Oatlands Captain’s Letter – Friday, 10th May 2019
Welcome to Oatlands Golf Club’s monthly Captain’s Letter, brought to you by Club Captain’s, Matt Seamons and Amanda Walkerden.
Content
This Captain’s Letter covers the following topics:
- Competition Play at Oatlands
- Upcoming Golf Events
- Getting Started Programme – Introduce a Friend or Family Member to Golf at Oatlands GC
- Olivia Molino wins Bathurst Ladies Open
- Upcoming Golf Events
- Junior Development Programme Annual Golf Day
- St.Hallett’s Days
- Representative Teams
- On the Course
- Future Works
- Pace of Play
- Rules – Ball out of Bounds
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Competition Play at Oatlands
It’s always busy at Oatlands and I’d like to begin by updating members on some recent events.
At Oatlands, we play a significant amount of competition golf. Most members enjoy playing golf under the full rules of the game whilst trying to set their personal best score.
NB Charlton 4Ball Knockout
Recent Saturdays have seen qualification and the first 2 rounds of the NB Charlton 4Ball Knockout. The NB Charlton Trophy was donated by Dr Noel Charlton who served on the Oatlands’ committee for many years. He was President from 1954 to 1956 and the Patron of the Club in the 1960’s. Dr Charlton was a marvellous Club Member and also a golfer of renown, holding the Club Championship from 1939 to 1942. He was made a Life Member in 1951.
The NB Charlton is always keenly contested. Last Saturday in the NB Charlton match play, we had one match decided on the 20th hole, and one match decided on the 22nd hole. Whilst this created some inconvenience to the Saturday competition, the atmosphere around the 17th and 18th greens was electric. All matches have been played in great spirit and congratulations to all participants, in particular tomorrow’s semi-finalists, Nabil Bashir / Larry Woldenberg vs Hamish McAulay / Geoff McAulay and Hugh Murphy / Mike McFarland vs David Fairweather / Rod Bowyer.
Click here for a copy of the draw and results so far.
Grace Norris Trophy
The final of the annual Grace Norris Trophy was held on Thursday 9th May with Lina Kim taking on Sue Plaister in the final. The match was a close one however Sue thought that Lina had the upper hand until she chipped in on the 15th hole to get herself back into the match. The match finished square after 18 holes with Lina winning the match and the trophy on the 19th hole. Well done to the two finalists and to all the qualifiers for the matchplay draw.
In the last month, we have had plenty of golfing events for Oatlands Members. Winners of the major events are as follows:
Saturday April 13 – Club Medal. Congratulations to Michael Stevens winning the monthly medal on a count back with a net 67.
Monday April 15th – Masters Day. Elias Wehbe scored 39 points to get his name on our own Green Jacket.
Sunday April 28th – Challenge Day. On a tough course which hosted the Masters Pennant, Rob Saurajen scored 41 points in the Men’s competition. Myeong Seon Kim had a wonderful 37 points to win the ladies competition.
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Upcoming Golf Events
Midweek Club Championship – Wednesday 15th & 22nd May
Midweek Club Championship and the Keith Riglesford Cup in conjunction. The Midweek Club Championship is an Honour Board event. Played as a scratch event, open to male members (all playing membership categories). The winner of the Midweek Club Championship is the lowest combined scratch score from each week. If the winner of the Midweek Club Championship is not from a membership category with Full Playing rights, the winner will gain entry into The Club Championship qualifying rounds (played in September). The Keith Riglesford Cup is awarded to the best Nett score over the two rounds. Ladies will be able to play in the daily competition.
Ladies Foursomes Championships – Thursday 16th, 23rd & 30th May
This is an Honour Board event and one of our Major trophies.
Monthly Medal – Saturday 18th May
Played from the black tees with a long course setup. A true test of golf!
Men’s Foursomes Championship – Saturday 25th May
This is an Honour Board event and one of our Major trophies. Played over 36 holes, the event traditionally culminates with great atmosphere and banter in the clubhouse.
Grandmothers Trophy – Monday 27th May
A perpetual trophy donated by Mrs Marjory Paterson in 1992. Marjory was responsible for beautiful flowers in the Clubhouse and her ashes are in the garden adjacent to the 18th
Doug Spurway Memorial Trophy – Saturday 1st June
The Doug Spurway Memorial Trophy is played in memory of Doug Spurway who was a Greenkeeper at Oatlands from January 1946 and was the Course Superintendent from 1969 through to 1989. The trophy was introduced in 1990 with David Murray being the first winner. The event is an 18 hole individual Stableford open to male members.
