Members and Guests

THE CLUB

Dear Member,

“Golf is booming because of the pandemic”

There is no doubt that the golf industry is smiling due to the increase in membership and golf rounds which is, most likely, because it was one of the only sports allowed during the lockdown. Golf worldwide has seen a surge in rounds, with some countries reporting as much as a 58% increase in rounds compared to previous years.

The general feedback from peer clubs, all around us, is that rounds are up around 20% to 30%. Randpark was no different, finishing the financial year on 80,734 rounds compared to 82,695 the year before, with 70% of rounds being played by members compared to 52% the year before. So there is no doubt that members made up for the two and half months of missed golf. It is still unclear whether this trend is the new normal or if it will revert to the old normal, as the risk of Covid-19 restrictions eases.

Having this many rounds, on our courses, does create a problem with presentation over time, as they battle to recover, especially a course like Bushwillow. As the smaller of the two courses, Bushwillow also has smaller tee boxes and golfers tend to hit irons off the tees. The smaller tee boxes limit the spread of areas to tee off from increasing the concentration of divots. The tees are not able to recover quickly enough, especially when we go into the winter months.

Our top priority is the care of our courses which is why we will be managing the course closure a little bit differently, during the week, especially on Bushwillow. We would appreciate members' support by adhering to the course closures, to ensure that the course team can complete their maintenance programs.

I have added an interesting article which talks about the impact of more rounds on courses. I would like to encourage members to please read the article.

Click here to read this very interesting article on More Rounds, More Carts, More Damage.

Happy golfing
Francois

We always encourage communication between our members and the Club. If you have any comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to either contact our CEO, Francois Swart at ceo@randpark.co.za or our Club Captain, Derek McGowan at captainslog@randpark.co.za.

Randpark Team – Improving Themselves

We have always been proud of the team at Randpark, but did you know that a number of our employees are also studying outside of their normal duties and working hours?

Gugu Sikhosana – 1st Year of a 4-year Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at Unicaf University
Bianca Ngwenya – 3rd Year (final year) BCom Marketing at Rosebank College
Tony Mwanza – 1 Year IT Certificate at College SA
Hastings Muzila – 1st Year of a 3-year Financial Management at Richfield Institute
Bax Komanisi – Level 3 (5 levels) Football Coaching at UJ

Years of Dedication to the Club - Long Service Awards

A big thank you to Mayvis Hadebe and Selby Zondi for dedicating 20 and 10 years of their lives to the Club.

Honesty - The Only Policy!

“Monday evening, following a few regular Sundowners on the Terrace with mates, I left for home. Upon arriving, I soon realised that I had carelessly left a sum of cash on the table where we had been socialising. I returned to The Club, pretty well resigned to the acceptance that my money was gone!

When I went to the Terrace, I was met by a smiling Seth declaring, “I think I know why you’re here!” He immediately called Antoinette, who had been taking care of us. She arrived, complete with her infectious chuckle and waving an admonishing finger. She returned my cash, in full, after having found it on the table whilst clearing up. I felt a sense of great relief, not just because of the money, but also understanding that I was in the company of truly honest and compassionate people.

Integrity and fair play are qualities that should be a part of a reasonable life. This was certainly my experience, and it was all carried out in such a good-natured and refreshing manner. I have no doubt that such qualities are not limited to Antoinette and Seth, and are adopted by many other colleagues within the Club’s community.

Congratulations and thanks to you all.”

World Golf Awards

We are proud to have once again been nominated for SA’s Best Golf Course 2021 in the World Golf Awards! World Golf Awards™ serves to celebrate and reward excellence in golf tourism, world-class courses and golf destinations. Please click here to vote for your Club.

Operating Hours

Please take note of the amended operating hours for Reception:
Mondays – Fridays: 7am – 5pm
Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays: 7am – 4pm

Listen to the most recent episode of The Captain’s Podcast:
2021 Randpark Club Championships

Experience the Dynamic Swedish SUV
CMH Volvo Cars Westrand is offering the first 15 players a chance to drive a Volvo XC40, XC60 or a XC90 from the comfort of your home to Randpark Club on Sunday, the 16th of May.
To book your experience contact Blair on 011 222 0000 or email leadmaster97@cmh.co.za.

The Club Championship entries are coming to a close. So far, the support has been great and we are looking forward to one of the biggest Club Championships to date. A reminder to all members that entries will only be allowed if entry fees have been paid and all membership subscriptions are up-to-date. The draw will be published by Wednesday, the 12th of May.

