Members and Guests

Dear Member,

The Club

Bunkers

We have started the major task of topping up bunkers. So far, we have brought in over 100 tons of new white bunker sand with the goal of getting the sand to an even 100mm depth throughout all 115 bunkers on both courses. You will notice that the new sand has much more substance than the old sand due to the fact that it has not been contaminated by flooding and dust. The challenge for us now is creating consistency, especially while we are applying the sand, as it does take a fair amount of time and labour to level, mix and compact the sand. We will be mixing the sand and watering it to achieve as much compaction as possible. There is a strong possibility that you could end up with a plugged lie if you hit a high shot into the top side of the bunker this weekend, so please bear with us. One small benefit to the addition of new sand is that the bunker base rises slightly, making the steep faces on Firethorn easier to manage.

We should be done with topping up bunkers by next week and then we will focus on tying in the edging with the line of the sand. This will also neaten up the overall presentation of the bunkers. I have added a few pics from the completed bunkers on the 16th Firethorn.

Why do we dust the greens?

I have been asked why we dust or top dress the greens as often as we do, as it does seem to be very regular, especially when you alternate courses and run into dusted greens from one week to the next. Well, it is best practice to ensure that we have healthy greens and that we can deliver the best greens all year round. As warmer weather and the growing season approaches our green topdressing program becomes more aggressive. In summer we top dress greens, on each course, twice a month, depending on growth and in winter we move to once a month, per course. This is hugely important for turf health and playability, as our main focus will always be to have healthy greens as opposed to fast greens. As a matter of interest, I have added a link to an article that explains the risk of always pushing green speed and why this is detrimental to Clubs, in the long run.
https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2020/06/the-truth-about-green-speeds.html

So getting back to dusting or topdressing, The United States Golf Association (USGA) highlights the benefits of regular sand topdressing, which we have deemed best practice at Randpark for the past few years.
There are a variety of maintenance practices used to provide desirable playing conditions on golf course putting greens, with sand topdressing being one of the more common practices. Sand topdressing also is one of the more misunderstood practices among golfers, who feel that sanded greens play poorly. Understanding the benefits of sand topdressing may help reduce golfer frustration when they see the “silver sheen” on greens during their next round of golf. The benefits of topdressing include:

• Improved Smoothness – Voids exist within the turf canopy between turfgrass leaves and stems, causing inconsistent ball roll. Sand topdressing helps fill these voids to provide smoother and truer putts.
• Thatch Dilution – The layer of organic debris, stems, crowns and roots in the upper rootzone – ie., thatch – can become concentrated and encourage mower scalping and localized dry spots. Thatch should be diluted with sand through practices like verti-cutting and sand topdressing to maintain good turf quality.
• Improved Turf Recovery – Occasional turf thinning can occur on putting greens. Sand helps cushion leaf tips and crowns and reduces algae.
• Increased Firmness – Turf produces organic matter in the upper rootzone that creates soft, spongy playing conditions. Regular sand topdressing, along with core aeration, improves surface firmness and resilience.
• Improved Rootzone – Sand drains well and resists soil compaction. The accumulation of sand from multiple topdressings over many years can improve the soils' physical properties.

Many of our best practice routines will at times interfere with golfers but it is a necessary evil to ensure that we can present the best courses all year round. The importance of dusting during this time, when we are pushing almost 9 500 rounds a month, through our courses is vital. The firmer greens drain better, the grass is healthier and due to this, we are seeing that they can withstand the traffic. If we ignore these best practices we will end up with slow, bumpy, soft greens, which is poor for golf courses and it will shorten the overall life of the greens.

As an added measure we will also communicate the dusting schedule as part of the weekly course closure schedule, which will allow members to plan their game if they find that the dusting is an issue and they would prefer to play on the alternate course.

Proposed changes will be starting Monday, 30th August 2021, and will be completed by Friday, 3rd September 2021.

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.

We are extremely proud to announce that Randpark Club has, for a second year running, won Golf Course of the Year in the South Africa Prestige Awards.

Let’s grab another win for the Best Club in Joburg. Click here to VOTE.

Join the WhatsApp Group

Receive Randpark news updates via WhatsApp in two easy steps:
1. Add Randpark as a contact on your phone: 082 052 4767.
2. WhatsApp us your first and last name. If you ever want to stop receiving event news, simply send us a WhatsApp with the message "STOP".

Please note that this WhatsApp number is operated from a computer and, unfortunately, is unable to receive any phone calls. Please contact the Club on 011 215 8600 for assistance.

It is officially Spring! Roger and his team have been very busy with the annual spring treatment and we can’t wait for the first rainfall to see the courses turn green and lush.

We are heading into our peak season and kindly request all members and their guests to please look after our courses:
• Always fix your pitch marks.
• Fill up your divots with the sand provided.
• PLEASE rake the bunkers – all rakes are out on the courses and have been sanitized for your safety.
• Be mindful of where you drive the golf carts, do not drive close to tee boxes and greens.
• The course staff are watering the courses more frequently and in some areas water might create wet patches, please avoid driving or walking over these areas.
• Please make use of the dustbins on the courses to dispose of your cigarette butts.
• Always be mindful of other golfers on the course – keep noise levels down and keep up with the pace of play.

League Update

Our 2021 season will resume this coming Sunday, starting with the Senior Betterball League and the Scratch Leagues. It’s a very tight schedule and we would like to remind all our league players to please be available for the last scheduled fixtures. We wish them the best of luck for the remaining games!

