Fore Info September 2021
Content
Here are some of the September highlights:
- Next steps in deciding on Tee Times
- Clubhouse development latest news.
- A new section on Members with non-golfing special achievements: Derek Andrews
- Updates on the Course and some future plans
- Our Ladies excelling in competitions around the area
- Exciting end to our Stoneham Cup Team campaign
- Details of the Winter Knockouts and upcoming team competitions
- Latest news from the Vets and upcoming events
- Reciprocals: find out where you can play for free
- Update on Upcoming Social Events
- Lucky Winners in the 100 Club
- Pro Tip from Mark Wood on the Whoosh…
- Joke and Cartoon of the month
[hr]I hope you enjoy the read.
If you have ideas to further improve Fore Info, please email me at newsletter@alresfordgolf.co.uk or look me up on the club directory for a chat.
David Marshall
Editor
So what has Nick Duncan done again? Another ace, this time with a 7 wood on the 13th hole from White, as witnessed by Andy Morffew!
According to the R and A holding a flagstick does not qualify as proof Nick!
How does he do it? Meticulous planning? Well as our AGC Chair of Planning (and development) he should have lots of practice.
Congratulations Nick!
Management Corner
Tee Times
We continue with our commitment to our traditional ‘roll up’ golf without Tee Times as restrictions due to the pandemic have been lifted. Simultaneously the Captain and his working party continue to collate feedback from Members as part of the Tee Times consultation leading up to a SGM where Members will vote to decide the outcome.
It is important to inform you that no preferred option has been tabled and that any recommendations will ultimately reflect the feedback received from the Members Consultation. It is obviously not possible for any outcome to meet the preference of every individual member, but the outcome of the Tee Times debate will be decided by Members in a full vote on options at the SGM. I have personally been informed by individual Members that some will leave if we do not re-establish Tee Times, and I have also been informed by others that they will leave if we do re-establish Tee Times. So, it would appear that Covid has resulted in a situation where we will be unable to please everyone; all we can do as a Management Committee is assure all members of a transparent and fully democratic process and appreciate every individual choice on Membership for next year.
The Management Committee will meet on September 15th and hope to determine the schedule for the SGM at that meeting.
Clubhouse Development
As I write this, the very final details are being made to the specification for Phase 1 of the Clubhouse Development plans which will enable the Club to go out to tender. There are four, full-service building firms that have been approached to tender competitively for the six-month project, all of whom have been selected for their capability to effectively complete with the given schedule and have been risk assessed for their financial standing.
Throughout; the Club has relied upon on our resident, professional Architect, Sue Masser. I have personally experienced the relentless detailed, hard work Sue has put it as Chair of House; entirely voluntarily, on behalf of all of us. The specification is so detailed, right down to light fittings and door handles, and is an impressive achievement. For many years the Club has not substantially improved electrical systems, the kitchen, and has never provided a rest area for all of its staff as required by employment legislation; so there is an awful lot of improvement to be made in the background in addition to improvements to our lounge, bar and patio areas.
We will shortly move onto discussions about launching Members Loan Notes in support of the Clubhouse Development, and indeed assessing tenders received. It is fully two-years since we last gained an insight into potential costs of Phase 1, so we are anticipating that prices will have risen, and of course there will be the ‘Covid Factor’ which will also have an impact no doubt.
Membership Subscriptions
We now have 20 temporary members who have joined the Club with some restricted access times for the course. Our temporary members have either paid some, or all, of their joining fee already and will be offered full 7-day membership as soon as others leave. As previously suggested, we would expect that around 50 existing members may not re-new next year as we historically experience up to 9% annual attrition.
Therefore; we may only have 25 memberships available for entirely new members next year in addition to our temporary members upgrading to guaranteed full membership. Again; I suggest that any Academy Members contact David immediately if you wish to convert to full Membership…and similarly; do contact David if you are aware of any friends or family who may wish to join next year so that we can also give them priority in addition to our temporary members.
I hope you continue to enjoy the fabulous condition of the course, which is such a credit to our Greens Staff led by Course Manager; Simon Justice.
