Oatlands Enews – Friday 3rd July 2020

Published on 3rd July 2020 in E-News, Guests

Content

This week’s Enews covers the following topics:

  • Upcoming Clubhouse Events
  • Covid Operations Update – Course and Clubhouse
  • From the Course
  • Memorial for Tony Clark
  • Please Avoid Wheeling Buggies on Greens Collars
  • School Holiday Junior Clinics – Book Now
  • NB Charlton 4Ball Knockout
  • Rules Corner – Foursomes Championships
  • Report Balls that go Out of Bounds
  • Weekend Trophy Event Schedule
  • MiScore App – Available to all Members to Trial

Upcoming Clubhouse Events – Members and Guests Welcome

With the Clubhouse re-opening on 1st June, it has been fantastic to see members back supporting our Bistro nights. With the Covid-19 situation having a direct effect on the Club’s private event revenue we are looking at diversifying the Club event offering and adding in a number of new style events at different price points to compliment our popular bistro events.

Upcoming events are listed below and we hope to see as many of you attend as possible as the allowed number of people in the Clubhouse continues to increase. Members are reminded that guests are welcome to all of these events. Birthday vouchers, new member dining vouchers and member bar credits can also be used.

Bookings for the events below can be made via the Club’s website or contacting Reception.

 

Covid Operations Update – Course and Clubhouse

With the continuation of low Covid numbers in NSW advice has been received by Golf NSW and Clubs NSW that allow for OGC to ease some of the remaining restrictions in place.

As such the following changes will come into effect as outlined below;

  • Flagstick can be removed as of Saturday 4th July with hole raisers being removed. Flagsticks may still be left in while putting as per the Rules of Golf.
  • Scorecards are to be countersigned by player and marker.
  • 2 people can share a cart as of 1st July
  • Kiosk Terminals (Locker Room computers) can be used for bookings, score entry and handicap lookup as of 4th July. Note, implementation of a staggered tee time release will be communicated in next weeks Enews. Sanitiser will be placed next to each terminals with instructions to use before touching the terminal.  Those members who would prefer not to use these terminals may still return their scorecards to the Pro Shop for processing.
  • Coffee sales from the Pro Shop Nespresso machine will be available from Saturday 4th July.

Ongoing;

  • For the time being the current bunker rule relating to preferred lies and no rakes will remain in place until Golf NSW advises otherwise.
  • Continued trial of the MiScore app for scoring
  • Locker Room showers will remain out of use pending the arrival of single touch soap, shampoo and conditioner dispensers which are expected to arrive in the next 2-3 weeks.
  • Ball Washers and Bubblers will remain out of use until further advice from Golf NSW.

From the Course

Rainfall for the Week: 0.5mm Rainfall for 2020: 765mm   Dam: 100%   Green Speed: 10 feet

The team has been tackling a few jobs which have been on our list of things to do, but we haven’t really had the opportunity to attack them. Members may have noticed a witch’s hat on the 14th fairway for the past fortnight. This witch’s hat was placed over a hole which had formed and had become a trip hazard. The hole formed as a result of a drainage pipe being broken when our irrigation system was installed about 20 years ago. The contractors simply trenched through this drainage line, breaking it and not repairing it. This drainage line carries water from the 13th pond down to the creek line below the 15th tee during heavy periods of rainfall. We have discovered breaks in this pipe in 4 different locations now, hopefully this one being the last. In the past we have installed a drainage pit to solve the issue of the intersecting pipes, however this time we have lowered the irrigation line so that it travels beneath the drainage pipe.

We have also performed repairs to the chain wire fence near the front gate of the car park. One of the posts had snapped off at ground level, so we have installed a new post with a fresh concrete footing.

The low limbing/ pruning of trees between fairways has continued this week. This work really opens the course up and changes the visually appearance dramatically. It also allows for better air movement throughout the course, whilst providing more sunlight to our shaded fairways. We can’t cut all the trees down, so those requests from members are falling on deaf ears!

The course has now been completely sprayed for bindii and broadleaf weeds in all playing surfaces. These weeds will slowly curl up and die over the next fortnight. Our next pre-emergent herbicide application to fairways has commenced this week, to try and maintain as little winter grass plants as possible on these surfaces. All bunker surrounds have now been sprayed for this same weed, but a post emergent herbicide was used on these areas as there are a lot of weeds in these surrounds. The 5th fairway and green end of the 6th fairway was also been treated with this post emergent herbicide to clean these surfaces of winter grass.

Our 9th green has been copping a hammering from pitch marks lately, as a result of being a short par 3 with an overhanging branch on the right hand side! (This will test if certain members read the Enews!) To have this green in top condition for the upcoming foursome championship’s, we will be taking it out of play next week and bring in the 19th from Monday to Thursday.

