HOLE IN ONE FEST TO START THE SEASON During the first 4 weeks of the new golf season we have seen, no less than, 3 HOLE IN ONES. The first one was on March 26 th by Senior member George Andrew which was his first, this was followed up by a first from Tommy Duff on April 7 th with the Hat trick being completed by Patrick Roger on April 22 nd. This also completed his hat trick of Aces. The other significant thing about Patrick s one was that it was at the par 4 7 th. Congratulations to all! Hopefully that won t be the last of them as the season goes on. Page 1
ON THE GOLF COURSE WINNERS A PLENTY AS THE SEASON GETS GOING Gents Section Those competitive golfers amongst us will be delighted that the golf season is back in full swing. Handicap up point 1 week after week and then boom... a good score comes along and all those point 1 s are forgotten. There has been plenty to wet our appetite s this last couple of months. We have new winners of the Lifeboat Shield, Horn Cup, Loutit Medal, Seve Trophy and the King Eider Trophy. Congratulations if you have already bagged yourself a trophy this year. Full sets of results are always on the boards for you to peruse at your leisure. The Gents Spring Open was a tight affair with no less than 8 players finishing with a Nett 72 in Section 1 having to be separated on the count back. Section 2, however, contained the best local on the day with Neil Davidson with a nett 70. Page 2
The club hosted the Phillips Trophy on April 29 th. This is a prestigious 36-hole event bringing together some of the North East s top golfers. The winner on the Day was Chris Lamb from Newmachar, who is ironically our own Dale Robertson s old apprentice, with a 2-round total of 138 (-6)... He must have had some inside knowledge prior to the tournament. The Draws for the Match play competitions have also been made and with Henderson Cup and Gallow Hills pairs matches are already under way. Good luck to all those taking part. The next couple of months will be busy for the Gents section with the Club Championship kicking off on May 26 th with it s conclusion and New Champion Crowned on June 10 th. Our Greensomes Team kick off their Season against Meldrum House on Thursday May 24 th with 10 hopefuls representing the club in inter club match play. Another golfing first this period will be the new competition on 6 consecutive Sundays starting on June 17 th. The Sandy Penny Eclectic will take place over the course of 6 rounds from June 17 th to July 22 nd. This competition is in memory of the late Sandy Penny who we sadly lost last year. I hope that the numbers taking part will pay a fitting tribute to an event in Sandy s memory. In the Champion of Champions match play there was mixed news as our Club Champion Derek Mulgrew won his match convincingly against Duncan Mclean from Balmoral 5&4, he now faces another trip to Royal Deeside as he plays Tony Evans from Ballater. In the Page 3
handicap version Philip Johnston narrowly missed out losing at the 19 th against Newmachar s Peter Jupp. Ladies Section The ladies section kicked off their season with a 9 hole nonqualifier followed by a very successful showcase evening hosted by Graeme Masterton of Gamola golf. The Ladies sipped on prosecco whilst browsing some items which were on show to purchase on the night. Orders were also placed for other items. The ladies Robertson Cup Team faced a tough opening round of their start to this season s knock out with a trip to face Cruden Bay. The result of the match was unfortunately 6.5 1.5 in favour of the Cruden Bay ladies. Here s hoping for a better result in the return leg on May 27 th. The ladies are also competing at County level again this year and their first match took place on Friday May 18 th in which they convincingly beat Westhill 4 0. WELL DONE TO OUR LADIES!! The Draw for the Ladies, in house, match play events have also been made so good luck to all in the Forvie Trophy, Allan Quaich and Walker Cup. Unlike the men, our ladies championship is played in a match play format with Newburgh s elite ladies competing for the 2018 prize. Good luck to all in these competitions. Page 4
Seniors Section The most active section is always the seniors. Plenty of golf has been played so far this year both home and indeed abroad, with another successful trip to Villamoura where Dave Phillip reigned supreme. On the home front we had another very successful Senior Open in April, which again took place on a glorious day with 122 entries. Best local golfer on the day was John Finnie with 41 points. The Seniors match play draws are also done with the 4-ball championship well under way. The Buchan Seniors visited us on May 17 th where 181 golfers took part in this annual trip. Yet again they got the weather with a bright dry day and light winds. There is lots more golf to be played over all our sections during June and July and we will run through a few more in the next edition of the newsletter when we will run a piece with our newly crowned Gents Champion. Visitors Flock from Near and Far Visitors continue to come and play our fantastic links and pretty much on every occasion they are not disappointed. We have had 323 rounds played by non-newburgh members since the season began in March, including those who have played in the opens. The Page 5
busiest days so far was on April 28 th with the Carney party and the Lindstrom party from Sweden. We have some big visiting parties lined up over the next couple of months which include outings from Banchory Golf Club Ladies section and the RPOAS. Below is a cross section of what has been said by visitors to the course using our Visitor Feedback Forms during March and April. Score /10 Comments 8 Course Good, Clubhouse Good, Staff Friendly. I will be back 8 A friendly welcome in the shop, course great condition, excellent service. 9 Great to play a course on full greens in great condition for march. Welcome in pro shop and Club house friendly and helpful 10 Course in great condition, Good to play on Summer Greens. 8 Very Good Condition for Winter Course 8 Enjoyable Course well presented. Greens reasonable for time of year. 10 Golf Course was brilliant, very deceiving. Looking to become a member 10 Course in magnificent condition considering the weather lately 9 Course Excellent, very underrated. Will be back 8 Very Scenic, Pleasure to play 10 Excellent condition. Greens magnificent 9 Decent Course with very friendly staff 8 Course in very good condition 8 Good Course, friendly staff 9 Very nice Course, very pleasant staff There are very few people who come here now and go away having not enjoyed their visit. We continue to promote the club/course to visitors from all over. We are hoping to have an agreement with a local hotel for a stay and play package which will bring more business to the golf club. This is in the early stages and we hope to have things finalised soon. Page 6
