Oatlands Enews – Friday 2nd April 2021

Published on 31st March 2021 in E-News, Guests

Content

This week’s Enews covers the following topics:

Happy Easter
Member Workshop Groups – General Managers Summary
Introducing our Newest Members
Additional Weekly Communication Coming Soon
From the Course
Repair Pitchmarks – Just as Important after Greens Renovations
The Bettington Greek Night – Saturday 17th April
Dress Standard – The Membership have Spoken
60 Seconds with Dave – Bunker Options
Covid Vaccination Information
Staff Profile – Jeremy Ward (Golf Operations Manager)
Karah’s Cocktail Masterclass – Friday 23rd April
Junior Development Programme (JDP) – Term 2
Dine & Discover Vouchers – Available for Use Now
Pennant Update
Caption Competition

Happy Easter

On behalf of the Board, Management and Staff of Oatlands Golf Club, we would like to wish all members a Happy and Safe Easter.

Member Workshop Groups – General Manager Summary

Over the last 2 weeks the Club have been running a series of Strategic Planning Member Workshop Groups. The purpose of these groups was to engage with a broad cross-section of the membership to ensure that the direction of the Clubs 2022-2027 Strategic Plan is in line with members expectation, and also to gain valuable insight from the membership on any areas that need more immediate attention.

The Workshop Groups have been attended by almost 120 members with two more targeted sessions taking place in mid-April.

Once the final two sessions are conducted, the insights from the Workshops will be summarised and utilised to guide the next stage of the development of the Strategic Plan. The summary will also be distributed to the playing membership for further input.

An example of some of the more immediate items raised for attention are listed below, and have already started to be addressed, as can be seen in items further down in this Enews;

Raising the dress standards (see Enews item below)
Junior Development Programme on Saturday’s (see Enews item below with Saturday sessions being reduced from 4 to 2 and dress standards to be addressed).
Improved communication of golf and coaching items (see Enews item below with an additional weekly communication commencing soon)
Consistency if timesheet opening times (see Enews item below regarding Saturday and Wednesday competition timesheets)
Member suggestion box – To be installed before the end of April and communicated via future Enews
More interactive and engaging public homepage on our website – Under review with the Clubs website provider
Better communication of the current Sandwich Hut pre-order system and development of a QR code pre-order system from the 11th and 18th tees – Under investigation for a suitable QR code platform provider
Consideration to develop a member to member communication system utilising social media – For discussion and consideration by the Membership Committee and Board.

The input from members and subsequent output from these groups has been fantastic and the Board and Management would like to thank all the members that gave up their valuable time to contribute.

We look forward to further evolving the 2022 – 2027 Club Strategic Plan and engaging further with members throughout the process.

Sincerely,

Sam Howe
General Manager

Introducing our Newest Members

One of the many outputs from the member workshops groups that can be implemented immediately is the monthly introduction and welcome to Oatlands Golf Club for our new members.

This will be included in the Enews monthly following the formal approval of new Members by the Membership Committee and Board.

The following members joined the membership of Oatlands in March;

*Title*	*Name*	*Membership Category*
Mr	Alex Lee	Intermediate 3
Mr	Sid Arida	Lifestyle
Mr	Anthony Arida	Lifestyle
Mrs	Amy Lee	Intermediate 3
Mr	Rhys Alchin	Intermediate 3
Master	Jeremy Liew	Junior
Mr	Andy Jung	Lifestyle
Mr	Jack Chun	Intermediate 3
Mrs	Da Lee	Intermediate 3
Miss	Serpil Urusoglu	Lifestyle
Mr	Eddie NG	Full Playing

On behalf of the entire membership, we welcome these new members to our wonderful Club community, and hope they enjoy all that the Club has to offer for many years to come.

Additional Weekly Communication Coming Soon

Over the next few weeks members will see an additional weekly communication in their email on Wednesday’s.

This communication is being out in partnership between the Clubs PGA Professionals and one of the Australian PGAs strategic partners, Retail Tribe. The communication will focus primarily on golf related items as contributed by the Clubs 5 PGA Professional staff (6 if you include our General Manager), as such it will include lots of great content such as, coaching tips on all facets of the game, golf strategy, tips on getting fit and healthy for golf, information for new members on getting started in competition play, and lots more.

