Oatlands Enews – Friday 7th April 2023
Content
This week’s Enews covers the following topics:
- General Meeting – Members must be Present to Vote on the Resolution
- From the Course
- Easter Trading
- School Holiday Junior Clinic with Max Dakic
- Practice Facility Protocol
- PING Fitting Day – 13th April 2023 – Limited Space Available
- Pennant Update
- Recent Trophy Event Winners
- Upcoming Trophy Events
- Members Only Facebook Group – Join in the Fun
General Meeting – Members must be Present to Vote on the Resolution
Members would have received a Notice of Meeting for; the General Meeting of Oatlands Golf Club Ltd – Wednesday 3rd May 2023 at 6pm.
A copy of the Notice of Meeting and Explanatory Memorandum is available by clicking here.
Unlike previous General Meetings called to consider the Clubhouse Development, members must be present at the upcoming General Meeting in order to hear arguments for and against the Ordinary Resolution as set out in the Notice of Meeting, and in order to cast a vote in favour of, or against, the Ordinary Resolution.
For the clarity of members, present at the meeting means in-person or online.
Voting will open during the General Meeting and will only be opened to those that are present at the meeting.
To register to attend the General Meeting, either in-person or online, and subsequently to receive the Vero Voting details, please click on the link below;
Click here to register for the General Meeting of Oatlands Golf Club Ltd – Wednesday 3rd May 2023
For questions relating to the General Meeting, Notice of Meeting, or Explanatory Memorandum, please contact the Club General Manager, Sam Howe at gm@oatlandsgolf.com.au.
From the Course
Rainfall for the Week: 48.0mm, Rainfall for 2023: 434.0mm Dam: 100% Green Speed: 9.5feet
The team has been getting ready for the up coming greens renovations which start on Monday 17th April. Applications are being made to greens to protect them from any disease attacks which can occur after we core the greens. The aerating of the greens is a necessity after the Summer season, but the turf is injured whilst we perform this practices. Diseases usually attack the turf through these injured areas, so these early fungicide applications are the best way to protect the playing surfaces. By removing a core plug from the green, we are able to replace this core with fresh sand which enables better movement of moisture away from surfaces and down through the profile, and encourages new root growth in this fresh sand.
We are also treating the greens for insects with Argentine Stem Weevil the main pest we are concerned about as this pest can cause severe damage very quickly. Insecticide was applied on Thursday morning, with the blue foam dots on the greens being indicators of the outsides of the booms of the sprayer, to ensure that we don’t overlap the spray applications.
The fairway bunker on the 1st fairway has been rejuvenated this week, with the sand being spread throughout this bunker on Thursday. The left hand side bunkers at the 1st green have come back into play with the rain last Sunday consolidating the sand for the team. The back right bunker at the 1st green will be another week or two away from also coming into play.
Playing surfaces are wet and soft due to the rainfall, and the weather in between these rain periods being cloudy, not allowing surfaces to dry at all. There has also been a lack of wind this past week, so this is also not helping the drying out of playing surfaces.
Our volunteers were on course Monday morning, preparing bunkers before the competition, edging pathways, trimming fairway sprinkler heads, trimming hedges at the 6th tee, and tidying up the roadway down to the dam. Thank you gentlemen for a very productive morning.
We will be cutting greens on Saturday and Sunday.
Have a great weekend!
The Course Team
Easter Trading
The Golf Course, Clubhouse and Pro Shop will be open for members and guests over the Easter Holiday with the following adjustments to normal operations:
Easter Saturday – 8th April
- No change
Easter Sunday – 9th April
- No change
Easter Monday – 10th April
- Golf: US Masters Stableford, 9:30am Shotgun Start
- Clubhouse: US Masters Breakfast from 6am / Sandwich Hut Closed
We wish all members a happy and safe Easter long weekend!
School Holiday Junior Clinic with Max Dakic
On the Tuesday 11th of April, OGC Professional Max Dakic, will be running a Junior School Holiday Clinic for members and guests. The clinic will cover all aspects of the game including driving, pitching, chipping, bunkers and putting. Food and beverage will be provided to the students involved in the clinic. Golf clubs are available for juniors who don’t own clubs.
Clinic Price – $90p
Duration – 2Hrs 30Mins (11:00am – 1:30pm)
To make a booking, please call the Pro Shop or visit the Club website.
Practice Facility Protocol
The Club has received feedback recently around members uncertainty as to the protocol for use of our Practice Facilities when multiple golfers want to utilise the limited facilities available.