BB League
Mid-Am League
Scratch League
Senior BB League
Junior League

A word from your new Ladies Captain - Jeanne de Power

		Having joined Randpark in 2014, at then a 36+ Handicap – I knew this would be a great start to my golfing journey. Playing casually on Sundays with friends … until one day approached by Debbie Gillings to come and join the ladies section.

The anxiety kicked in, thinking to myself “I’m not good enough to play with the ladies” – I was pleasantly surprised when I realised these ladies know how to have fun and make you feel welcome and most important, part of the Randpark ladies golfing community.

Seven years later (and an 18 handicap), it’s an honour to be appointed as Ladies Captain where I look forward to growing the ladies section from strength to strength, ensure those who are already part of this awesome community Live the Good Life at Randpark and any newcomers to feel welcomed and part of our family without trepidation.

I am proud to share the awesome support of my committee:
• Willa Muller as Vice Captain: Willa has done a sterling job of coordinating and engaging the weekday ladies as well as the Bunnies on a Friday morning and can be spotted at every Mixed Open.
• Angie Adams & Lesley Richard as Committee members, who I am certain will provide great guidance and valuable input to the ladies section (So fortunate to have two previous captains on my team).
• Last but not least, Sindy-Ann Quaker, a fresh face to the ladies committee – renowned for her cricket umpire abilities to now bringing fresh ideas to the ladies golfing community.



	(L to R: Lesley Richard, Angie Adams, Jeanne de Power, Willa Muller, Sindy-Ann Quaker)

Whilst we all wish we could play golf full time, my paying job is that of National Sales Manager at Saint-Gobain with a proven successful track record thanks to the support of the team which I lead, a few of which are also proud members at Randpark.

I am an avid animal lover and have 3 pets – Benji, Bailey & Jinx. Before a round of golf or early weekday mornings you may spot me on the road jogging with friends and after hours have acquired a taste for fine wine!

I look forward to engaging with you all over the next two years and thank you in advance for your support. I encourage all those ladies wishing to play more golf to please reach out to me or anyone from the ladies committee – we’ll be sure to make you feel comfortable and welcome.

Don’t forget to hand in your scorecards on Saturday and stand a chance
to be one of the lucky Johnny Walker Black winners!
We will be doing Member Attendance Lucky Draws during prize giving
AM Prize Giving - TWO bottles of Johnny Walker Black!
PM Prize Giving – ONE bottle of Johnny Walker Black!
You must be present during prize giving to be eligible

Sponsored by Ubuntu Resource Management and CTL Group Holdings (Pty) Ltd

Randpark’s Wim is one in 6 million. Just like Louis Oosthuizen
(Written by Randpark Member, Grant Winter)

Before teeing off in last Wednesday’s club competition on Bushwillow, Randpark member Wim Hancke treated himself to a sleeve of new Srixon golf balls in the pro shop.

“We started on number one and I wasn’t sure whether to use an old ball or one of the new Srixons,” he said. “Then I thought why not a new one? It may bring me some good luck.” Good luck, you bet it did!

Playing from the gold markers, he teed up his new Srixon and hit a beauty up the middle of the par 5, his ball coming to rest between the two fairway bunkers. “From there I had 214 metres to the green for my second shot and I knew I could get there with my three-wood if I hit a good one.”

As we all know, the putting surface cannot be seen from so far back on the fairway at No 1. So Wim, who is pretty handy with a club in hand with a handicap that hovers between six and seven, aimed at the Northcliff Tower in the distance as a backmarker as it is more or less in line with the middle of the green. And he did hit a good one.

A very good one. Or so he thought ... [Read More]

We have reached maximum capacity (120 players) for the Senior Club Championships. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please contact Leanne on clubevents@randpark.co.za or 011 215 8600.

The draw will be done on the 7th of September.

Entry Fee:	R200 (incl. Hospitality Stations at Registration, Comp Fee, Gift and Warm-Up Buckets at the Range)
Tee Times:	Sat, 11 Sept, Bushwillow PM Field 11h14 – 13h06 off both tees Sun, 12 Sept, Firethorn AM Field 06h30 – 08h30 off both tees
Halfway House:	Grab & Go – Players own account
Sunday Prize Giving Lunch:	Optional at an additional cost of R150 pp

As we move into Spring, we are extremely excited to share the great value on offer in our MAJOR SALE (in association with The Pro Shop) at the Randpark Golf Shop, which will run until 3 October! Below are two of the offerings currently available. Please click here to browse through our great offerings! We look forward to welcoming you at the Randpark Golf Shop.

Thursday’s Curry Night Specials

Sit down or take-away from 5pm to 8pm. Take-away must be ordered with your service host.

Lamb Rogan Josh R140
From Kashmir origin with a variety of spices, served with basmati rice
Chicken & Prawn Masala R120
Tomato based Indian spicy dish, served with fragrant basmati rice
Vegetable Biryani R65
With yellow rice and lentils
All curries served with sambals, chutney, sliced banana and mango achaar.

You can also order your Club-favourites for take-away collection Monday to Saturday between 11am and 7pm and Sunday between 11am and 4pm. Click here to view our take-away menu. Contact 011 215 8600 to place your order (Mon-Sat 11am-5pm and Sunday 11am-4pm).

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