FLEMPTON GOLF CLUB NEWSLETTER : FEBRUARY 2016

FROM THE CAPTAIN My personal thanks to all of our members who managed to carry their clubs during the recent voluntary trolley restrictions that have now, thankfully, been lifted. I am sure your efforts will be rewarded as it has helped to ensure that our course remains in excellent condition throughout the coming months. You will no doubt have noticed the number of visitors we have had during the last month or so. This has been due not only to the excellent value of our Winter Warmer but also to the fact that many courses in this part of the world have been closed with all the wet weather that we have had to endure this so called "winter". I have received many highly complimentary remarks in recent weeks which are of course always good to hear. I personally think that the greens are in better condition than I have known for ages. If only I could say the same about my putting.

We are indeed fortunate that our course has remained open throughout this season - a testimony not just to our excellent drainage but also to the continuing hard work and professionalism of our green keepers. A vote of thanks goes to them as always. Many of you will have noted the number of trees that we have unfortunately lost in recent months particularly around the pond by the fifth green and alongside the sixth tee. This has undoubtedly increased the wet conditions along the sixth fairway. With that in mind, if any member has a spare tree, or would like to help purchase replacements, then please do get in touch with any committee member. It would be much appreciated by all.

SOCIAL CALENDAR The Gentlemen's Evening shown on the fixture card as taking place on February 19 has

been moved back to March 25th. The arrangements will be different this year with the traditional format of dinner and guest speaker being replaced by something a little more interactive. There will also be an 18 hole betterball competition the following day for those attendees who are willing and able to play. It is hoped that as many attendees as possible will be willing to participate. If this is for you then put it in the diary now. A novel feature for the diary in March is the home Golf and Bridge Match against Royal Worlington. This is a return fixture commencing at 9.00am which is open to both ladies and gentlemen. The format is 18 holes of golf in the morning (either foursomes or greensomes with Hambro scoring) followed by a light lunch and bridge in the afternoon. The points outcome of the morning golf will be carried forward into the afternoon contest to contribute towards a final score and eventual winner. Any member who is interested in playing for Flempton should put their name up for selection on the list displayed on the fixtures board or contact Brian Field directly. The first social golf of the year is planned for April 1st and details will be posted on the main notice board next week. This is a good opportunity especially for new members to meet more established ones and to enjoy some light refreshment and an afternoon of mixed golf.

NEWS IN BRIEF The Trolley Store is yet again under siege and hardly able to support the volume of traffic. Please note that a clearance is imminent. It would be appreciated if all users could clearly label their own trolley to help us to identify those still in active service. From April there will be a clearance from the store of all unidentified trolleys and in due course any unclaimed trolleys will be set aside for scrap. The club website which is a source of information for members and visitors alike has recently been upgraded to include each edition of this newsletter shortly after it has gone to press as well as a new approach to membership applications recently approved by the committee.

The fixture calendar for friendly matches is now up on the main noticeboard and anyone with an interest in playing is encouraged to sign up appropriately. Teams will be selected

by the designated match captain nearer to the event. The entry forms are also now available for those who plan to sign up for summer competitions. The take-up for membership of the 100 Club has thus far been slow and more than a little disappointing. The first quarterly draw will take place on March 25 and members are encouraged to show their support for this initiative by joining up in good time for the first draw. This is a small but important opportunity to make a contribution towards the development of the club and it would be good to see the target of 100 supporters reached if possible. Please give this some thought and sign up if you can. A good take-up will enable us to implement plans to purchase a greens moisture meter to assist in their further development. The council of National Golf Clubs (CONGU) has just concluded a four-year review cycle and has made a number of changes which aim to assist club members to have handicaps which truly reflect their playing ability. These include: 

Four Ball Better Ball Handicap Allowance - in both stroke play and match play the back marker will concede strokes to the other three players based on 90% (3/4) of the difference between the full handicaps rather than 75% as at present.



Continuous Handicap Review - a process has now been introduced to flag players with 7 consecutive 0.1 handicap increases so that Handicap Committees can review and apply an immediate handicap increase if required.



Club Handicaps - a new "Club Handicap" is being introduced for adults as well as juniors. Handicaps higher than 28/36 will only be valid at the players home club for use in clubrun events and cannot be used in opens etc. They are not for use in qualifying events but can be used by agreement in general play where a club handicap might more accurately reflect a players current ability.



Nine Holes - It will be possible to put in Supplementary Scores over nine holes for handicap. Nine-hole scores will also be taken into account for Exceptional Scoring Reduction.



