Oatlands Enews – Saturday 11th November 2023
Content
This week’s Enews covers the following topics:
- From the Course
- Men’s Club Champions Crowned
- Annual Presentation Dinner – A Great Night to Toast our Winners
- Junior School Holiday Clinics with Max Dakic
- Karah Chapman Awarded GMA Scholarship at Golf Industry Awards
- Sam Howe Wins Asquith Pro Am
- Melbourne Cup Luncheon
- Grooves and Greens – Friday 17th November, Free Outdoor Music Event
- Nine, Wine & Dine – Friday 8th December 2023
- Pennant Update
- Upcoming Member Events: November and December
- Recent Trophy Event Winners
- Upcoming Trophy Events
- Members Only Facebook Group
From the Course
Rainfall for the Week: 40.5mm, Rainfall for 2023: 748.0mm, Dam: 95% Green Speed: 9.5 feet
All greens have been needle tined this week to relieve soil compaction which has resulted from the weeks of consistent rolling as part of preparations for the club championships. The compacted soils reduce available oxygen to the plants roots, and infiltration rates are reduced as there is nowhere for surface water to move through the soil profile. This maintenance work is performed before and after play with minimal disruption to members or surfaces and provides great benefit to the health of the greens.
The team was very happy with how the greens were presented for the finals last Saturday, with Mother Nature playing her part with the milder weather conditions preceding and on Saturday. This meant minimal irrigation was applied to green surfaces, which then produces firm surfaces which leads to faster greens. The rain that fell on Saturday night and into Sunday was perfect for the course, revitalising areas that were starting to dry out on fairways and filling the dam back up to keep us going.
The verti draining of tees has started this week and will continue into next week. The tees are having solid tines put through them, but these tines are larger than what was used on the greens this week. Growth on the tees is still slow and hasn’t really kicked yet. The aerating of these surfaces will only be beneficial for the turf’s health. Another application of miticide is also planned to ensure this pest is controlled.
Our volunteers were on course Monday morning and were able to get back to some of their normal duties this week as we didn’t do any collar work. Fairway sprinkler heads were trimmed, drainage pits cleaned and trimmed, Parramatta grass poisoning continued, and clubhouse maintenance and paint touch up work was completed. The two Maurice’s gave the lemon and lime trees down near the on-course toilets a hard trim to make the regular maintenance of these trees easier in the future. Thank you to everyone that was involved with all the voluntary work this week, it is very much appreciated.
Greens will be cut on Saturday and Sunday.
Have a great weekend and happy golfing!
The Course Team.
Men’s Club Champions Crowned
The 2023 Men’s Club Championship finals were played on Saturday 4th November with 8 of our members contesting the finals across 4 grades.
In the Championship grade, OGC young guns Grant Lomas and Wil Reece contested the final with both players attempting to win their first Championship. Grant got off to a solid start in the 36-hole matchplay final and was 3-up early before Wil found his rhythm, and despite some great golf being played by both players, Grant kept holing crucial putts to maintain his early lead and went on to win his first Club Championship 4&3.
The Plate Championship was contested between Simon Perry and Jackosn Jones. Despite an early lead by Simon, Jackson quickly pulled back the gap and went on with the job to win The Plate Championship 3&2.
The Middle Markers Championship final was played between Curtis McNamara and Ben Mees. The match was tight, with Ben suffering some bad luck along the way including a ball stuck in tree on the 14th (see photo) with Curtis going on to win the final 3&2.
The Long Markers Championship saw Max Wahbe and Rob Bechara contesting the final. Max struggled to find the form he showed in earlier matches and Rob played steady golf throughout to win 6&4.
All matches were played in great spirit and with a large crowd of onlookers to support the finalists.
A special thanks to match referees; John Bowring, Col McRae, Tony Groth, and Matt Seamons.
Click here for a full list of results across all grades and matches.
Annual Presentation Dinner – A Great Night to Toast our Winners
The Clubs Annual Presentation Dinner was held Saturday 4th November following the Men’s Club Championship finals and it was fantastic to have all eight Men’s Championship finals and the Ladies Club Champion in attendance.
90 members attended the event with the highlight of the night being Grant Lomas’s grandfather, Murray Forrest, presenting Grant with his first Club Championship trophy.
The presentation dinner is always a wonderful celebration of OGC and the annual trophy winners and 2023 was no exception.
Another of the night highlights was the recognition of three members reaching 50-years of membership, a fantastic achievement and well done to Ralph Cadman, Ron Arnold and Rob Hollings.
Junior School Holiday Clinics with Max Dakic
- Week 1 – Tuesday January 9th
- Week 2 – Tuesday January 16th
- Week 3 – Tuesday January 23rd
Karah Chapman Awarded GMA Scholarship at Golf Industry Awards
At the Golf Industry Awards on Monday 6th November, OGC Clubhouse Manager Karah Chapman won a GMA (Golf Management Australia) Women in Golf scholarship. Sam Howe wins Asquith Pro Am
OGC General Manager turned back the clock on Thursday 9th November to win the Asquith PGA Pro Am.
