Peterculter Golf Club June E-News 2006
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. This is the first one of the 2006 season. Several hard copies are available in the clubhouse.
GENERAL INFO FOR ALL MEMBERS: On-Line internet booking for 2006: Members can now book tee times on-line via the clubs website www.petercultergolfclub.co.uk simply click onto the MEMBERS page, then click on the link: Online Tee Booking you will then be asked for your membership number followed by a password which is your SURNAME (IN CAPITALS). Take a look and book times when it suits you. Please note that this facility does include competition tee times for Gents section only (check your 2006 fixture booklet for On-Line medals).
Dormy House If you have been playing the course recently you will have observed that the Dormy House is moving toward completion. It is slightly behind schedule due to the inclement weather over the March/April period, which delayed the digging of foundations etc. The facility will have ladies and gents toilets with disabled facilities. At the front there is a small lounge and kitchen with porch beyond; this will be mainly used by visiting parties, and by the club on certain occasions. The Ladies section is providing tables and chairs for the porch. New sponsors who specifically identified the need for this type of facility have funded the Dormy house to a significant extent. The toilets will be big improvement on the Portaloos, which will be removed; they alone cost the club £2500 a year. The major sponsors are Aberdein Considine, Weatherford, Balmoral, Sparks and Drumoak Kitchens; there has also been valuable assistance from a number of members.		Winter Programme It may seem a bit odd to give you an up date on the Winter Program in May, however the “Spring” this year came rather late which had the effect of delaying the completion of the program. The major items on the program were the relaying of the gents 7th and 17^th and ladies 13^th tees, improvements have also been made to paths and the bridge at 14^th. All the items bar the 7^th tee were completed although heavy rain did wash away some of the paths, the 7^th tee will come into play on the 28^th of May. Both the 7^th and 17^th tees have been increased in size, which will even out wear patterns. Additional irrigation was also installed; this has vastly improved the approaches to the greens.
AWPR Although it would appear that PGC is now out with the area being considered for the AWPR, the Mgt. Committee felt that the Club must have an input to the Roadsense action group. Flora Douglas offered to be the club’s representative on the Peterculter Community Council and she will attend appropriate meetings to ensure our interests are protected.	New 8^th Hole The new 8^th hole is proving a great success with majority of members enjoying the new challenge. The main talking point has been the quality of the putting surface and the trueness of the green. This is due not only to the quality of the purchased turf, but also to the expertise that went into building the green, the tee is also a testament to this. Thanks therefore should be given to the green keeping staff, and in particular Colin Forbes.
REPORT FROM VICE CAPTAIN I would first wish to welcome all new members to PGC. The season started slowly due to the snow in March and sleet in April delaying the Captain, Vice Captain and opening of the course competitions to April and May respectively. The Vice Captain’s team won even without the Vice Captain being present, more likely because he was absent. The Opening of the Course competition was won by Rachel and Ali Polson and Kenny Austin, they are the first holders of the new trophy presented by Hall Morrice. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday competitions have been proceeding as planned, it does however amaze me at the number of call offs that happen on the day. This of course leads to two balls mixed in with three balls, which naturally leads to complaints about slow play. Be assured that all call offs are noted and where there is a consistent pattern appropriate action will be taken by the club. Pro shop staff try to reorganize the playing order, but due to players arriving very close to their tee times it is not always possible and they would rather see a two go out than leave a single player waiting beyond their requested tee time. My reference above leads me on to one of the most common complaints of all golf clubs, slow play. If you surf the “net” and type in slow play, it will come up with pages and pages of material, it is therefore an international problem and reading through the information there is not a simple solution. It is not for me to target any particular group of members. I would wish to remind all members that it is their responsibility to not only keep ahead of the group behind but to keep up with group in front. If your group does fall behind please be considerate and wave through the following group.
JUNIOR COACHING AT PGC During the quiet winter months 11 club members volunteered themselves to be trained as Level 1 Club golf coaches. Attending a two-day coaching weekend all 11 members passed and attained an accredited UK coaching certificate allowing them to deliver a structured 20-week block of grass roots golf coaching as laid down by the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland. This initiative is being funded by the Scottish Executive through Sportscotland, along with support from the other Club golf partners, making it one of the biggest ever investments in junior development in Scotland. It is anticipated that this will have a major impact within every golf club in Scotland, and we here at Peterculter Golf Club are delighted to have in place this new facility for our junior members. As well as forming a team of coaches, a junior coaching sub-committee was also formed creating a team who now centrally administrate the running of the now underway Saturday Hot Dog Club coaching, headed by club member and Level 1 coach Trevor Grose. Trevor is supported on the sub-committee by fellow members, Rhona Carrell, Bernie Haigh, George Galloway & Jon Revell, and backed up on the coaching front with Flora Douglas, Alan Yule, Andy Yule, Donald MacDonald, Ali Polson, Douglas Harris & Frank Moore. An assessment of 58 children took place on Saturday 6^th May resulting in 50 children being placed into the Level 1 programme and the remaining 8 allocated a coaching block from Dean Vannet, PGC Club Professional. The children have now been split into smaller groups and have their own coach on a 6 pupils to 1 coach ratio basis and will receive a Club Golf Level 1 certificate if they attend the complete block of training, which runs through to the end of September. This facility is something, which we are delighted to have in place now at PGC, and will provide a professional programme of grass roots development to our juniors. A special thanks must be made at this time to all afore mentioned coaches and sub-committee members who have and continue to give up their own spare time to help keep the games of our younger juniors alive and well – well done to all. Dean Vannet General Manager & PGA Professional
