our weekly news brief
Transcription
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?