MUNDESLEY GOLF CLUB NEWSLETTER Issue Date: March 2019 CONTENTS: Development Committee Business and Membership Captain s News Lady Captain s News Senior Captain s News Just Juniors Social News Other News News from the 19 th hole Entries for next issue to lmcquattie@hotmail.co.uk by 25 April 2019. Development Committee Business and Membership THE CLUB OF CHOICE After the recent gale-force winds spring is with us at last! The course has stood up well to the winter and much good work has been completed including the refurbished bunkers on the 9 th. A superb testimony to the skills of Richard, Phil and Allan. Our lovely course, our major selling point, will continue to blossom as the clocks move forward and better weather promotes growth and the hope for a wonderful summer. New members and care for existing members is a key to our success, stability and opportunity to engage in new projects. You will be aware that the aim is to attract 90 new paying members during 2019 and, to date; we have recruited over 30 people in various categories. The Board are developing a strategy to bring affordable golf to the people of North Norfolk and for Mundesley Golf Club to become the hub of the community. As you will have noticed, the shop is manned every day by volunteer members who have kindly given up their time to help the club. As previously stated, the shop is open at all times throughout the working week and is not only providing a full service for existing members but also seeking to attract new business into Mundesley Golf Club.
This point of contact is key to the achievement of our new membership target. As the year progresses existing volunteers are taking holidays, so we urgently need to recruit more helpers. The work is interesting and full training is available. I am only talking about devoting two half-days per month to the cause. Mundesley is very much a members club and this support is vital for the management of cost as we negotiate the financial challenges ahead. Please give some consideration to making yourself available and let me know if you are prepared to give it a try. Without the generous volunteer help it would not be possible for the shop to be open all day every day. If the shop is closed it is not only bad for members but it does not show the club in a good light to visitors and possible new members. The tee-sponsorship programme suffered a significant setback when the lorry delivering the new markers was involved in a serious accident irretrievably damaging many of the signs. This sad state of affairs has caused a delay. The Chairman hopes to be in a position to let you have an update on the situation very soon. John Sewell is fully committed to leading the strategic planning process and a number of members and staff have already given a great deal of time and energy to make the exercise a success. Once completed the document will provide a blueprint for the future enabling the club to focus on growth, prosperity and importantly, enjoyable golf and friendship. Andrew Keates Captain s News What a difference a year makes. March last year brought the beast from the East and this year perfect golfing weather for early spring. Ideal since it s the time of year when the golfing calendar really gets into full swing. Alternate Monthly Medals and Stableford competitions continue to take place and over the next few months 9 hole competitions will become part of the calendar allowing members with 9 hole membership to take part in qualifying competitions. Three teams play in the first round of the Norfolk County KO competitions in April. The Barnard team play their first match at home against Middleton Hall on Wednesday April 24th tee off at 9.00 am. Page 2 of 10
The Myhill team start at Ryston Park and the Cullington team at Costessey Park. Both matches take place on Sunday April 28th and these are 36 hole matches teeing off at 9.00 am and about 1.00 pm. Your support at all three matches would be appreciated. All sections of the Club are starting to play inter-club matches and it gives a lot of members the opportunity to represent Mundesley and play a variety of Norfolk courses. The Captain s Charity Day takes place in May and it s great that we already have a full start list of 17 teams. I m hoping that the weather is as kind this year as last and we can raise a good sum for The Benjamin Foundation - my and Di s charity this year. Enjoy your golf. Dave Lady Captain s News with rushing winds and gloomy skies the dark and stubborn winter dies We had a pretty rough February as far as the weather goes but still a good number of ladies appeared on a Wednesday, some to play golf, others to enjoy a lovely lunch and others to play Bridge and even Mah Jong. We finished the Winter Eclectic and Winter Shield competitions and held our first fund Raising competition in aid of the Macmillan Cancer Relief Fund. Results are as follows: 27/2 9 hole stableford (back 9 Christine Bridgeman 12pts Brenda Pearce 6pts 18 hole stableford (w/s5) Shirley Davies 35pts Bet Howsen 31pts Margaret Moore 31pts 6/3 18 hole Medal (N/Q) Shirley Davies 75pts Janet Brown 79pts Diana Clarke 81pts Scratch ball Jenny Smith Page 3 of 10
20/3 Winter Shield Aggregate Bet Howsen 127pts Janet Brown 118pts Angela Ellis 109pts C/B Lorraine Stuart 109pts 20/3 MacMillan Cancer Relief Bet Howsen 33pts Tish Peal 32pts Angela Ellis 31pts 20/3 Winter eclectic (possible 12 cards over 12 Holes, par 45, 50% h/c) Janet Brown 7 rounds 39.5 Angela Ellis 12rounds 41 Bet Howsen 9rounds 41.5 Gillieson Cup In preparation for our County Knockout competition, the Gillieson Cup, a practice round was hosted at Home against Gt Yarmouth and Caister. The match was halved 2/2 well done ladies good start. The first round will be played on Sunday 19th May. AWAY at Royal Cromer. Supporters welcome. Diamond Knock Out Competition The first round of the DKO will be played at HOME on Monday 1st April (tee time 1.00) against Sheringham Ladies. Ryan is supporting the ladies with coaching sessions throughout the run up to these events. Huge thanks Ryan. Sue Peacock and Tish Peal played in the Daily Mail Foursomes on 28th February at the Links, West Runton but sadly were only just beaten on the 17th. Ladies Coffee Morning; 10th April This event is our main fundraiser of the year and we hope to see all members come and have a cake and coffee and try their hand at a few fun competitions and enjoy the company of the ladies. The Silent Auction prizes are being advertised throughout the club and on the websites. Please, please place your bids early for the wonderful prizes on offer. Page 4 of 10
