Welcome to Winter Golf everyone. It has come on rather more quickly than we all would hope.
There are two matters I want to address in this edition and the first is Gold Tees. Gold Tee golf has been in place at some Melbourne courses for more than a year now and is gradually being adopted by more and more clubs throughout Victoria. The motivation for introducing the system was to keep the more senior golfers interested and capable of competing in normal club competitions at a time when they struggle to be competitive and enjoy their golf from the usual tee placements. It is a situation that The Match Committee sees as being very relevant here at Beacy, given the age profile of our membership and the challenging nature of our course, particularly during Winter months. Match Committee agreed some time ago to give the system a try and play from the Gold Tees commenced at the start of May. The Course has been set up following Golf Vic guidelines and has been separately rated by them. This creates a different par (due to the 3rd becoming a par 4) and attracts a different slope rating. What that means is that members playing from the Golds will see their handicap change. In the interest of equity, Match Committee will be closely monitoring the results of the system for at least the first month and will make changes to the set up if it appears that it is not working in a way that is fair to all.
My second subject matter is Honour Boards. The refurbishment of the clubhouse necessitated a refurbishment of the Honour Boards and you are all aware of the changes to this point. It is expected that, after the upgrade to the Club toilet facilities has be completed, the majority of the remaining boards formerly in the clubhouse will find their new home in the Spike Bar, which will be renamed. It is plainly obvious, however, that there is too little space to fit everything in. Given the size and number of the Hole in One boards we have to find a way of keeping this history in a way that takes up little space and is easy to access and update. A solution to this seems to be a monitor accessible at all times which contains not only Hole in One data, but also other history, including that already on display elsewhere. Decisions in this regard, however, must not be made hastily, nor without regard to the opinions of members that may have vested interests in the matter. Anyone who wishes to have input into this matter or offer an opinion is invited to discuss it with me personally or send an Email or a note to the office for my attention, because we want to achieve the best outcome.
In closing, I would like to thank everyone at the Club for their support recently, especially my Match Committee people. Happy golfing everyone and break out those Winter woollies.
Report by
Les Richards
Club Captain