As this communication will be facilitated by Retail Tribe, members will receive an initial communication in the next week or so giving them the option to ‘unsubscribe’ or ‘opt out’ (an image of this email is shown below). We hope you will choose to continue receiving this email as all of the PGA staff at the Club are excited about the opportunity to bring you some fantastic content.

From the Course

Rainfall for the Week: 1.0mm, Rainfall for 2021: 538.5mm Dam: 100% Green Speed: Renovations

Autumn greens renovations took place this week, and as always, it’s been a very busy and productive week with extra hours being committed by course staff and our ever-reliable team of volunteers to achieve a massive amount of work in 2.5 days!

It all started on Sunday afternoon where we were able to aerate and pick up cores from the putting and chipping greens, nursery green and then greens 1 to 13 out on the course. Monday morning the remaining greens were aerated, and these cores also picked up. The weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday wasn’t looking favourable for topdressing the greens, as the prediction was for consecutive cloudy days and we need warmer sunny days to enable the sand to dry as fast as possible on the greens once it has been spread. Fortunately, the weather forecasters got it wrong, and we treated to ideal weather conditions on the Monday with the team being able to get 14 greens top-dressed and this sand rubbed into the core holes. With the good fortune in the weather, we were able to start fertilising and applying amendments as required to the greens on Tuesday morning, with just over half of the greens being completed so far. The remaining greens will be fertilised on Thursday morning.

While half the team concentrated on the greens, the other half started the repair work on the bunkers with all silt being removed, sand pushed up on faces and then raked in preparation for play on Wednesday. Work on the RHS 7^th bunker was also performed removing sand and dirt that had washed onto the drainage lining during the rainfall period last week. The solid tyne verti draining of fairways was also continued with the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 7^th, 10^th, 16^th and 17^th fairways all completed over the 2 days of course closure.

While the above works being performed, we still need to prepare surfaces for when play resumes on Wednesday, so all fairways were cut on Tuesday and rough mowing was also performed all day of Tuesday.

Our volunteers were in on the Sunday afternoon helping with the clean up of the cores and greens, and only Monday they continued preparing the bare areas around the course. These areas had their edges squared up first and then they were rotary hoed. New soil was added on Tuesday to bring the level of these areas up to the desired height. As well as this work, our army of volunteers also cleaned and painted all the tee markers, cleared drainage pipes behind the cart storage shed, edged pathways, trimmed sprinkler heads on fairways, spreading core piles, tidying up around Farmer Tunk’s Hut, clubhouse maintenance tasks and trimming new sucker growth from around trees. Another huge effort from this great group of gentlemen who are a true asset to our club. Special thanks to David Gaffaney for the organising and planning of people and work schedule over these 2.5 days. It certainly takes some of the pressure and stress off me during a very busy period of the year.

While on our volunteers, we had a group of lady members volunteer some time on Monday where they helped Elinor out in the gardens around the clubhouse and on course. This was the largest group of ladies that we’ve had to volunteer, and Elinor and the team are very grateful for the assistance that was provided.

No cutting will be performed this weekend while we wait for the greens to recover from renovations. Hole locations will be changed every day of the Easter long weekend with bunkers also being raked each morning.

Good Golfing

The Course Team

: Green Staff

Repair Pitchmarks – Just as Important after Greens Renovations

An inspection of the golf course over the last few days has shown an increased number of pitchmarks. This is no doubt in part to recent rain and softer than normal greens however also likely that a level of complacency creeps in when playing on recently renovated greens.

All golfers are reminded of the importance of repairing pitchmarks and that this remains vitally important to the maintenance of greens as they recover from renovations as the plant is in a stressed state and needs all the help it can get to recover.

Please see the video below on the correct way to repair a pitchmark.

The Bettington Greek Night – Saturday 17th April

Members and guests are invited to join us for our next monthly themed dining experience.

This month, Dirk Podro will be preparing a Greek feast for you to enjoy.

Bookings available online or via the Club’s Reception.