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING When it comes to looking after our golf course we can all do Our part. Repairing pitch marks and replacing divots being the two main areas which keep things tidy. A pitch mark repaired at the time fixes itself within 24 hours whereas one that doesn t get fixed at the time takes over a week to sort. We all like putting on these great greens we have so let s keep them that way. The same applies to divots, if all divots were replaced at the time we would have better looking fairways that won t come with poor lies. We had a group of volunteers helping by doing a bit of patching on the fairways for a few days in April which we are very grateful for. More help will be needed as the season goes on so look out for the pleas for help. We continue to try and keep on top of the situation with the pesky rabbits, however it is a difficult task. We have a few volunteers trying to deal with it, so we are trying to keep the damage done by them down as best we can. Page 7
CORPORATE OPPORTUNITES We have recently produced a new corporate brochure for 2018. We have various options within the brochure for Gold, Silver and Bronze membership to Hole and Putting green sponsors. We also cater for Corporate Golf outings with 9 and 18-hole packages available with conference room access etc. Anyone interested please contact Paul for more information. UPCOMING EVENTS Away from the Golf Course we have the Annual Scooter Rally which takes place on the weekend on June 29 th to 1 st July. This is a very well-run event and brings a lot of business to the golf club. Be aware that it will be busy in and around the club on both the Friday and Saturday nights. Back on the golf course we have a charity event in aid of Hearts of Gold in conjunction with Save the Rhino. This takes place as a shotgun event on Thursday May 31 st. We have hosted something similar previously and it has been proved to be a success. Page 8
SOCIAL GOLF Our first venture into Social golf didn t get off to the type of start we were hoping for. Hopefully there will be a bigger turn out for the next few. The next one is on May 25 th followed by June 22 nd. Members and Guests Welcome (No Guest Fee payable, just put into the sweep). No better way to have a fun game of golf with like minded people and take your friends along at the same time. CLUB SHOP We have New Items in our Club Shop for the coming Season. Our New range of Greg Norman Logo clothing is selling well along with non logo d Under Armour clothing. We also have a selection of Caps, Webbing Belts, Balls, Shoes etc. Also new this term is something for the Ladies, check out our Surprise Shop Wall which has a selection of accessories including Ball Markers, hats and socks. We, again this season, will have an agreement with Gamola Golf. If you see something that you like on www.gamolagolf.co.uk then let us know. We can normally get anything they have in stock within a couple of days. Speak to Paul for more information on this. Page 9
We also have the option for you to browse our Glenmuir or Sunderland catalogues and choose items from there. Gift Vouchers are still available. If you are looking for a present for the golfer in your family but don t know what to get them then vouchers may be the answer. If you would like to buy Vouchers as a gift, then speak to the office or visit the club shop. SOCIAL HUB The first couple of Theme nights have been a great success with a full house on Indian night and 55 diners on the Spanish Tapas night. A great response from the membership to this. We are delighted that these events are being supported as a busy clubhouse makes for a good night out. We hope that our next 2, which take place on June 16 th (Italian) and July 14 th (Bastille Day) will do just as well. Get your bookings in to avoid disappointment. Page 10
QUIZ NIGHT!! Friday June 22 nd at 7.15pm in the Clubhouse Check the boards in the Club to find out the dates in July Saturday 26 th May at 7.15pm in the Clubhouse Check the boards at the club for the dates in June Page 11
THOUGHTS FROM THE MANAGER, ONE YEAR ON It is hard to believe that it has been a full 13 months since I accepted to take on the role of Club Manager here at Newburgh. It has been a whirlwind of a year and the support that I have received from the Staff, committee and membership alike has been fantastic. Thirteen months on and I am still thoroughly enjoying the job and all the challenges that it brings. There have a been a few challenging moments over the period but all that has done is wet the appetite to move things in the right direction. This is a great club to be part of and work for. We have a fantastic golf course and a Club House to be proud of with some of the best views in the North East. I look forward to many more years of looking after your club. Page 12
BUSY BEE S CATERING (Newburgh Golf Club) SUMMER OPENING HOURS NOW IN OPERATION Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Menus incl. Kids Menu (Up to the age of 12) SERVED Monday Friday 10.30am 3pm and 5.30pm to 8pm Saturday & Sunday 10.30am to 8pm SUNDAY ROAST MENU A CHOICE OF 2 ROASTs and 2 SPECIALS One Course - 9.25 Two Courses - 12.95 BUSY BEES CATER FOR ALL OCCASIONS Functions, Parties, Barbecues, Wedding Receptions Ask Martin or his catering staff for details Call 01358 789058 (Option 4) Next Edition out on July 27th Page 13