News

Posted 09/07/20

All

A reminder to all regarding the closure of the course to social golfers on Sunday 12^th July until 12.00, as there is a Club Medal event being played that morning and the Covid-19 rules for spacing will mean that we would (or might) be breaching the ‘play safe, stay safe’ guidelines if more than the anticipated maximum number of 28 were to be on the course. The first tee time available on Sunday 12^th July, for anyone not playing in this event, is 12.00. This event is important in 2 ways: it is the first club competition since ‘before the flood’, and; it is a trial run for the new Club V1 system that SGC has introduced recently. Fingers crossed!  

Maurice Thorp informs me ‘that score cards will soon be available from a box fixed to the cabin next to the 1st tee’.

The situation regarding bunkers at SGC currently, is still that you play your ball as it lies (unless you can have some form of allowable relief, of course). The Course Committee have been approached regarding the issue of footmarks and the repair thereof, given the absence of rakes. The guidance remains that you should try to make good the surface of the bunker as well,as you can, using a club head or your foot. Please try to smooth out your divot scrapes and footmarks.

There are a substantial number of new members now: if you see someone on the course that you feel may be a new recruit, make yourself known to them in as friendly a manner as you can manage and welcome them to SGC.

Kind regards

Nigel

Posted 05/07/20

Sports fans.

Colin Hook has asked that the following be communicated to all members, especially those wishing to play in competitions.

All members need to set up the HowDidido (HDID) app on their phone/tablet/laptop/PC. Future communications will be promulgated via this medium.

There will be a Club Medal on Sunday 12^th July.

As a result of the play safe, stay safe rules, this will mean that the course will be closed to all except those playing in the competition between 07.30 and 12.00 on Sunday 12th.

•  Entry can be via- HowDidIdo App

– HowDidIdo Website

– Notification to CH on cjhook48@icloud.com

• Start time and playing partners will be via random draw

• Draw will be made as soon as the 28 playing spots are filled and will then be confirmed to all players.

• Start times every 15 mins from 07.30 to 09.00

• Players will need to sign in via HDID ideally before starting to play

• Mark your own card and add scores for one other playing partner to allow score verification

• Scores can be entered via HDID after play is finished or handed to CH to add via ClubV1.

• £3 entry fee. Colin has the entry money carried over from April for 12 members Results: Results will then be published via HDID.

• Prizes will be distributed to the lucky winners at next opportunity.

• Handicaps: As this is set-up as a Qualifying competition, it means that handicap adjustments will take place automatically. Players can then view their new handicap via HDID.

• Under current playing conditions, each player must hole out such that their ball finishes in the cup. Ricochets where the ball ‘may have gone in’ will not count for qualifying purposes.

Message from Austin Curtis

Reminder of the group coaching sessions on offer.

Starts Saturday 11th July 10.00-11.00 or  11.00-12.00.

8 x 1hr sessions (July 11th to August 29th ) plus an on course session all for £99 per person. This opportunity is open only to Sharnbrook G C members and their guests!

It is great Value , should be fun and Austin has some very informative sessions planned for subscribers. Contact Austin on: austingolfpro@googlemail.com.

Kind regards

Nigel

Posted05/07/20

Good Morning all.

Just a few housekeeping notes.

Coaching opportunity.

Austin Curtis (Professional: austingolfpro@googlemail.com ) is offering a 2 month training course in July and August as follows: a group of 4 golfers to make up a pod, with each pod getting coaching on Saturday mornings from 10.00-11.00 or 11.00-12.00 at the golf range at Rushden golf range. At the end of the program in late August there will be an on course session together. Cost, excluding range balls, is £99 per person. He will run a pod with 3 players if numbers are a bit low.

Away day at Greetham Valley.

Ian White has had confirmation that the 2 days away at Greetham Valley will now take place on Wednesday 14^th & Thursday 15^th July 2021. If anyone is interested to go on the reserve list, please let him know. 0774-2624534 or email ianfwhite53@hotmail.co.uk.

Club V-1 system.

This is now ‘up and running’. Full details of the system will be distributed soon, but for now it is possible to download the HowdidIdo app to your laptop/PC/Tablet or phone and set up your own account.

Membership

Membership across all categories is now back above 200 again. This is brilliant news in times such as this and BIG congratulations to all involved in this achievement.

