Covid coming closer to home!
We are still adjusting to the Covid-19 pandemic. It has suddenly come closer to home with our chairman being hospitalised and the committee having to isolate for the mandatary 10-day period. Roy is now home and recovering well and we wish him a speedy recovery to full health. I’m grateful that none of the committee members contracted the coronavirus. I once again urge everyone to apply the necessary precautions and to get vaccinated as soon as it is possible.
Choice of tee box, incl. par 3
I’ve had a lot of positive feedback on my proposal for the appropriate use of the forward tees. We’ve decided to set up our course for an additional forward tee, as well as a “par 3” course. Unfortunately, we cannot use purple for the forward tee markers, as it is allocated to the pro tee boxes on some courses. Our forward tees will therefore have to be green. The green tees have been marked out, the course and slope rating have been done and scorecards ordered. I’ve also had some positive reaction from other clubs and have therefore sent the relevant newsletter to GolfRSA as well. It will be interesting to see their reaction.
The course rating for women from the green tees is 68.6 and the slope rating 125.
The course rating for men from the green tees is 64.1 and the slope rating 110.
Please use these numbers to calculate your course handicap and consider how much more enjoyable the game will be on the shorter course, although from a lower handicap. I’m pretty sure that the reduction in handicap strokes will benefit your score by more than the handicap reduction. It should also speed up play as less strokes will be played by everyone!
We’re planning to launch the introduction of the new tees on a Tarentale Wednesday with all the men required to play off the red tees and the ladies all from the green tees. This will enable everyone to try out the forward tees in a non-threatening way and to assist with the necessary mind shift! The date still needs to be finalised but will be communicated shortly.
In addition, we have decided to mark out the course as a “par 3” course for additional quicker rounds in the afternoon. This will enable us to have more par 3 competitions, such as for the Sundowner Fridays.
Membership and interest
We’ve had a lot of interest in the temporary membership incentives recently introduced and look forward to welcoming some new members to De Zalze Golf Club.
Carts on the course, divots, pitch marks
Winter is upon us and we’ve already been blessed with some good rains. This unfortunately means that our course will become quite wet after the rain. We appeal to ALL members to stick to the rules of the day regarding the use of golf carts on the course. Golf carts cause serious damage to the fairways, but especially the rough which in turn leads to additional costs. If a member is unable to walk long distances to his/her ball, a medical certificate will be accepted to enable the person to continue to enjoy the game. We do not want to get to a situation in wet conditions where we have to ban carts from the course or even close the course completely. So please keep the carts on the pathways when requested to do so.
I would like to include a request to repair divots and pitch marks on a regular basis. A general rule is to repair at least 5 pitch marks on the green when you get there, including your own!
It is interesting to note that the Strand Golf Club did a divot repair run on Monday 31 May. They required roughly 5 tonnes of mix to do the repairs!
US Open (17 to 20 June)
The US Open starts on the 17th of June and Garrick Higgo is once again one of the participants in his second major. Garrick did well enough to qualify for the last two rounds of the US PGA and shot a very good 3-under par on the last day. We wish him well for this tournament and will be watching it closely!
Werksmans Winter Knockout
For those who have put your names down for the Werksmans Winter Knockout, the draw is out and on the scoreboard at the clubhouse.
Please make sure your matches are completed by the given dates.
Yours in golf
Corrie Visagie
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