Golfers generally are in the happy position of being able to continue to play golf, albeit with important safety restrictions, during the continued COVID restrictions. Members have been hugely supportive in observing the latest government guidelines that allow the club to stay open. There was a hope that Monday 21st September would see the bar open in an unrestricted manner but sadly that was not to be.
The MC has decided to operate a restricted service for members in the open balcony area on a trial basis to see if this is feasible. The area is being refurbished using the proceeds from the 10.28 day ….so again many thanks to the Grealy family for this very practical support.
Hopefully we can return to a greater degree of normality once the current 3-week period comes to an end. In the meantime members are urged not to give COVID a chance …… stay alert, maintain social distancing, wear a face covering and wash hands frequently.
Lets all stay well and playing golf..
Membership Update
Everyone in the Club welcomes the obvious increase in new members who are bringing youth and energy to all our activities. The MC continues to monitor membership levels and we are now quite close to the maximum levels of membership allowed for in the club constitution.
And we continue to receive new applications on a daily basis.
At the moment of writing we have a total of 47 members in the intermediate category i.e.those in the 20 – 30 age bracket and this is a significant increase on previous years. We also have in excess of 100 members in the introductory membership category year 1 and 2 and we appear to be retaining a very significant proportion of those members as we go forward. At the time of writing there is a waiting list for 7-day membership!
The membership numbers change on a daily basis and the MC will provide a full membership profile in the end-of-year reports.
Club finances
Despite all the adverse conditions it has been a positive year financially for the Club. The increase in membership levels is one of the reasons for this healthy position. However it should also be noted that the membership increases are in categories that are, initially, heavily discounted.
The biggest contribution to our good financial position is, ironically, because we were closed for such a long period, our costs have also been reduced. The biggest factor in reducing costs, apart from obvious utilities costs, is that the club contribution to our staff wages was significantly reduced because of the government €350 COVID weekly wage subsidy.
Because our wage bill reduced our financial position improved. It is unlikely that this support will continue indefinitely and, once the supports are removed, the Club finances will again feel the strain.
AGM in a COVID situation
The MC is looking at contingency plans in the event that it proves impossible to hold the traditional in-person AGM in the beginning of December.
There is some essential business that must be conducted at the AGM that includes election to various positions that will become vacant at the end of the year. There is other business that could be arranged, because of the special circumstance this year, in a different format from other years.
The MC is currently looking at how best to manage the current situation. Ideally the Club AGM and the men’s and ladies AGM will adopt similar formats.
Hopefully the general situation will ease and it will prove possible to have all AGM’s in the traditional format. The MC will keep the situation under review and keep everyone informed as soon as the position becomes clear.
And on the course …..
The water supply to the on-course toilets has been resolved but there are additional issues around the wall tiling and plastering that need attention. Anyone who can help should contact Aidan Smith, Facilities Officer
The sanding of the greens has been successfully completed with minimum disturbance and there are plans to repair the pot holes on the entrance drive in the vicinity of the clubhouse.
Members may have noticed some new security cameras that have been installed in the car park area in recent days. These are part of an ongoing project to upgrade the security provision to protect the clubhouse and the car park from any unwelcome attention. The cameras will also protect the compound and the caddy shack.
Our current security system is somewhat outdated ……. the current cameras do not provide number plate recognition in the event of an intrusion. But the new system will offer a greater accuracy and detail. It will also allow direct supervision of the first tee and so help address any unauthorised access to the golf course.
A special word of thanks to Bernard Pender for his professional advice and support in this project.
Changes for 2020
There will be some changes to the membership of the MC at the end of the year. This is part of the process to keep maximum continuity in the MC by having one or two members change each year. This is a good process as it ensures continuity but also bring change and fresh eyes to the work of the MC.
This year Chairperson Evan Buckley steps down after 4 years in situ (where did the time go!). Aidan Smith is also stepping down from the position of Facilities Officer. So there are two vacancies to be filled. Membership of the MC is open to all ordinary or life members of the Club. Vacancies are filled in the usual way by a proposer and seconder who must also be either an ordinary or life member of the Club. The committee may also nominate an eligible nominee for election.
