JUNE 2010
From the President
Thank the lord for the rains. It couldn't have come any sooner, as far as the course was concerned. Although the course suffered over the long dry summer, we managed to make it through relatively well. While many neighbouring courses struggled, Matamata showed just how high calibre it is. Full credit must go to our greens staff. Make a mention of it to them as you see them working their magic around the course.
The club is doing well in the financial area as well. At the 31 st of May, subscription and green fees continue to exceed previous years, but with the wet season kicking in, we can only hope this trend continues. Bar trading and catering are also very healthy, so please keep supporting these areas too. Compared to this time last year, we are very well positioned to maintain growth.
Our club's 75 th Jubilee is just around the corner. Robyn Schuts and her committee are working extremely hard to provide a memorable event, to help us mark this important milestone. I encourage all of you to show your support, and come along and join in the celebration.
The season is well under way now, and there have been some very tight fought competitions, with many worthy winners. Congratulations to all of you that have won an event, competed well, or just turned up. Part of the reason our club is so successful is because of your participation. As we get more new members, or ex-members returning to the game, it is critical that we all welcome them and encourage them to participate in our competitions.
Finally, a part of our future success depends on our ability to function without key members of, in particular, staff. That is why Graeme is able to spend time flitting around the world ( China and Asia ). The executive would like to thank Jo Thompson for stepping up during these times. Many clubs don't have the luxury of having a General Manager, let alone someone that is able to let him take the holidays he/she is due. Thanks Jo.
Lyall
Ruth Middleton Memorial….
Another big weekend coming up on 3/4 July for the annual Ruth Middleton Tournament. This tournament has again attracted the top women golfers in the country. It should be a great spectacle and members are encouraged to come out to see how golf is really played!! New Zealand 's top three golfers (all under 20) will be vying for the title. Cecilia Cho (+5.2), Caroline Bon (+3.2), Zoe Brake (+2.1) Emily Perry (+1.5) and Erin Hawe (+1.0) are all contenders along with a group of scratch handicappers including Charlotte Brooks, 2006 winner Larissa Eruera, Emily Eng, MunChin Keh, Caryn Khoo, Tania Tare, Kristen Farrell, Heather Lavery, Kelly Nicholas, and Phoebe Perrin. To date the average handicap of those entered is 5.0! Play will get underway around 7.45 am on the Saturday morning (3 July) and two rounds will be completed by 5.00 pm. On the Sunday the draw will be seeded with the best scores teeing off around 9.30 am. Should be a tremendous weekend as the course is in fabulous order and hopefully the weather will be likewise.
Turf Report…..
Welcome to Winter with 200mls in May and 90mls so far this
month which has made some places quite wet. Please avoid
these if you can so as we try to avoid having too much MUD.
If it is Frosty please start later and avoid frosty areas,
we try to promote Browntop on the greens but on the
surrounds the POA takes over if it gets too wet, and creates
a floating mass that holds the water and is only shallow
rooting. We hope to get around with the Vertidrain in the
wetter areas to help with drainage and aeration. Thankyou.
Turfie 2
Juniors
I have just learned that Lois Jones, Golf Development Officer for Waikato Golf, has the framed Junior Plus document from NZ Golf. That means our club is now an official “Junior Plus Club”. What that does, is provides us with more clout, when it comes to promoting our club to potential members and sponsors. I am proud to be a part of a team that values young (junior) members, and hope you will join us when Lois comes to make the official presentation. This is tentatively book for Saturday 24 July, after our round of golf.
Junior Golf has taken a back seat, to the winter sports, of late but we still have our programme running at 2pm Saturdays, for those that chose to continue, or those that want to take up the game. If you know of any young person that would like to try the game, get them to come along. There is no charge for this service, and it is more about participation, than skills, so they enjoy the experience more. We will have at least one team to participate in the Eagles tournament, at Lochiel Golf Club, on 5 July. We also have juniors participating in the Waikato Junior Golfing Society events, held monthly, and Dayna Morrow-Wilson will play for Waikato when they meet Bay of Plenty , at Matamata, in July.
Let's get golfing
Lyall
Thank You….
Many thanks to Daltons for supplying this year's drainage metal free of charge for the remedial work Mark has been doing over the last month.
