Summary from the 14 July Committee meeting….

The President…

  • Front Entrance signage – we have received some visuals back from Brendon Hill from SpaceLab an Urban Design firm used by the Ainslie Group. WE are working with SpaceLab to further develop the drawings so as to enable construction quotes to be prepared and discussed with Ainslie.  We have a start but there is much work to be done to bring the project to fruition.
  • Monthly medals – first of the new format events was held. There was around 40 in attendance which was a positive sign. Next event/s are scheduled for 3 September and 5 November. Please put these dates into your diary and try to attend. We want these to become an occasion where we celebrate our best performers and have a good time socially.
  • Water Management Plan – Richard (Oliver) has the necessary information to progress the plan. It will be ready for consideration by Committee at the next meeting. Involved in this project are: Shane, Mark, Leo, Norm and myself.
  • Words provided to the DGA to use in marketing for the Gungahlin Lakes Open events (Men’s and Women’s). Club Captain is to provide the event draw as soon as possible.
  • Planning for the upcoming golfing year will commence very soon with the preparation the Members letter regarding subscriptions. Discussions to be held with Ainslie in early August.
  • Members as at 13 July is 719.

The Treasurer…

  • The Club has around $85,000 in its Golf Account. We are is a ‘good’ financial position.

The Captains…

  • Upcoming events: 4BBB Matchplay numbers are good although there have been withdrawals for various reasons. Rules and handicap scenarios have been posed on FB and MiClub to assist with the competition. We will be holding a Yellow course event on Saturday the 13th of August. 4BBB Mixed foursomes will be held over 36 holes this year 21st/28th August. Entry forms have been printed and available outside Golf Office.
  • Men’s and Women’s Open events: Planning for the Men’s and Women’s Open events is progressing well. We expect to have the entry forms completed during the week 18-22 July and distributed to both DGA and Golf NSW for advertisement on their websites. Entries will open on the 1st of August. Men’s entry will be $50/member and $70/visitor. Volunteers will be required for both the Men’s and Women’s events (spotters etc). Kevin will be starting the field from the 1st tee and then driving the course to Marshall.
  • Pace of Play – Our “education” push will continue. Recent requests to ‘keep up with the group in front of you’ is beginning to have a positive effect.
  • Multi tee events. Mike (Hogben) has prepared a paper for discussion. There is ongoing work required in terms of planning for these events to be more widely introduced. have these events available for members. We are discussing the running of these events with other clubs before we progress to multi-tee competitions.
  • Bird Damage to parts of some fairways – Members have asked if the bird ‘damage” on the 11th, 12th and 13th holes can be marked as GUR. After discussion and consultation with the Greens committee, the Match Committee made the decision not to be treated as GUR for the following reasons: The damage appears to rarely affect the actual lie of the ball. There always tends to be a good surface that the ball rests on.  There is currently a R&A rule for animal damage. If the ball comes to rest in an area that already meets the criteria for a drop, then can be taken in the normal course of play.

Greens …

  • Mark (Hynes) noted that there has been some positive feedback re the Greens – members seem happy with the current state of the course in general.
  • Short discussion re the Kikuyu grass on the fairways – some remediation work will be required to remove this.
  • Short discussion re the state of the short-mown grass bunker areas on the 2nd and 11th holes – some work may be required to level off the lowest points – as these are very prone to excess divots.
  • Tree removal is progressing as planned.

WHS…

  • The WHS Incident Report form has been redesigned to ensure a unified process can be followed in the case of an incident/accident on the course. IN the case of an incident members are to complete the form and pass it to the Ainslie Duty Manager on the day.  Thanks to Tracey for her work on this update to our existing processes.  
  • Good feedback continues on the white stripes that identify raised concrete edges on the pathways.
  • Potential hazard to the side of the 13 Fairway is yet to be repaired. Remediation work to be discussed with Shane and actioned ASAP.

 Capital Works…

  • Member Communications – Leo (Davies) updated the Committee on the current state of the Member suggestions. Leo noted the process for informing the members, this being – suggestions that came to Leo were farmed to relevant Sub Committee for consideration.  Information then provided to Leo on outcome of discussion after which Leo goes back to the member who made the suggestion.

Other matters discussed…

  • The Spike Bar – A number of issues have been discussed with Ainslie with the focus on making the Spike Bar a ‘better’ place to spend some time after golf. A range of initiative were discussed including key among these were the availability of early morning coffee (actioned and proving popular…remember to have some cash), the better availability of food for after golf, the refresh of furniture in the area and painting of the ceiling and outside walls of the Spike Bar area.  Ainslie has agreed they will work with the Golf Club to address many of the issues raised taking account of costs.
  • Cup Collars – member feedback on the trial of these on the Practice Green has not been positive with ‘lip-outs’ being members’ main concern. The Committee agreed that these will not be deployed more widely onto the course.
  • Practice mats in the nets – It was agreed that we replace these. We will discuss with Shane and arrange the purchase of new mats.

Good golfing.

Richard Oliver