Oatlands Enews – Friday 8th July 2022
Content
This week’s Enews covers the following topics:
- From the Course
- Captain’s Corner – The Weekend Ahead
- Ladies Foundation Day – Thursday 7th July
- Short Game Clinic with Jeremy Ward – Tuesday 19th July
- Club Dining Events – Late Cancellations and Arrival Times
- Join Our Members Only Facebook Group
- Ladies Volunteer Gardening – Tuesday 19th July at 10am
- Upcoming Trophy Events
- Recent Trophy Winners
- Upcoming Club Events
From the Course
Rainfall for the Week: 265.5mm, Rainfall for 2022: 1,578.5 Dam: 100% Green Speed: Closed
The wet weather, as predicted, returned this week which isn’t ideal as the course had finally dried out. Unfortunately, the course is back to similar conditions experienced earlier in the year. Thankfully, the course and our members got to enjoy a window of favourable golfing weather. The course team were able to access the course this morning (Thursday) for the first time this week and begin the clean-up.
Turf diseases thrive in prolonged wet weather and low light situations. Our greens have been exposed to disease pressure over the past week. Cyanobacteria is a condition that affects the turf leaves. It is common during the winter months when the days are shorter and persistent cloud cover during periods of rainfall. Symptoms begin slowly as yellow patches from the edge of the green and will slowly turn into larger patches of thinning turf. Pythium Root rot is common on highly maintained turf such as golf course greens with low mowing heights, excessive soil moisture and low light situations. Under cool, wet conditions symptoms may first appear as small yellow patches. The most important way to control these infections is by ensuring the correct disease identification. These two diseases have very similar first symptoms but are controlled differently, so after taking tests last week, we have identified each disease and will be applying the correct fungicides. Greens should start to improve over the next 7-14 days.
The course team have continued with the repair work on the green edges suffering chemical damage. The chipper and 9th green have had strips transplanted from the nursery green. This process is quite delicate and time consuming, but it gives the senior members of the team a chance to share their skills and teach the younger team members the correct process as well as building their own skills.
Bunkers have been washed out! The new bunkers again performed brilliantly and are only taking one morning to fix them and get them back into play. Some of the old bunkers are holding small amounts of water. The team will attempt to get these bunkers repaired as soon as weather permits.
Mulching of tee gardens and other areas has begun. The area at the 7th toilet block, 13th tee, and 15th tee have commenced. This will keep the team busy and warm throughout the winter months as well as freshening up the tee gardens and other areas of the golf course.
Our Volunteers had Monday off this week due to course closure and wet weather, your efforts were missed this week Gentleman and the course team look forward to your return when the weather permits.
Enjoy the Weekend!
Captain’s Corner – The Weekend Ahead
Course inspection this morning (Friday) has shown that the course has handled the significant amount of rain a lot better than expected.
The course continues to have the usual areas of very wet conditions, however the fairways are in generally good condition.
The decision has been made to open the course tomorrow (Saturday 9th July), with no carts, and with preferred lies in the General Area. Some bunkers will be out of play but the majority will be in play.
Members would be aware that we have had difficulty with the fourth fairway holding moisture at levels that basically makes the hole unplayable. In an effort to ensure the course can be opened, the 4th hole will be closed and the 19th will come into play.
We understand that tomorrow is the Winter Medal which is normally a stroke event, however in the interest of having the course open and taking account of the pace of play with preferred lies and plugged balls the event tomorrow will be a stableford event, the Winter Medal will still be on offer for the best score.
Due to the level of moisture still on the course, presentation will not be up to the usual standard. Mowers have been unable to get onto much of the course, and therefore fairways are a little longer than usual and leaf and bark have also been unable to be removed.
The course will be open on Sunday, subject to no further rain. With the current course condition, the decision has been taken to postpone the Father and Son event to a date to be advised, and that will allow all members to participate.
We trust that members appreciate the efforts of ground staff to have the course open, and enjoy the opportunity to get out and enjoy the game.
Col McRae
Captain
Membership Joining Fees to Increase 1st October 2022
With the 2022-23 Membership renewal finalised on 15th May, the Club is pleased to announce that as of this week, our Full-Playing membership category is once again at capacity (500 members) and a waitlist is again in place. The Club currently has limited spaces remaining in the 6-Day and Lifestyle categories. This is a fantastic position for the Club to be in and provides a wonderful platform as we embark on the next chapter of the Club’s future and a new Clubhouse, with facilities that will be the envy of the Greater Sydney golf industry.
As such, the Membership Committee and Board have decided to raise the Joining Fees for Club membership, for each of the three playing categories, being:
- Full (including Intermediate 1,2 & 3)
- 6 Day
- Lifestyle
The increase will be 30% on the current Entrance Fees, and will come into effect on 1st October 2022.
Any friend or family member that joins the Club prior to 1st October, (or in the case of Full Membership, places their name on the waitlist prior to 1st October), will only be required to pay the current Joining Fee, as listed below.
|
Membership Category |
Current Joining Fee |
Joining Fee as of 1st October 2022 |
|
Full Playing |
$2,500 |
$3,250 |
|
6 Day |
$2,000 |
$2,600 |
|
Intermediate |
$1,000 |
$1,300 |
|
Lifestyle |
$1,500 |
$1,950 |
|
Juniors |
$0 |
$0 |
Any existing member of less than 3 years wishing to upgrade prior to 1st October 2022 will only be required to pay the difference in the joining fee of their current category and the current joining fee of the new category. Members of greater than 3 years are not required to pay an upgrade fee.
