our weekly news brief

SELBORNE BRIEFING
WeekWeek-ending Monday 1st June 2015
TEEING IT UP WITH THE GOLF SHOP:
RECENT EVENTS
Another lovely weekend in Selborne Paradise!
This weekend was an exciting weekend with Woody’s Invitational Alliance being the main event. With a
field of over 60 players and fantastic weather conditions players took to the course to battle it out for the
top five positions! Well done to all the players that participated in the event and we hope to see you for
the next Invitational Alliance on the 1st August 2015. A big thank you goes out to the sponsors of this
event, Food Lovers Market, Allen Hawkins, S.A Breweries and Barry Roberts - we appreciate your
support.
1st Place
Judah Gibson, Rob Gibson. Julius Dlamini and Brian Hendry
2nd Place
Dorian Dowsett, Trevor Jackson, Gordon Dowsett and Terry Dowsett
4th Place
Sean Johnstone, Allen Hawkins, Keith Brooking and Gerrie Hattingh
Thank you to Brian (Woody) Woodroffe for all the hard work he puts in to make this event the success it
always is!
Last week we sent out the Selborne Classic Entry form. Should you wish to enter please fill in the form
and forward back to Amanda on the following E-mail address [email protected] . If
you have not received the form please let us know and we will gladly re-send it.
Club Cards (Handicap Card)
Don’t forget to pre-load your golf club handicap card and receive 10% discount when purchasing from
the Proshop or halfway for meals and drinks.
2015 Selborne Classic. Don’t dare to miss out!
The Selborne Ladies league team travelled up to Margate on Sunday morning to play against
Portshepstone in what was the first of the South Coast Region League. Despite just losing out to Port
Shepstone, the ladies thoroughly enjoyed the day. The next League event will be played at Umkomaas on
the 7th June.
Wendy Freese, Resa Massey, Gabi Lachinger, Gerda Schenk, Thandekile Sokhela and Lizzie Russell
Well done to all these beautiful ladies that represented Selborne at Margate on Sunday.
TENNIS CLUB
The Tennis Club is active and busy. Every Saturday we have a clinic between 1 - 2pm. All levels of
players are welcome as we have tennis Pro Craig McCorral on hand to assist you with your game.
Unfortunately this Saturday 30th May Craig will be away but the tennis club will operate as usual. We
hope to see you there!
COURSE OF THE MONTH WRITE UP ON SELBORNE:
I have an abiding memory of visiting Selborne Park soon after it opened, and I immediately fell in love
with the unique, if somewhat quirky, layout. There’s a lot to like about the place; not least of all the
tranquil, country feel, the undulating terrain and the profusion of indigenous trees.
I have fond memories of being shown around by developer Denis Barker, who was justifiably proud of his
achievement. Barker had envisioned a rather special estate with a golf course – on real estate that was
well- suited to the creation of an interesting layout that required some accurate shot-making. This was,
after all, the first purpose-built course as part of a golf estate in South Africa, and it set standards that
many estates would try to match in the years that followed. Firstly, the low number and sensible
positioning of residential sites meant that the homes would not detract from the natural beauty of the golf
course, which had the advantage of having areas of magnificent, unspoiled coastal forest.
After meeting Barker and spending some time with him in the years to come, it was clear that his passion
for this creation never waned, and we would often debate the vagaries of course rankings, design
philosophy and, like typical golf nuts, we just enjoyed talking about golf courses and the game in general.
Over the years I have had the pleasure of playing at Selborne quite often, and I can honestly say I have
enjoyed the course more every time.
The layout was never designed to be a fierce championship test, but despite being short and eminently
playable, the changes in elevation, tight landing areas and optical illusions will keep even the best players
guessing.
The par-three, stroke-18 13th hole is one of four excellent short holes, and even at full stretch (only 137
meter’s), regulation figures can never be taken for granted.
I can’t imagine any golfer not thoroughly enjoying playing here, and when the wind blows, the course
really comes into its own. Overcoming the challenges of club selection becomes even more fun as scoring
becomes more difficult.
This magnificent property of some 80 hectares was originally owned by Lord Selborne, who was Britain’s
Under-Secretary for the Colonies and first came to South Africa to succeed Lord Milner as High
Commissioner.
The land was later acquired by Reynolds Bros Ltd, the company that operated the nearby Sezela sugar
mill. In 1954, the magnificent manor house (now part of a hotel) was completed by sugar baron Vernon
Crookes as a home for senior executives of his company, and when he retired in 1964, he bought the
property for his personal use.
