FROM THE KIEWIET
While we all enjoy the pace of life that goes with living in St Francis Bay and not living in a big city, time is still a precious commodity and slow play on the golf course remains one of the industry’s major impediments, from the PGA tour to Member competitions speed of play is always in discussions. Troon Golf has implemented a program called “Troon Values Your Time” across all its courses, and we will be looking to implement some of their ideas. The goal is to communicate a pace-of-play standard to guests and members before the issue becomes a problem on the course. we have for a while had the following pace of play guidelines around the club, here it is as a reminder.
Using the R&A’s Time Par Guidelines we can recommend the following times to play the course.
Teeing off from the 1st Hole.
38 minutes through 3 holes
- 1 hour 21 minutes through 6 holes
- 2 hours 2 minutes through 9 holes
- 15 minutes halfway stop
- 2 hours 54 minutes through 12 holes
- 3 hours 36 minutes through 15 holes
- 4 hours 15 total time through 18 holes
Teeing off from the 10th hole
- 38 minutes through 3 holes
- 1 hour 18 minutes through 6 holes
- 1 hours 58 minutes through 9 holes
- 15 minutes halfway stop
- 2 hours 51 minutes through 12 holes
- 3 hours 35 minutes through 15 holes
- 4 hours 15 total time through 18 holes
We will also be adding some more communication around the course to assist in pace of play and reminding players where they should be after how long.
Some Helpful Tips:
Play “Ready Golf” – where order of play is based on who’s ready, not on who’s away
Look ahead – NOT behind – Keep up with the group in front of you.
Line up your putt before your turn to play – Begin reading the green and lining up putts as soon as you reach the green.
Move and park the cart to the (next) tee side of the green.
Get off the green and on to the next tee.
When leaving the green don’t stand there fussing with your putter or other clubs.
Likewise, mark your scorecard after reaching the next tee, not while lingering on or near the just-completed green.
If a ball is lost:
Don’t ask your playing partners to help you search for a lost ball – unless you are absolutely certain there is time for them to do so, If the course is crowded, your partners should continue moving forward, not slow things down further by stopping to help you search.
Be Accountable: Recognize that slow play isn’t just the fault of other players.
If you and your playing partners know you are pace setters then book accordingly and lead the field so you can help set the pace.
Service Review:
To ensure we are providing the best possible service we would love to get your feedback. Please click on the attached link to get the review questionnaire. You can complete it and email it back to manager@stfrancisgolf.co.za or drop it off with Justin. This will help us plan ahead and make sure we are offering a service you look forward to enjoying.
See you on the fairways
Justin
From the Captain
Su’mae/ Sawnbona/ Hallo
Although the recent wet weather has restricted the number of rounds played, we are very thankful for the rain which has greened up the course and coupled with the continued hard work of our green staff, has left the course looking fantastic.
The end of May saw the well-earned retirement of Gordon Dennett our long-term Greenkeeper. I am sure you will all join with me in wishing him a very long, healthy and happy retirement and I am sure you will all be happy to know that he will still be available to consult and give advice as and when needed.
With Gordon moving on we welcome Jan Nell into the hot seat. I am sure everyone will get behind Jan and give him all the support we can in keeping our little gem of a course in the best possible condition.
May I also take this opportunity to congratulate Jan on winning the Club Championship, shooting a gross 148 over the two days of competition….very well played????????
Our Scratch team continue to perform well and in the last league match played at Belmont GC they beat Zwartenbosch 11-7 but went down 12-6 to Port Elizabeth. Current league standings after three rounds of competition see them in 5th. spot on 7 points, 2 adrift of Walmer in fourth place and only 3 behind Belmont & Humewood in joint second spot on 10 points. Port Elizabeth lead the way on 12 points.
The Kouga league had its second outing at Fynbos after which we are sitting in third place on 460 points, 4 points behind Zwartenbosch. Langkloof are again running away with the league having already amassed 541 points after just two matches, nearly 100 ahead of second place.
The games scheduled for Zwartenbosch & Jeffrey’s Bay have been postponed, not sure if they will get rescheduled, but we still have matches at Hankey and SFB to try and make inroads into the lead and at least try and overhaul Zwartenbosch to take second place.
All the Club competitions are well under way but we still need to press on to make sure the finals are all completed by the 30th. August.
The latest Joker Draw was won on Friday 16th. June. Graham Smith pushed the magic button which brought up Viv Jones name. He selected the card in grid number B4 which when turned over, revealed a Joker????.
A new draw will commence shortly, good luck to all and remember, you have to be in it to win it.
Planning for this year’s Calamari Classic is well under way and I am delighted to report that once again SPAR has agreed to be the main sponsor.