Reinstatement of Handicap Status - the reinstatement of a competition handicap requires a player to submit three qualifying scores, which can be 18 hole competitions, 9 hole competitions or Supplementary Scores both home or away.



Dates - The handicap year will from now on follow the calendar year of January 1 to December 31 and a player's handicap will be based on scores returned within this period.

The new CONGU manual is in the process of being published. A prepublication version can be viewed at www.congu.com

TAKE NOTE KNOW YOUR RULES Nicki McMahon (England Golf County Referee) offers us this helpful reminder about "the nearest point of relief". I'm playing the 9th hole and my ball comes to rest on the road - what should I do? The local rule on the back of the scorecard says that the road is an Immovable Obstruction so relief may be taken under Rule 24-2. This means that the ball can be dropped "without penalty within one club length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief ". To find the nearest point of relief, as is the case when taking any free drop, I have to consider which shot I would play if the interference wasn't there. In this instance it could be my wedge or putter but it would be very unlikely to be my driver. So, whilst leaving my ball where it is, I take my wedge and find the nearest spot, off the road where I can drop my ball. It must be where neither my feet or my club will touch the road when I make my swing. This spot could be on either side of the road and will depend on where the flag is but there is only ever one nearest point of relief. When I've found the spot I mark it and I can then lift my ball and clean it if I want to. Until this point I can change my mind and play it as it lies from the road. I now have one club-length from the nearest point of relief in which to drop my ball (not nearer the hole) and the ball is allowed to roll up to two clublengths from where it hits the ground. Once the ball is "in play" I am allowed to use whichever of my clubs I like to play the shot. The procedure is the same if my ball is close enough to the road that I would have to stand on the road to hit my shot or I would hit the road whilst making my swing. Clear as mud? If I haven't explained well enough see Rule 24-2/1. Happy reading.

FINANCIAL MATTERS The treasurer is now in a position to report on membership renewals this year and in acknowledging in general that these are challenging times for golf clubs with membership levels continuing to decline he also has to concede that Flempton is not immune from this trend. Current membership stands at 226 full playing members compared to our traditional number of 260. Membership fees are our main source of income and the decline in the number of members has meant a fall in income in 2015. We cannot afford to be complacent and we need to constantly attract and retain members if we are to balance the books. Expenditure has been tightly controlled but year on year increases are almost inevitable if we are to maintain our services to members. We have continued to invest in green keeping equipment to ensure that we maintain and enhance the course and in 2015 we purchased a replacement tractor at a cost of

£18,000. Overall, as a result of the combination of a downturn in income and an increase in expenditure, our draft results for 2015 indicate a loss of £5995. Without the benefits of £10,000 of entrance fees received in the year the loss would be £15,995. It will be just as challenging in 2016. The committee is planning to bring membership numbers back in line with the 260 members provided for in our constitution. If we are successful then income should grow to the level required to break even but this is dependent on our remaining attractive to both the members we serve and those we hope to recruit.

COMPETITIONS AND FIXTURES The Mail on Sunday Both the Ladies and the Men participated in this national contest earlier this month and suffered narrow defeats after playing through very challenging conditions. The Men were defeated 3-2 by Bury St Edmunds and the Ladies suffered a similar fate going down at the hands of Thetford by the same score.

Men's February Stableford 1. David Cargill

35

2. Marcus Lee

35

3. Thomas Barker 34

9 Hole Qualifier 1. Ron Parker

18

2. Charles Reed 18 3. Peter Over

17

With the Juniors

The first competition of the year is planned for Sunday April 3rd at 13.00 hrs. It heralds the start of more regular golf for all juniors including a regular Wednesday afternoon roll up

after school commencing April 13th at 16.30 hours. Make a note in your diary to take advantage of this regular golfing opportunity.

Gentlemens' Open Day

This competition, open to all golfers across the area, will be held on Thursday 11th August. It is an 18 hole contest and each player will receive 3/4 handicap allowance. It is a pairs better ball event and entry forms are now available from the club. The charge for the day is £65.00 per pair to include 18 holes of golf, prizes, bacon roll and coffee on arrival, and 2 course carvery after play. Enquiries can be made to [email protected]

AND FINALLY TO TEE OR NOT TO TEE, THAT IS THE QUESTION In deference to the bard in this anniversary year it is worth speculating whether 'Much Ado About Nothing' arose from his first game of golf. After all he did say "Though this be madness there is method in't " and everyone knows the pertinent enquiry "What subtle hole is this?". It was also Richard III who commanded "Put in their hands the bruising irons of wrath". Shakespeare obviously had an intimate knowledge of the game and for those seeking self-improvement he is clearly worth a read!