Robert White
Chairman of the Management Committee
Members special non-golfing achievements: Derek Andrews
AGC: We’ve Got Talent. This is the first of my reports to uncover special ‘non-golfing’ achievements from our membership. If during a game or over a beer you hear a story about another members’ special non-golfing achievement let me know and I will publish it. Maybe we have past Olympians, World Record holders or someone in the Guinness Book of Records?
Often members are shy to report these things but I hope readers will enjoy hearing about these special people in our midst. Just send me an email or give me a ring.
David Marshall
Editor
From Hampshire Cricket Supporter to BBC TV Cricket Scorer
AGC member, Derek Andrews is a life-long supporter of Hampshire Cricket and member for over 50 years and a member of the MCC for over 35 years. Through Hampshire, Derek was recommended to the BBC TV and became the last BBC TV Cricket Scorer (before Sky TV) covering over 140 one day matches during the final period of the BBC coverage of Sunday League cricket and all one day matches from 1982 to 1989. He worked with experts from Honeywell to create a data rich output that soon became the norm with the BBC commentators.
Derek had the pleasure in working with Richie Benaud, Bob Willis, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Jim Laker, Geoff Boycott and Peter Walker in the commentary box including the 1983 world cup final at Lords.
From the Club Captain
Another month flies by! Mark Wood and I really notice the nights pulling in as we complete our Captain-Pro challenges on Thursday evenings. Only a couple of weeks ago we could enjoy a leisurely pint on the patio with our challengers. We will have to start 30 minutes earlier at 3:30 soon! This has been a great success with some super matches, all played in great spirit. 
So far 5 pairs of challengers have won their matches and will play off 2 be the first winners of the Captain-Pro Trophy. They are Harry Dhand and Dave Fox, Peter Gunn and Chris Spicer, Gareth Rees and Tony Stanton, Gary Mugford and Ian Jones, Gill Freemantle and Sarah Thorne. The challengers have kindly donated over £650 so far to the Captains’ Charity.
The Vets Invitation on the 12th was a highly successful and enjoyable day. Invitations have always been a personal favourite of mine. I was fortunate to be invited to the Men’s Invitation 3 times before I joined the club and always take the opportunity to invite friends. It was clear that our guests all enjoyed the course and hospitality. Congratulations to Vets Captain Gareth and Wynne Tufnell for organising a successful day. I look forward to the mixed invitation on Sunday 5th September.
Thank you to all members that have contributed to the tee booking consultation. The working party have gathered over 200 views in many formats from verbal to highly detailed and well thought out emails. The 6 weeks of “open tees” ends soon and we plan to launch an online survey at that time. The feedback gathered will help us to build the most meaningful survey and lead to a proposal for the SGM. This will be progressed at pace.
During the past 6 weeks I have represented the club at several events with Captains, Vice-Captains and Past Captains from clubs in Hampshire and the South Region. Many “members” clubs are in a similar position to us, with Covid causing the introduction of tee bookings to clubs which previously had open tees. We all compare notes! It seems that those clubs that have retained tee bookings have had criticism. It also seems that those that have NOT retained tee bookings have had criticism! I have lost count of the number of Captains that have said they wished they had had the foresight to consult members before implementing. When I meet new member applicants, I always make the point that we are a “members” club, run and managed by members, for members. While this is a difficult process to manage, I am proud of you all for the way you have contributed. The working party and subgroups have represented you well. Thank you all.
Back to Golf! Congratulations to all Competition winners during the month. Special mention to Phipps Trophy winner Finton Cobb and Junior Captain Jenny Myers who won the net prize at the Brockenhurst Junior Open. Our Scratch Team, led by Jim White, have a big match on Saturday the 5th at Sandford Springs. Good luck!
I was proud to take part in the Hants Past Captains V Hants Past Lady Captains match. Alresford was the host Club. Roger Corkhill organised of the event. 39 Past Captains of Hampshire clubs and all asked me pass on their congratulations on the quality of the course, catering and friendly welcome received. Many took the trouble to seek me out to praise our club. We are well respected!
Finally, I do look forward to seeing you at Captain’s Day on the 12th. Teams of 4 (men, ladies, juniors, mixed, new members all welcome!) with and individual stableford for the Captain’s Prize. Always a great day so I have a lot to match up to!!
