20th November 2023 Newsletter :: Brocton Hall Golf Club

Brocton Hall

20th November 2023 Newsletter

BROCTON HALL GOLF CLUB

THREE OFF THE TEE 20 NOVEMBER '23 NEWSLETTER

Hello there

My heart broke yesterday for India (more so than when SA lost in the semi final - it's what we do after all), but Australia were well deserved winners. This was the sixth win for Australia and although the Indian team may not have clinched the final, their performance was every bit the epitome of champions. They have bought much joy to their country. And hey, there is a South African in the Australian team 🙂

My apologies for no newsletter last week. I was attending a GCMA Conference (Golf Club Managers Conference) in Hinckley. There were some great speakers - from someone who has worked in greenkeeping on courses around the world, to a man who skippered the winning racing yacht in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. The theme was Team Culture and it was worth every minute.

A fun evening was had by all at the Brocton Hall Charity Race Night on Friday. Much laughter with shouts of joy and dismay! Thank you to the Social Committee for organising the evening and to the BHGC Bar & Catering team for a great evening. We raised over £1800 for charity.

Our Christmas decoration angels have been hard at work today turning the clubhouse into a magical Christmas tour. This year, members are invited to hang a decoration in memory of a lost loved one, on the main tree in the Round Hall. Please ask a member of staff if you need some help.

Paul Matthews saw this friendly fella watching the Swindles teeing off on the first last Wednesday. Everyone has to love a Robin! And another to make you smile - In the main photo, Nigel Lunn captured one of our stags on the putting green admiring the beauty of twin Rainbows arching out of the Clubhouse. Please keep them coming everyone. I can't tell you how much members who can no longer get to the course, love to see these photos! Please send your photos to generalmanager@broctonhall.com

PAR FOR THE COURSE

Despite the chill and the rain, our course is still looking and playing fantastic. These photos were taken by Andy last week. A tip from our Head Greenkeeper - all those red berries are a sign of a hard winter ahead.

COMPETITIONS

Mixed

The Mixed Texas Scramble Team was played yesterday. Congratulations to Kathleen Brookhouse, Maurice Howell and Barbara and Stuart Russell

1st Kathleen Brookhouse, Maurice Howell, Barbara Russell and Stuart Russell with 51
2nd Kevan Locke, Coleen Painter, Alison Parkes and Captain David Parkes with 53
3rd Nicki Bowen, Richard Gee, Hannah Golding and Paul Matthews with 54

Men

The Turkey Trot on Saturday saw Stuart Hunter & Richard Seager victorious with 47. Well played gents.

1st Stuart Hunter & Richard Seager with 47
2nd Mike Mason & Peter Mason with 46
3rd Nigel Metcalfe & Keith Howe with 45

Ladies

With the poor weather conditions last Wednesday the Ladies chose to do a 9-hole Stableford. Congratulations Coleen.

1st Coleen Painter with 19
2nd Lady Captain Ann Williams with 19
3rd Caroline Wilkins with18

The Ladies held their Annual Dinner and Presentation Evening on the 10th November. A wonderful evening celebrating the successes of a talented Ladies Section. Well done all!

Juniors

Congratulations to Brocton’s very own Alfie Wilby, seen here receiving his Trophy for the Best Nett in the Eric Hassle Salver under 12 Staffordshire Boys Championships. Presentation was at Whittington Heath Golf Club on the 10th November. Well Done Alfie! We are all so proud of you. What a great year you have had.

CLUBHOUSE

Members are reminded that any cancellations for meals booked for events/matches, must be done prior to 24 hours before the event/match. If another member is taking your place in a match, it is up to you to either cancel your meal or ensure your stand-in takes your place.

Did you know that you have four different options for each of our three courses on our Members & Guests Christmas Party Night? Have a peek at the choices here. There are only two tables left so get your names down asap to avoid disappointment. Enjoy a night filled with great food, music, and laughter at our Christmas Party for £42pp.

MEMBERS QUESTION

You are invited to send any questions in that you would like one of the Management Committee members to answer. Often a committee member is approached on the putting green with a question that might not relate to their area of knowledge. This is a way for you to ask those questions.

Q. Along with some of my golfing partners who still work, I am somewhat confused as to why a men’s competition is scheduled for a working day. Could someone please explain the thinking behind the decision to play the American Greensomes on Tuesday 2nd January 2024, which is the first working day of 2024. There appears to be nothing scheduled for the course on Saturday 6th January, would this not be a better day to hold this competition and enable a wider selection of the membership to play? Looking back at the scheduling of this event over the past 10 years, it has always been held either on the first bank holiday in January or the first Saturday in January, why is the approach different for 2024?

A. This member is correct in what he points out. The calendar will be updated and the competition run on Saturday 6th January.

Q. When submitting a general play card, what do we record for a temporary green. Is it NS, NR or the actual score achieved?

A. For scores to be acceptable, no more than two temporary greens are allowed to be used on an 18-hole course, and no more than one on a nine-hole course. There are also restrictions over temporary alterations to the distance of a course for scores to be acceptable for handicapping.

A tee must not be more than 10 yards different to the fixed measurement point (the permanent yardage marker you will see by the side of the tee box) of that tee.
The total distance of an 18-hole course must not be more or less than 100 yards different to its measured length, while a nine-hole course must not be more or less than 50 yards different.

If these conditions are met you put the actual score on the card. If they are not then a general play card is unacceptable for the course on that day.

Q. If we fail to complete a round because of inclement weather what should we record for the holes not played and will we incur a penalty for not completing the round if the course has not been closed?

A. A score intent should normally be satisfied other than for the following reasons. Valid reasons for not submitting a score can include:

Sudden injury or illness,
Emergency,
Dangerous weather conditions, or
Any other reason for stopping play that is considered valid by the Handicap Committee.

If you do have to come off you should still submit your score but NS those holes that were not started. The system is smart enough to determine if you played enough holes for the score to be qualifying. Failure to submit a score in such circumstances would put a penalty score on your account after 4 days. You can identify a Penalty round in your record as it will have a PS next to it.

NOTICES

Roger Howarth presented a salver to the SUGC President, Andrew Dathan from Brocton Hall Golf Club congratulating the SUGC on their centenary. Congratulations to the Staffordshire Golf Union on a fabulous 100 years of promoting golf in the County.

All of us at Brocton Hall wish our many members with a birthday this week a very Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to Michael Halstead, Coleen Painter, Mark Hudson, Ann Juxon, Daniel Wills, Gillian Cooper, Peter Sparkes, Ben Gamble and David Moodie. Wishing you a birthday that’s up to par with your love for golf.

PRO SHOP

Please note. The Pro shop has one mat per member. If any member has mislaid or lost their mat, they cannot ask for another but would need to order one to purchase.

See that big gap? The Pro Shop have a range of carry bags coming in store tomorrow that will fill that - hopefully not for too long. As our Greenkeeping team have requested, please carry if you can. Nev, please reserve me one.

HOLE IN ONE