LADIES SECTION Unfortunately the season got off to a late start due to bad weather. The first two Tuesday competitions never got going. The Senior Club Championship was changed this year to a separate medal with the two rounds of the Club Championship over the last two weeks. The new system of signing up has caused a bit of confusion but I'm sure by next year it will be easier to understand. The Ladies Open on Saturday 20 May 2006 went very well with 143 entries and only 3 cancellations on the day. The weather was not very good but it remained dry, although very cold. We had a large number of ladies from Newburgh, Portlethen, Kintore and many other clubs in the area. It was a most enjoyable day. Our next event is the Mixed Greensome on Sunday 4^th June and then the Ladies Greensome Open on Friday 16^th June. We have many new ladies and welcome them to the Club and hope they enjoy playing at Peterculter. We also have some new Junior Girls and are delighted to welcome them also. Our weekend away in September will again be at Nairn and we have 49 ladies on the list. Finally I have the list of names and telephone numbers for you to contact other lady members, if you have not already received one let me know. Have a successful season. Joyce Tweed Ladies Captain			Bob Burnett’s retirement Bob decided to retire from the post of Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of Peterculter Golf Club from the 8^th May. Bob has been involved with the club from day one and is therefore a founder member, He has over the years been Captain, Secretary and Treasurer and over the last 10 years been instrumental in restructuring the financial procedures within the club. The strong financial position the club is now in is due in no small part to Bob’s hard work and diligence. Bob also represented the Club at many Secretaries meetings and was always on hand to give past and present Captains the benefit of his valuable advice. The Management Committee and I personally would therefore wish Bob a long and successful golfing retirement. Bill Morrison Vice Captain
			PRO’S TIP
JUNIOR SECTION The first half of 2006 has seen big changes for our ‘Hot Dog Club’ A posse of 12 led by Trevor Grose gave up a weekend to become qualified Level 1 Coaches and now provide a tiered coaching set-up under the guidance of Club Golf. On hearing this news 60 of our youngest members arrived by train, plane and automobile to sign up and to be graded into groups to suit their needs. All coaches deserve a big ‘Thank You’ from the club for giving up their Saturday afternoons to teach the kids, as does George Robb for his services in the past. In the Pennant League Peterculter GC led by Andrew Dingwall were drawn in what looked to be a very touch section but after early wins of 6 - 0, 5 ½ - ½ and 4 1/2 – 1½ they sent shockwaves through group. A ‘bad day at the office’ led to a loss to new leaders Ellon means it looks like 2^nd place for our stars of the future. The team have behaved very well throughout and are great ambassadors for the Club both home and away. One visiting Pennant Team member summed up our gem in the comments book ‘Loved the course even though we got thumped’. We look to have a great season ahead with a dozen players eyeing up the Club Championship Scratch Section prize and some as young as 10 going for the Handicap Trophy. If you like a flutter I’d recommend a couple of pounds on young Andrew Carrell and Aidan Gibb to win The Open before 2020 – move over Paul Lawrie AC and AG are COMING TO GET YOU! Frank Moore Junior Convenor
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***
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. Bar prices. In line with the budget and general increases from our suppliers it has been necessary to review our Bar prices. The purchase of Bar / Food vouchers will provide a 10% reduction.				MEMBERSHIP NEWS: For membership information contact Jennifer Watson, Golf Club Administrator on tel: 01224 735245 ext 20 or download an application form from: www.petercultergolfclub.co.uk We currently have vacancies for full or 5 day members.
PRO SHOP OFFERS: · LADIES: Ping G5 Woods & Irons – DEMO KIT available to try out on the course + the new Hybrid rescue woods. · Shoes by ECCO & ADIDAS – treat your feet to a new pair designed by pediatrists (foot doctors!) · Lady Clothing from Ashworth & Valerie Herman. · Powakaddys to order – call for price. We will match any other local dealer on price. · Complete Starter sets from £199 · Hybrid Rescue woods from: Ping / Hogan / PGA Collection & Sonartec. · Powakaddy Golf Bags on sale from £69 · PGC Crested shirts by Ashworth
SOCIAL / HOUSE: After a slow start, the clubhouse is once again a busy place. During the winter months we had a number of theme evenings. The last of which was a French dinner and the food was excellent. These theme nights have been well supported, and we hope to continue with them in the Autumn, along with a few different nights, so please watch the social board. I would like to remind members if they wish a meal during the summer season, it really is advisable to book with Chris to avoid disappointment, as we have outings most Thurs. and Friday’s during the summer. The shotgun starts are also popular, Chris tries hard to provide food on these occasions, but often the member’s don’t support him. He is a young man wanting to do well, so lets all try at some point to help him along the way, after all, his food is extremely good. The fun mixed golf started in May with an excellent turn out. Don’t miss the next one on Saturday 24^th June. I may try to organise a family B.B.Q. in July, can we depend on the weather? Probably not! So watch out for details. I am sure at some time during the season you will all sample a meal and a drink, so remember to purchase your vouchers and save 10%. In the meantime, happy golfing, and if that doesn’t work, happy socialising. Babs Lappin House/Social
And Finally: That’s it for this month folks. Welcome back to the golfing season. The next newsletter will be towards the middle of August. E mail talisker2@btopenworld.com if you want to include something in our E-news bulletins. Susan C. Smith.