Content

This week’s Enews covers the following topics:

• From the Course
• Change to Weekly Booking Allowance in effect form Monday 9th August
• Email Notification at the Time of Booking
• August Renovation / Course Closure
• Scott Tarrant Hole in One – Monday 26th July
• Takeaway / Drive Through, Greek Night – Saturday 7th August
• One Litre Takeaway Beer Bottles are Back
• Upcoming Trophy Events

From the Course

Rainfall for the Week: 4.0mm,  Rainfall for 2021: 675mm   Dam: 100%   Green Speed: 10.5 feet

The team has managed to install a small drainage line at the bottom end of the new mound on the 17^th fairway to ensure that water doesn’t puddle along this edge during periods of heavy rainfall. This small project was started and completed on Monday, with our 4 apprentices heavily involved with this work, gaining valuable experience and knowledge to use in any future drainage works on the course.

As the team was trenching with our Ventrac machine, we came across some very shallow rock beneath the surface which required the jack hammer to remove it. It was necessary to remove it so that the path of the drainage could flow uninterrupted. The picture below shows just how shallow this rock was below the surface and can explain why it is difficult to grow good quality turf in some areas around the course with hidden difficulties such as this.

Our final fungicide application to fairways for the winter has been made this week, with this preventative spray program keeping our fairway surfaces predominantly disease free this winter. It is very noticeable in shaded roughs where we don’t apply any preventative fungicide, how much disease has developed over the winter and shows how important it is to stay on top of pests and diseases in our playing surfaces. In the photo below, the white line indicates the fairway edge or where we would apply our fairway fungicide applications. Below the white is rough and untreated, with plenty of disease present in this area compared to the fairway surface.

The recent fertiliser application to all greens has really kicked in after the warm weather we experienced last weekend. This has our putting surfaces in great condition and looking ideal! Growth on our greens has increased which explains the slight drop in green speed this week, but this is perfect heading into renovations, as recovery time after renovations should be shortened, because of this increased growth rate.

No volunteers on course this week, but a small group worked in the cart storage area (this is allowed under the Club Covid Safety Plan and approved by Golf NSW) installing new chargers for the new golf carts that arrived last week. Thank you to those gentlemen involved, the proshop staff will be much appreciative!

Have great weekend everyone!

The Course Team

Change to Weekly Booking Allowance in effect form Monday 9th August

We have now been operating under NSW Health restrictions in response to the current Covid-19 outbreak in Greater Sydney for over a month.  While we hope that the government restrictions will ease soon, it certainly appears that the current lockdown is set to continue until at least August 28.  Nobody likes the circumstances we are faced with, however we are very fortunate to be able to play golf, albeit in a very limited capacity.

The current booking system and allowance of 3 games per week (including a maximum of one on the weekend) was established to provide equitable access to all eligible playing members given the reduced capacity that forced play in groups of two necessitates. This allowance was increased from 2 games to 3 games on 16^th July with additional games being able to be booked on the day if vacancy exists.

As the lockdown has dragged on, we have seen an increasing number of members booking more than 3 games. Naturally, people are looking to enjoy their golf rather than being locked at home.  Whilst we hope that members would “self-regulate” our course accessibility rules so that all members have equitable opportunity to access the course, it has become evident that a number of members are making bookings in excess of current limits.  There are also members using strategies to guarantee themselves 3 games, or more, by holding spots on days that they do not intend to play hence affecting other members booking their games on those days. This means they hold a spot for 4 days and then cancel the night before to then book again on the day of play just past midnight.  This has resulted in the temporary suspension of booking rights for almost 20 members in the last 4 weeks.

Clearly, this is not a circumstance that we are looking to promote.  The administrative burden alone to now try and maintain this flexibility and equity has become unmanageable. We need management to run the many parts of the Club that are currently being put aside to deal with bookings, rather than acting as the booking police.

The Club’s Board and Management do not want a deterioration of relationships with members who are being communicated with and are unhappy with suspensions and deletions of excess bookings. To date, this has been extremely draining on the Club’s resources and the mental wellbeing of those involved in these communications. This is not how we want to run the Club!

