Content

This week’s Enews covers the following topics:

• From the Course
• Rowan Easterbrook wins Pymble Senior Cup
• Ladies Foundation Day postponed until Further Notice
• Vale John Herbert – Letter to Members from Sue Herbert
• Prostate Cancer Information Night – Postponed until Further Notice
• Covid Christmas in July, Saturday 24th July – Drive Through Takeaway 
• Rules Corner – Rule 14 Preferred Lies – Placement of Ball
• Upcoming Trophy Events

From the Course

Rainfall for the Week: 13.0mm,  Rainfall for 2021: 668.5mm   Dam: 100%   Green Speed: 10.5 feet

The rainfall over the weekend has certainly softened surfaces around the course, in particular all areas which receive reduced amounts of direct sunlight at this time of year. Course staff have placed ropes and stakes in these areas to prevent as much damage to surfaces as possible from cart traffic as well as foot traffic. We ask all members to avoid these areas, but if you need to remove a length of rope or a stake, please reinstate it so that other members do not drive or walk into these protected areas unawares!

The pleasing thing is that our fairway surfaces are not marking up too much from the traffic that they are receiving. This is a result of the regular verti draining of fairways which helps to move moisture away from the surface and down through the soil profile. A green pigment and iron fertiliser has been applied to all fairways this week for aesthetics and surface definition. As I have also mentioned in previous weekly wraps, the darker colour will also attract heat from any available sunlight which will help dry surfaces and help with soil temperatures.

Work on the 17^th fairway mounds has continued this week with most of the stockpiled material on the 8^th flyover being transported across and spread where this mounding work is being built. All going to plan we should have the final shape completed by the end of next week with new turf to be laid the following week. Whilst staff have been working on this project, they have been surprised with the number of balls that actually finish up in this work area, so these mounds should be beneficial for the overall enjoyment of the game on this hole.

Staff members have finally gotten through all the tub grinding material that was piled up down at our tip site on the 15^th hole. This material has been spread throughout our garden areas and in the new mulched area between the 8^th fairway and 9^th tee.

Winter grass control in our collars, aprons, and tee complexes has been performed this week with spot spraying of these weeds in these areas. This is a delicate task to perform around our greens, as we are trying to control a weed in our couch areas which is the predominant grass species in our greens! This particular chemical is absorbed through the leaf, so staff members need to ensure that the chemical has dried on the leaf before a member walks on or through the sprayed area and then onto the green. A difficult thing to control when the course is as busy as it is at the moment. These weeds in our collars, aprons and tees should start yellowing and dying over the next week or two.

Our new plate compactor has been used in bunker bases on the 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 7^th, 15^th, 16^th, 17^th and 18^th bunkers this week to ensure the dreaded ‘fried egg’ is avoided. This practice will become a regular part of our maintenance practices from now on.

Only a small group of volunteers were on course on Monday morning, trimming up the new mesh on the practice bays and painting the timber table tops on the balcony furniture. Thank you gentlemen!

At the time of putting this Enews together we have just had a short sharp wind storm come through and do some damage around the course (see the image below adjacent to the 12th green taken at 1pm today). There is a significant amount of debris to clean up which we will address as quickly as possible……Mother Nature obviously has no Covid restrictions to adhere too!!!

Have great weekend everyone!

The Course Team

Rowan Easterbrook wins Pymble Senior’s Cup

Due to the need for frequent member communication on Covid related matters in recent weeks, we have previously been unable to acknowledge a significant achievement by Rowan Easterbrook in winning the Pymble Seniors Cup on Monday 21st June.

Rowan had a fantastic score of 71 (+1) to beat a strong field of almost 70 of Sydney’s best senior golfers.

Rowan has been one of the Club’s form golfers this year and is timing his run toward the OGC Club Championships in October perfectly.

Click here for a full list of results from the Pymble Seniors Cup

Vale John Herbert – Letter to Members from Sue Herbert

Members would be aware that long-standing member, John Herbert, passed away recently. He was well known to many members and his funeral service was attended by many of you.

John’s wife has asked if the Club would pass on her thanks to those members via our Enews as she does not have all the required contacts to communicate individually.

To All Friends And Playing Partners of John Herbert

Please accept our sincere thanks for your expressions of sympathy at the recent passing of John. Many of you attended his funeral service on 16^th June and the following wake at The Fiddler. Some of you we saw on the day and some we missed. Since we don’t have personal details for you all we thought this could serve as a thank you to you all,

Kind Regards,

Sue Herbert & family

Prostate Cancer Information Night – Postponed until Further Notice

We regrettably have to postpone this evening from the planned Wednesday 21st July and until further notice due to the current Covid restrictions.

We will advise the 25-30 members that registered individually and advise the broader membership of a re-scheduled date when the Clubhouse can re-open.

Covid Christmas in July, Saturday 24th July – Drive Through Takeaway

Rules Corner – Rule 14 Preferred Lies – Placement of Ball

With the introduction of Preferred Lies as of 3rd July, a number of members have asked questions around placing the ball / the ball moving.

These scenarios are covered by Rule 14.2 and Rule 9.3 as outlined below;

Ball Moves as you are Placing It

If you are in the act of placing the ball, and the ball moves as you let go of it, Rule 14.2 applies.  You must try a second time to place the ball on the designated spot.  

If your ball again does not stay on that spot, you must replace the ball by placing it on the nearest spot where it will stay at rest, but with these limits depending on where the original spot is located:

• The spot must not be nearer the hole.
• Original spot in general area – the nearest spot must be in the general area.
• Original spot in bunker or penalty area – the nearest spot must be either in the same bunker or in the same penalty area.
• Original spot on putting green – the nearest spot must be either on the putting green or in the general area.

Ball Moves After Placing It

You have placed the ball, with the ball stationary on the designated spot.  You move away (to get your club, address the ball etc) and the ball moves.  For example, this could be because the grass compacts (or wilts). In this scenario 9.3 applies and you play the ball from its “new” position.

Ball Moved by Natural Forces