It was Sam’s first Pro Am win in almost 20-years with his previous win also coming at Asquith.
Sam attributes his improved form to ongoing swing changes with OGC Professional Jeremy Ward, “I have been working with Jeremy since the start of the year with the objective of levelling out my swing plane and clubhead path into the ball. Jeremy’s eye for coaching and ability to communicate process and outcome have made a huge difference to my control and ability to hit the ball both directions. Having access to the Trackman launch monitor has also made a huge difference allowing us to get instant feedback on changes and there effect on club path”.
It was a long day on the course with a 2-hour lighting delay in the middle of play with OGC member David Gaffaney a calming influence on Sam who was leading the event during the suspension of play and possibly getting a little ahead of himself before David put the brakes on what might play out.
Melbourne Cup Luncheon
Tuesday 7th November saw the Clubs annual Melbourne Cup luncheon with 50 members and guest in attendance. Chef Andrew Yang put on another fantastic luncheon and those in attendance took part in the popular sweeps. The race that stops a nation continued to live up to expectation with race favourite Vauban not getting the run it required and Without a Fight taking out the great race.
Grooves and Greens – Free Outdoor Music Event
Members are reminded of the upcoming Grooves and Greens events, a free outdoor concert for members and guests, on Friday 17th November.
The band entertaining us for the evening is “All Get Out” and includes club member Tony Lee on drums.
This event for members and guests will run from 6pm – 10pm and will include:
– Live Music adjacent to the 18th green
-Outdoor BBQ and Bar available (BYO food and non-alcoholic beverage permitted, alcoholic beverages to be purchased from the Club due to license restrictions)
-Par 3 shootout competitions on the 18th hole
Numbers are limited, so jump onto the Club website and book yourself in for this popular OGC event.
Nine, Wine & Dine – Friday 8th December 2023
It was fantastic to see so many members and guests attend our first Nine, Wine and Dine event for the season last week with a close to full timesheet and extras attending for dinner only.
The next instalment will be held on Friday 8th December and the booking sheet is now live for members to book and invite guests at no additional charge.
Competition play is optional, but for those playing the single stableford, we have prizes for the men’s and women’s winners and runner ups and a NTP. The 9-holes played will be holes 1-7, 17 & 18.
Tee times will be available from 4pm – 5:30pm with a two course modified a la carte menu after golf.
Bookings are now open, and we hope to see you there.
Pennant Update
Encourage Shield
The OGC Encourage Shield team finished the regular season last Sunday and were undefeated through the pool matches. The team now enters the finals as the number 1 ranked side and will look to go one better than last year when they lost narrowly in the final.
The side will play their semi-final at Bexley on Sunday 12th November against the winner of the prelim final between Massey Park and The Ridge which is being played Saturday 11th November.
Upcoming Member Events: November and December
The Club has lots of fantastic events coming up for members and guests, and we encourage members to take part in the Club’s diverse offering.
Following the recent member survey regarding event ideas, we will be adding to the list of event types below as the year progresses, however for the time being, please see the upcoming events for October:
- Friday 17th November, 6:00pm, Grooves and Greens
- Thursday 23rd November, 6:00pm, Ladies Presentation Dinner
- Saturday 25th November, The Bettington Restaurant
- Wednesday 29th November, The Bettington Restaurant
- Wednesday 6th December – Men’s Christmas Cheer Ham & Turkey Day
- Thursday 7th December – Ladies Christmas Cheer Ham & Turkey Day
- Friday 8th December – Nine, Wine and Dine
- Wednesday 13th December, The Bettington Restaurant
Recent Trophy Event Winners
Men’s Club Championships – See earlier article.
Kam Chee Wong was crowned Ladies OLGA Cup winner on Thursday 9th November.
Upcoming Trophy Events
Men’s
- Saturday 18th November – Oatlands Cup and Club Medal
Ladies
- NA
Family Membership Incentive – 50% Joining Fee Reduction for Immediate Family
The Board and Membership Committee of Oatlands Golf Club are pleased to announce a new membership initiative designed to encourage immediate family of our existing membership to join our wonderful Club.
Starting 1st July, all immediate family of an existing member in any of the Club’s playing membership categories, will be eligible for a 50% reduction to the joining fee of the respective category in which they join.
Eligibility criteria are listed below:
- Must be in one of the following relationships with a current Playing Member of the Club.
- Spouse including defacto*
- Children including in-law relationships*
- Parents including in-law relationships*
- Siblings
* Defacto and in-law relationships require verification via a shared address on a photo ID or marriage certificate.
This is an exciting opportunity for existing members of the Club and one that we hope will continue to build the strong family and inter-generational culture that is one of the hallmarks of OGC.
For further information on this incentive or to make an application, please contact Kathy Bright via email: administration@oatlandsgolf.com.au or by phoning the Club Reception.
Members Only Facebook Group
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 380 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, which 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/