Happy golfing!
Tip
Ladies Section
Sadly our Stoneham and Annodata teams were knocked out of this year’s competitions in the past few weeks. Congratulations and commiserations to Jan Harring and her Stoneham Ladies and Linda Glynn and her Annodata players for their gallant efforts over the past months. They all played splendidly and did their best managing to go as far as they did, making it known that Alresford Ladies are a force to contend with. There is always next year.
The Senior Ladies Championship, splendidly organised by Linda Wager, was won by Sarah Worthington with a nett 141 with Jo Youngs the runner up with a Nett 146. Congratulations to you both.
Although no major wins we were well represented at other competitions. Lynne Cowser and Linda Wager played in the Hull Shield at Southwick Park and Ann Gunn and Elaine Sutherland with caddy Caroline Warne played in the final of the Centenary Foursomes at Sandford Springs. This turned out to be an interesting but challenging introduction for Ann and Elaine to outside competition and I believe they handled it extremely well.
Alresford ladies had some success at the Par 3 Championships at Ampfield with Carol Roe coming second in the individual competition and Lynne Cowser, Karen Fox and Polly Church 4th in the teams.
I managed a visit to The Carroll Centre during their free School Holiday Play sessions and was really impressed by the effort and thought put into all aspects of the day. I was invited to make a sample apple doughnut for the children to copy for their pudding on that particular day.
Tee time consultations are still taking place which will be followed by a survey. If you have particular views please take part as it will help a final and fair decision to be taken.
Di
Ladies Captain
Stoneham Cup 2021
For those that are unfamiliar with the Stoneham Cup, it’s a county competition run by Hampshire Ladies Golf. As many teams enter, they are divided into groups. Each group plays each other and the winner of each group goes through to the quarter final and hopefully on to the semi and final day.
This year Alresford ladies were drawn in a group with Brokenhurst, Cams Hall, Basingstoke (now at Dummer) and Sandford Springs. We started off the competition so well. We won our first five games. A win away at Sandford Springs and Cams Hall, followed by home wins against Basingstoke, Brokenhurst and Cams Hall . Our final three matches away to Basingstoke and Brokenhurst and home to Sandford Springs resulted in losses. By the time we played our final match at home against Sandford Springs we needed at worse a 4/3 loss to enable us to go forward to the quarter finals. This was not to be as Sandford Springs put out a very strong team which we were unable to match and they won 5/2. Consequently Basingstoke have gone forward to the quarter finals having beaten us into second place by just one game!
A disappointing end to what started off on such a high – but there is always next year.
My thanks to the team and all the caddies and those who have supported us throughout the year.
Jan Harring
Captain – Stoneham Team
Match Committee Report
This month the report is advance notice of team competitions which are scheduled for the coming weeks for which you’ll have to book or reserve places. A reminder, that for all these competitions you have to be a full 7-day member and have played in at least 6 handicap qualifying competitions in the 12 months prior to the closing date for the competition.
Millennium Quaich
A Quaich is a two-handed drinking bowl used to offer a welcoming drink to friends and visitors. The two-handed design incorporates trust on the part of both giver and receiver,
This competition was inaugurated in the year 2000 by Club Captain Alex Davie. It is now a mixed 4BBB Stableford competition in which teams can be any combination of men and ladies. Please make up your own teams. This will be on Sunday 19th September, and you can play at any time other than when the tee is reserved for the HLCGA Alresford Cup. You may play with another team or another member who has a handicap and who can mark your card. The competition is open to full 7-day members who have played in at least 6 competitions since 19/9/2020. Booking to reserve a place will be available from 1st September until 19th September. When you reserve your place, you will be able to see who else has entered the competition. You must still sign-in to the competition on the day you play.
Cock & Hen Trophy
This competition was inaugurated by Club Captain Ken Mills and Lady Captain Kate Mills and is another mixed better ball Stableford competition.
