Kirkcudbright Golf Club Newsletter October 2015 (Issue 10) www.kirkcudbrightgolf.co.uk Follow us on Twitter: @kbtgolfclub Facebook: Kirkcudbright Golf Club Email: info@kirkcudbrightgolf.co.uk Phone: 01557 330314 Captains Desk Perhaps the RED MOON we had last week was a good omen of an extended summer golfing season? Lots of members and a few visitors playing regularly and many of the visitors leaving complementary messages all remarking, friendly natives and glowing reports about the golf course. Lots of thankyou s, Kirkcudbrightshire Golfers Association for the hospitality they received during the Douglas Maxwell Memorial Trophy, a nice letter, posted on the Junior notice board for hosting the Joanna Shamash Trophy and a letter of thanks from Andy Dalziel. We thought last year would be the last time Andy would present prizes at the Dalziel Trophy, but he says god willing and a good wind, who knows what the future will hold. September was a good month for home wins and I am not going to single out any of our winners. Go to RESULTS on our web site and all the information of the glorious feats are there for you to peruse and admire. I do want to highlight closing day, held on the 19 th of September. Perhaps the best fun day of the year. Needs repeating on opening day. Talking of fun, the junior section have been playing the course backwards, seems to work well!! We introduced PREFERRED LIES for the Loch Arthur Trophy and this will continue until Spring Time. Last month I asked for your thoughts on our catering. We are fast approaching November when the Star Hotel has announced their departure. As yet we do not have a replacement. The lounge will continue to be open, during the winter, with a hot drink facility and hopefully a few of us will have marigolds to keep the cups in pristine condition. Maurice Halliday Club Captain
Office Matters We are now starting the preparations for the Club AGM which will be on Thursday the 17th of December so if you have anything you want discussed at the AGM can you please let the Office know (see the formal notice in the clubhouse). As the season is finished we intend to clean up in the gents locker room so if you have left anything you want in there please come and get it otherwise it may be thrown out. Also there are still unclaimed winnings from competitions over the season at the bar. Can members please check if there are still unclaimed by end November they will be returned to the Club funds. Club house Bar and Catering is now available to let. Terms are extremely favourable and enquiries to club captain Maurice 07768507019 Preferred Lies: The how to do: Preferred lies means a golfer can lift up the ball (if he or she want to) that has landed on a closelymown area and move it to improve the ball position, but not closer to the hole. A closely-mown area is any area of the course that is cut to fairway height or less and includes paths cut through the rough and the fringe/apron around the green. If the ball doesn t lie on a closely-mown area, the player can t take a preferred lie. USE YOUR SCORE CARD AS A MEASURE. The position of the ball must be marked first. This can be done with a tee, a pitch fork or e.g. a coin. Then you can lift the ball up and clean it if desired. The ball must then be (re)placed on a spot not nearer to the hole within the area specified, to avoid an unnecessary penalty of one stroke. The ball is in play as soon as it s placed on the ground. If the player picks it up again and moves it, he would incur a penalty stroke for moving his ball in play. Preferred Lies and other winter rules are not official Rules of Golf; instead, they are always a local rule. Plugged Ball. (when your ball is imbedded in its own pitch mark.) Always consult your playing partners before lifting and consult that they are happy after dropping. On the closely-mown area (fairway), take a preferred lie, as above. BUT> In the rough, without penalty, mark the ball position as above, lift, clean and drop from shoulder height as near as possible to the plugged position. 2
Ladies Section The nights are drawing in and the season is coming to a close but don't worry, there is plenty to look forward to... The Winter league starts on 3rd October at 11 30. Tuesday golf starts at 9.30 We are making arrangements for the Christmas party... details will follow as soon as possible. Congratulations to Gladys and Janet for winning the Dee Salver and to Amanda and her partner Sheila McMurtie who were the Scratch winners. I hope everyone has enjoyed their season. Keep practicing... the new season will soon be here. Helen STOP PRESS The SGU and the SLGA have now officially amalgamated. The new amateur golf body in Scotland is called Scottish Golf Limited. Do not expect to see any overnight changes, but better to move forward together in partnership. 3
