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Peterculter Golf Club August E-News 2005 |
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Please spread the word to others, who you think may have e-mail, that this is the way to be kept up to date on PGC news. Several hard copies are available in the clubhouse. |
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CAPTAIN’S REPORT – AUGUST
2005: Weather conditions have been
inconsistent over the last two months to say the least. However taking this
into consideration the course is in excellent condition and it is good to
hear the extremely complimentary comments from members, guests, and visitors. Our Course Manager Colin Forbes
has agreed to open the new 8th hole from Saturday 10th
September to Tuesday 13th September 2005. This period will allow a
good selection of men, ladies, and their senior sections to play and access
the hole. I look forward to your comments. After this period of play the hole
will be closed and assessed by Colin and the Greens Committee for future play
this year. The old 8th hole will be played during the winter from
the ladies tee. Hopefully the pin will be at the back of the green. As last year the 2nd
- 5th – 6th and 7th greens will be closed permanently during the
winter months, and will be on temporary greens all winter. This will allow
the greens staff to treat disease and over seed the greens. It is also encouraging that the
STRI annual report (available on the notice board) continues to confirm the
ongoing improvement on the quality of the golf course. Congratulations to Colin Forbes
and his staff for their tremendous effort in achieving a high standard of
golf course this year. At the meeting on Monday 18th
July 2005 it was agreed by the committee that the white medal tees would not
be used for casual play. The white tees will now be used for medal and
competition play only. This should
protect the white tee positions from overplay and may also help in reducing
slow play in some circumstances. Various comments have been
passed on why no eye protection is provided at the new compressed air
shoe-cleaning unit. The club initially considered the option to provide
safety protective glasses at the unit. However the general opinion was that
it would be virtually impossible to keep the eye protection clean given the
environmental conditions associated with the unit. People may object to using
safety glasses that other people had worn. It would be unreasonable to expect
the club to provide each person with their own safety glasses. Notices have
been posted at the unit warning people that they use it at their own risk. Should certain individuals still
feel strongly enough about wearing eye protection then it would be advisable
that they provide their own protection before using the unit. There has been little new
information on the proposed AWPR, only that no decision is likely to be made
before the end of the year, and that decision will now be made by Nicol
Stephen’s replacement as Minister of Transport. One of the complaints recurring
in the comments book is the state of the Rhynie Loos. These units are on hire from
R.B. Farquhars who unfortunately are the sole suppliers in the North East
area. The annual cost of rental is just over £2500 per year. The Management Committee was
requested by the Future Development Committee to investigate the replacement
of the present toilet facilities with a permanent facility. This was raised
at a committee meeting and it was agreed to proceed as a matter of priority. A
project team was formed chaired by the Vice- Captain Bill Morrison with a
remit to identify the following. Location, initial funding, supplier, design
and time scale. Progress so far has been encouraging in that contact has been
made with the planning authority, suppliers have been identified, an initial
design agreed, a location proposed and estimated costs identified. The
funding of the facility will we envisage be met without the need for levies
or fee increase but will be through identified fund raising and Sponsors
packages. To this end all our existing Sponsors and members who have business
interests have been contacted. The time scale for this project is to have a
full cost report available for presentation to the AGM 2006 for members’
approval. Due to family and work
commitments two of our Ordinary Committee members have resigned. At the end
of this year another two Ordinary Members of the committee will retire. One
having served his four-year term on the committee, the other due to work and
family commitments. I believe now is the time to
advertise these facts and start looking for interested candidates. Committee
duties vary in involvement. The minimum involvement is to attend one meeting
a month usually the second Monday of the month. However it is beneficial if a
committee member can help with or be the convener of one of our numerous sub
committees. The following positions are probably what we are looking for
assistance with next year:
I will be posting a sheet on the
notice board for interested parties to enter their names. Anyone who is interested in
becoming a committee member, but would like more information on what being a
committee member involves. Please contact myself or the Vice Captain Bill
Morrison, or the Club Secretary Bob Burnett. We will be only too pleased to answer
your questions. Slow play is still very much the
main subject of complaint from our playing members. The obvious solution would be to
drastically reduce our membership. This is not an option at this time, but
could be considered in the future once the club is more financially stable.
The problem cannot be identified to a particular section of the club. All
sections have their problems although some more than others. It appears that
the problem exists within most clubs, and seems to be an undesirable habit
that has crept into the game. The committee have tried various
options to improve the situation and will continue to do so. Next year we
hope to introduce a course ranger who will operate at times we have
identified as being problematic. The previous course ranger could not work at
the problem times and his efforts were not as beneficial as first envisaged.