The big difference is that teams will be drawn as will the playing groups, and tee times will be allocated. Please reserve your place as an individual for the competition Cock & Hen Men Entries or Cock & Hen Ladies Entries. The competition is open to full 7-day members who have played in at least 6 competitions since 25/9/2020. To allow for the draw for partners and playing groups, entry will close on Saturday 25th September and due to timing considerations, the total entry will be limited to 16 teams. The competition will be on Sunday 3rd October with the first tee-off around 12:30pm.
Winter Leagues
Booking for the Winter Mixed Foursomes 2020-21 and the Men’s Lombard 4BBB 2020-21 will be available from 26th September. These competitions are open to 7-day members who have played in at least 6 qualifying competitions since 24/10/2020. The closing date for entries is Sunday 24th October and the draw for the leagues will be posted by Wednesday 28th October. You should enter as a team and the entry fee of £3 per player will be taken when you book and reserve a place.
The first stage of both competitions is played in leagues of 4 or 5 teams where each team plays match-play against the others. Points are awarded for winning (3), drawing (2) and losing (1). All
matches in the leagues must be completed by Sunday 20th February 2022 after which winners of each league and possibly one or more runners-up will go forward to the knock-out stage.
The entry for both competitions will be limited to the first 32 pairs who book. Additional entries will be considered as reserves for any team which is found to be ineligible or withdraws.
Sign-in for the Ladies Winter Foursomes and 9-hole Winter League will also be available shortly. Full details will be sent by email to the Ladies Section. The closing date for entries will be 22nd September to allow the draws to made with a view for matches to start in early October.
Handicap Allowances for 4BBB
The playing handicap for 4BBB games when the competition or match includes both men and ladies is worked out as follows …
- Men Medal (White Tees)
- Course Handicap * 0.85
- Man Stableford (White Tees)
- Course Handicap * 0.85
- Ladies Medal (Red Tees)
- Course Handicap * 0.85 + 2.6
- Lades Stableford (Red Tees)
- Course Handicap * 0.85 + 1
- Men Matchplay (White Tees)
- Course Handicap * 0.9
- Ladies Matchplay (Red Tees)
- Course Handicap * 0.9 + 2.6
The rounding of the Playing Handicap for the Ladies takes place after the adjustment (2.6 or 1) is added so not after the percentage allowance of the Course Handicap has been calculated.
Strokes are taken relative to the player with lowest Playing Handicap. Players score using the par and SI appropriate for the tee they are playing from.
Scorecards
In general, scorecards are now being completed much better than before. However, I’ll reiterate that you must put your course handicap on your scorecard; your handicap index and playing handicap are only for your own use and are not checked by the Committee. Please also remember to have the date, name of the competition and the tees used on your card as this information is used to ensure your card is processed in the correct competition.
Casual Rounds
You must register to play and enter your score on the day you play. We have a report that shows that on nearly 100 occasions, players who registered to play a Casual Round have not entered a score. You don’t have an option – if you register to play then you must enter a score.
George Clelland
Chair, Match and Competitions Committee
Mixed Matches
There are only 2 mixed matches left to play this year:
Basingstoke Home Friday 10th September at 2.00pm
Corhampton Away Friday 8th October at 2.30pm
The sign up sheet for Corhampton is on the notice board. If you are unable to get to the club to sign up you can ask the office to do it or contact Marion or Alan Bruce and you can be added to the list. The sign up sheets close 3 weeks before a match.
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 posting the team list on the Mixed notice board and an email will be sent to all individuals involved. Team members are requested to play in team colours of white shirts and navy jumpers.
All matches will include a meal after the game.
For more information or any queries please contact Marion or Alan Bruce.
A Look at the Rules
Question.
A player finds their ball embedded in the rough in the general area. Which of these statements is correct?
a) The player may take free relief by lifting the ball, cleaning it and placing it immediately behind the spot where it was embedded.
b) The player may take free relief by lifting the ball and place it immediately behind the spot where it was embedded without cleaning the ball.
c) The player may not take free relief as the ball is not on the fairway or grass cut to fairway height or less.
d) The player may take free relief by lifting the ball, cleaning it and dropping it within a club length from a point immediately behind the embedded ball not nearer the hole.
e) The player may take free relief by lifting the ball, dropping it within a club length from a point immediately behind the embedded ball not nearer the hole without cleaning it.
