 100 Club – and you may win a cash prize.
If you would like to be part of the 100 Club and actively contribute towards future enhancements to our golf club facilities, and have the chance of winning a cash prize each month, then why not join us. If you are already a member then please encourage your friends or new members to join us too.
The monthly draw will now be for seven cash prizes: £100, £50 and five at £35.
Each share cost £1 per month paid for by monthly standing order and there is no limit to the number you can purchase. Members generally have between 1 and 10 shares with 5 being the most common holding.
For further information about the 100 Club or for an Application form please give me a call or send me an email – Pat Wallis phone 01420 564417 or email peterpat51@outlook.com Or you can pick up a form from the Office.
Pat Wallis
Quote of the Month
You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated
Editor: David Marshall
DISCLAIMER
The Editorial Team take no responsibility for incorrect information received from Contributors.