75 th Jubilee
The 75 th Jubilee will be held on October 29 th and 30 th . The committee have put together a great programme so please come along and support it. Registration forms are available at the clubhouse and are on the website.
FEBRUARY 2010
From the President
Welcome to 2010 and a Happy New Year and Decade to you all. I hope you've all have a great start to the year, and set your sights on claiming a few events from this season's calendar.
Membership continues to climb, and our various committees are constantly challenged to come up with ways to ensure all members are adequately catered for. Please welcome new members and visitors into our club at all times. Visitors at our club are impressed with the playing facilities, and the friendly nature of our members. That is something I am very proud to say about our club.
Funding approval has been given for the purchase of a Greens Roller, and this item will soon be seen scuttling across the putting surfaces throughout the course. We would like to acknowledge the support the Lion Foundation has given for this.
The Executive Committee has also approved the concept of a weekly draw. This will see $20 being drawn, each week, around 2.15pm on a Saturday afternoon, for a lucky member that is present in the clubhouse. If the member is not present, the draw will jackpot to the following week. The logistics and responsibility for this is in the hands of the match committee, and should be occurring soon.
The course is still in pretty good condition, compared to this time last year, and we hope the last few heavy rain falls will hold the drying affects at bay for long enough. You may have noticed the damage at both ends of the 12 th green by now. That is a combination of Grass Grubbs, eating the roots of the grass, and Pukeko digging & eating the Grass Grubbs. Just one more thing for our competent and capable staff to deal with. Sounds a bit like “I know an old lady that swallowed a fly…”.
The summer conditions will only last for a few more weeks, so if you haven't already been out there to see how easy the game gets, I suggest you do so while you can. Apart from the top two inches, there really is no excuse! Good golfing and see you on the course.
Lyall
The junior programme will recommence on 13 February and is available every Saturday at 2pm. If you have any young person that wishes to start playing, get them along. For further details contact Lyall
CAPTAINS REPORT
Another season, another chance for glory beckons. Our first competition, the Summer Cup is almost decided and Opening Day (Saturday March 6 th ) is nearly upon us. There's plenty to play for too, with the Horse and Jockey sponsoring our “golfer of the week” and the “Challenge! Card hole” weekly winner also. Two Tones have kindly offered a pair of vouchers each month to two lucky players who've picked up a two in the month, and TRAC Sports bar are giving the most consistent golfer a prize each month also!
When possible, we'll be shotgun starting or multi-tee starting at 9.30 from now on, to get a good number of us in the bar together around prize-giving time. And beginning March 6 th , there is a weekly draw happening at 2.15pm in the bar. The prize is $20 cash and a membership number is chosen at random. If the member is present, they win the cash. If not, the money jackpots for the following week. This could build up until the last Saturday in the month, when it has to be won. At that point, the draw is repeated until someone present has won it, so please feel free to hang around after a bad day's golf and still walk away with a cash prize!
Finally, some pieces of house-keeping. Can I just clarify that although you may be given a putt or a hole in a matchplay competition during the year, if you are in the day's scramble or wish to put your card in for shootout purposes, you must putt out (this in no way affects your being given the putt in matchplay). And regarding the current placing rule we have, please note it is only 6 inches on own mown fairway (6 inches being the width of your printed card – not the length of it!).
Hope you're all looking forward to some great golf this year – see you out there.
Alex
Matamata Junior Golf
Our club now has a Junior Committee with the following members voted into positions. Kay Tappin - Secretary, Andrew Wright - Boys Captain, Dayna Morrow-Wilson - Girls Captain and Rex Mason - Patron.
For the first time in many years, we will have a Junior Pennants Team. We have approached Metso NZ Ltd , for sponsorship, and hope the pennants team will soon be seen gracing fairways around the Waikato , in their colours. Their first game is at Morrinsville on 21 February, and trials started on 23 rd January. Jayden Lunn and Ryan Yates will lead the team, with others fighting it out for the remaining 4 positions. Qualifying positions can be viewed on the Junior Notice Board in the club house.
Trialists for the Matamata Golf Junior Pennants Team:
Back Row: Dayne Davies, Shaun McKay, Dayna Morrow-Wilson, Wyatt Johnston & Jack Trower
Front Row: Joe Comer, Blair Rogers, Morgan Steiner & Louis Kranenburg (absent Kyle Benton )