Kind regards

Nigel

Posted 22/05/20

All

In keeping with an e-mail from our Leader recently, which was sent under the title ‘Only rules and courses’, here are the weekly Nags (heads). I will try to include some uplifting items.

It appears that 4 courses within the Northants Golf Union were allowed to open but have subsequently been closed for a period of 3 weeks due to non-adherence to the England Golf Play- Safe-Stay Safe Covid-19 guidance, so it is clearly being monitored by local unions. Your continued forbearance remains vital if we are to be able to continue using the course: stick to the published rules!

We can now replace divots and repair pitch marks, as it has been deemed to be safe. Please feel free to do so, and that includes all of those who do not usually bother anyway..

Please do not share transport to and from the course UNLESS you both live in the same house.

The course is playing very well and looks superb. There is now a ‘sculpture’ in support of the NHS on the 5^th tee and all are requested to acknowledge its significance and reflect on the current world whilst playing the hole. It might take your mind off the occasional sliced 5 iron! It was erected by Maurice T, using the now redundant out of bounds posts from between the 7^th and 8^th fairways. When asked for a comment, He said He is storing the posts within the sculpture until they are returned to their rightful home.

Marshalling will continue on the course until further notice.

While these communications are not my personal ‘mouthpiece’, (and many who have been unfortunate enough to have played golf with me might associate the 3 words pot, kettle and black, at this point) during one of my recent marshalling sessions it was incumbent upon me to suggest to a 2 ball on 2 occasions that they were making far too much noise, as they could be heard 3 fairways from where they were playing. It is an essential part of golf etiquette that you do not unnecessarily disrupt the enjoyment of others on the course, so please all be mindful of respecting other course users, no matter how much fun you are having yourself.

And finally (a non-golfing but nonetheless, sport influenced tale)…….

The last furlong of a big handicap at Newmarket and the favourite is 2 lengths clear. Suddenly, the jockey is hit by a roast turkey leg thrown from the crowd and for a split second stops riding his horse; the rest of the field gain a few yards as he recovers his poise. The horse is now balanced and heading for the line about 100 yards away as the un fortunate jockey is hit again, this time by an empty champagne bottle followed by a half-eaten pork pie. This time it is too late to recover and he ends up third in a blanket finish. The stewards obviously held an enquiry and their verdict was that the jockey was badly hampered.

Be safe, keep up the good work and happy golfing.

Kind regards

Nigel

Posted 20/05/20

All

It is great to be back out on the course again: it looks great and the weather isn’t so bad either.

A few updates:

The green keeping staff teams are working on split shorter time shifts to avoid working in close proximity to each other. This means that Ray and Phil are trying to do all of the course maintenance in slightly fewer hours, so it is essential that we give them priority as they do their work. If they are mowing or working on the fairway/green you are playing, wait for them to finish and move on before you hit a ball. This also applies if any members of Paul Carters Fusiliers are out on the course doing top-up maintenance: it is for your benefit that the work is being done, after all.

The out of bounds has now been removed from between the 7^th/16^th and 8^th/17^th fairway.

The course is being marshalled on a daily basis by a few worthy members, with the intention of ensuring that ALL of the posted rules are being adhered to. The results of the marshalling will form a report to Unilever which will affect their decision process when they review the ongoing access to the course during this period. The CCTV cameras are monitoring the car park and entrance and any unnecessary lingering in the car park will be observed. We have been allowed back onto the course as a result of the good efforts of the Committee and the good grace of Unilever. Please continue to comply with ALL of the rules.

Nag over.

Kind regards

Nigel

Posted 16/05/20

In response to some enquiries: a couple of points for all to absorb:

The course is going to be marshalled by Committee members (and a few co-opted members) during the first phases of re-opening, to ensure that both the circulated guidance and good old fashioned ‘common sense’ is being observed by all course users. Adherence to the published and posted rules is non-negotiable: it must be followed specifically. Please respect the marshals,  all of whom are all giving up their free time on your behalf to ensure the rules are being followed: please do it without complaint or resistance; it is for your benefit to comply if you want to continue to play. Arguing, complaining or resisting their requests will achieve nothing for our continued existence as a club. The marshalling role will involve checking bag tags, observing adherence to published co-vid 19 rules, noting course usage and generally interacting with members for ongoing feedback purposes. They will either approach you in the queueing process and/or during your round on the course. Be assured: they have the full sanction and support of the club to approach anyone on the course for any reason.

