8 FEBRUARY 2021 | ISSUE 9

THE GOOD LIFE
 
On the Course | Off the Course
 
MEMBERS AND GUESTS
It is important to keep members and guests informed as we see the second wave of Covid-19 cases rising and impacting on all households and businesses. The Club has not been unaffected as we have received numerous reports from members about positive cases, after self-isolating. We have also seen positive cases amongst the staff during this last period, which was dealt with, as per the Covid-19 regulations, and Club policy. The Club will continue to put all measures in place to sanitize the Club, but we need each and every member, guest and staff member to do their part. Please wear masks at all times when walking through the Club, especially in halfway house before you dish up. Masks may only be removed once you are seated or on the tee.

Dear Member,

THE CLUB

It is difficult to remember the last time we closed both our courses due to wet conditions. It is always great to have nice rain but you do miss the sunshine when it goes on for weeks. The courses are drenched and it will take a few days of sunshine to improve current conditions but I fear more rain is on its way. I have added a few pictures just to show what our course team is dealing with. We planned hollow tining for this week, which will not happen. We are a week behind with cutting, which will again result in clippings around the rough and it will be very difficult to allow carts until we can be sure that it will not cause damage.

Please remember that carts and a lot of golf, damage the courses and it will take weeks to repair. The decisions we make to close the courses or not allowing carts is to ensure that we can present the courses in great condition going forward.  

How does rain affect golf? Walking on wet grass really damages it

We think grass grows in soil. It doesn’t. The roots actually grow in air spaces between soil particles. Imagine the soil is like a sponge. There are some pockets we want with air and some we want with water. Because of that honeycomb effect, water can freely drain through the soil profile. If we start walking on these soils when they are saturated then a lot of those little pockets get closed up and water can’t move through as easily and it takes a lot longer to dry out.

When you’ve got water going through the profile, gravity will take it down but it gets to a point where it can go no further. When you get more on top, you’re reaching saturation point. If the roots haven’t got any air, there’s only so much time they can sit in water before they get weak and start to die off. That’s why you’ll see waterlogged grass start to go brown. The roots can’t take it. If you walk on it, and it’s wet from the top down, you just compact it and push the grass into the soil. You are crushing the area where the roots are. All those pore spaces for air and water are being compacted and squashed. That’s why the water comes up around your feet.

How does rain affect golf? That damage may last months

If a course has had heavy play, the damage won’t be repaired any time soon. It’s very similar to frost. You could walk out on a golf course and see there’s no frost. It could be frozen, though, but you can’t see it. Rain is the same. It will start drying out from the top but it doesn’t mean that a couple of inches under it isn’t still soaking wet. That causes compaction.

 

FIRETHORN'S 18th HOLE THE VERY BEST, SAYS YOUNG STAR VORSTER

Birdie machine Martin Vorster, who won the South African Amateur Strokeplay Championship at Randpark last week, rates Firethorn’s par-4 18th as the best finishing hole he’s played.

And while the Pinnacle Point golfer may only be 19 years old, he’s won tournaments on courses all over South Africa on his way to becoming the country’s No 1 amateur. He’s also excelled in international events by winning the 2017 Italian Under-16 International, the 2018 Junior Open Championship at St Andrews (Eden Course), the 2019 East of Ireland Open, last year’s African Amateur Open at Leopard Creek, and he’s led South Africa to victory in the Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan. And the SA Stroke Play had a strong international flavor to it as well as players from nine countries, including England, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Germany, took part... [Read more]

Martin Vorster & Derek McGowan

READY GOLF

As we mentioned in last week’s newsletter, we will be spending a lot of time on procedures and tips to assist with pace of play and ways we can improve on this going forward. We have been receiving a lot of feedback and we thank you for all you concerns, comments and suggestions. A few comments were raised about the term “Ready Golf” and this week we will be explaining a little bit more about “Ready Golf”.

What is Ready Golf? 

Ready golf refers to a method for golfers to speed up play. To simplify the term, it means that each golfer within a group hits when ready, rather than strictly adhering to the principle of waiting your turn or who is the farthest from the hole. The term ready golf is also on the R&A Rules of Golf Website.


A few tips:
•   Hitting a shot when safe to do so if a player farther away faces a challenging shot and is taking time to assess their options
•   Shorter hitters playing first from the tee or fairway if longer hitters have to wait
•   Hitting a tee shot if the person with the honour is delayed in being ready to play
•   Hitting a shot before helping someone to look for a lost ball
•   Putting out even if it means standing close to someone else’s line
•   Hitting a shot if a person who has just played from a greenside bunker is still farthest from the hole but is delayed due to raking the bunker
•   When a player’s ball has gone over the back of a green, any player closer to the hole but chipping from the front of the green should play while the other player is having to walk to their ball and assess their shot
•   Marking scores upon immediate arrival at the next tee, except that the first player to tee off marks their card immediately after teeing off

These short tips can prove to help speed up play and make the round more enjoyable for all golfers. It will also assist if a group does fall out of position during play to close the gap without feeling rushed to make up for the lost time. 

Did you Know?

“If each player in a four-ball takes 5 seconds less to play each shot, the round time can be improved by over 25 minutes”
 
 
 
 
 
Join us on Friday, 12th February for the first Odyssey sponsored Putting Competition of the year. The format is a Round Robin, Individual Knockout with the winner receiving a sponsored prize. The top two players of each event will get to battle it out in the final event in December. You can enter with Greg and Bax in the Golf Shop. See you on the putting green.
 

When: Thursday 11 February 2021
Start Time: Staggered between 17h30 and 18h15
Cost: Voluntary Donations – Over 19 years R 100 and between 12 to 18 R 50
Where: Randpark Club
Dress Up: Valentines Theme

Loads of spot prizes … Best Dressed Couple – Best Singles – Best Dressed Family and Best Dressed Boy/Girl and loads more

Enquiries: Estelle
076 702 8056 or events@runzone.co.za
 
 
We’ve planned the perfect oh-so-romantic VALENTINE'S DAY for you, with amazing options to choose from:
An unforgettable BREAKFAST experience outside on our Terrace from 07:30 – 12:30:
Harvest Breakfast
OR
V-Day Breakfast
A delectable FOUR-COURSE VALENTINE'S LUNCH/DINNER to celebrate the most romantic day of the year.
You have a choice of either having your meal outside on our Terrace from 13:00 – 19:00, where you can enjoy our non-alcoholic gin, beer, wine or sparkling wine with your meal
Or as a romantic meal at home (home meals will be available for collection from 12:00).
Pre-paid bookings are essential.
Contact Leanne on 011 215 8600 or clubevents@randpark.co.za
Bookings close Friday, 12 February at 2pm
Click here for more menu information


Have a great week
Stay Safe, Healthy & Happy!
The Randpark Team

 

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