Oatlands Senior Cup – Friday 7th June
The Oatlands Senior Cup is a Golf NSW Senior Vardon Event open to male members 55yrs and above who are members of an affiliated Club and on a handicap of 12 or less (18 or less for Oatlands members).
To enter, please complete an entry form which is available by clicking here.
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Getting Started Programme – Introduce a Friend or Family Member to Golf at Oatlands GC
The Club will be running another series of the successful Getting Started Programme in August.
These sessions are open to any non-member referred by a current member of the Club, and are a fantastic way to get an introduction to golf in a relaxed setting, and with other newcomers.
Details of the programme are outlined below:
Sunday Programme:
- Starts Sunday 18th August
- 8:30am – 9:30am: 8 week programme (excludes Father Day and Labour Day weekend).
- Cost: 8 x $30 / week = $240
- Open to men and women
Please CLICK HERE to register for Sunday Programme
Thursday Programme:
- Starts Thursday 22nd August
- 11am – 12pm: 8 consecutive weeks
- Cost: 8 x $30 / week = $240
- Open to men and women
Please CLICK HERE to register for Thursday Programme
These programmes are the ideal introduction to Membership at Oatlands Golf Club and the Club will be offering all participants who take up membership in the 6 or 7 day category a discount on the first year of their membership to the value of the programme fee, $240.
Spaces are limited to 12 people per group so book early to avoid disappointment.
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Olivia Molino wins Bathurst Ladies Open
OATLANDS golfer Olivia Molino has enjoyed success at a junior level at the Bathurst Golf Club before, but now she can add a senior title to her name.
Molino claimed a seven stroke victory in Monday and Tuesday’s Bathurst Ladies Open, proving consistency is the key to victory with back-to-back rounds of 82.
Click here for the full article in the Western Advocate.
Well done Olivia!
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Junior Development Program Annual Golf Day – Monday 10th June (Long Weekend)
Come and play with the champions of tomorrow and help raise funds for your Junior Development Programme. Registration commences at 11.00am with fresh build your own bacon & egg rolls available from the Clubhouse.
A player briefing is held at 11:45am with golf commencing at 12:00noon. The event is a Four Ball Team Ambrose with players using a minimum of two (2) tee shots each. There are plenty of great prizes on offer including four (4) nearest the pins, overall team prizes for first through third and of course a scratch competition in conjunction.
The stars of the day are the JDP members who will provide assistance on course. The good news is that they can substitute one of their shots for someone who may be struggling on your team! The day wraps up with an informal meal in the Clubhouse and presentation of prizes.
Click here to book for the JDP Fundraising Golf Day
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St. Hallett’s Day’s
The Club is continuing to review the format, frequency and prize configuration of the St. Hallett’s Day’s with changes expected to take place in the second half of the year. In the meantime, these events are a great opportunity to invite guests and play the course at it’s full length, with the reward for playing to your handicap (36 points) being a box of Titleist golf balls.
To book for upcoming St. Hallett’s Days please click on the links below;
Friday 17th May: St. Hallett’s Day
Friday 31st May: St. Hallett’s Day
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Representative Teams
Silver II Pennant
Our Silver II ladies have just won another piece of silverware for the Club by winning the annual Silver II Pennant. The ladies are pictured below with the trophy back at Oatlands on Thursday (Lexi Grice, Lina Kim, Jenny Park, Lesleigh Perkins, Stephanie Monaghan and Vanessa Chivers, Missing: Kathy Lim, Joon Kang). Well done ladies!
Masters Pennant
Our Masters Pennant Team began their season on Sunday 28th April with a home game against Windsor. In an extremely tight contest, Windsor got the better of us 4 matches to 3.5 with the contest going all the way to the 18th hole of the last match. Congratulations to David Singh, Tony Jackson and Mark Foley for winning their matches. The team play Northbridge at Northbridge next Sunday 19th May.
Interclub Challenge
Last Sunday, our Interclub Challenge team opened its season with a 4.5 matches to 3.5 win against Pymble at Pymble Golf Club. Winning a match in this format is difficult enough, but to beat the Home Club is an outstanding achievement. Congratulations to Roger Nakaad, Peter Schliebs, Matthew Seamons and Blair McDonald who won their matches, and Sean Porter for securing the all important half. The team next tackle Killara Golf Club at NSW Golf Club. Good luck boys!