Vets Section
Not quite sure what happened to August, it only seems a few days have passed since the Editor was prompting us for the August contribution and here we are again. The Section have played four friendly matches during the month and I am pleased to say we won three of them to maintain our unbeaten ‘home’ record.
The match at Romsey deserves special mention, not only did we win 5 – 1 but this was achieved despite two of our team playing a singles. Unfortunately Mike Garton and John Goddard found themselves without partners and while John could do little about it, especially when one of his opponents had a hole in one Mike however pulled off an amazing win much to the chagrin of his two opponents. Looking ahead September is going to be even busier with 7 matches scheduled so if you wish to be considered for selection please sign up on the Vets Notice Board in the Club House.
In addition to the matches in August we also hosted the Vets Invitation with 30 members from Alresford, together with their guests, playing a better ball stableford. Although the day started a bit damp fortunately it soon dried up in time for everyone to have an enjoyable round and enjoy the hospitality that Alresford Golf Club is known for. Winners (photo above) with 45 points were Charlie McLaughlin and Andy Cousins (Corhampton), 2nd place with 44 points was Andy Gagen and Dave Stubbs (Worldham) and 3rd with 43 points was Gerry Collard and Geoff Spear (Old Thorns). It has been good to have so much positive feedback about the day and thanks to all of you who have taken the time to email Wynne Tufnell and myself.
September also sees other important events in the Sections’ calendar. The Over 80’s Championship will be on the 16th September. This is a single stableford format that is open to all members of the Section who are 80 years of age or over on the 16th. If you wish to play for this keenly contested trophy please sign up before the closing time of 12.00 on Friday 10th. To make it more interesting each player will receive an additional stroke to their handicap for every year they are over 80. The annual Ladies v Vets match will be on 30th September. It’s the Ladies turn to choose the format and final arrangements are being made with more details to follow. Finally September sees the playing of the Joe Kitchen Trophy. Formally known a the Vets Secretary Trophy the first round, a medal, of this 36 hole competition will be played on Friday 24th with the second round, a stableford, on Monday 27th. This is a qualifying competition run by the Match Committee and entry will be through the Club V1 app.
The Wednesday Roll Up continues to be well supported despite a number of you being on grandparent duties, and it has been particularly encouraging to see some new faces rolling up and I hope we will see the continued gradual increase in the numbers going forward.
Finally this years Vets & Partners Dinner is on the 21st October. Due to the planned redevelopment of the clubhouse the evening is being held at The Bell Hotel in Alresford. Numbers are limited to 80 and to date the response has been fantastic so please let me know if you wish to attend and I will add your name to the list which is quickly filling up. This black tie event will cost £30ph for a three course meal and coffee. Menu choices are on the Notice Board.
Gareth Rees
Vets Captain
General Manager’s Update
NEW MEMBERS
Welcome to the following new members who have all joined the club during August ; Ewan Murray, Martin Richards, Jeffrey Ellington, Jeremy Collins, Andy and Mary Ritchie (Temporary Member) , Clare Nightingale (Academy) and Sam Collins (Intermediate).
We hope that your time at the club will be a long and enjoyable one for all of you.
CLUB ‘ROLL UP’ RESUMPTION
Fancy a game during the week? All members are welcome to come along to the informal ‘club roll-up’ on Wednesday mornings. The usual start time is between 11.00-11.30am all year round but may change subject to any advanced tee reservations. Everyone welcome, 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.
SEPTEMBER
Wednesday 1st ~ 11.00am (Mid-week Medal)
Wednesday 8th ~11.00am
Wednesday 15th ~ 11.00am (Mid-week Stableford)
Wednesday 22nd ~ 11.00am
Wednesday 29th ~ 11.00am (Mid-week Medal)
RECIPROCALS
Our Reciprocal clubs are gradually starting to accept reciprocals once again – however at present the booking periods (how far in advance you can book) will fall into line with any restrictions they have on their own members. Currently with most clubs it is 7 days or in some cases 6 days.
We can have a maximum of one fourball per week to play their course for no fee (unless otherwise stated). This is always subject to availability and course conditions. Bookings can only be booked directly through our Office ..