Junior News Below is the card showing the 9 holes that the Junior Captain, Nathan Watson designed for the Juniors last Thursday night of the season. It proved to be so much fun that they asked to do it again the following week. There were some fantastic shots and quite a few provisional balls played Although it was a fun competition, there was some great shot making. The boys had to be in control of their balls trajectory and shape some shots around the trees. Thanks to Kay McMillan for helping to ball spot. The eventual winner of the Junior Captains Prize was Jack Norman. Hole Tee Green Distance 1 17 th White 1 st 245 yards 2 2 nd Yellow 3 rd 157 yards 3 4 th White 2 nd 270 yards 4 3 rd bottom tee 15 th 130 yards 5 16 th yellow 18 th 245 yards 6 1 st Blue 14 th 196 yards 7 15 th Blue 16 th 232 yards 8 1 st Yellow 17 th 325 yards 9 18 th Blue 16 th 332 yards Pictured below are - Junior Captain Nathan Watson teeing up on the 1st hole of their fun night, Callum McMillan teeing off from the 4th tee heading towards the 2nd green, and John Rodger driving off the first tee towards the 17th green, watched by Jack Norman and Patrick Innes. 4
Player Profile This month s star interview is with Gillian Rowlinson. Gillian is one of our newer members having also joined the ladies committee. She's is a very keen player and has had a good season having started 2015 playing off a handicap of 23. What's your handicap right now? 21 & what s the lowest it has been? Down to 21 this August, noted so close to 20 and silver division, therefore tried hard to get that one more good game and achieve this but!! Each subsequent game +0.1, +0.1...so frustrating! What's the best course you have played? Loved The Dukes St Andrews, played this month, played it with good friends that always goes for a good day out. What course would you most like to play that you haven't? Royal County Down Golf Club in Northern Ireland. Looks impossible (for a decent score) but quirky and beautiful. If you could only play links or parkland for the rest of your life what would you choose? Links Who would you pick to hole a 6-foot putt to win you 100? Laura Davies, if only?! Best player you've played with or against? So many fab lady golfers in Kirkcudbright, and in the region, who could choose? What has been your best moment in golf? Winning Solway Salver Powfoot 2015, retaining the win from last year. Who would be your dream 4-ball? Catriona Matthew, Laura Davis, Arnold Palmer and I; (indulgent I know but would have to be part of it!) Weirdly nickname at school was Arnold Palmer, (maiden name Arnold) but never held a club till I was 50! What is your favourite club in the bag? Have a great 52-degree wedge picked up at Kbt swimming pool charity shop that serves me very well. If you could change one thing about golf what would it be? Has to be the sexism, improving but still an issue. What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? Play your own game, keep it fun. What's your bogey hole at Kirkcudbright? 18th, don t know why but find it sooooooo difficult. (The 6th is also a pain, supposed to be easy but hitting the green I find a challenge). Do you have any golfing superstitions? Don't go in for superstitions, you either have a good day or you don't! Away from golf, what are your other interests? After many years, going to give squash a go again. Thanks for being a good sport Gillian and fingers crossed you can get down to 20 by the end of the year! 5
Coaching Segment with PGA Golf Professional, David Broadfoot This month I want to explain the importance of planning for the season ahead. The 2015 season has come to a close and NOW is the time to plan for the 2016 season if you want to make it a successful one! Improvement takes time, that's for sure. If you start your journey to improvement now, imagine the results you could achieve by April 2016. The off-season is when improvements to your technique can really take place. Take it from the guys on the PGA & European Tours, they work like crazy with their coach throughout the off-season to ensure they are better than they were when the new season comes around. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can forget about golf for a few months and come back in 2016 and be better than you were when you left. It doesn't happen! You only get better if you put some time into it. As the saying goes 'you get out what you put in.' This is so true when it comes to golf. You simply don't improve without working on your technique and putting some time into it. Throughout October, I am doing lessons on a 'buy one get one free' basis. This is a very cost effective way to identify weaknesses in your technique and start you on your road to improvement. This offer is unlimited throughout October, meaning you could buy 3 lessons and receive 6! Or even buy 4 and receive 8 if you wish! If you want to to improve this winter, get in touch and let's plan your road to improvement. You will be amazed at what can be achieved with a bit of effort and great direction from your coach. Tel 07894 319236, email dbroadfoot87@gmail.com And finally On Friday the 11th September David Picken had a hole in one at the 9th, in the weekly EGGS competition. This was some 40 years after his last hole in one, back in 1975! Well done David, great stuff!!! 6