Dress Standards – The Membership has Spoken

The recent Member Workshop Groups not only produced a valuable contribution to the Clubs Strategic Plan development, but they also uncovered a range of immediate issues that were common to the majority of participants.

One of these issues was the need to maintain a high standard with regard to dress.

Golf is a traditional game, and while some of those traditions, such as paper scorecards, have been supplanted with technology and changing societal norms, the consensus among the Workshop Groups is that a robust dress standard is one of the many traditions of golf that members want maintained.

As such, Management have tasked all staff with a zero tolerance approach to dress standards at Oatlands.

All staff, existing, new and future, will undertake training in the correct way to approach a member or guest whose dress does not meet the Club standard. These approaches will be made politely and offer the member of guest the chance to rectify the dress to meet the standard (either via a Pro Shop purchase or a trip home) however failure to meet the dress standard will result in the inability to utilise the Clubs facilities.

In-conjunction with this, all participants and parents / guardians of the Junior Development Programme (JDP) will be informed of this requirement with the same zero tolerance policy to apply.

Members are asked to please inform their guests of the Club dress standard.

Dress standard for the course is also in place when utilising the Clubs practice facilities.

We thank you in advance for your understanding and ask that if you are approached by a member of staff regarding dress code that you, please understand the difficult position that this puts staff in (particularly junior staff) and that they are simply following management instruction and the will of the broader membership.

If you have any questions, please direct them to the Club General Manager, Sam Howe.

60 Seconds with Dave – Bunker Options

Due to popular demand, 60 Seconds with Dave is back.

This week Dave shows us how to play different bunker shots using a selection of different Clubs.

Covid Vaccination Information

With the Covid-19 vaccination rollout underway in Australia, the Club recently received a communication from Club member Larry Woldenberg regarding his experience with the ‘Covid jab’ that we thought was worth passing on to our membership.

Hi Sam,

Recently I arranged for an appt at Olympic Park for a vaccination. I got an appt the same day! The “jab” was not only painless, but I didn’t even notice it when the nurse gave it to me.

One thing I did notice was that there were many unfilled spots on their rostered patient list, which leads me to believe that people don’t know where to look for information. Plus, there are a helluva lot of seniors like me at Oatlands who probably need to be vaccinated.

So I wanted to forward you the website with the relevant information possibly to include in the newsletter:

https://www.sydwestvac.com.au/

All the best,

Larry Woldenberg

Subsequent to this we have investigated the current eligibility criteria in NSW for the Covid vaccination (this list does not include frontline workers);

Phase 1:

Elderly adults aged 80 years and over
Elderly adults aged 70-79 years
Other health care workers
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults 55 years and over
Adults with an underlying medical condition or significant disability

We hope you find this information useful and thank Larry for taking the time to communicate this to the Club.

Staff Profile – Jeremy Ward (Golf Operations Manager)

This week’s staff profile is on our newish (June 2020) Golf Operations Manager, Jeremy Ward. Jeremy has bought an increased energy and enthusiasm to the Pro Shop and has quickly become an integral part of the Oatlands Golf Club experience for our members and their guests.

Hi Everyone, Jeremy Ward here!

I’m the Golf Operations Manager here at Oatlands Golf Club…… What does that mean? I look after all things golf from coaching programs to managing timesheets to maintaining a fully stocked Proshop.

A little bit about me…….

I grew up in Parramatta which makes me a Parramatta Eels tragic. Fun fact, the Eels haven’t won a premiership since the year I was born in 1986 (35 long years). Maybe I’m their curse!

I picked up a golf club at the age of 12 and fell in love with the game immediately. I turned professional at the age of 18 by doing a PGA Traineeship at Castle Hill Country Club, also the club where I played all my junior golf. I am happily married (most of the time) without kids. Our child is an overly excited boxer dog named Kobe.

It’s probably no secret that coaching the game of golf is my passion. The people I meet, the process, the results and the challenge are just a few things that gets me excited about my job.

My favourite golfers to watch are Jordan Spieth & Ian Poulter. My favourite golf swing is Collin Morikawa.

I have been at Oatlands Golf Club for just under a year and I’m loving it.

The team I have in the Pro Shop and the members are awesome. It makes coming to work each day a pleasure!