These are important positions and filling them with good people is important for the future drive and direction of the Club. Both Evan and Aidan, or indeed any member of the MC, would be happy to talk, in confidence, about what each role entails with any interested member.
President Paddy Chambers is also stepping down. The process of identifying the President for 2021 is part of the role of the Golf Council and a nomination from there is likely to be made public in the near future.
Club Captain Declan McCarthy and Vice Captain Tony O’Hare are continuing in their roles for 2021.
Lady Captain Rosemary Buckley is stepping down at the end of the year and the incoming Lady Captain for 2021 is Joan Halpin. The incoming Lady Vice Captain is not yet known but is selected by Joan for confirmation at the ladies AGM.
All the members acknowledge the commitment and dedication of all those, past and present, who take up committee roles in the Club. The Club would not be able to function without their tireless work on all our behalf.
And all committee members enjoy their work on committee and get a great insight and perspective on the complexity of running a golf club.
So maybe it’s your turn in 2021?
Some Golf news …..
it was really nice to see Joan Melvin win Lady Captain Rosemary’s prize recently. Joan was a very popular winner and is, as she says herself, an overnight success after 35 years trying!!
The Play in Pink day was a victim of an unseasonal day but nonetheless raised €1,600 for breast cancer research while the TLC day, with a full time sheet, raised just over €5,000 for St Francis Hospice.
It is wonderful to see the generosity of the members of Beaverstown as it continues to shine through in our great Club.
Well done to all concerned.
New Handicap System
A very significant change is about to be implemented on 2nd November in relation to players golf handicaps.
The idea is to unify a number of systems that are used internationally into a single system called the World Handicap System (WHS).
It is being introduced by Golf Ireland which is the joint body of GUI and ILGU and it will apply to both men and women golfers.
The simplest and most accurate information about the new system can be found on the GolfNow website where there is a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) section on the World Handicap System (WHS).All members are asked to read this document.
Some interesting points on the FAQ’s are as follows:
* the new WHS handicap for a person will be automatically calculated on the basis of the best 8 out of the last 20 scores submitted
* it will come into effect on 2nd November 2020
* each time you add a new score your WHS will automatically be recalculated on the basis of the best 8 of your most recent 20 scores (it appears that the 0.1 back system is gone!!)
* you may be able to submit scores from social and recreational golf in certain circumstances
* it may be possible in the future that matchplay and four-ball scores could be added to the system …. but not initially
* there are no buffer zones in the new WHS calculations
* WHS handicaps will be managed and adjusted automatically and on line.
These are just some of the points referenced in the FAQ’s and members are urged to read the text in full to familiarise themselves with the new arrangements …. the text is really well laid out and simple in its delivery.
Two new terms ….. Course Rating and Slope Rating
There are two new terms that are coming into golf conversations…. Course Rating and Slope Rating.
Here the Newsletter has to admit that these topics bring it well outside its comfort zone, its competence and it pay grade. So what follows comes with a bit of a general golf health warning!!
Course Rating is a number attached to each course in a club (bear in mind some clubs have more than one course). This number reflects the number of shots a scratch golfer can be expected to score on a particular course. It is possible to have two courses each with a par of 72 – one difficult and one benign. On this basis the scratch golfer might score lower on the easy course but higher on the more difficult course so the course rating might be 73(difficult course) and 71 (benign course) even though both courses have a par of 72.
To an extent then the Course Rating does give an indication of the difficulty of a particular course.
Slope Rating is a calculation that indicates how much harder a course is for a handicap player as opposed to a scratch golfer. A Slope Rating is calculated for each course and it is a number that falls within the range of 55 to 155. A Slope Rating of 113 is the rating of an average course.
If a course has a high slope rating (say 120) then that means that it is more difficult for a high handicap golfer to score than it is for a scratch golfer and in competition it is possible for the handicaps (WHS) to be adjusted to reflect that discrepancy. Equally if the Slope Rating of the course is less than 113 then it is easier for the high handicap golfer to compete with the scratch golfer and the handicaps can be adjusted to reflect that situation.
Any of these handicap changes will be made automatically through the new systems that are being introduced. Into the future courses will make their course and slope ratings public as a normal course of events and golfers can make informed decisions about whether or not particular courses meet their playing needs.
