Oatlands Enews – Friday 7th January 2022
Content
This week’s Enews covers the following topics:
- Happy New Year 2022
- It’s Time for a Better Oatlands Golf Club
- From the Course
- Covid-19 Update
- Farewell Paige Stubbs
- Hole In One – Ben Mackay
- Hole in One – Amy Kim
- Rules of Golf – Rain Damage in Bunkers
- Members Only Facebook Group
Happy New Year 2022
The Board, Management and Staff of Oatlands Golf Club would like to wish all members and their families a happy 2022.
It is nice to have 2021 in the rear-view mirror, and while 2022 is shaping up to be anything but normal, we hope that you all have a safe and prosperous year and get to enjoy lots of time with friends and family.
OGC will have a busy first quarter of 2022, with a general meeting to vote on a member requisition to change the Constitution, to be followed by a general meeting to decide on the Clubhouse Development proposal with Mirvac. Both of these have caused a level of unrest among the membership, but we should never lose sight of the fact that Oatlands Golf Club is a member club, it is your club, and ultimately you have the power to decide the direction of the clubs future. We all hope and trust that whichever way the voting at the two general meetings goes, that members will continue to enjoy their club, and the company of their fellow members.
The current Covid-19 situation is also an ever present shadow in our lives with much uncertainty around what happens next. Members can be assured that the clubs management are doing everything possible to create the safest possible environment at this complex time.
Once again, Happy New Year to All, and best wishes for the year ahead.
It’s Time, for a Better Oatlands
The OGC Board of Directors has reviewed a number of development proposals and has unanimously selected the fully funded Mirvac proposal as the best option to secure the financial future of Oatlands Golf Club. We strongly believe that the development proposal will enable significant improvement to the golf course and golfing experience for our members. It’s time for a better Oatlands Golf Club.
We believe this proposal has compelling benefits for OGC members:
- It will provide members with a stunning new club house. The current clubhouse is beloved by all, but due to its age and significant structural issues, we will at some point need to pay for major renovations which cannot be funded by the club’s current operating model.
- It will ensure the long term financial strength and viability of the Oatlands Golf Club. It will provide a source of passive income that will facilitate increased capital to enable course improvements and maintenance to make Oatlands the best course in Northwestern Sydney. As a not-for-profit club, current funding and the current business model is not sufficient.
- It will provide members with modern lifestyle facilities, including a gymnasium, a coffee shop and a state-of-the-art indoor practice range and coaching facility.
The Development has been planned to ensure that 18 quality holes will be available for members to play at all times during the construction stage. There will be no temporary greens and no temporary tees.
Please refer to www.oatlandsgolf.com.au for detailed information on the development proposal.
From the Course
Rainfall for the Week: 55.5mm, Rainfall for 2022: 55.5mm Dam: 100% Green Speed: 9 feet
The course team has been hit with this new outbreak of Covid-1 with three staff members having to isolate all this week. This has meant that our work has had to be prioritised this week with debris tidy up again on the agenda, followed by plenty of cutting, as the grass continues to thrive under these humid weather conditions.
All our couch and kikuyu bunkers have been trimmed this week, and we have also trimmed the 4th and 5th bunkers (Zoysia). All areas of the course have been mown this week, and the blowers and vacuum have been out each day cleaning up as much leaf and bark debris as possible (thank you to Col McRae for his assistance on the blower this week to help cover the staffing issues). Tombstones on tees and distance posts on fairways have all been edge trimmed.
The high humidity is ideal conditions for disease development on our greens. To control the pathogen populations, we have been making weekly fungicide applications to our greens, with insecticide applications also being applied to greens and surrounds to control Argentine Stem Weevils. This pest can destroy greens in a 24 hour period if population numbers get out of control.
The course received the 55.5mm of rain in a short period of time on Wednesday night / Thursday morning, with bunkers flooded and faces washed out, and erosion damage to mulched areas and gravel roadways. The rain fell so quick though that it didn’t have time to soak into our playing surfaces and ran off quickly. This meant that the course was able to have full carts on for Thursday.
This weekend greens will be cut on Saturday and Sunday morning, however, due to Covid related staff shortages will not be rolled.
Enjoy the Weekend
The Course Team.
Covid-19 Update
The Club, like the rest of the country, are working through the complex Covid-19 situation at the moment.
At the time of writing, the Club has 7 staff who have tested positive and are isolating. Fortunately, transmission to these individuals seems to have occurred away from the Club, and the public holiday configuration has worked in our favour with the staff in question not at the Club immediately before and after testing positive.
We are also aware of a number of members who have tested positive and thank those members for informing the Club if they think they may have been positive while at the Club.
The Public Health Orders and requirements for testing and isolation seem to be changing as rapidly as the case numbers are increasing, however, the club are keeping up to date with all requirements and erring on the side of caution with regard to staffing and isolation requirements with the health and safety of our members and staff the highest priority.
To date there has been minimal disruption to club operations, and the upside of staff getting the virus is that they have increased immunity going forward, therefore once we are through this current period, the club is less likely to experience disruption unless it is enforced by NSW Health.
We ask all members to please be diligent with the waring of masks while indoors at the club and to QR code in every time you visit.
Farewell Paige Stubbs
One of the clubs PGA Professional staff, Paige Stubbs, has left the club to take up a role as the lead teaching professional at Castle Hill Country Club.
Paige has been with Oatlands for 12 months and has done a fantastic job both in the Pro Shop and as a coach during that time and will be sorely missed.
Paige has indicated she is looking forward to visiting us from time to time for a game of golf, and we wish her every success in this new venture.
Hole in One – Ben Mackay
OGC member Ben Mackay has recorded a hole in one on the 18th hole on Thursday 30th December. A video of Ben’s perfectly struck pitching wedge can be seen below;
Congratulations Ben.
Hole In One – Amy Kim
OGC member Amy Kim has recorded a hole in one on the 2nd hole on Wednesday 29th December. Amy hit a 3 wood on arguably the most difficult par 3 at Oatlands.
Congratulations Amy.
Rules of Golf – Rain Damage in Bunkers
Over the last month there have been a number of significant rainfall events including 55mm of rain overnight on Wednesday 5th January.
These unpredictable weather events wreak havoc with our bunkers which are not always able to be repaired prior to play.
The Match and Greens Committee, and the Rules of Golf, provide that bunkers should remain in play if there is an area within the bunker where relief from Abnormal Playing Conditions could be taken. To take relief from Abnormal Playing Conditions within a bunker, relief must be taken within the bunker no nearer the hole. If this is not possible then the individual bunker will be made GUR, as opposed to all bunkers being made GUR (and therefore taken out of play) if they were unable to be repaired.
As a result of this, members may find themselves in a bunker that has been damaged by moving water, or may be holding water.
Members should be aware that the Club has a local rule in place that allows for relief in this situation. Local Rule number 5 (listed on the scorecard and MiScore app) states;
- Ground Under Repair
a) Those areas identified by white stakes and/or lines.
b) Clearly defined wheel ruts in the General Area.
c) Areas in bunkers where sand has been removed by the movement of water resulting in deep furrows through the sand.
Item c) allows for relief to be taken (within the bunker) for situation such as those shown below;
Members Only Facebook Group
The Clubs Members Only Facebook Group has been in operation for almost 7 months and has 233 OGC members that have joined.
This social media platform allows members to engage with each other and with the Club, in addition to the traditional communication channels already in place.
To join the Members Only Facebook Group please click on the link below and the click on the “JOIN GROUP” button. You will be asked a few questions to vary you are a member and then approved by the group administrator shortly thereafter.
www.facebook.com/groups/870087546972166/