- WATERLOOVILLE G.C., HAMPSHIRE (Mondays-Fridays only)
- LEE-ON-THE-SOLENT G.C., HAMPSHIRE (Mondays-Fridays only)
- TIDWORTH GARRISON G.C., WILTSHIRE (Mondays- Fridays only)
- BRAMLEY G.C., SURREY (Mondays-Fridays only)
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/
- RUSHMORE G.C., WILTSHIRE (2 fourballs per week permitted, £10pp w/day or £20pp w/end)
- SALISBURY & S. WILTS. G.C. , WILTSHIRE (Mondays – Fridays , only after 12.30pm on Weds. & Fri.)
- ROWLANDS CASTLE G.C., HAMPSHIRE (Mondays-Fridays only)
- HIGH POST G.C., WILTSHIRE (Mondays-Fridays only , after 11am)
- CHOBHAM G.C., SURREY (Mondays-Fridays only)
If your holiday plans are keeping you in the UK this summer, we also have reciprocal arrangements the 1890 clubs. The list of these is available via our website.
This damage was done before any visitors were allowed on the course on Sunday 22nd August. In the words of Ian Poulter ‘Lazy lazy golfers!’ Repair your pitchmarks and any other damage you cause on the greens. Be considerate to other golfers.
For anyone who hasn’t seen Ian take the members of his club to task, here it is ;
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CMZpVphDj6s/?utm_source=ig_embed
Also please rake the bunker if you have been in it! Here is evidence some of us don’t…
David Maskery
General Manager
Social
Bridge – The club has a good number of mixed ability Bridge players and we hold a thriving and friendly monthly event, typically on a Tuesday evening. These have now resumed. If you want to know more, please contact Richard Bass
Soultown -We are pleased to bring a great evening of Soul and Motown music courtesy of Soultown. VJK and Glenny have a wealth of experience behind then with VJK performing for many years as part of the legendary group The Gillettes. They will bring their love of Soul and Motown to Alresford Golf Club and this evening promises to be unforgettable; our first social event since Covid restrictions were lifted.
The event is ticket only and we will not be serving food as we wanted the opportunity for as many members as possible to enjoy the atmosphere and to keep it informal. There are no set tables to allow circulation and dancing of course!
The band will be starting at 8.30 with two 45 minute sets with a 30 minute interval.
We look forward to seeing you there with your dancing shoes on.
Kit Quiz – After a prolonged absence due to lock down, Kit is back at the Club with his highly successful quiz on Saturday October 9th. Put the date in your diary.
Mike Battisson
Chair, Social Committee
Saturday 4TH SEPTEMBER 2021
Pro- Corner
Create A Whoosh Through Impact For More Distance
Many golfers create a lot of unwanted tension in the arms, wrists, and hands in the downswing causing them to have a very slow and stiff release through impact. Imagine throwing a ball with a very stiff arm, wrist and hand, you would not be able to throw the ball very far. It would be a different story if everything was relaxed, the ball would travel a lot further through the air once released from your hand.
So with this in mind; make some practise swings concentrating on hearing a whooshing noise as the club picks up speed through the impact area. You want to hear a long loud whoosh as the club passes through the impact area. I term it as the club is ‘freewheeling’ and the ball just gets in the way at impact. This will generate more power and distance for you.
Pro Shop End of Summer Sale
We have some fantastic savings for both Men’s and Ladies clothing items in our end of season Summer sale. Pop into the shop next time you are up at the club and grab yourself a bargain.
MORE GOLF TIPS
I am always filming new video tips and popping them over on my YouTube channel which is completely free to subscribe to. You can find my channel here – https://www.youtube.com/user/markwoodgolfacademy
Greens News
Having been fortunate enough to play North Hants this week you will not be nagged this issue about our bunkers as compared to them ours are perfect!! Your Chair of Green has stumbled across a lovely little bluffers phrase to give the impression that he knows what he is talking about; Angle of Repose (AoR). This isn’t when you are sitting in your recliner, if you put different sands into a heap they will form different angles depending on their tendency to roll down the hill or not. So for example whilst we want to see the new fairway bunker from the 1st tee we also want a shot to be playable to the green. As the weather is very dry the sand at the front face has tended to roll down leaving a sharper edge than intended. This will be worked on and adjusted as the conditions allow. So if you end up with an impossible shot blame it on the AoR.