For new applications or upgrades, please contact Kathy Bright, administration@oatlandsgolf.com.au
Ladies Foundation Day – Thursday 7th July
Short Game Clinic with Jeremy Ward
Jeremy’s next short game clinic will be held on Tuesday 19th July at 10:00am
This Clinic will focus on chipping, pitching, bunker play and putting and include a bunch of fun activities and drills.
Each participant will also receive a very cool Gift Pack!
Total Cost is $150 per person with a maximum of 6 people in each class. This class is 2 hours long.
Bookings can be made via our online booking system or by contacting the Pro Shop.
Club Dining Events – Late Cancellations and Arrival Times
Oatlands GC run a number of Club Dining events each month and also annual events such as presentation dinners. These events are well supported and popular with our members and guests.
For some time, the Club has had a 24 hour cancellation policy, whereby cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance are subject to the cancellation fee. This policy has not been implemented over the last 2 years due to the unpredictable nature of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the justifiable reasoning for late cancellations.
Now that life has returned to what seems to be the ‘new normal’, and with significant pressure on staffing levels and food costs, the Club will again be implementing the 24 hour cancellation policy, and respectfully ask that all members booked for Club Dining events that are unable to attend, please cancel no less than 24 hours in advance. Cancellation after this time will be subject to the cancellation fee.
Along with late cancellations, we would also ask all members and their guests booked in for Club Dining events to please be mindful of the time they have booked and arrive to be seated at this time. Like most hospitality venues, Oatlands GC is currently operating with a significant staff shortage in the Clubhouse (Bar and Kitchen) and the staggered booking times have been configured to provide our hospitality team with the windows required to plan and execute the service delivery standards our members and their guests have come to expect. Late and early arrivals result in congestion that impacts this standard and the overall experience of other diners.
We thank you in advance for your understanding and co-operation.
Join Our Members Only Closed Facebook Group
The Club’s members only Facebook Group is a fantastic way for members and staff to engage with each other.
We now have almost 300 members who have joined the group and we would love to see that grow to include all of our members.
Importantly, members are advised that this social media platform will not be used for the Club to communicate critical information, that will remain via the Enews, website and direct email however, it is a place that members and the Club can post interesting Club and golf related items to compliment this Enews.
To join the Members Only Facebook Group please click on the link below and then click on the “JOIN GROUP” button. You will be asked a few questions to verify you are a member and then approved by the group administrator shortly thereafter.
www.facebook.com/groups/870087546972166/
Ladies Volunteer Gardening – Tuesday 19th July
Our Lady Members are encouraged to join our band of enthusiastic gardening volunteers on Tuesday 19th July from 10am followed by lunch provided by the Club.
For those interested in assisting, a sign up sheet is located in the Ladies Locker Room or you can email the Ladies Committee on ladies@oatlandsgolf.com.au
We recommend you bring your own gardening gloves, if you have them, as these can be in short supply subject to the number of volunteers who attend.
Upcoming Trophy Events
Men
July
- Sat 9th July – Winter Medal
- Sun 10th July – WE Tunks Father & Son / Parent & Child – Postponed (Date TBC)
- Sat 16th July – NB Charlton M/Play SF
- Sat 23rd July – NB Charlton M/Play Final
- Sat 23rd July – Legacy Cup
- Sat 30th July – Foursomes Championships – Updated
August
- Sat 6th Aug – Presidents Cup
- Sat 13th Aug – HP Evans Qualifying
- Mon 15th Aug – Wed 17th Aug – Course Renovations (Closed)
- Friday 26th Aug – Oatlands PGA Scramble
- Sat 27th Aug – HP Evans M/Play Rd1
Ladies
July 2022
- Thursday 7th July – Yellow Course – Foundation Day
- Monday 11th July – Yellow Course – Stableford,
- Thursday 14th July – Red Course – Foursomes R1
- Monday 18th July – Yellow Course – Stableford
- Thursday 21st July – Red Course – Foursomes R2
- Monday 25th July – Yellow Course – Stableford
- Thursday 28th July – Yellow Course – Shotgun 2BBB, Captain v President
August 2022
- Monday 1st August – Yellow Course – Shotgun 4 BBB Stableford, Pennant Hills Interclub
- Thursday 4th August – Red Course – Medal 6, GNWS 5, Vet 5
- Friday 5th August – Concord Interclub (At Concord)
- Monday 8th August – Yellow Course – Stableford,
- Thursday 11th August – Yellow Course – Stableford, Grace Norris Trophy, OLGA 6
- Mon 15th Aug – Wed 17th Aug – Course Renovations (Closed)
- Thursday 18th August – Yellow Course – Shotgun Ambrose
- Monday 22nd August – Yellow Course – Stableford,
- Thursday 25th August – Red Course – Medal 7, GNWS 6, Vet 6, Captain Cup Q
- Friday 26th Aug – Oatlands PGA Scramble
- Monday 29th August – Yellow Course – Stableford
September 2022
- Monday 19th September – Shotgun 2BBB Stableford, Muirfield Interclub
Mixed
- Sun 3rd July – WS Targett Mixed Fourball KO Qualifying – Postponed (Date TBC)
- Sun 17th July – WS Targett QF – Postponed (Date TBC)
- Sun 24th July – WS Targett SF – Postponed (Date TBC)
- Sun 31st July – WS Targett Final – Postponed (Date TBC)
- Sun 7th Aug – Mixed Foursomes Championships
- Mon 15th Aug – Wed 17th Aug – Course Renovations (Closed)
- Friday 26th Aug – Oatlands PGA Scramble
Recent Trophy Winners
No Trophy events were decided during the week.