In 1979, when the estate was owned by Crookes’ widow and came up for sale, Barker bought the property
and established a stud farm, breeding Jersey cattle. It was after a trip to the United States in 1982 that he
first played golf on a residential estate, and he began to consider converting his farm into South Africa’s
first golf estate.
It took three years for the necessary planning permission to be granted, and two years after that the
course was unveiled. Barker was well-travelled, and made a study of course architecture, and it must be
said that while many golf estates were developed with modern courses designed by some marquee names,
few have managed to create a course with such an endearing character.
The 5th hole is an excellent par four which, like most of the holes on this layout, looks a lot easier than it
plays.
The design and construction of the layout was very much a family affair, with the developer’s son Gary,
now a respected golf course consultant, helping out with the building of the course. As Gary Barker
points out, the original plan was to use the original meadow grass, kikuyu, for the fairways, but because
of the high humidity, this imported grass became stressed and the indigenous cynodon thrived. The
resulting blend of turf is a perfect surface from which to play, which is all golfers really want.
The Paspalum-clad greens have endured periods during which they became a little patchy. Under the
watchful eye of course Superintendent Hein Labuschagne, however, they have improved dramatically
and in terms of generally neatness, this course cannot be faulted.
The opening hole is a short par five, just a little over 400 meter’s, that doglegs to the left, and even the
shorter hitter will enjoy the prospect of getting close to the green in two. But as every golfer will soon
discover on this course, missing the fairway will be costly. The next hole is a driveable par four, but the
wise play for most would be to hit an iron off the tee, which will leave a comfortable approach with a
wedge. A much stronger par five follows – depending on the prevailing wind the green can be reached
with an accurate second shot but water, bush and out-of-bounds await an over-ambitious approach. As
the round progresses, one can appreciate just how logically the course is routed, and importantly, there is
a sensible balance between the reward for accurate shot-making and brute strength. What is likely to
strike the first-time player here is the wonderful variation of holes; each very different yet they all fit
together perfectly. The par threes are particularly good – the shortest is a mere 119 meters long, and the
longest only 152 meter’s, but all four are a joy to play.
First impressions are always important, and from the time visitors enter the gates of the estate and travel
the short distance on a winding road to the imposing but tasteful manor house, they cannot fail to be
impressed. Unlike at some of our high-density estates, one’s senses are not bombarded with architectural
monstrosities that serve as homes for the well-heeled, and one could believe that this is an exclusive
private club somewhere in England.
Not only is club selection tricky on the par-three 6th, but missing the green in the wrong place can mean
trouble.
Entering the manor house, where the entrance hall now functions as the reception area for the hotel and
lodges, one is struck by the beautifully crafted staircase and oak panelling, and all that seems to be
missing is the butler in full Victorian livery.
The evolution of Selborne has been interesting and not without a few low points in its history. Initially,
old converted railway carriages served as change-rooms and the halfway house, and the seven-room
manor house served as the members’ clubhouse.
In 1989, the new clubhouse was completed, and in 1992 nine garden suites were added. A conference
centre was also constructed. In 1996, Grinaker-LTA purchased the estate, and what had been a
guesthouse was extended to a 52-bedroom, four-star hotel managed by Southern Sun.
In 2001, a consortium, which included members of the Barker family, bought the estate, but after they
sold their share in the consortium, the course went through a period during which it was clear that its
conditioning was not a priority. What didn’t help was when the course was subjected to some severe
flooding after heavy rains in the region.
The good news is that the homeowners have taken ownership of the club, and the Orion Group now
manages the hotel. As a ‘stay-and-play’ destination, it doesn’t come much better than this.
The uninitiated golfer might wonder how a par-72 course that measures less than 6 000 meter’s, with its
reachable par fives and two driveable par fours, can resist being overpowered, but it does. It will certainly
entice you to come back and attempt to bring the layout to its knees, and even if you don’t succeed, you’ll
have a great time trying.
SELBORNE CALENDAR
Please click on the link provided below.
Selborne Park Golf Club Events Calendar
UP COMING EVENTS
All Players still participating in the Selborne Plate, please ensure your games have been played by due
date, otherwise they will be forfeited and the team responsible for organizing the games will not go
through to the next round.
Halfway Bridge at Selborne
To all keen bridge players, remember Halfway Bridge at Selborne, 08:30am on the 1st Monday of each
month. Should you have any queries please contact Shannon Tucker on 082 567 3667.
OTHER NEWS
Umdoni & Selborne are pleased to announce a reciprocity arrangement between the clubs on member’s
midweek competition days.
Members from both clubs will pay members rates at the host club.
