Fore Info November 2017

The Ladies Assistants Pro-Am took place on 20th October and fielded a total of 108 players – congratulations to the Ladies who organised it, particularly Sally Willis who has been involved with the event since time immemorial!

Our caterers, Pullinger Leisure in the guise of Chris and Kelly, with Adam in support, have completed a year’s service with the club and I congratulate them on an outstanding year. This year’s Club Dinner promises to be the highlight of the year, so if you haven’t signed up yet, you may miss out!

The Auction of Promises held on 21st October was a resounding success thanks to the generosity of the many donors and to the excellence of the Social Committee under the baton of Gill Freemantle. Jim White and Rob White’s presentation was meticulously prepared and drew people into bidding with great aplomb. All the while, Gill sat calmly in the background when most of us would have been running around like headless chickens! The final figure of funds raised during the evening awaits the calculation of various expenses but is expected to be about £10,000. A magnificent achievement. Congratulations to the Social Committee who were all on duty that night and particular thanks to Gill, Jim and Rob.

Forthcoming events

Secretary’s Banger 5th November

Vets Golf and AGM 8th November

Club Dinner 11th November

Captain V Ladies Captain 12th November
Should be fun after the Club Dinner!

Trophy Presentation Evening 17th November
Attend if you can to congratulate our better golfers of the year.

AGM 24th November

Captains Drive-in 26th November

In signing off, I would like to thank all club members for their support during my year and the staff for putting up with my lack of knowledge on a range of matters that have cropped up. Without this support the task would have been less enjoyable and I know you will not fail to help Brian Wright in the same way.

Andrew Frearson
Club Captain

Derek and Jenny

The ladies’ produce stall raised an amazing £600 for Breast Cancer this month. A big thank you to all who brought in cakes, biscuits, preserves and lavender bags (a new initiative this year) to help make this such a success. Also to everyone who supported the event by buying produce or making donations.

I know I leave the Section in the capable hands of Mary Panter who comes with so much more AGC background knowledge than I will ever have. The next report will come from her and I wish her and her excellent team a most successful year to come.

Jean Coveyduck
Ladies Captain

If your ball lies on a temporary green when it is not the green in use for the hole being played, you must lift and drop the ball, without penalty, within one club of the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole you are playing to. It’s also a good idea to avoid walking across the temporary greens unnecessarily and to take trolleys around them as you would a normal green.

We have a Local Rule which defines the sheep enclosure as Ground Under Repair from which entry into and play from is prohibited. If your ball is known to be in the sheep enclosure or it is virtually certain that a ball that hasn’t been found is in the sheep enclosure then you must substitute another ball and drop it, without penalty, within one club length of the nearest point of relief from the point at which the ball crossed the boundary of the sheep enclosure and not nearer the hole. Relief may also be taken from surrounding fence to the sheep enclosure.

Preferred Lies are now in operation. A ball lying on the fairway, or a part of the course which is closely mown may be lifted, cleaned and placed within 6 inches of its original position not nearer the hole. The original position of the ball must be marked before the ball is lifted; using the club head of the club you happen to be holding is not acceptable. Preferred lies does not apply to any area of course which is not closely mown, for example on the 4th hole, the area between the end of the fairway and the fringe surrounding the green.

George Clelland

Question. In stroke play, a player finds his ball under a bush. He backs into the bush to take a stance but breaks a branch improving his area of intended swing. At the same time, he accidentally moves his ball with his foot. What is ruling?

Matches

The last of our inter club ‘summer’ matches have been played with the final match being at Cowdray Park on 8th October. Prior to this match we enjoyed a very good £8 breakfast, and after the game a round of drinks and the results of the match (which we lost 5 to 3). The dress code was golf gear throughout the day. Cowdray Park will follow this format next year when we visit them.

Of the 39 ‘summer” matches we played during the year we won 15, halved 4 and lost 20. The emphasis on these 39 games was to enjoy our golf and have fun, and pick teams that gave everybody a fair share of games rather than just pick the most competitive players to win matches.

Some 60 people played in these matches, or around 45% of our paid up membership of 133. The majority of the participants in these matches played less than 15 games during 2017, in a similar pattern to what happened last year.

Vets and Partners Dinner

This year’s annual dinner was enjoyed by 78 people, and after the dinner I was pleased to hear many positive comments about the food and the convivial atmosphere.

Next years Programme

We have dropped Avington from our fixtures list for next year, and they will be replaced by a “home and away” match with Hamptworth Golf Club. This means that next year we will have the opportunity to play in 40 matches during the “summer“ season.

During 2017 just over half of the Clubs we played changed their dress code to smart casual, and I would not be surprised to see this trend continue next year.

AGM

Finally, just a reminder to us all that the Vets AGM will be held on Wednesday 8th November at 2pm.

Geoff Procter
Vets Captain

These changes have been well received by visiting teams, some of whom have adopted a similar format.

If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on how we may improve the format or anything else please let me know so that it may be discussed prior to next year’s matches.

And if you have not played in the mixed matches, please consider putting your name down next year when the lists go on the board in the foyer.  You do not need to have a playing partner and anyone with a handicap is very welcome to join in.

Jan Harring

You may have noticed further improvements to the paths.  Our equivalent of painting the Forth Bridge.

I am pleased to say that the damage caused by rooks is reduced at this time and we have been able to manage this by “bang”.  For clarity, we will only use dead rooks when the damage and cost make this necessary.

Last month I advised that we needed to fell 2 dangerous trees.  Sadly, we also noticed the fine-looking Ash, close to the Yew on the left-hand side of the 18th fairway, was in a perilous state and this was also taken down.  Although this tree had been damaged by a swarm of insects, the main worry was the roots which were rotten through.

We will be starting our winter work program this month and will as ever try to keep the course playable and minimise disruption to play.

Happy golfing!

Mark Tiplady

Answer. The player incurs a two shot penalty. One shot penalty for accidentally moving his ball, rule 18-2 and a two shot penalty for improving his intended area of swing, rule 13-2. However, as the player incurred the penalties as a result of the same act, only the greater penalty is applied. Decision 1-4/15

Thanks once again to our local rules expert, Brian Overton, for setting these fascinating questions

It would be appreciated if prize winners could cash their cheques promptly as the value of uncleared cheques is steadily increasing. However, we have quite a healthy balance in the bank which allows us to support most projects as and when they arise. Decisions on what we spend our money are taken by our trustees, Robin Good and David Farr, and will be communicated through the Fore Info.

Not a member of the 100 Club?

If you’re not a member of the 100 Club, you can become one for as little as £1 per month. Shares in the 100 Club are purchased for £1 per month and there is no limit on the number of shares which can be held. In general, most members have between 1 and 5 shares and pay by monthly direct debit, though it’s also possible to pay quarterly or annually. Each share is allocated a number which is entered in the monthly draw. The top prize is £100, with a second prize of £50 and four other prizes of £32. For more information contact George Clelland on 01962735008 or george.clelland@btinternet.com, or call in to the Secretary’s office.

George Clelland