Chairman's Blog August 2012

Comments from the Chair : Chairman's Blog August 2012

This is a working/live document and will be updated regularly

31/08/12

You will notice on the computer that we have put the new yardages against the holes (as measured on 20th August 2012)! This has been done to reflect the true length of the course. Obviously now the scorecards and the computer do not correspond. Please note that this does not alter how you put your scores into the computer in any way. When the new cards come we will alter the stroke indices.

We realise that we do have some qualifiers (Acheson Gray on 29th September and 6th October) for next years competitions and that it would be preferable/necessary for these rounds to be following the new distances and Stroke Indices. We are aware of this fact and will be ready to go in time for these qualifiers!

24/08/12

We have made a slight change to the site! In order to keep thing neat we are putting all the result from club competitions in the correct area of the site. They are split into the Mens and Ladies section in the "Members Golf" area of the site. Please visit them by clicking the below links:-

http://www.rytongolfclub.co.uk/mens-club-competitions-results

http://www.rytongolfclub.co.uk/ladies-club-competition-results

 If any competition winners would like their photograph to be put up alongside their name in this section the chairman would be more than pleased to do this!

22/08/12

The course has been measured which was the final hurdle before getting the new score cards printed. Interestingly the Medal tees have been measured 68 yards longer (the course is now 6099 yards long from 6031) the yellows are 93 yards longer and the reds 82 yards longer (now 5447 yards). This is very good news for SSS on competition days as hopefully with the degree of difficulty and Competition scores taken into consideration we should find SSS to 70 or 71 more often.

17/08/12

Course Re-measurement!

On Monday 20th August 2012 @ 8.30 am we will be having the course re-measured for our new cards, by Durham county. Please be aware that they will need right of way during this time for approximately 3 hours or so. It should not affect your game just let them through!

The main purpose behind this action is that the card at present is short in yards (of the medal tees, presently 6031) due to the changes that have occured over the years. We know that the course is difficult enough due to the trees and the number of out of bounds without being penalised on distances as well.

If the course measures up another 10 yards (to 6041) it should mean that the SSS for the course will be raised. We are hoping that this change will assist our Category 1 golfers to get even lower handicaps, but hopefully it will affect everybodies handicap over the next few years.


17/08/12

We are leasing 2 Fairway Riders in the next couple of weeks.

They will be available to members and visitors to use on the course.

The features are listed below:-

Foldable design for easy storage
2 speed drive with reverse
Front and rear shock absorbers
Eco friendly
Adjustable suspension for extra comfort
Handles hilly terrain with ease
36 hole capacity on a single charge
Helps retain ageing membership
Attracts new members
Appeals to members,guests,visitors and societies alike
Speeds Up Play Dramatically
Disabled Golf Society approved
Overcomes Equality Act 201

Please visit the website for further info:-

http://www.fairwayrider.co.uk/index.html


15/08/12

The golf season has drawn to a close and what a fantastic job Captain Mal has done this year. The teams finished mid table in both leagues. Well done to all the players on being fine ambassadors for the club. Click the link below to view final league standings:-

Hadrian League:- http://www.hadrianleague.co.uk/results/standings.asp

North Durham League:- http://www.northdurhamunionofgolfclubs.com/page3.htm

New Captain Required

We turn our minds to next year now and it has been a sad fact that whilst Captain Mal has had a lot of support from various members, he has not had a Vice Captain. This leaves the club with a dilemma for next year as we are "Captainless!" I therefore put out an offer to all those who are interested in this most prestigious post to step forward. Whilst the role is time consuming it is very rewarding. The post commences from the AGM in January for a term of one full year. We offer the post holder free membership for the year and an expenses package which covers the majority of out of pocket expenses. If you feel you would be interested in this role I would be grateful to hear from you. Please email me at :- chairman@rytongolfclub.co.uk

If you would like to meet up for a chat about the main responsibilities i would only be too glad to do that!

14/08/12

We had a long and interesting Board Meeting last night. The minutes will be posted on the website, as soon as they are written up, in the members area. The board are currently working very hard to make Ryton an even better place to play golf.

We will improve signage around the course, have new score cards with new (odds and evens) stroke indices, we are going to get the Durham county to reassess the length of ther course off the medal tees in order to improve our SSS, we are looking at the feasability of purchasing an "Air Compressor" for shoe and trolley cleaning, we are hopefully leasing 2 electric golf buggies to hire to members and visitors, we have had the clock fixed and it will be working again very soon.  This is just a sample of the ways in which the members will see a difference at Ryton.

There are some good pictures of Captain Mals Presentation Evening in the news items please be sure to check them out. The race night was a great success and a good time was had by all. Sam Henderson won the £100 prize for the nearest the pin on the 18th in the shootout! Well don Sam.

The Barthorpe Final was played for on Saturday and I am pleased to say that it was won by myself and Gill Beauchamp. Please see the pictures of this in the "News Items" section too! Well done us!!!

Congratulations go to:-
Dave Liddle for his "Hole in One" at the 14th on Sunday 12th August.
Shaun Embleton who shot 71 to win the Johnson Memorial Trophy for the lowest gross score
David Marshall who shot a Nett 63 to win the Brian Finneran
Tommy Muldoon who won the tickets for NUFC's season opener v Spurs

 

9/8/12

Well hello everybody! Where have you been, i hear you all cry! Its been a very busy 3 weeks (on my hols!!!) for me as it seems to have been at Ryton Golf Club. I have missed you all and now i need to catch up with the goings on!

Where do I start? Chronologically I guess maybe an idea.

15th July - The Club Championship was won by Sam Henderson - Big congratulations for achieving this 2 years in a row.

29th July - Captains Day - A big success. Well done Mal!

5th August - The Gents Open - Thanks to the effort of everyone who pulled together to make this a successful competition (even after play had been suspended due to rain!) and congratulations to Henderson Snr and Jnr for their haul of 45 points to win the comp.

The NDL and HL teams have had a mixed season. In the HL we finished 6th out of 16 teams and in the NDL we finished 4th from 7. A great big "thank you!" should go to Captain Mal and his managers Shaun Embleton and Nigel Bendelow for their efforts throughout a long and difficult season. Well done guys! 

The Ladies Team had some magnificent wins in their leagues too. Well Done All!

We have another Board Meeting on Monday which may raise some interesting points for me to report in my blog. Please keep checking in.

I would like to say thank you also for the very hard work done by Michael Rutter in his new post of Secretary Manager. It never ceases to amaze me how he can get so much happening at the club with so few hours in his schedule!

The website is still being hit regularly. Last month (July) we welcomed 2900 "Unique Visitors" to the site, which is another all-time record. I continue to attempt to make the site more interesting and have added a "Golf Tips" section which is worth a look. Again if any of you have any ideas for items for this or any other part of the web please let me know. Photos of "Captains Day" and the "Open Competition" would be especially welcomed and will be posted! 

Congratulations should go to Dave Johnson who completed the Chairmans Quiz and won the 4 Ball to Ponteland. I am considering doing another one after the success of the July quiz. Watch this space.


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