The answer is probably with you the members. If the players ahead of you drop
a hole behind then you should request to play through if they have not
offered you to do so. It should be noted that the request to play through
should be done in a pleasant and orderly manner. Any aggressive behaviour
will certainly lead to problems. Below is a list of “Ten
Commandments” which if adopted by each member would certainly go a long way
to reducing the slow play being experienced on the course. Richard R. Walker
Club Captain |
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SLOW PLAY – TEN COMMANDMENTS
A good pace of play is an important element in having a good
experience on the golf course. It's often a combination of little things,
which lead to slow play and on-course traffic jams. Whilst I understand that
verdant rough, deep bunkers, strong winds or just "a bad day at the
office" can add many minutes to your round, I think a reminder of some
basic etiquette behind pace of play could help us all ensure slow play is not
an issue in the future. Here are my "10 Commandments" for making
sure your pace of play is as brisk as it should be. Remember: pace of play
isn't about rushing your shots, it's about being ready to take your shot when
it's your turn, and behaving efficiently on the course.
A brisk walk and an awareness of these commandments
will facilitate this for all players.
If
there is any doubt whatsoever that a ball may be lost – play a
provisional. This will save a
lengthy walk back, and shave minutes off your time.
In the event that you fall behind,
be courteous and invite the group behind to play through. This simple gesture will ease congestion
throughout the course.
Keeping an eye on your partners'
shots will allow you to offer able assistance in locating a potential lost
ball, and prevent any possible hold up.
When approaching the green be
careful to leave your bag in an appropriate spot between the green and the
next tee. This way, the group behind can play their approach shots as soon as
your group clears the green. 6.
Thou shalt prepare for thy shot as thy partners play. Selecting your club,
assessing the wind and lining up putts are all things which can usually be
done as your partners play their shots. Do not wait until your turn before
commencing your pre-shot routine.
Scorecards should be marked while
moving, avoiding any delay for the group behind. 8.
Thou shalt play "ready golf" during bounce
games. During bounce games the
order of play is less important. Play when you are ready, hole short putts
out without marking your ball, or remove conceded putts where appropriate.
We've all anguished over a missed
putt - but holing it from a subsequent attempt won't change your score. Move
on and allow the group behind to proceed.
An understanding of the rules is
an essential tool for all golfers. However, carrying a rule book will allow
any decisions to be reached accurately and quickly. In recent times, something
approaching a four hour round seems to have become par for the course. Whilst
none of us will admit to being slow, I'm sure we all breach some of these
commandments over the course of a season. If you consider that, if the
average golfer took I5 seconds less between shots, it would reduce his/her
round by around 20 minutes, I'm sure you'll agree that it's worth remembering
the basic etiquettes. I wish you all a
successful (and speedy) golfing season in 2005. |
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***NEW 8TH HOLE*** OPEN FOR PLAY 10TH - 13TH SEPTEMBER Members please note that the new 8th hole will be open for play
for Four days: Saturday 10th - Tuesday 13th September. The hole will be
closed thereafter and re-assessed by the Course Manager. |
PRO’S TIP: When playing into the sun it is a good idea to shout FORE to the
group ahead even if you think you have hit a quality straight shot because you
never know who or what your ball might be heading for. |
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SPONSORS & GUESTS GOLF DAY:
FRIDAY 19TH AUGUST The club hosted its annual sponsors &
guest golf day on Friday 19th August. The event saw 17 teams taking part in a
Shotgun start Texas Scramble event with the majority of our corporate
sponsors taking part in what is perceived as a good customer relation’s day
out. The players enjoyed a good (DRY & SUNNY) days golf culminating in a
BBQ for all. The winning team who lifted the Trophy this year was the PGC
Staff team comprising Colin Forbes (Course Manager), Kenny Austin / Duncan
McLean (Junior Section) & Craig McDonald, (shop staff) who returned a
score of net 55.2 Yet again the course received positive feedback from the
competitors and an enjoyable day was had by all. |
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LADIES SECTION
An Oncology Cancer Day for charity was combined with
Captain Vice/Captains Day - 60 ladies turned up to play dressed in the colour
teal. We had a super day and raised
almost £500. Chris provided a lovely
tea and very kindly donated the takings from that to our fund. Various other ladies donated to the fund
and June Morrison provided a trophy for the Captain/Vice Captain’s event. June also sold ribbons & we had
raffles etc. Our final total raised for Ovacome was a very nice £900. Ladies Invitation
Day Friday 26th August we were again very lucky
with the weather and enjoyed a game of golf and a lovely lunch. Maureen Lovie
and her guest Maureen Wilson of Aboyne were the winners with a very good