The grass is still growing like crazy despite the growth regulator applied which is most unusual for the time of year. Apart from having a higher fuel bill just keep in mind that it’s difficult to keep all of the grass under control with the fairways needing to be cut daily. It was decided the wavy fairways edges had been slightly overdone and you can see where this has been eased off where the lighter coloured grass has been lowered.
Our Arborist should be accomplishing a review of our trees soon. This is done every 3 years and is to supplement and support our guys who have been trained to identify diseased trees and also Colin Luff when he comes around each winter with his crew of tree surgeons. We have identified that our boundary edges are internally becoming somewhat overgrown so we are looking into flaying them in Autumn to recover some of our course.
The Greens Maintenance went very well with the rain immediately afterwards helping to sort them out. Our staff really know what they are doing with the greens still running true the following weekend.
Within 10 days the seed could be seen to be germinating in the scarification lines which is exactly what we wanted.
The Tee mirror on the 17th will be replaced. It’s being done by some willing volunteer members who most inconsiderately also insist on taking holidays!
Toro are not exactly rushing around for us to trial their new Lithium Ion mower. It could be another case of demand outstripping supply. Whilst interested a hefty dose of scepticism is probably healthy with the existing units being well known and understood. We actually have a considerable amount of machinery and are incredibly fortunate that most of it is maintained by our staff. There is always something to do so you might have spotted the Greens Iron is AWOL with a stub axle issue. Fortunately the old rollers could be pressed into use at short notice.
Having mentioned last month the new Academy 1 hole was ready to open we are just double checking so meanwhile the new green has been tined and dressed. Likewise the roped off area for where the Academy 9th green is proposed is being surveyed to understand the frequency of stray golf balls.
Bob Moore
Chair, Greens Committee
A Look at the Rules
Answer.
d) is correct
Relief for Embedded Ball
When a player’s ball is embedded in the general area and relief is allowed under Rule 16.3a, the player may take free relief by dropping the original ball or another ball in this relief area (see Rule 14.3):
- Reference Point: The spot right behind where the ball is embedded.
- Size of Relief Area Measured from Reference Point: One club-length, but with these limits:
- Limits on Location of Relief Area:
- Must be in the general area, and
- Must not be nearer the hole than the reference point.
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.
100 Club
100 Club
The winners of the 100 Club prize draw for September 2021 were:
£100 Jean Coveyduck
£50 Linda Wager
£32 Di Peisley
£32 Tony Marshall
£32 Gil Francis
£32 Peter Wallis
Congratulations go to all our winners this month – the ladies have snapped up the top prizes again including our Ladies Captain. Next month’s draw will take place during week beginning 20 September.
The 100 Club was started back in 1987 and continues today with the objective to provide funds for projects or items which would enhance the Golf Course and/or Club House and generally be considered as extras and not necessarily within the Golf Club budget.
Why not join in and for as little as £1 per month can have the opportunity of winning a cash prize in the monthly draw and know you are actively contributing towards future enhancements to the Golf Club’s facilities.
For more information then please contact Pat Wallis by phone 01420 564417 or email peterpat51@outlook.com or call in to the Secretary’s Office.
Pat Wallis
Funny Endings: Joke and Cartoon of the Month
Congratulations to Derek Andrews again for winning this months best joke. Another drink well earned…
Golf is the only sport where the most feared opponent is you.
Why is golf better than sex? When your equipment gets old you can replace it.
We are looking for golf related, clean, seriously funny humour suitable for all members. Send your contributions to the Editor (David Marshall) at newsletter@alresfordgolf.co.uk
If we use your joke or cartoon, I will buy you a drink in the bar.
Thanks also to Jeff Staines for an excellent ‘Quote of the month’ below.
Quote of the Month
“A well-adjusted person is one who can play golf as if it were a game”
Editor: David Marshall
DISCLAIMER
The Editorial Team take no responsibility for incorrect information received from Contributors.