The draw will be as follows for the weekend:
• Saturday Morning Field:

o Firethorn AM Field: Ladies Division and Men C-Division
o Bushwillow AM Field: Men A- & B-Divisions

• Saturday Afternoon Field:

o Firethorn PM Field: Men C-Division
o Bushwillow PM Field: Men B-Division

The Sunday draw will be a seeded draw and the Divisions will go off as follow:
• Sunday Morning Field:

o Firethorn AM Field: Men B-Division
o Bushwillow AM Field: Men C-Division

• Sunday Afternoon Field:

o Firethorn: Men A- & B-Divisions
o Bushwillow PM Field: Ladies Division and Men C-Division

Below are the tee off times for both Saturday and Sunday AM and PM Fields:
• AM Field: 06h30 – 08h30
• PM Field: 11h22 – 12h50

Division breakdowns have been finalised and will be as follows:
• Ladies

o A-Division (Index <= 8.1): Individual Medal, played from the Ladies Club tees (BLUE markers)
o B-Division (Index 8.2 – 12.6): Individual Medal, played from the Ladies Club tees (BLUE markers)
o C-Division (Index 12.7 – 16.9): Individual Medal, played from the Ladies Club tees (BLUE markers)
o D-Division (handicaps 17.0 +): Individual Stableford, played from the Ladies Club tees (BLUE / RED markers)

• Men
Players will be participating in three (3) respective Divisions, these Divisions are:

o A-Division (Index <= 3.9): Individual Medal played from the Championship tees (YELLOW tee markers)
o B-Division (Index 4.0 – 9.0): Individual Medal played from the Club tees (WHITE tee markers)
o C-Division (Index 9.1 +): Individual Stableford played from the Club tees (WHITE/GOLD/BLUE tee markers)

Please click highlighted links to view Men‘s Local Championship Rules and Ladies Local Championship Rules for the 2021 Randpark Club Championships. Please take note all local rules on the back of the scorecards are cancelled for the Championships and the above rules must be used for the tournament.

Randpark Handicap Committee

The Handicap Committee is an entity established by a Golf Club or an Authorized Association, which is responsible for ensuring compliance with the obligations of the Golf Club or Authorized Association under the Rules of Handicapping. They play a very important roll to ensure the Rules of Handicapping are being implemented and administered appropriately at all times. The Randpark Handicap Committee will consist of the following members:

• Derek McGowan
• Johan Aucamp
• Rikert Schalkwyk

The main responsibilities of the Handicap Committee are as follows:
• A golf club is affiliated to its Authorized Association and is responsible for ensuring the Handicap Index of those members who have designated it to be their home club is administered in accordance with the requirements of the Rules of Handicapping.
• A Handicap Committee is established by a golf club and is responsible for ensuring compliance with the golf club’s specified obligations and responsibilities under the Rules of Handicapping.
• Where a National Association administers and manages a player’s Handicap Index directly, the National Association assumes the responsibilities of a golf club.

The Handicap Committee will ensure all procedures and sanctions are applied according to transgressions and proposed sanctions set up by GolfRSA in conjunction with the World Handicapping System. Please click on the highlighted links to view the Randpark Handicap Committee Policy and the WHS Rules of Handicapping.

Course Closure
9 Holes Friday, 14th of May
*Please note both courses will be closed for 9 holes in the afternoon in preparation for the 2021 Club Championships on Friday, 14th of May.*

We received a very welcome 30mm of rain on Friday, which really helps going into winter. Day temperatures are nice and moderate, so evaporation rates will not be excessive allowing the moisture to stay in the soil.

We are preparing for Club Champs and have dusted the greens on both courses, so this does not need to be done next week. This will ensure the greens are as smooth and true as possible for the tournament. We have also continued to top up the bunker sand on Bushwillow as well as the small left-hand side bunker on the 11th green on Firethorn.

Both courses are receiving very high amounts of traffic and this can be seen with the extra pitch marks on the greens and divots, especially on the par 3 tees. It becomes even more important for players to help, by filling divots and repairing their pitch marks as we have reached the end of the growing season, which slows the turf recovery dramatically.

Click here and log in to make a booking.

Our New Autumn/Winter Menu, launched by Chef Sihle and his rockstar team, is now available.

Bring your friends and family and join us in the Terrace Bar or Baobab Lounge to try the selection of great items while enjoying the magnificent view!

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