As you will know, the Rugby World Cup will be under way during the Calamari and on this note we have been able to secure 4 tickets for the RWC Final in Paris. It is planned to have Gino Fabri auction the tickets on the Friday night with all proceeds going to local charities so start saving.
Baai Dankie/Diolch Yn Fawr Lawr
Viv Jones????????????????????????????/Vivianus Johanus????????
From the Chairman
With the winter solstice on 22 June now having moved into the realms of history, we look forward to the approach of spring along with increased daylight hours and hopefully warmer temperatures.
Although recent weeks have been both cold and wet, we are of course grateful for the rainfall which we have enjoyed. The golf course has benefitted significantly and is in excellent condition, thanks also to the ongoing work and endeavours of our excellent ground staff, while our Kouga water storage dam levels have increased somewhat.
The weather, however, has impacted quite severely on the number of rounds played – the Easter weekend was a damp squib from a golfing perspective and the months of May and June have also seen a below-budget result in terms of feet through the course.
The last weekend’s EP Seniors and Cape Schools events were badly rain-affected, so unfortunately the players would not have gained full enjoyment from the experience of playing our lovely course. Although this all translates into unfavourable financial results for the off-season months we are still on the positive side of our planned performance to date and trust that as summer approaches we will reel in the shortfall in rounds.
On a very sad note and on behalf of all members and staff of our club, we express our heartfelt sympathy to Neil and Allison Jones and family on the recent tragic loss of their son Kieren in Hong Kong and we wish them all the love and strength they will need as they deal with their bereavement.
The sands of time have also recently resulted in the retirement of Gordon Dennet, our greenkeeper of long standing. Gordon has decided to take his well-earned rest after serving the golf fraternity diligently over many years. We were both fortunate and privileged to have been able to have received the benefits of Gordon’s knowledge and experience for a good number of those years and we wish him well as he winds down on a successful career. Jan Nel takes over as our greenkeeper and our congratulations and best wishes are shared with him as he accepts his new challenge.
I am pleased to report to our membership that the revetment protecting the sand dune behind the 12th green has been completed as planned and by all accounts has already proven to have been of value relative to some high seas experienced to date. Many thanks to Ken McGregor for his valuable input and assistance provided in ensuring that the contractor met his agreed obligations.
The month of July is always an excellent sports viewing month with The Open to be played this year at Royal Liverpool from 16-23 July. Rory McIlroy won the Claret Jug the last time it was played in Liverpool in 2014 and he would no doubt enjoy much support in his attempt to repeat that victory. Sadly, we do not seem to have any South African golfers in the mix although Thriston Lawrence’s recent victory at the BMW tournament in Germany was encouraging. The Open follows on the Wimbledon tennis championships during the first two weeks of July so cuddle up and enjoy…
Excitement is building for our Calamari Classic from 22-24 September. As mentioned, the Rugby World Cup will feature strongly over that weekend and some excellent news in this regard will be released shortly, so the rugby enthusiasts should watch the club communications carefully and are well advised to ensure flexibility in their October calendar.
Keep warm and swing easy.
Ken Nieuwenhuizen
KIEWIET REPORT FROM LADIES SECTION
The ladies have had a very busy golf calendar of late.
BELMONT LADIES OPEN
Betterball Comp on 6 May was supported by 3 ladies viz. Noëlle Pearson who was partnered with CarolLee from RPAGC, Liebie Meyer and Joan Louise Manthe. They won 8th & 9th places respectively out of a field of 16 couples.
BABOON TROPHY
Matchplay Comp took place on 16 May at our club. We had a resounding win and handed the Trophy over to J Bay to look after for the next year.
EP LADIES LEAGUE
Matchplay Comps. To date SFBGC has lost to The Links 10 – 2 and Walmer 7 – 5.
BATTLE OF THE BABES
Betterball Comp was played the next day, 6 June, at The Links. The Links won the trophy on an average of 40.8 to our 36.2
CLUB CHAMPS 10 & 11 June
Championship results were:
A Division: Best Gross Heather Kruger
Best Nett Terri Holloway
B Division: Best Gross Renee Botha
Best Nett Joan Louise Manthe
C Division: Best Gross Ginny Nauhaus
A perfect weekend of golf was enjoyed by all.
KNOCKOUT COMP
Is up and running. Round 1 to be concluded by end of June. Round 2 by the end of July.
THE LINKS MEMBER/GUEST
Betterball Comp was played on 17 June with The links as hosts this year. We were proud of Heilie Uys who won nearest to the pin the 4th and joined Petro Mennin to come 3rd in the competition.
PAM GOLDING LADIES OPEN
for 8 & 9 July will host 94 ladies from far and wide commencing at The Links on Saturday and concluding at St. Francis Bay Club on Sunday afternoon.
We look forward to the very popular HANKEY DAY on 31st July which is already fully booked.