The volunteers were on the course on Monday morning, raking bunkers before the competition, clearing the fence line along the 6th hole of leaf debris, gerni the pavers at the front of the clubhouse, and started sanding and painting the tombstones on the tees. Joe and Martin Wahbe have also started repairing the sandstone walls around the Spurway Fountain. These walls have been damaged by roots from the peppercorn tree. Joe and Martin are removing all the sandstone flagging, digging out any intruding roots and then resetting the sandstone. Thank you very much to all our volunteers this week and every week, without your assistance the course team wouldn’t be able to stay on top of our work! 

Have good weekend  

The Course Team

 

Memorial for Tony Clark

The memorial service for long-standing Oatlands Member Tony Clark will be held on Wednesday 15th July.

With respect to Tony’s service with he RAN during WWII, members are invited to join the family for lunch onboard the Captain Cook III.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions the capacity on the boat is 35 people so members wishing to attend are requested to RSVP to David Barnes on 0497 990 211.

Please Avoid Wheeling Buggies on Greens Collars

Now that winter has arrived, Oatlands is in need of some love.  The colder weather has certainly slowed down the growth of all grass, and as a result high traffic areas will take longer to repair.  To help reduce wear, we ask all members to be very mindful of not walking between greens and bunkers.  Oatlands policy is to walk buggies directly across the greens.  Please ensure that you either:

– walk around the outside of bunkers; or

– walk from the front of the green directly to the rear of the green, not around the edge.

Additionally, please pay some special attention and ensure that all divots are repaired.  Please show Oatlands some special love by filling some fairway divots as you walk to your ball.

Most of all – Love Golf, and please love Oatlands.

School Holiday Junior Clinics – Book Now

The PGA staff in the OGC Pro Shop are offering a two day Junior Clinic for the upcoming School Holiday’s.

Details of the Clinics are outlined below. Bookings are essential so please contact the Pro Shop, Club Reception or via the Lesson Bookings section of the Club website;

2 Day Junior School Holiday Clinics

Group A – Junior School Holiday Clinics (Suitable for 6-10 year old’s)

  • Tuesday 14th July 2020 – 10am to midday
  • Wednesday 15th July 2020 – 10am to midday

Group B – Senior School Holiday Clinics (Suitable for 11-16 year olds)  

  • Tuesday 14th July 2020 – 1pm to 3pm
  • Wednesday 15th July 2020 – 1pm to 3pm

The two day camp includes the following:

  • Two hours of coaching each day from qualified PGA Coaching Professionals
  • Separate classes for Junior and Senior students (Junior 6-10 & Senior 11-16) Please only book into the appropriate age group.
  • Learn all aspects of the game of golf including long game, short game, chipping and putting
  • On course experience playing 3 holes on the beautiful Oatlands Golf Course
  • Light snack and drink provided halfway through the clinic  
  • Bookings limited to 16 Juniors in each class (2 coaches will be used if maximum numbers are reached)

 Total Cost: $120 per person

NB Charlton 4 Ball Knockout 

The first round of knockout matchplay for the NB Charlton 4 Ball Knockout commences tomorrow, Saturday 4th July. Tee times are from 7:26am – 8:22am on the 1st tee.

The draw for the first round can be viewed by clicking here.

Good luck to all competitors.

Rules Corner – Foursomes Championships

Rule 22 Foursomes

The Men’s Club Foursomes Championship will be held on Saturday 11th July 2020.

Rule 22 covers Foursomes (played either in match play or stroke play), where two partners compete together as a side by alternating in making strokes at a single ball. The Rules for this form of play are essentially the same as for individual play, except for requiring the partners to alternate in teeing off to start a hole and to play out each hole with alternate shots.

There will be some minor modifications to these rules for COVID-19 restrictions which will be advised on the day of the competition.

The OGC Championships consist of 36-hole stroke event, played as two rounds of 18 holes.  (There is also an 18-hole event of the day held in conjunction.)

The Club’s Conditions of Competition for the championship tell us how the event is conducted.

  • A Stroke event played with a partner and using only one ball.
  • The partners are required to hit off from alternate tees. The partners decide who will take the odd /even tees in the first round. The partner who hit off the odd tees in the first round must hit off the even tees in the second round (and vice-versa for the other partner).
  • Once a player has teed off the partners strike the ball alternately until the hole is completed. This alternate striking of the ball continues even if a penalty is incurred.
  • Scoring is identical to the method used for Stroke events. The card should show both Gross and Nett scores after handicap deduction.

Rule 22.2 Either Partner May Act for Side

Either partner may take any allowed action for the side before the stroke is made, such as to mark the spot of the ball and lift, replace, drop and place the ball, no matter which partner’s turn it is to play next for the side.

