Update 5th July

RESTART - This week saw the restart of official club competitions, with the ladies first off the mark on Tuesday last with a 9 hole Stableford, with the men following on Thursday with a 12 hole Stableford. The men played again on Sunday the 5thfor the Bart Moran Cup with the format being 18 hole Strokeplay. Results were not available at the time of going to press. Given that the clubhouse is still “off-limits”, the cup itself will be presented to the winner at a later date.

The mens’ Thursday night competition was won by Lochlainn Conboy with a great score of 32 points for the 12 holes. Gerry Carty came second with 30 points ( and won the 2s club) and Gabriel Lavin’s 28 took third.

COMPETITION RULES - There are a few important things to note regarding competitions - online  tee booking is essential, please put 1 entry fee per envelope, the requirement to sign cards has been removed but you must get your opponent to verify your score verbally. The computer has been reinstated for 18 hole competitions, but hand hygiene is essential, please use the hand sanitizer provided before typing.

FIXTURES - This years fixture list has been re-drawn 4 times already this year and is now on version 5! There is good news though - due to the Government acceleration of the phases of re-opening, the Captains and Lady Captains Prizes are back on the schedule. The Captains Prize to the men takes place on the 16th of August, and the Lady Captains prize for the ladies takes place on the 6th of September.

Next Sunday’s competition for the men is the PGA Tankard played as an 18 hole Stableford, with the James Shivnan Memorial competition taking place the following Sunday, the 19th of August. The keenly anticipated “Voucher” competition takes place on the last Sunday in July, the 26th. The winner of the “Voucher” gets a free single membership for the year. To be eligible to win the “Voucher”, your membership fees must be valid for 2020.

 PUTT-BUDDIES - Removing the golf ball from the hole posed an unexpected challenge these past few months, given the high risk of germ transfer posed when you consider the example of 30 players removing a ball from a hole 18 times each per competition, giving 540 potential episodes of exposure to infection. We have installed the “Putt Buddy” system which has greatly reduced the risk. It has however unfortunately given rise to some confusion and myths! To correct one of the most widespread of these myths - it is not true that your ball is considered to be “holed” if it hits the pin/putt-buddy, part of the hole must stay submerged within the circumference of the hole as has always been the case.

The GUI has recognised that the increased diameter of the device within the hole can be an issue and have clarified it is allowable for a players opponent to hold the pin in a more vertical position if it is leaning. They must, however, hold the pin with the head or handle of the putter, not with their hand.

The pins cannot be removed at present for putting and to remove one during competition could put a player at risk of disqualification.

 BUNKERS - Due to rakes being out of use there is currently a “preferred lie” ruling in place for the bunkers, the exact ruling is on the noticeboard in the clubhouse. Please rake the sand with a club or your foot after hitting your shot (doing it beforehand incurs a penalty as per usual).