New Members Advice Leaflet

Hello and welcome to Ryton Golf Club.

We are delighted you have joined our club and want you to feel at home as quickly as possible. We have produced this document to give you valuable information about the club, which will help you to get the most from your membership.  No doubt all of our more established members will be happy to answer any questions.
Firstly please visit our website which will inform you of most of what you need to know about the club:-

http://www.rytongolfclub.co.uk/

Here are a few phone numbers that could be useful:-

Secretary - 0191 413 3253 option 2
Pro Shop (Ryan) - 0191 413 3253 option 1
Bar - Agnes - 0191 413 3253 option 3

Vets Secretary - Tom Carr

Vets Captain - David Cartwright

Catering & Functions - contact the Bar Manager or Secretary
.

COMPETITIONS

The club has thriving mens, vets and ladies sections for whom the competition season is roughly from April to the end of October.  Our club competitions (gents, ladies, vets and juniors) can be found on our diary page of the website.

You will find we also have many fun competitions throughout the year.

You can enter competitions as soon as you have a handicap index. This can be done by transferring your handicap index from your previous club (if applicable) or by playing 3 rounds of golf at Ryton (or any other course) with a current member, or anyone with a valid CONGU handicap, and submitting these “signed cards” to the Club Secretary.  Please ensure your membership "bag tag" is displayed on your golf bag at all times so that other members can recognise you as a member.

COMPETITION FORMATS

Some competitions are singles, some are doubles and some are mixed.
There are many formats which are played throughout the year, some are straightforward and others more complicated.
Singles formats could include:-

Medal, http://golf.about.com/cs/golfterms/g/bldef_matchplay.htm
Stableford, http://golf.about.com/cs/golfterms/g/bldef_stablefor.htm
Bogey,
Matchplay, http://golf.about.com/od/beginners/a/matchplayscore.htm
Strokeplay, http://golf.about.com/cs/golfterms/g/bldef_strokepla.htm

In Pairs you could play:

Better Ball, http://golf.about.com/cs/golfterms/g/bldef_betterbal.htm
Foursomes, http://golf.about.com/cs/golfterms/g/bldef_foursomes.htm
Greensomes, http://golf.about.com/cs/golfterms/g/bldef_greensome.htm
Texas Scramble, http://golf.about.com/cs/golfterms/g/bldef_txscrambl.htm
Silloth.

If you would like to play in a mixed/doubles competition and don’t have a partner please tell the competition contact person and we will try to find one for you.

Etiquette

We all want to enjoy our course and feel proud of the condition it is in.  Our greens staff work tirelessly and have priority on the course… so if you see them working on the hole you are playing, wait for them to signal for you to play.  Please help by repairing pitch marks, replacing divots and the pin carefully and not standing too close to the hole.  Please do not take trolleys or buggies onto tee boxes or greens and keep these away from the edges of the greens as well.  

For more information visit http://golf.about.com/cs/beginnersguide/a/golfetiquette.htm

At peak times our course can become busy and it is really important we all allow the group behind to play through if we lose a hole (i.e. fall 1 hole behind the group in front, maybe because you spent time searching for a ball or lost a ball).  Three minutes is the maximum time available under the Rules of Golf to spend looking for a lost ball.

Awareness on the Course

Our course is very compact and has some areas where holes cross or are in close proximity. It is therefore important to be aware there are a few key holes at which you need to take extra care and you may even need to wait for others to play. You will soon get used to these idiosyncracies; it just pays to be mindful of other golfers. There are a few public footpaths that cross our course and it is important to watch out for members of the public, who do have "right of way" at all times. It is important also that you read and take heed of all signage on the course.

1st) There may be players "putting out" on the 18th green which is adjacent to the 1st tee box. Please allow them to finish playing their hole before teeing off.  Be aware that the first green is reachable (if you are a big hitter), you may need to wait for the green to be cleared prior to playing.  Be aware that the mens' white tees are just behind the hedge, on the right hand side, and people standing there could be in range for long drives or even a badly hit shot to the green!

2nd) Do not drive from the 2nd tee (whites/reds) if people are waiting to tee off from the 17th tee box.  Be aware as you approach the 2nd green that people driving off from the 3rd tee box may inadvertently hit the ball onto the 2nd fairway!