Fashion Show in AID of the Captains Charity the Benjamin Foundation Coming soon SAVE the DATE Friday 10th April - 7.00pm at the club house. Delightful opportunity to view ladies clothing for all occasions by JUPE of Mundesley and Golf Clothing from the Golf Shop (modelled by our very own Ryan Clarke and other surprise models!!!! Tickets 8 inc glass of wine. And Finally: Golf week will take place all week at the club between Sunday 9 th and Saturday 15th June. There will be an exciting and varied selection of events on offer for all ages, gender and level of ability including those who have never played before. Members and NON members alike. WATCH out for MORE information coming soon. HAPPY SPRING GOLFING Diana Senior Captain s News We've finished the cold and rain of February and now have the winds of March. Our first competition this month was the "Bill Dean Memorial Trophy". The trophy was won by Keith McKenzie with a nett 69, second was Richard Knights on count back, with Steve Cook in 3rd. Thank you to all participants for turning out in such testing conditions. We played our first friendly fixture at home against Great Yarmouth & Caister on the 18th. Unfortunately, we came second, losing 4-2. We next play Gorleston, again at home on 26th. Let s hope for a better outcome to this match. Our noticeboard is very busy at the moment. There are signup sheets for both the Summer KO's and the Eclectic. Please note that there have been some changes to the Eclectic which are displayed on the signup sheet. If you have entered any of these 3 competitions and not paid the entrance fee, please make sure you have paid before the closing date. There is a list up on the noticeboard to remind those who haven't paid. Page 5 of 10
On the 1st April we are running a 9 Hole Stableford competition. This will give members finding it difficult to complete 18 holes, + any new 9 hole members a chance to play in a qualifying competition. It will be scored over the front 9 which means players can continue and play 18 should they wish. This is the first time we have run a 9 Hole competition, and if it is successful, we will look to play this format again. A sheet is up for the Winter Fourball to take place on the 8th April. After the closing date a draw will take place and pairs will be drawn, each pair will play a Stableford and their combined scores will count. I promise, all will become clear on the day. This is a trophy competition and there will be a meal and raffle on completion. Finally, there are two friendly matches in April, both at home, against Sheringham (16th) and West Runton (18th). Remember, playing in a home match will give you preference, should you wish to play in the away match. So, sign up and play. The seniors committee have agreed that they would like to try and send 4 players to other clubs seniors open competitions to help promote MGC and to hopefully encourage other clubs to play in the MGC seniors competition. We have selected the following three competitions: Wensum Valley Seniors Open 18 hole pairs stableford cost - 55 per pair - Wednesday June 19th Bourn Golf Club Cambridge 18 hole pairs Betterball stableford cost - 60 per pair - Thursday 27th June Woodbridge Golf Club Suffolk - 18 hole pairs Betterball stableford cost - 80 per pair - Tuesday 17th September Could you please let John Sewell or myself know if you are interested in playing at these Opens by the end of April and we will organise and enter the teams. Further details of these Opens along with other competitions are available in the folder under the notice board opposite the shop entrance. Anyone can enter any of the Open competitions in the folder if they are interested, however, they will need to organise entry themselves. Page 6 of 10
Now the Clubs monthly Stableford/Medal competitions can be played on a Friday some of the 7.30am Rollup players have expressed an interest in playing these competitions. I would therefore suggest, players wishing to play causal golf go out first and players wishing to play the competition go out second which should stop any holdups. Don't forget to invite your golfing friends to play in the Mundesley Seniors Open on Friday 17th May. Speak to Ryan or myself for details. Well, that s it for another month. Enjoy your golf. Mike Clark Just Juniors With the temperatures rising and the daylight hours lengthening there is now more opportunity to get out onto the course to play some golf. It s very gratifying to see that we now have 17 junior members and a very pleasing loyal following attending regularly at Saturday coaching sessions. With the stalwart help of Jim Davie and now Billy Quantrill with the monthly Stableford competitions, our youngsters will benefit greatly from their one to one support around the course. Junior membership numbers are growing and I am now looking for extra support with the Junior section. If any of you would be willing to help it would be much appreciated, especially during the summer months when there are many more Junior competitions. After all, the more adult involvement we have the more we can offer. Please speak to Ryan or myself if you might be interested in supporting our Juniors. March Stableford Results 18 Hole Competition. Handicap Points New Exact 1 Finley Burnett- Kiernan 16c 42 14.8 2 Max Cutting 35c 36 35 9 Hole Competition 1 Theo Pudney 54c 23 51 2 Will Payne 37c 22 35.1 3 Matthew Cozens 40c 18 40.2 4 Will Pudney 54c 11 54 Some wonderful play from all of our youngsters this month, including handicap cuts for Finley, Will Payne and Theo. Well done boys! Page 7 of 10