Management from Umdoni look forward to hosting our members on Wednesdays.
Umdoni Pro shop:
039 975 1320 ext 1
Cell:
082079 1884
LEAGUE SCHEDULE:
Up and coming League dates, should any member wish to participate in these events, please contact the
Proshop on 087 135 0559 and speak to Ryan
DOG TROPHY:
28th June at Selborne
23rd August at Durban Country Club
COMPOSITE LEAGUE:
5th July at Selborne
26th July at Umkomaas
6th September at Royal Durban
Don’t forget the Selborne Classic Coming Soon!
PLEASE NOTE!!!
No under 18’s or unlicensed drivers are permitted to drive a golf cart on or off the golf course.
Pro Shop competition vouchers may now also be used in the Pro Shop, bar and restaurant.
Vouchers may not be used for Green Fees, Competition Fees or Cart fees.
WHACK IT WITH WILKES:
Tip from the Pro
Slow Greens:
Top spin on the ball is important on all parts, especially when they
are slow in pace. In order to achieve this, position the ball more off
the left foot (right foot for lefties) and always try to see the hole a
little further than the existing hole.
Competition Results:
Tuesday 19th May: INDIVIDUAL STABLEFORD
1st:
Trevor Jackson
36 Points
2nd:
Dawn Leader
30 Points
Friday 22nd May: CHICKEN RUN (INDIVIDUAL STABLEFORD) 9 HOLES
1st:
Neville Lloyd
17 Points
Almost time for the much anticipated Selborne Classic
Saturday 23rd May: WOODY’S INVITATIONAL ALLIANCE
1st:
Brian Hendry
Rob Gibson
Judah Gibson
Julius Dlamini
92 Points oco
2nd:
Trevor Jackson
Gordon Dowsett
Dorian Dowsett
Terry Dowsett
92 Points
3rd:
Pat Fowler
Chris Coetzee
Stuart Pennington
Peter Braithwait
86 oco
4th:
Keith Brooking
Gerrie Hattingh
Allen Hawkins
Sean Johnstone
86 oco
5th:
Gordon Manning
Linda Manning
Vernon Raath
Wadja Olivier
86 oco
Forthcoming Medal Competitions
The “Monthly Mug” is back.
Where possible this event will be played on the 1st Saturday of every month.
See below for the projected dates and formats:
MONTHLY MUG DATES:
6th June: Saturday
4th July: Saturday
15th August: Saturday
5th September: Saturday
3rd October: Saturday
14th November: Saturday
5th December: Saturday
73 more days till the Selborne Classic!
FORMAT FOR THE MONTHLY MUGS IS;
Ladies Division – Medal and will be played off the Ladies Tee.
Men’s A Division (0-9) will be played off the Gold Tees.
Men’s B Division (10-18) will be played off the White Tees.
Men’s C (19+) Individual Stableford and will be played off the Blue Tees.
This Week’s Competitions:
Tuesday, 26th May:
Tuesday School
Thursday, 28th May:
Members Competition
Friday, 29th May:
Chicken Run 14:30pm
Saturday, 30th May:
Members Competiton (Betterball Stableford)
Clubhouse Activities:
The Golf Club now has a generator in place which is exciting news and a fantastic cure to all these much
loved load shedding cuts we are experiencing. So should you require a hot cup of coffee when the power
is out feel free to pop in as the restaurant menu will be available as well to serve up a nice warm meal.
Talking about coffee the Club has a brand new coffee machine arriving soon which WANTS to make you
a delicious cup of coffee or expressos, lattes, cuppa chinos and so much more. So feel free to come and
enjoy a nice warm mug of your desired coffee with us.
Thursday, 28th May:
Beef Stir Fry
Sunday, 31st May:
Curry Buffet Evening.
Bookings Essential
087 135 0559
Meals from the Clubhouse Menu are available during the day
and in the evenings if booked prior to 5 pm.
Try Selborne’s Pizzas - available to ‘eat-in’ or ‘take-away’
Bookings are essential for the above.
Phone the Proshop for golf &
Amanda for meals on 087 135 0559
THIS YEAR’S ANNUAL TROPHY EVENT DATES
TROPHY EVENT
FORMAT
RESERVED DATE
Residents Trophy
Betterball Stableford
TBC
Selborne Classic
Betterball / Alliance
7, 8, 9 August 2015
Crookes Trophy
Betterball Stableford
7th November 2015
AGM Founders
Trophy Greensomes
21st / 28th November 2015 (TBC)
Captains Cup
Individual
TBC
Have you booked for the Selborne Classic?