3rd) The public footpath runs alongside the fairway. It is important to give the public right of way and ensure that you only drive off when the path is clear.

4th) Again there is a public footpath alongside the right hand side of the fairway.  Please do not play from any tee box on this hole if there are people on this path.  The winter tee box is adjacent to the 16th green, please be aware that people may be putting out.  You should not drive until the green is cleared.  When approaching the green, be aware of anyone teeing off from the 5th tee box as a pulled tee shot can be a hazard here!

5th)  Be aware of any wayward drives from the 15th tee box that may encroach onto the 5th fairway in the area approaching the 5th green.

6th) The public again have right of way on the path to the right of the tee box and fairway.

7th) The tee shot will cross a public footpath that dissects the course.  It is important to wait until this is fully clear, similarly if there are people playing from the 10th "yellow/winter" tee box to the right of the path.  Take care when walking to the green because there may be players teeing off from the 13th tee box on your right as you walk to the green.

8th) The road that leads to the club house runs parallel to the tee box and fairway. You need to watch for cars coming from either direction and although OOB, the road can be hit should you “Slice/Fade” the ball (right handers) or “Hook/Draw” the ball (left handers).

9th) If your ball goes to the left of the intended direction on this hole it may be heading down the 13th fairway, it would be prudent to shout “Fore” to attract the attention of possible approaching players.

10th) A very long and wayward drive left could land on the 12th fairway, please be ready to shout “Fore” should this occur.

11th) This hole is bordered on the right by the public footpath and on the left by the train tracks and a public footpath, all of these are OOB.  Please ensure you do not tee off until the footpath is clear!  Be aware of people teeing off from the 12th back tees who could be playing towards you.

12th) Again beware of the public footpaths to the right and left of the tee box which are OOB.  If members of the public are walking along these paths, they have right of way. It is possible if your drive goes left, to hit the 11th tee box.  In this case a very loud shout of “Fore” is necessary.

13th) The tee has priority over the 7th green, but watch out for members of public walking along the path that leads from Clara Vale to the river. Of course they have right of way!  Cyclists crossing the course from the river may be screened from view by the tree planting to the left of the hole, so be careful of this as well.

14th)  We do not tee off at the 14th if there are ladies playing the 15th as their tee box is very close to the 14th green.  Take care walking down the path, be aware that you cannot see the men’s 15th tee (to the left) and their shots are coming towards you as you approach the 14th green.

15th) Beware of drives that go long right as they may hit the car park!  If this occurs, whether a car is hit or not, you should report this at the end of your round to the office, for insurance purposes.  Drives long and left may reach the 5th fairway and require a shout!

16th) The 16th drive from the back tees takes you over the 15th green (if your tee shot is slightly left), you should therefore be sure that the green is clear before you tee off.

17th) The 17th has a very tight fairway.  A tee shot left or right may require a shout to those playing the 16th (to the right) or on the first green (to the left).

18th) The car park is obviously OOB. However a very wide/right tee shot could enter the car park.  As above, a visit to the office is required should this occur.

Whilst the above sounds like a great deal to remember you will soon get accustomed to it and in fact very few accidents occur on the course due to our "careful and diligent players"!

The Practice Area

Please feel free to use the practice area adjacent to the 5th fairway. Please be aware of drives from the 5th tee box which may go OOB onto the practice area.

DRESS CODE

The following dress code is applicable:

  1. Members and Guests are permitted to wear shorts on the golf course, together with either knee length or short socks.
  2. Acceptable golf attire is required at all times on the course. Shirts should be tucked in. Jeans, beach shorts, tracksuits, jogging suits, tight leggings, ski pants, t-shirts, or football shirts are not permitted to be worn on the golf course.
  3. Proper golfing shoes must be worn by all Members and Guests on the course.
  4. Golf shoes may not be worn in the bar/restaurant area of the clubhouse.
  5. All hats must be removed whilst in the clubhouse 
SOCIAL EVENTS

We have social events at the clubhouse and occasionally visits to other courses, across the year.  Keep an eye out on the web page, noticeboard on the stairs and by the bar.  Come along and bring your family and friends.

As a fresh pair of eyes you may have ideas/comments to help us to improve our course and facilities.  Please tell someone on the Management Board as we are keen to keep on improving .

Photos

See the gallery on the website

 


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