As a result, and in the interest of making the booking allowance manageable and maintain equity to all members, commencing Monday 9^th August, the following revised booking allowance will be in place: 

• A maximum of 3 games per week which can include a maximum of one game on the weekend
• Games booked on the day will be counted towards the maximum 3 game allowance and maximum of one game per weekend
• All competition and social golf participations will count toward the above maximum allowance (including 7 holes from the 12^th tee)
• The week will run Monday – Sunday
• A report will be run each Monday, and any games played in excess of this allowance, will result in an automatic 14 day booking rights suspension.

Given the current situation, the Board and Match Committee believe this is the most appropriate compromise to balance the expectation of the majority of our members, to simplify the identification of members not adhering to the restrictions, and to provide management with the time required to ensure all aspects of the Club function to a level that will limit the impact of this lockdown on the Club’s future.

These limits will continue to be reviewed and adjusted as necessary.

Email Notification at the Time of Booking

Members are advised that our website booking system will now be sending out booking confirmation emails at the time of booking in-conjunction with the 4 day in advance booking reminder. If you are on a waitlist and automatically moved onto a timesheet you will also receive an email notification.

This is to ensure that members, booked in by other members, receive notification and therefore do not miss their bookings or inadvertently book games in excess of the current allowance. 

To assist in providing equitable access to all members, we ask that all members cancel bookings they are not able to utilise at the earliest opportunity.

August Course Renovation / Course Closure

Following the last two renovations in August 2020 and April 2021, the Greens Committee has been undertaking a thorough review of the renovation process.  Subsequently,  the upcoming renovation and course closure timing will be adjusted from the previous Sunday PM – Tuesday inclusive and will now be Monday – Wednesday inclusive.

In recent years, the Club has prioritised turf / greens health through a commitment of a robust twice annual renovation process and regular spot renovations (needle tine and dusting). This commitment has proven to be very effective, with the quality and health of our ageing greens the benchmark in the local area. This is particularly pleasing given the course has seen almost 100k rounds of golf since the beginning of April 2020.

The upcoming August renovation will conducted over the following dates. The course and all practice facilities will be closed during these times;

• Monday 16th August
• Tuesday 17th August
• Wednesday 18th August

The change of schedule will not only allow for the greens to be renovated at a less urgent speed (reducing the risk that the heavy machinery used damages the surfaces and increases recovery times), it also allows for a broader area of the course to be addressed. These areas will include but are not limited too:

• Tree maintenance
• Greens collars
• Fairway aeration

These are essential maintenance items to keep the golf course at a standard members expect and it becomes increasingly difficult to perform with the increased golf being played. Despite the current lockdown restrictions reducing the capacity on the course, it has actually reduced the maintenance windows for the course team with virtually all available groups being booked from 7am – 3pm everyday.

The current Covid situation and lockdown restrictions has impacted our ability to utilise volunteers for renovation. As such, there will not be a general call for volunteer assistance for the upcoming renovations.

Scott Tarrant Hole in One at Monash Country Club

OGC has a lockdown timeswap arrangement in place with Monash Country Club whereby our members who live in the Northern Beaches LGA or within 10kms of Monash can play at their course and vice versa.

This is an arrangement we have pursued with the majority of like Clubs from the Eastern Suburbs, Western Sydney and the Northern Beaches. Unfortunately, Monash are the only Club to oblige however we are in regular communication with these Club as the lockdown continues. 

One of the Clubs best golfers in Scott Tarrant falls into the Monash catchment area and on his first game at the Club since the arrangement commenced he was fortunate enough to record his third ever hole in one on the 136m 9th hole.

Well done Scott.

Takeaway / Drive Through, Greek Night – Saturday 7th August

The support of the Clubs members for the first three Drive Through Takeaway Dining events being Christmas in July, Texas Rib night, and Saturday’s Greek Night has been unbelievable with 130+,100+, and 120+ booked respectively.

Continuing on with this style of food service, we are offering a Drive Through Chinese Cuisine Night on Saturday 14th August.

Details are outlined below with booking available through the Club website.

One Litre Takeaway Beers are Back

Starting Saturday 24th July, the one litre growler takeaway beer bottles are back on the menu at our Takeaway Cafe.

All beers will be charged at $12 per litre.