A partner and his or her caddie may help the other partner in any way that the other partner’s caddie is allowed to help (such as to give and be asked for advice and take the other actions allowed under Rule 10), but must not give any help that the other partner’s caddie is not allowed to give under the Rules.

Rule 22.3 Side Must Alternate in Making Strokes

On each hole, the partners must make each stroke for the side in alternating order:

One partner must play first for the side from the teeing area of all odd numbered holes, while the other partner must play first for the side from the teeing area of all even numbered holes.  After the side’s first stroke from the teeing area of a hole, the partners must alternate strokes for the rest of the hole.

If a stroke is cancelled or otherwise does not count under any Rule (except when a stroke is made in the wrong order in breach of this Rule), the same partner who made the stroke must make the next stroke for the side.  For example, when a stroke is cancelled under Rule 11.1b Exception 2 – When Ball Played from Putting Green Accidently Hits Any Person, Animal, or Movable Obstruction on Putting Green.

If the side decides to play a provisional ball, it must be played by the partner whose turn it is to play the side’s next stroke.

Any penalty strokes for the side do not affect the partners’ alternating order of play.  For example, a penalty stroke for relief from a Penalty Area or for Unplayable Ball.

Penalty for Making a Stroke in the Wrong Order in Breach of Rule 22.3: General Penalty.

In stroke play, the side must correct the mistake:

  • The right partner must make a stroke from where the side made the first stroke in the wrong order.
  • The stroke made in the wrong order and any more strokes before the mistake is corrected (including strokes made and any penalty strokes solely from playing that ball) do not count.
  • If the side does not correct the mistake before making a stroke to begin another hole or, for the last hole of the round, before returning its scorecard, the side is disqualified.

Rule 22.5 Partners May Share Clubs

Rule 4.1b(2) is modified to allow partners to share clubs, so long as the total number of clubs they have together is not more than 14.

If you are checking the rules references in the Player’s Edition of the Rules of Golf and you are referred to the Full Rules you can find the full rules on the free R&A Rules App for phones or tablets, or here https://www.randa.org/en/rog/2019/pages/the-rules-of-golf

Weekend Trophy Event Schedule

Now that play is back in groups of 4, we are able to re-schedule the postponed weekend trophy events, while not as difficult as an AFL or NRL re-schedule, it is surprisingly complicated to fit things in once time is lost due to the number of events the Club holds. With our Major Pennant team now playing a home and away semi-final against Penrith in August, this could potentially decimate our Foursomes Championship fields.

Below is the weekend trophy event schedule up to the course renovation / closure on Sunday 23rd August;

  • Saturday 4th July: Foundation Day – Postponed
  • Saturday 4th July: NB Charlton 4Ball Knockout Round of 16 Matchplay
  • Saturday 11th July: Foursomes Championship 36 holes
  • Sunday 12th July: WE Tunks Father & Son Trophy
  • Saturday 18th July: Legacy Cup
  • Saturday 18th July: NB Charlton 4Ball Knockout Quarter Final Matchplay
  • Sunday 19th July: Qualifying Round WS Targett Mixed Fourball Knockout – Top 8 pairs
  • Saturday 25th July: NB Charlton 4Ball Knockout Semi Final Matchplay
  • Sunday 26th July: WS Targett Quarter Final Matchplay
  • Saturday 1st August: Kingswood Cup
  • Saturday 1st August: NB Charlton Final
  • Sunday 2nd August: WS Targett Semi Final Matchplay
  • Saturday 8th August: Winter Medal Round
  • Sunday 9th August: Mixed Foursomes Championship 36 holes
  • Saturday 15th August: Presidents Cup
  • Sunday 16th August: WS Targett Final Matchplay
  • Sunday 16th August: Major Pennant Division 2 Semi-Final at OGC
  • Saturday 22nd August: HP Evans Singles Knockout Qualifying Round – Top 16
  • Sunday 23rd August: Major Pennant Division 2 Semi-Final at Penrith
  • Sunday 23rd August (PM) – Wednesday 26th August: Renovations / Course Closed

MiScore App – Available to all Members to Trial

MiClub have offered Clubs’ a free trial of their MiScore App which members are encouraged to trial and provide feedback on its functionality and convenience.

The MiScore App allows golfers to complete scorecards on their mobile device and can be loaded onto your device by searching MiScore App from the Apple or Android store and selecting the icon displayed below.

Once loaded simply open the app and follow the prompts. The App acts exactly like a scorecard with all of Oatlands’ hole lengths, pars, indexes and local rules built in and provision to sign the card at the completion of play (note: under current restrictions signing of the scorecard is prohibited).

Note, just like a physical scorecard when using the MiScore App you are filling in the scorecard of another player as the marker.

If you have any questions or would like to go over the app with a member of staff please see the Pro Shop staff or General Manager.  

 

 

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