score of 45 points. Thank you to all ladies who took part in the Charity
Event. We now look forward to the
Ladies Weekend away at Nairn on the 2nd September. Joyce Tweed Ladies Captain |
HOUSE REPORT
Audrey,
Dean and myself have regular in house meetings to deal with any problems that
occur, and usually we can deal with them successfully. The clubhouse is
running very smoothly mainly thanks to Audrey and her staff. It is pleasing
that Chris’s young staff have passed their Prem. Food and Hygiene
certificate, they are all very pleasant and it is a pleasure to have smiling
faces serving our meals. The kitchen has been re-organized and the new
shelves fitted to make a little more work room. Chris has had numerous events
this year, including the Pro-Am, North Sound charity event outings, Deeside
league and lots of friendly matches. His food is excellent and always brings
praise from all quarters. In the winter months Chris is hoping to do some
theme nights, so please watch the notice board for dates, as our support for
these is needed. Babs Lappin House Convenor
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COMMENTS BOOK
Since The Club was founded, we have had a Comments Book available for relevant entries by Club members. Recently a number of entries have been made, specifically critical of members of staff. Entries of this type in the Comments Book are inappropriate. A member who wishes to make complaint regarding a staff member (or any other matter) should do so in writing to the Club Secretary, who will take necessary action according to the circumstances e.g. discuss with the Captain, Management Committee etc. Only written complaints will be dealt with. The co-operation of all members would be appreciated. |
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ABERDEEN PETROLEUM CLUB PRO-AM:
SATURDAY 23RD JULY: For the second year running PGC hosted the APC Pro-AM. 40 teams
of four took part and enjoyed a fine days golf, along with a half-way stop
BBQ supplied by Chris Holmes and his club catering staff. The course was well
presented and received numerous compliments from both amateur and
professional - Congratulations to our greenstaff - well done all. The lowest
score from the Professionals was a
67,(-4) returned by Stewart Smith (Carrick on the Lomond). All monies
raised from this event went toward the Aberdeen based CASH FOR KIDS charity. CASH FOR KIDS GOLF DAY: FRIDAY
5TH AUGUST: This event took place for the 1st time at PGC and proved both a success for
the club and for the organisers. Not only did the club receive very
favourable feedback from the competitors but there was a live 3 hour show
with NORTHSOUND 2 from the clubhouse
where competitors, staff and club officials were interviewed, allowing the
club ideal exposure. The day was huge success and plans are afoot to stage it
again next year all going well. |
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Useful Info: Email address: info@petercultergolfclub.co.uk
Web site: www.petercultergolfclub.co.uk
Telephone
nos: 01224 735245 ext. 21 for bar, ext. 24 for kitchen. Pro shop for tee times and bookings: 01224 734994.
****Don’t forget your membership
number***
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CATERING NEWS: Check the social notice board for details of special events. Chris is
willing to organize dinners, parties etc.
Contact him direct for further info. The purchase of Bar / Food
vouchers will provide a 10% reduction. |
MEMBERSHIP NEWS: Club
membership totals remain healthy. The Full
membership category is ‘full’, and there are 2 only vacancies for Five Day
members. We have a total of 200
Junior members and 39 Transitional members. Having cleared our Waiting Lists
in this year’s membership intake, we now again have Waiting Lists (!) On the Adult lists, we have - Culter
Residents – 6, Non-Culter Residents – 28. When compared to most neighbouring
clubs, these are healthy figures. However, since we average between 40 to 50
adult resignations per year (job transfers etc), we cannot be
complacent. We hope
that any member with a friend or relative wishing to join a Golf Club would
encourage the individual to join here. Application
Forms are available in the Clubhouse lounge, or can be downloaded from www.petercultergolfclub.co.uk |
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PRO SHOP OFFERS:
PRO SHOP SPECIALS:
Check out the BRAND NEW PING G5 Range of golf equipment for PING EUROPE (in
stock early September) - Demos to try out - ECCO Golf shoes for men &
women - OSCAR JACOBSEN gents trousers, cashmere sweaters & long sleeve
shirts, CROSS waterproofs - nothing is better than the FULL FTX STRETCH
material - Foot-Joy gents TURFMASTER golf shoes were £69.99 NOW£49.99 - save
£20.00 - LADIES Valerie Herman clothing range - 20% OFF |
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SOCIAL PROGRAMME:
Quiz nights will be held throughout the winter
months. All being well there will be
one before Christmas and 2 after.
Please check the notice board for dates, as I hope to have these
finalized soon. Also Whist nights run
twice a month from October. Please
sign up at the bar for these. Dates
will be posted on the social notice board. |
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And Finally: That’s it for this month folks. The next newsletter will be towards the end of
October .E mail talisker2@btopenworld.com
if you want to include something in our E-news bulletins. Susan C. Smith |
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