Crucially: please ensure that you are displaying your 2020 bag tag clearly, otherwise you will neither be allowed to start nor to continue your round and it is not the Clubs intention to offend any genuine member complying to the current playing conditions. Display your 2020 bag tag CLEARLY please!

For further clarification: the course is a 9 hole course. If you finish your 9 hole round and there is no queue (and a queue can be as few as 1 person) of members waiting to start, you can continue and play another 9 holes. Otherwise: if there are members waiting in the queue, you will need to join the back (ie; no ‘filtering in’ at present) of any queue and observe the ‘sit in your car’ rules to await your turn to start a new 9 holes at the clearly prescribed 15 (o’clock, 15 , 30  and 45 ) minute intervals. This does not mean at 12 minutes past nor does it mean at 43 minutes past, nor any other odd timing; it means those clear options. Just think it through, please.

Please forgive the grim and overbearing tone of this message but it is sadly necessary at present if we wish to enjoy the precious freedom the course gives to us. We have a message that needs to be clearly understood by all for the good of all.

Kind regards

Nigel

Posted 11/05/20

Sharnbrook Golf Club Clarion No 6 for May 2020

As all of you will be aware, the Government has now issued some ‘clear’ guidelines as to how and when golf courses can potentially be re-opened for play. The main point of these guidelines is that golf courses can open again as of this Wednesday (13th) as long as certain strict criteria are met by the respective clubs and courses.

Your Committee has had an ad-hoc meeting this morning to bring together a set of rules that will apply to Sharnbrook G C until further notice and which absolutely must be adhered to by all if they wish to use the course. I have included a copy of these rules for your attention below. These rules are non-negotiable if we wish to open and stay open.

Whilst every effort is being made to try to get the course open for Wednesday, this decision will ultimately be made by Unilever. The Committee are in the process of presenting their framework for re-opening to those concerned within Unilever. Clearly, no final statement as to when the course will actually open will be made until their decision has been communicated to the Committee. Collective fingers are crossed that it will be possible to open on Wednesday.

The Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank the substantial number  of members that have shown their ongoing faith and confidence in the club by paying their membership fees.

Watch this space!

PLAY SAFE          STAY SAFE

In line with the ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe’ framework issued to golf clubs by England Golf for the resumption of play following the release from COVID 19 lockdown, the Sharnbrook Golf Club committee require all members to adhere to the following rules: –

• For the initial start-up period green-fee paying guests will only be accepted by prior arrangement with, and payment to, the Treasurer.

• The cabin will remain locked and there will be no access during the initial start-up period.

• Upon arrival cars should be parked away from other vehicles wherever possible.

• All players must respect the 2 metre social distancing rules at all times whilst in the car park and on the course.

• Wherever possible players should seek to hand sanitise prior to the start of play and again after play.

• The following groupings will be permitted upon resumption of play:

  • Individuals playing golf on their own

  • Two-balls comprising of individuals from the same household or from different households

• On the course additional concentration should be applied around tees & greens to ensure compliance with the 2 metre distancing rules.

• During busier playing times:

  • players should use their discretion and common sense as to whether to play 9 or 18 holes.

  • where there are other players waiting to tee off and start play, then extra vigilance should be applied to respect the 2 metre distancing rules.

• Buggy users must wear gloves when handling the padlocks and chains on the gates.

• Please DO NOT touch any fixed surfaces, including the flag sticks, ball washers, benches, stakes or the bell, at any point during play.

• Please leave the flag sticks in the hole at all times & do not touch

• Please repair or tidy the sand in bunkers using your club or feet only. Rakes will not be available during this period.

• To avoid any risk from the touching of stiles or fences then the retrieval of balls from adjacent fields should be avoided during this period.

• Please do not approach members of the grounds staff during this period.

• After play please do not shake hands.

• Please clean and tidy away all clubs and equipment and leave the premises as soon as possible after play.

• The clubhouse will remain locked and there will be no access to the clubhouse facilities, including the toilets, either before or after play.

Please Note:

During this period the grounds staff will be monitoring members for compliance with these rules. Any sustained observations of non-compliance could risk re-closure of the golf course.

Thank you for your understanding.

The Committee

Sharnbrook Golf Club

posted 16/04/20

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