We have two County competitions to prepare for in the coming few months. The Bass Trophy where we have been drawn with Royal Cromer and the KK Smith Trophy where we will be playing King s Lynn. We have a very young team at the moment, but I am sure that playing in these County competitions will be a great experience for everyone. The new Girls Golf Rocks programme is to start with a taster session at Mundesley on 4th May and then coaching sessions will follow. The aim of the programme is to encourage more girls to take up golf. So, if you have any young girls interested in your circle of family and friends watch this space. There are many goodies up for grabs (including a free nine iron) as well as expert coaching from our wonderful club pro! We also hope to take part in the Super Sixes League with our beginner juniors this year. This means that those with a handicap higher than 36 get to play 6 short holes both at home and away against other clubs. The aim is to get children onto the course, to take part in match play and to start enjoy playing competitive golf. We have many new initiatives to look forward to with the growth of the Junior section. Hopefully funding for these initiatives will follow. With the continued support of parents, the constant enthusiasm of our Junior Committee and the added expertise of our Club Pro, the future is looking very promising for our young members. Ros Fretwell Social News As with previous years during the first three months of the year, it s been very quiet on the social golfing front but that is about to change in two ways. Firstly, the weather is getting better and the days are getting longer. Secondly, the ever so popular Tuesday Social is back! Starting on Tuesday April 2 nd and hosted by our ever popular Eric Willson with guest hosts popping up on some Tuesdays along the way. Some of our new members may say What is the Tuesday Social? Well, it s a come along at 3 o clock on a Tuesday afternoon, sign in with your host hand over your thirty bob and be paired up with other members in either a two, three or four ball and off you go for your nine holes of fiercely competitive golf. Hand in your card after your round, enjoy a drink or two, have something to eat and then have a good old Norfolk mardle with your newly acquainted golfing friends. When all competitors have come in your host will complete the leaderboard and the winners will receive their prize money. It won t be enough to retire on but it may buy a pint or so from the bar! Page 8 of 10
This year there will be thirty Tuesday Socials in all, with approx. half being qualifying rounds that count towards the Social Championships (Men, Ladies and Juniors). Also, for those that take part in a certain number of Tuesday Socials they will qualify for a complimentary Bangers n Mash meal on the last Tuesday Social of the year, which is October 22 nd Also, due to some interest from a recent survey of the membership, there will be a trial of a Friday Social starting very soon. This will be an unofficial event to start with and will be run separate to the Tuesday Social. If successful, this could be incorporated into the Social calendar in future if there is enough members participation. Whilst on the subject of the Socials, the Tuesday Social on April 23rd, which is St Georges Day, will be a Social special. Starting at 1400 hrs through to 1630 hrs, there will be a 12 hole scramble and there will be a Chefs Special board which will include some English classics. I d prefer some Scottish Classics but hey, I have to bite the bullet sometimes!! So, make a note in your diaries for the 23rd April, let s have plenty of golfers turn out and have a good afternoon at this special Tuesday Social and enjoy some good food afterwards. Looking slightly into the future, the next event on the Social calendar will be the Spring Bank Holiday Scramble on Monday May 6 th. So, look out for the sign up sheet on the Social noticeboard and various other media for further information. That s almost the lot from me this month but I would just like to let you all know that the Social Committee has completed their part in the Mundesley Golf Club 3 Year Strategic Plan, which most of you will have heard about. From this plan there are two main action points that stand out which I feel that the membership should be aware of. The first is for the Social Committee to establish a diary of eight social golfing events per year going forward (including 2019). The second is for the Social Committee to establish a diary of six nongolfing events per year going forward (including 2019). Page 9 of 10
These two action points and the others in the plan can only be successful if the members buy into it by supporting these events. So, come on our membership, let s make it happen! Other News There is an away mixed match against Dereham on Sunday 5 th May starting at 1245 hrs. It s a Greensomes format and the club is looking to play 6 pairs in this match. There is a sign-up sheet on the noticeboard at the top of the stairs. So, if you want to play, don t delay, get your name down today! News from the 19 th Hole Its that time of year when things are starting to happen and we are getting busier. The clocks change on Sunday 31st so with the longer evenings there is plenty of time to squeeze 9 or even 18 holes in then a few drinks in the bar to talk over your round. Tueday evening socials start on Tuesday 2nd April so come along from 3pm every Tuesday for 9 holes of very social golf followed by a drink, a meal and a mardle! Don't forget you can invite your friends and family for a meal any time but especially on a Tuesday evening when there will be some tasty Chefs specials on offer. We have a new draft cider on sale - Kingston Press it is very light and refreshing with a full apple flavour. Also we will soon see the return of Eagle bitter to give you the choice of two real ales. The bar is now getting in to the season and busier every day! Page 10 of 10