Following over a week of dry weather Wednesday night’s rain would have provided a welcome refreshment for the fairways, where it is good to see that the weeds are dying from their recent spraying. Most of the boggy patches have dried out considerably and we have therefore reverted back to “Placing on Own Fairway” - this means you can no longer place the ball when you are in the rough.
Today the club house has been a hive of activity with 18 teams currently out on the course in the NZIS ambrose tournament, enjoying food and drinks being ferried out to them, and for some, possibly a massage by students from the New Zealand College of Massage.
This Weekend’s Events
Tomorrow the women’s Saturday club qualifiers will be playing off for the Top Cat trophy while the rest of the Saturday Club members will be playing Nett. No other events are programmed but for those men aiming to qualify for the end of year Top Gun Shootout, you only have a few more weeks to ensure you have at least 15 qualifying rounds. A quick check earlier this week shows that there are about 20 players needing 3 or 4 more qualifying rounds to be in the running for the top 19 who will tee off in the final shootout. This weekend could be a good opportunity to get another round under your belt.
Also this weekend the final 2 rounds of the Asia Pacific Amateur event at Royal Wellington will be played at Heretaunga. Going by yesterday’s action (eg the first round leader scored 29 on the front nine!) and with a cut to be made tonight, there should be some great golf to be witnessed over the weekend, with the winner going on to play in the 2018 Masters and next year’s British Open. Entry for spectators is free. Our head green keeper, Matt, who spent 6 hours volunteering there last night after his full day at our course, to help prepare the course for today, and is doing the same again this evening plus volunteering there over the weekend, reports that the organisers and the greens staff there have done an amazing job preparing the venue and the course and the set up alone are worth going out for a look at.
Road Closure Tomorrow Afternoon
Don’t forget that part of the Takarau Gorge Road, including the section from the turn off into South Makara Road and up to the mountain bike park entrance on the top of Makara Hill, will be closed on Saturday from 4.15pm to 8.45pm for the Targa car rally. As a result, we have closed off the start sheet that day from 11.30 onwards, although the course will still be open. However the club house lounge will close at 3.30pm and players need to ensure that they leave the club before 4pm (if going home via Karori, earlier if going the back way to Johnsonville) to ensure they can get home before the road closes.
The early closure will give players a great opportunity to get down to Prodrive’s shop on Thorndon Quay where their relocation sale is still in full swing.
Prodrive City of Wellington Classic Saturday 11th November
This is now only 2 weeks away so make sure you add your name to the entry form on the downstairs notice board, or ring/email it through to the club. Please note that we have brought forward the tee off time to 8.30am to enable All Whites fans to also attend the NZ v Peru World Cup qualifier that kicks off at 4.15pm that afternoon at Westpac Stadium. This is our major event of the year, with heaps of prizes up for grabs. Although it is a Wellington Golf Order of Merit event which will attract many of the region’s top golfers, it is played in divisions with prizes for gross, nett and stableford scores so everyone has a chance to win a prize. It is open to all golfers with a current NZ Golf recognised handicap, so is a great chance to showcase our course. Please help us in making this, the 40th anniversary of the first City of Wellington tournament, our best yet. Only $40 to enter.
Golden Mop
To help present the club at its best for the CoW we will be holding our annual Golden Mop event next Saturday 4th November. We would appreciate as many members as possible coming out to help tidy up the clubhouse, carpark gardens and surrounds so that our “front of club” will be matching the standard of the course. Turn up at 8.30am (with useful tools if you have any) for the working bee, with morning tea provided by Sara and a tee off for the Golden Mop trophy at 12.30pm.
Harcourts Twilight Thursday 26th October
Our fourth round of the Twilight season and again fine and calm conditions for golf after the early rain had cleared. A record turnout so far this year with 21 golfers keen for 9 holes of golf and our bbq meal.
Good scoring this week even after last week's handicap adjustments. A very competitive match between husband and wife team of Antony Kennedy and Jo Hurst saw them come out join winners on 23 points ($20 each) - a perfect way to keep your relationship on a good footing. Third place went to Tim Rivers on 21 points ($15) and fourth was Terry Bastion on 20 points ($10). The consolation prize was taken out by Asti Laldli on her first night back this season.
Thanks to Sara for preparing our bbq dinner, and to everyone who helped with the cooking and set up.
Our prize pool for the end of season competition is growing and there's plenty of time to join in the fun at Twilight and complete the minimum of 10 cards by 31 March 2018 to qualify for a range of prizes. All members and guests are welcome - tee off between 4.30pm and 5.30pm every Thursday
night.
Wednesday Club
Wednesday Club Results for 25th October:
What a welcome change, a warm sunny afternoon with no threat of rain.31 players took advantage of the excellent conditions to compete in the 18 hole stableford competition, followed by 6 nine holers. Whilst there were a lot of good scores, no one came close to matching Gunter Karau's outstanding 44 points. Next best were Keith Gaskin, Jerry Barber and Ian Bates, all with 38 points with Keith taking out the second prize on countback. David Burton, Saint Kennach and Derek Fitzgibbon all won golf balls, with David also getting the prize for nearest the pin on the Pro Drive 4th hole but paying the usual price for not sinking his putt for a two. Surprisingly, despite the fine condition of the greens, there were no other twos scored. This week's consolation prize was earned by Ian Livingstone and raffle winners were Satish Chandra, Ian Patience and Saint Kennach.
Committee Feedback
The Committee held its monthly meeting last week and can report
· Indicative reports for our financial year ending 30 September show a similar trading result and cash position to last year, with donations and grants offsetting a decline in subscriptions and green fees.
· The green keepers have been busy coping with the spring growth, weed spraying, greens sanding, and preparing the course for today’s NZIS tournament and next month’s CoW, whilst dealing with a number of untimely equipment malfunctions. As a Committee we need to start preparing for some equipment replacement.
· The green keepers are very appreciative of the volunteer assistance provided by Keith Gaskin’s group resowing tee block divots and rejuvenating tee and distance markers.
· The green keepers would very much appreciate all members repairing their pitch marks and replacing divots. At this time of the year, with the greens hardening up but still soft enough to be indented, it is imperative that pitch marks are repaired immediately to avoid permanent damage.
· When we are next due to reorder our scorecards (not for a few months) we will consider adjusting the boundary of the hazard area in front of the 6th green, which will impact on whether you get a free drop off the stone groynes. We are also proposing to make the trees on the top of the bank on the right hand side of the first fairway out of bounds, to force players who hit up there, and potentially lose their ball, to play a provisional.
· The next few weeks will be especially busy for the Committee with the upcoming CoW and a full schedule of events over the next several weeks, plus renewing sponsorships and preparing for the AGM on 2nd December. Can all members please start thinking about making themselves available for next year’s Committee.
Sponsor Speak
The ninth hole is our stroke hole 1, with the green separated from the fairway by a deep gully, requiring all but the biggest hitters to lay up short of the gully with their second shot. Nicknamed the Big Dipper, the elevated tee entices you to really smack your drive, but the extra height in your ball flight off the high tee exposes it to any prevailing winds, which in turn will accentuate any side spin, invariably resulting in you ball going into the trees. As with the 7th hole, it is sponsored by Helloworld Travel, on Lambton Quay, who offer some great travel packages, as can be seen from their brochures in the downstairs foyer.
Above: Building the 9th green
Below: Panorama left from across the 8th Green toward the 5th Green round to the 9th Fairway – Note the Power Poles down the middle of the 9th Fairway which were there until 1994. As with the power lines, a ball hitting them had to be replayed, without penalty.
Happy golfing, play safely,
Your KGC Committee