See you around the club.

Jeremy Ward
Golf Operations Manager

Karah’s Cocktail Masterclass – Friday 23rd April

OGC Bar Manager Karah Chapman will be hosting a Cocktail Masterclass on Friday 23rd April.

This boutique event will give members the chance to learn how to make 3 cocktails, learn the history behind them, and enjoy a grazing platter and some nibbles with your friends (and you get to drink the cocktails).

Karah has always had a passion for creating all things food and beverage! Being a lover of cocktails herself, she has learned the art of cocktail making from both sides of the bar.

During her time at OGC she has devised and prepared the majority of cocktails that accompany the Clubs themed dining events and can’t wait to pass on some of her knowledge and passion.

Junior Development Programme (JDP) – Term 2

Please see below important information regarding Term 2 JDP classes scheduled to start on Saturday 17^th April 2021.

Please Note:

Unfortunately, the 2:00pm & 3:00pm classes on Saturday have been cancelled.

This decision was made due to our extremely busy golf course and the constant interruption to those classes during those times.

An extra class has been added on Sunday at 1:00pm.

Below is the weekly schedule for the Term 2 Classes.

	Mon	Tue	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sat	Sun
Time	4:00pm	4:00pm	4:00pm	4:00pm	4:00pm	4:00pm	1:00pm	4:00pm	1:00pm
Group	B	A	B	A	ELITE	ELITE	A	B	B

Please make sure each JDP Member is booking into the correct class. Please see below explanation of each group.

Group A – 11- 17 year olds

Group B – 5 -10 year olds

Elite Group – Those JDP Members who have been selected and have received communication on this.

Dress Regulations

It’s very important that all JDP Members and their parents are dressed according to the Oatlands Golf Club dress standards. Parents of members who are dropping off their children and intend on getting out of their car must also be dress appropriately.

Please click on the link below for all Dress Regulation details.

https://www.oatlandsgolf.com.au/cms/golf/dress-code/

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Regards,

Jeremy Ward
Golf Operations Manager

Dine & Discover Vouchers – Available for Use Now

The NSW Government has launched Dine & Discover NSW to encourage the community to get out and about and support dining, arts and tourism businesses. Oatlands is pleased to advise members that the Club is now able to accept these vouchers. Details of the initiatives are outlined below;

NSW residents aged 18 and over can apply for 4 x $25 vouchers, worth $100 in total.

2 x $25 Dine NSW Vouchers to be used for dining in at restaurants, cafés, bars, wineries, pubs or clubs.
2 x $25 Discover NSW Vouchers to be used for entertainment and recreation, including cultural institutions, live music, and arts venues.

The vouchers:

can be used 7 days a week, including public holidays
can be used at participating NSW businesses that are registered as COVID Safe
are valid to 30 June 2021.

Pennant Update

Major Pennant

Date for relegation final TBC

Mixed Pennant

Mixed Pennant starts in May 2021 and the squad are looking forward to the season ahead after a narrow defeat in the Final of the competition last year. The squad for this years Mixed Pennant is;

Linda Bestford
Leonie Guthrie
Linda Gyzen
Debbie Jepson
Justa Kim
Stephanie Monaghan
Pixie Sasse
Pete Crawford
Chris Garland
Lindsay Macinnes
Ben Mees
Kane Milne
Tony Monaghan
Christian O’Reilly

Interclub

The Men’s Interclub competition is also scheduled for May this year after being cancelled in 2020 due to Covid restrictions. The squad for this year is as follows;

Luke Mason
Grant Lomas
Lawrence Robertson
Ian Priest
Mark Robinson
Peter Schleibs
Jackson Jones
Matt Seamons
James Coates
Blair McDonald

Caption Competition

Oatlands Golf Club General Manager, Sam Howe, for reason only known to a few, found himself in the course skip bin last Saturday, see image below;

So, in the interest of a bit of fun, we thought we’d offer dinner for two including drinks at one of our Bettington Restaurant nights for the best caption.

Entries can be made by completing the details below (note, Sam is the one who receives the responses and is pretty thick skinned).

Entries close when Sam can take it anymore.

< Back to previous page