Although our mid-week women’s club would have enjoyed some great golfing conditions on Tuesday, it is unlikely anyone will have played since. However, although this cold spell is forecast to continue for a few more days, the good news is that the sun is expected to emerge tomorrow. Never-the-less, in view of the current state of the course (see below) we are going to postpone the Ken and Rose Rigarlsford tournament until next weekend.
Course/Safety Update
Matt has reported this morning that the high winds that we have been experiencing over the past 48 hours have brought down or partly brought down a lot of branches. He and Pat will be spending today trying to get rid of all the unsafe branches and bigger branches that are in the way of play, but there will still be a lot of debris around the course over the weekend. If you do come out to play tomorrow or on Sunday, please be mindful of this and take extra care if having to go under trees to retrieve or play your ball. Do not enter any areas that may have been roped off, or any area that may look dangerous – if in doubt, take a drop with a new ball rather than risk an accident trying to retrieve one.
Please be aware also that the course will be very slippery in places, especially on slopes, so be extra cautious as you navigate your way around.
And as previously advised, the course will stay closed for carts for the entire weekend.
There are also some slips on the road out to the course - one of which on South Makara Road looks to have happened this morning as it hasnt yet been coned off. There could therefore be more yet to occur. Please therefore take extra care if driving out to the course this weekend.
This Weekend’s Events
With the Rigarsford tournament having been postponed a week, there are no events programmed for this weekend, although the Saturday women's club may reinstate the Bingle, Bangle, Bungle event originally planned for tomorrow.
Don’t forget that even though nothing is programmed for the weekend, any round you play can count as a shootout round, provided you nominate it as such when you print out your scorecard and provided you score it on a nett basis (ie don’t pick up on any hole) as well as whatever other format you may be playing. Men members need to pay $2 per shootout round and need 15 rounds to be eligible for qualification for the Top Gun shootout on Sunday 3 December.
Upcoming Events
The Ken and Rose Rigarlsford Tournament originally planned for tomorrow will now be held next Saturday, 22 July, and will be run in conjunction with the Saturday women’s club. Men and women members will play together but for different trophies – men for Ken’s trophy and women for Rose’s. This event is open to all members, including mid week and 9 hole members. There is no cost of entry, but we will have prizes in addition to the trophies. It provides a great opportunity to meet and play with fellow members, and to enjoy some camaraderie in the club house afterwards. Add you name to the start sheet on the downstairs notice board or ring/email the club if you haven’t already entered.
The qualifying round of the Westward Ho Shield will be played on Sunday 30th July. The Westward Ho is a men singles match play event that is played on handicap off the white tees. The qualifying round though is played on a best nett basis with the top 16 best nett scorers proceeding to the knock out rounds the following Sunday. This is a great opportunity to start honing your match play skills for the club championships which start in September. Enter by adding your name to the entry form on the noticeboard in the downstairs foyer or ring/email the club.
As a historical aside, note that the club house bar is affectionately known as Westward Ho! as per the plaque which used to hang above the bar but is now on the wall behind the shop. It was named after the third incarnation of the Karori golf club (the existing club is currently the 4th) which had been in recess since 1944 but whose remaining funds were donated to the fledging KGC. It is also a throw back to the Royal North Devon Golf Club in the UK, whose founding members helped foster golf in NZ in the late 1800s. They too were previously called Westward Ho! and we have reciprocal playing rights with them.
Reciprocal Rights
In addition to the Royal North Devon Golf Club note that we also have reciprocal playing rights with the following NZ clubs
· Harewood Golf Club (Christchurch)
· Pukekohe Golf Club
· Whangaparaoa Golf Club
Wednesday Club
Wednesday Club results for 12 July
There was no Wednesday Club play this week due to the atrocious conditions. Fingers crossed for better weather next week.
Divots and Pitch Marks
In these soft conditions it is very easy to hit the ball “fat” and in the process, take a large divot. Please help protect the course by replacing these divots and patting them firmly back into place. Similarly, balls pitched onto the greens are likely to leave pitch marks – please repair these as soon as you go onto the green, to avoid risking permanent damage to the green
Happy golfing, play safely,
Your KGC Committee