It is difficult to implement a policy that captures all configurations of use, however the policy in place, as indicated on the signage on the practice range tee and green, is as follows:
Practice Priority
Right of way for the use of this practice area is based on the “First In” principle and common courtesy.
Note: Coaching staff have right of way at all times.
In a practical sense, this means that if someone is utilising the practice fairway, they have right of way. In the event that they are hitting balls from the practice mats, additional golfers are welcome to hit balls from one of the 5 other practice mats, however hitting balls from halfway down the practice fairway or close to the green would not be allowed. In this instance, the second golfer should look to utilise the pitching area behind the clubhouse, the practice green adjacent to the 11th green, or adjust their planned practice accordingly.
Following on from this, members are reminded that while our practice facilities are good in comparison to many other Clubs, they are limited by the available land, and as such golfers practicing need to be mindful not to monopolise certain areas of the practice facilities. This is where the principle of ‘common courtesy comes in’. As an example, in the image below we can see a member practicing in a fashion that monopolises the use of a particular hole on the putting green, with golf balls surrounding a single hole. This type of drill is perfectly acceptable when it is quiet (outside of competition tee times as is the case in this photo), however would be unfair to other golfers in the middle of a busy competition field.
Monopolising Practice Areas
In all situations, PGA coaching staff have right of way when conducting paid lessons for members and guests, and may need to exercise their discretion in taking over parts of our practice facilities that are being used to facilitate the lesson or clinic.
Our Pro Shop staff are responsible for monitoring and managing the use of the Club’s practice facilities and in the event of any member uncertainty, will clarify the priority of access with individual members.
Hitting Balls down the 13th Hole from the Practice Tee
Members are reminded that it is against Club Policy for golf balls to be hit down the 13th fairway from the practice tee unless under the supervision of one of the Club’s PGA Professionals.
This rule is in place for the safety and enjoyment of members, as there is not always a clear line of sight down the 13th fairway from the practice tee, and it is extremely frustrating for members and guests playing the 13th hole to have to look for their ball in a sea of golf balls hit from the 13th tee.
We thank all members in advance for their understanding of practice range priority and trust that by keeping in mind the principle of “first priority” and “common courtesy” that members will be able to maximise the benefits of the Club’s facilities.
PING Fitting Day – 13th April 2023 – Limited Space Available
The Club will be hosting a PING Fitting Day on Thursday 13th April 2023, with spaces limited to just 5 fitting sessions between 8am and 12pm.
- Driver or Fairway Wood – 30 Minutes
- Iron Fitting – 45 Minutes
- Full Set Fitting – 1 Hour
Bookings for the Fitting Day are available via the Club website or by contacting the Pro Shop.
Pennant Update
Bronze II
At the time of writing last weeks our Bronze II ladies were still on course at Bayview against Avondale. Pleasingly, our ladies had a strong 4 matches to 1 victory.
Bronze II has a week off this week due to Good Friday and Oatlands are hosting the fixture on Friday 14th April meaning our ladies have the bye and will next play on Friday 21st April at Concord GC against Ryde-Parramatta GC.
Recent Trophy Event Winners
The ladies Grace Norris matchplay trophy was decided on Thursday 6th April with Kate Crawford defeating Jill Davey 4&3 to win the trophy.
Well done ladies!
Upcoming Trophy Events
Men’s
- Monday 10th April – US Masters Breakfast and Golf
- Saturday 15th April – Club Medal
- Monday 17th April – Wednesday 19th April inclusive – Course Renovation and Closure
- Saturday 29th April – NB Charlton Semi Finals
Ladies
- Monday 10th April – US Masters Breakfast and Golf
- Monday 17th April – Wednesday 19th April inclusive – Course Renovation and Closure
Mixed
- Monday 17th April – Wednesday 19th April inclusive – Course Renovation and Closure
Members Only Facebook Group – Join in the Fun
The engagement among the membership on our Members Only Facebook group has continued to grow in recent months with posts from members and staff happening daily.
So if you aren’t already part of our Members Only Facebook Group, join up now and join in the fun banter.
We now have over 370 members who have joined the group and hope to see this get closer to 700 in the next 12-months.
Importantly, members are advised that this social media platform will not be used for the Club to communicate critical information, that will remain via the Enews, website and direct email however, it is a place that members and the Club can post interesting Club and golf related items to compliment this Enews.
To join the Members Only Facebook Group please click on the link below and then click on the “JOIN GROUP” button. You will be asked a few questions to verify you are a member and then approved by the group administrator shortly thereafter.
www.facebook.com/groups/870087546972166/