On The Horizon
The Eric Apperly Shield and the Encourage Shield are fast approaching.
Phil Reece will manage the Oatlands’ Eric Apperly team this year. The Eric Apperly Shield is a Sydney metropolitan teams event, open to teams of male golfers aged 21 and under. The format is scratch match play. Phil is currently monitoring the progress of all eligible players.
Geoff McAulay will manage the Oatlands’ Encourage Shield team this year. The Encourage Shield is again a Sydney metropolitan teams event, open to teams of male and female golfers aged 18 and under. The format is handicap match play. The Encourage Shield team will be selected by our professional staff, Steve Youdan and David Ecob, from those participating in our junior program.
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On the Course:
Green Stakes
Members are advised that the definition of our “designated gardens” has now been updated to comply with the new rules of golf.
The garden signs have been removed and replaced with green stakes. These stakes identify “No Play Zones” and as such are considered an abnormal ground condition. If your ball lands in a No Play Zone (as defined by a green stake) you may take free relief under rule 16.
Mulched areas
Members will notice that some areas of the course which do not receive irrigation have been covered in mulch to improve the visual appearance. These areas are on both sides of the 11th hole, and to the right side of the 13th fairway. These areas of mulch are part of the General Area and as such you must play your ball as it lies.
Mother Nature
Mother nature has blessed us with rainfall so far this year, improving course conditions and plant health.
At the same time, we have increased activity from pests, such as Ground Pearl, African Black Beetle, Argentinian Scarab Beetle and Kikuyu Mites. These pests cause damage to our playing surfaces. Dom and his team are treating these pests and we are looking forward to positive results. Some re-turfing has been undertaken on the 15th and 17th holes, and additional re-turfing will be performed later in the year.
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Future works
We are currently working on plans to refresh the practice putting green and surrounds. We hope to bring a plan to members shortly.
It is also planned to re-turf the 1st hole fairway from the fairway bunker to the green. This project is currently being costed and planned, with work to be undertaken as we move into Spring.
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Pace of Play at Oatlands Golf Club
As we enter the shorter months of the year, we would like to take this opportunity to remind all members about the expected pace of play here at Oatlands. Your Club notes in the members programme “that with no group immediately ahead, keeping pace is finishing each round in four (4) hours or less“. It is extremely important that members leading the competition fields ensure that they adhere to this guideline as the groups following can’t play any quicker than the time you post for your round. I acknowledge that throughout the day, the pace of play slows however it should never take a group at the end of the field any longer than four & a half (4½) hours to complete the round. The Match Committee is constantly monitoring this matter and reiterate “that by far the most important rule is brief, your place in the field is immediately behind the group in front – not just ahead of the group behind”.
I encourage all members to please consider the following strategies to maintain the required pace of play:
– Play ready golf, that is hit when ready;
– On every occasion, pay attention to your partners’ shots to reduce the chance of a “lost ball”;
– Where safe, walk directly to your ball and prepare to play your shot;
– “Putt out” wherever possible to do so, remembering that the rules now allow you to leave the flagstick in the hole;
– As soon as it is apparent that a ball is lost, call up the following group;
– Most importantly, whenever a group for any reason falls more than one (1) clear hole behind, it is expected that they invite the following group to play through. In the absence of such an invitation, the following group may go through upon request.
Other clubs employ various strategies to manage slow play such as employing a course marshal (resulting in higher costs being passed onto members), issuing penalty cards, recording start and finish times and ultimately invoking the rules of golf to penalise slow players.
I would prefer we can maintain a good pace of play by observing some simple principles which, when properly employed, benefit all members. Let’s all observe a good “pace of play” with co-operation and respect, not with penalties and course marshals.
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Rules of Golf – Ball Out of Bounds
When is my ball actually out of bounds? A ball is out of bounds when all of it lies Out of Bounds.
In the photo which of the balls A, B or C are OB?
Only ball C lies out of bounds, since all of it is OB. You are in luck with ball B as part of the ball is still in bounds.
O.K. so my ball at A and B are still in play. But the fence posts and wires are in my way.
Can I obtain relief from these made made objects? Are they obstructions?
“Objects defining out of bounds such as walls, fences, stakes and railings are NOT obstructions and are deemed to be fixed.” So you must play the ball as it lies, with no relief from the posts (or stakes) and wires.”
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Good Golfing,
Matt Seamons and Amanda Walkerden