Captain’s Log
We are over three months into the year, there have been Honour Board events won and lost, the course continues to evolve, and the Mocatta still hasn’t finished its first round of matches. It is a far cry from 12 months ago with Mother Nature being very kind to us so far…long may it continue.
This is also the time of the year when things get a little more serious and the practice facilities get far more use than any other time of the year. That’s right, Club Championships are just around the corner! 2023 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years in recent times, especially in the Men’s A Grade division with 34 players off a handicap of 3 or better at last look…that is impressive!
With the work of our Course Superintendent, David Mason, and his band of Minions, The Brisbane Golf Club is looking fantastic…how good does that 5th Tee precinct look? To keep our course in this shape requires the help of the members, not only the volunteers of whom we are greatly appreciative, but everyone who plays in competition or socially. So please remember to fill divots, rake bunkers, and leave the course better than you found it…if you find divots or spots in bunkers unraked, please feel free to rectify on behalf of those who didn’t.
Pace of Play
It wouldn’t be a Captain’s Log without mentioning this, but it isn’t all bad news. Would it surprise you to know that in that past 8 weeks, Wednesday and Saturday competitions, the best average round time was 4hr 4mins? This was a PAR event on a day with 180 in the field…see, it can be done, because things are only impossible until they are not! There were a couple of rounds with average times of 4hr 35min (Stoke round), but surprisingly there was a 4BBB round of 4hr 29mins…that isn’t ideal. One more surprising item to note is that in those 16 competition days, in 8 of them the AM field average time was identical to the PM! So the morning players who enjoy freshly cut greens and the best of conditions aren’t necessarily any quicker than the afternoon players.
As you can imagine though, the round times from start of field to end to become progressively longer…for the most part, so it is essential that everyone does the right thing by their fellow members when it comes to keeping up with the group ahead. As the days get shorter we will need to be vigilant to ensure all players make it to the 19th in daylight.
Rules
We wanted to touch on the local rule regarding the No Play Zone on the 8th hole. If your ball lands in the roped off area you are entitled to free relief of two club lengths at point of entry. If however, you are not sure if your ball is in the No Play Zone, this is a lost ball and your options are to go back to the tee…hopefully you have hit a provisional ball, or utilise Modified Local Rule E-5 where you take a drop two club lengths onto the fairway playing 4 (if your tee shot was the lost ball).
With many new members, and some with short term memory loss, please click on the below video discussing the main local rules, which was posted last year.
Honour Board Events
We are about half way through the Honour Board events for the year, with the big one yet to come, but we wanted to inform members that there has been a culture over the past 12 months of qualifying for Honour Board events only to pull out of the finals. This creates so much more work for the ProShop staff and is not something that we like to see as a club. Whilst we understand that sometimes life gets in the way and there are valid reasons for doing so (illness, work, or anything else unscheduled), we ask that you be mindful when ticking that qualifying box that you can play all components of the event.
To that end, the Match and Main Committees have agreed to the following process: Members who pull out after qualifying without a valid reason (attending a wedding is not a valid reason…unless it is a shotgun wedding) will be given a warning and placed on a list for 12 months. If any member on this list qualifies and again pulls out, they will forfeit their right to qualify for the next event. This is something that the club takes seriously as Honour Board events are sought after prizes. So please take care when you are deciding to qualify for any event.
What colour tees should I use?
This is a frequently asked question, and even some long time members are not aware of the answer. Essentially, for any competition that is not and Honour Board, or has the word compulsory, you may choose what colour tee you play that round from. As an default, Tuesday Women’s competition is played off red tees, Wednesday Men’s competition is played off white, and Saturday Men’s competition off blue. However, if it is not an Honour Board or compulsory tee you are free to play off any colour tee you wish…this is for Men and Women. If you wish to utilise different tees for your round, please tell the Pro Shop when you check in prior to your round.
The only exception to the above is for our Centurion Members (those whose age and handicap are 100 or above) who can play off Yellow Tees for any competition.
Before signing off, we would like to wish all members the best for the upcoming Club Championships…and any other competition for that matter.
As always, if you have any questions please reach out to any Committee member or staff in the Golf Shop.
Regards
Ash Sturmer, Men’s Captain and Janet Nathanson, Women’s Captain
