Veterans Golf Club of Victoria
November 2018 Newsletter
President:
President Donald welcomed us to Cranbourne Golf Club for the House of Golf (Mentone) Trophy stableford competition and asked all present to thank the club for the use of their facilities, and their generous donation of our main raffle prize. The members had a, fine morning in which to play golf, if a bit humid. The course was in very good condition, except for the famous Cranbourne bunkers which had wet sand just to give our Vets an extra challenge. As always the lunch and clubhouse facilities were thoroughly enjoyed by the members.
Number of Players / Guests:
We had a good turnout today, with 50 members involved in the shotgun start. A late withdrawal for today's event was Terry Donohue. There were no guests. Steven Hassan has joined the Vets as of today, so a very warm welcome to Steven!
Apologies:
There were 18 apologies this month. Along with the 50 members who played this represents an interest in over 75% of our membership.
Starters today:
Donald and the members thanked Colin Wiseman, Keith Aldrich and Vice-Captain Jeff Stevens for a job well done in getting our groups off in time. The starters were kept very busy indeed, making sure we had a smooth shotgun start. As has been stated before, a significant benefit of the shotgun starts is that we all come into lunch more or less at the same time. Given the strong social 'feel' we have with this club, this is seen as very important. We also addressed the need to avoid slow play as we embrace the use of shotgun starts, as this results in our mingling more often with players/members from the host clubs. Our Captain will continue to be extremely vigilant on this matter, fully supported by your Committee. Please take pride in your club and always ensure that you "keep up with the group in front of you".
Membership News:
Our next golfing event will be the monthly stableford competition at Patterson River. Hopefully with the advent of some warmer weather and the prospect of a really good course at Patt River, we will see a large turnout on the day for what is our final competition for 2018. You will also get an opportunity to visit the Patterson River clubhouse, which of course is the venue for this year's Xmas function on the following Monday, 10th December.
We continue to make progress with our Members Contact system, with the loading of member's photographs. If you have still to do this, please see either John Molloy or Laurie Comerford during our lunch at Patterson River GC. It will be good to round this off for the end of the year.
Christmas function
President Donald stated that all members should have received their invitations to our 2018 Xmas function and Awards ceremony by now. It will be held on Monday 10th December, 2018 starting at 12.30pm for 1pm, at Patterson River GC. This function is open to all members, their partners and guests. If you have still to book your places, please do so online if you can. Otherwise, contact Jeff Taylor, Laurie Comerford or Donald MacDonald and it will be done.
Please remember that if stairs are an issue for you, there is a ramp to the Patterson River dining area on the street side of the Club-house.
CoM Business:
- The Committe has completed a review of our Life Membership guidelines. They remain largely the same, with the addition of some recognition given to those member volunteers who contribute to the club by either supporting fundraising regularly, or supporting matchday activities as starters.
- Backup support for our Secretary, Jeff Taylor is still needed.
- Discussions took place in regard to our 2019 season as this will be the 70th anniversary of our founding (1949).
Special Achievements:
In the past month or so, we have noted the following successes;
- George Weaver won the 'C' grade championship and the Veterans championship ( both played over a total of 4 separate events) at Centenary Park GC on the final day, 27th of October, 2018.Well done George!
- Peter Sloan won the Cheltenham GC Men's Par comp with a score of plus 6, playing off a handicap of 32, on 18th October, 2018. Terrific effort Peter!
- Alan Millard came 1st in a field of 204 competitors with a total of 45 stableford points (h/cap 33) at Keysborough GC on 31st October, 2018. This is a terrific effort as Alan has been recovering from some health issues recently. Well done Alan!
- Bernie Coyle won 'B' grade at Brighton GC recently, with a nett 61 off a handicap of 20. In Bernie's own words ... 'burglar!' ... Magnificent golf Bernie!
Vets Web Site :
The website continues to be the backbone of our club administration. Please use it regularly to keep in touch with club matters. If you prefer, you can email, text or call any Committee member on any club issues. They will be happy to respond.
Our webmaster, Laurie Comerford is happy to answer queries on the website. He is still seeking a member to assist with the web site and learn about the 'behind the scenes' aspects of the site.
Question time :
There were no questions.
VVGA Teams Championship
On 17th & 18th September our teams competed in the VVGA Teams Championship at Jubilee Park course near Wangaratta. At the last minute illness depleted our teams, so that instead of 3 three-man teams, we had 2 three-man teams and 1 one-man team.
Our star was the one-man team of Handicapper Ray Desmond who came overall second in the individual standings.
Jubille Park is right at the foot of the Warby Ranges, one of Ned Kelly's favourite stamping grounds. The 10th shows this relationship.
Our results were:
- Laurie Comerford (22 & 21 = 43), Harold Hayes (34 & 28 = 62) & Roger Selwood (28 & 27 = 55) => 160
- John Currie (24 & 27 = 51), Kel Tyler (32 & 27 = 59) & Ray Underwood (29 & 27 = 56) => 166
- Ray Desmond (36 & 33 = 69)