Captain’s Bulletin December 2020

Good afternoon all,

In last month’s bulletin I reflected on the depressing second lockdown that had been introduced which, once again, prevented us from enjoying the golf course. Thankfully, this was lifted, only to be followed by wet weather of almost biblical proportions! I am sure most of you have seen the photographs of the flooding on several holes and I must confess that I feared we would not see golf being played at Ramsey for some considerable time!
Thanks to the Herculean efforts of our small team of greenkeepers, it is remarkable that the course is back open, if still very damp in places.
I know, in some quarters, it is felt that the course should still be closed but, bearing in mind the Covid restrictions still in place, it really is important to be able to exercise safely and have some social interaction. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of every member (and visitor) to play their part in protecting the course and help minimise damage during these soggy conditions.
Neil and the team have roped of very vulnerable areas and used white directional markings for traffic. Please can I appeal to you to follow these and also try to pick the driest routes around the course. As you know, there has been a temporary ban on buggies but trolleys can also do a lot of damaged if taken through particularly wet areas.

A member has written to me this week expressing disappointment at the number of unrepaired pitch marks on our greens and I must admit that I have also witnessed this. It is really important to repair any you make and it would really help if you also attend to any others you see.

GREENS REPORT:
All members will be aware of the enormous challenges that the recent deluge has caused our greens staff and, in truth, they have worked miracles to get us back playing golf, albeit, in rather soggy conditions!
As you might imagine, the rain has delayed many scheduled tasks and we wanted to bring you up to date on the plan going forward.

Tree Maintenance
Further remedial work was scheduled in December on trees around the course. Unfortunately, this has had to be postponed due to ground conditions but the surgeons are expected to be back with us in the early New Year. Those of you that have managed to get out on the course will have spotted the work that has already been carried out on trees either side of the ninth hole by the electricity company.

Bunkers
As previously advised, we have a bunker improvement plan in place, with the one on the left of the seventh earmarked for early renovation. The intention is to replicate the work so
successfully carried out by our team on the front bunker of the second hole. Similar
improvement is being considered for the bunker on the left of the second which has suffered some collapsing. As you will guess, this work is very labour intensive and, as we intend to do as much as possible “in house”, this will not happen overnight.

12th Hole/ New land
The new land we have acquired behind, and to the right of the 11th green, will provide us with future options to extend the 12th hole and add some yardage to the course. Whilst there are no immediate plans to alter the course, we have now marked out the new boundary and prepared this for a new hawthorn hedge to be planted. This work would have been carried out by volunteers and, indeed, Neil has already procured the plants. The flooded ground has prevented us from cracking on with this, but, as soon as the water table drops, we will get these planted.

General Course Maintenance
To protect the course, it has not been possible to carry out the normal amount of grass cutting. Hopefully, the weather improves and Neil and the team can get machinery back out on the course soon.
As always, our thanks go to Neil, Richard and Matt for managing to keep us golfing!

NEW MEMBERS
Remarkably, in spite of restrictions, course closure and wet conditions, we have captured
another seven full golf members since by November bulletin! This really has been a silver lining for the club and suggests we are offering a great value, quality facility at Ramsey!

COMPETITIONS
Our intentions to kickstart the competition program, as reported in last month’s bulletin, has
been compromised by the weather but, as the course dries out, these will get fully underway. Remember to check your diaries and/or the notice board outside the Pro’s Shop for forthcoming events.

2021 GOLF DIARY
If you have not already done so, please make sure you collect your free golf diary in the Pro’s Shop.
These are readily available, free and essential for competition planning and other general information. There has been a great uptake so far, so make sure you get your copy!

WHS
It is great to see that, very quickly, members appear to have grasped the introduction of the World Handicap System. Thanks to Vice Captain Paul and the Handicap team, all relevant detail has been loaded onto the systems and the display boards now in place below the clock by the shoe cleaning machine, very clearly illustrate the shots you should be receiving from the various tees. Once conditions allow, please do start submitting cards as often as possible.

And finally ………. As we approach Christmas and the end of what has been a very challenging year, may I extend my sincere thanks to all the staff at the club, all the team on the golf committee, our board of directors, and the volunteers who give up so much of their time completely free of charge. Last, but certainly not least, to our great membership (golf and bowls) who have supported the club so well in 2020. I wish you all a very happy Christmas and look forward to a much better 2021!

Kind regards
Alan Mawhinney – Captain RGC
07802 892 693