Competitions Committee Weekly Newsletter - September 4th

Saturday Competition – 6th September:

Bramhall Exchange Day

18 Hole Four-Ball Better-Ball Stableford. 3/4 Handicap. This year we will be playing from WHITE Tees.

Last Year’s Winners: Darius Virabi & Andrew Dickinson 46 point (yellow tees)

Other Competitions:

City Glass Alliance Foursomes Semi-Final - Sale drawn away to Worsley: Sunday 14th September

General Information:

Golden Jubilee Plate
The Golden Jubilee Plate (aka Golfer of the Year) current standings have been posted on the noticeboards and sent to HowDidiDo.

Handicaps
We shall shortly begin a series of Q&A articles with our Handicaps Committee to answer questions such as:

• What is Nett Double Bogey Adjustment?
• How is it possible to reduce your handicap with a “no return” in a stroke play competition?
• How is a new member’s handicap calculated?
• How are handicap adjustments calculated following exceptional scoring performance?
• What happens at the Annual Handicaps Review?

Philip Smith Memorial Trophy
Three golfers tied on 67 but the gold trophy goes to Christopher McKenzie who wins this prestigious competition on a card play-off with a back nine of nett 28.

172 golfers competed in difficult playing conditions. The toughest 9 holes were the stroke index 1 to 9 holes. The 3 easiest holes were the par 3 11th, 14th and 17th holes.

Slow Play:

Below is a link to the R&A’s website. There are four short videos to watch and guidelines regarding pace of play that some members may find helpful.

http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-Amateur-Status/Pace-of-Play.aspx

Rule of the Week:

Abnormal Ground Conditions

An abnormal ground condition is casual water, ground under repair or a hole, cast or runway made by a burrowing animal, a reptile or a bird.

Burrowing animals are digging quite a few holes in our bunkers. Within a bunker, if your ball lands in a hole or scraping that has been created by a burrowing animal (not a dog) then you are entitled to relief, without penalty. You may lift and drop the ball IN THE BUNKER, within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, but not nearer the hole (golf hole) than the nearest point of relief.

However, if the nearest point of relief, not nearer the hole is OUTSIDE the bunker and there is nowhere within the bunker to drop the ball that is not nearer the hole, then if you decide to lift and drop the ball OUTSIDE the bunker you would incur a one stroke penalty.

The same principle applies if you ball lands in a bunker that is full of casual water i.e. if you decide to lift and drop the ball outside the bunker you would incur a one stroke penalty.

A footprint of a burrowing animal, a reptile or a bird is an irregularity of surface from which there is no relief without penalty. There is also no relief without penalty from dog and human foot prints.