CAPTAIN'S BLOG - NEWS

I will have served my term of three years as Club Captain at our next General Meeting in April 2018. I have decided that it is time for me to take my leave and give another member a chance to take this Honoured position. Being Club Captain comes with many responsibilities and expectations. Firstly you need to join the Board as an active contributor to help steer the Club in the direction set by the Board and to the expectations of the members. Then you have to assume the role of Club Captain and although an Honoured position, it is not an Honorary position,  but a hands on, day to day running of a business. Just to give you a small sample of the responsibilities you maybe considering undertaking, attached is a quick job description form, which is by no means exhaustive. You may ask, why would you take it on ? It's about giving back, with a touch of ego thrown in. You will receive enormous personal satisfaction, enjoyment and reward for taking the step. You will deal with multiple personalities, great members, the best ground staff in the business and support from all other directors, management and staff. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have absolutely no regrets. I came into the job with only a little golf experience , however, I was confident that if and when I made a mistake, I would be told. I have made many, but I am a better person for the experience. This notice of intention is written to give ample time for anyone who may consider they would like to offer themselves for the position, time to move into the roll for training over the next few months by joining the Board, assuming some of the Captains responsibilities and generally making the transition in an efficient, smooth and enjoyable way possible. At this stage I will be staying on the Board for a further 12 months and will act as a mentor to the new appointee, if required. All members who wish to lodge an expression of interest will need to be interviewed by our president to ensure they are fully aware of the responsibilities they are undertaking.   Although this is not necessarily the way that the roll of Club Captain has been filled in the past, we do not want to overlook any prospective new member who may wish to apply for the position. If you feel this position would suit you, I urge you to contact myself or Kevin as soon as possible to discuss it further. It is a most rewarding experience.

The final of the John Owens Memorial Knockout Trophy was played on Sunday afternoon in great conditions. This competition started with entries in August for the Handicapped 2BBB Stableford Match play event and after many rounds culminated in a match between Don Barker and Sam Mulholland against Robert Eriksson and Sam Hunt, welcome back Sam, for the trophy over 18 holes. The match got off to an even start, with all players eager to do well. You could feel the tension in the air as they putted for supremacy. It was Don and Sam who emerged as the force to contend with and they went on to win on the 15th, with 4 holes up with 3 to go. A great match played in good spirit. A suitable time will be arranged to present them with their trophy and vouchers, which will be recorded with a further report and pictures in due course.  Well done to all.

Twenty of our finest members, separated into mixed teams of two, took on the might of Moss Vale Golf Club for the annual Oxley Plate 4BBB Stableford. In absolutely great conditions, our pairs exceeded all expectations (mine at least) and we won 6.5 to 3.5. Hosting the event at Bowral obviously gave us an advantage, however it has been several years since we won the trophy. Moss Vale were very gracious in defeat and spoke highly of the condition of the course and the BBQ prepared by our ever pleasant Tim Davis after. It was a great day for all as we stayed for lunch and a few ales to toast our success. Picture shows Alison Mooney of Moss Vale relinquishing the trophy with some reluctance. They look forward to the return match next year at Moss Vale. I would like to thank all our players for a superb effort, played in great spirit, which culminated in a win for our club and cemented the bond that exists between the two premier clubs of the Highlands.

Members will recall, that this year, we introduced the new Men's Life Style Championship Cup, which was donated by our beloved President, Mr. Kevin Burke. This category of membership was designed to attract younger members up to 50 years of age to the club, however, they do not qualify to enter into play for the Club Championships. Accordingly,  It was deemed they should have a Championship Trophy of their own. The event was played over two stroke rounds on the same day as our Club Championship qualifying rounds. A new member, Simon Weston won the trophy with a scratch combined score of 166 over Chris Gabriel who had 168. Although I had not met Simon in the past, I had read his name out several times at presentations for winning Medals, competitions and Pro Pins. I caught up with him on the course on Saturday for an introduction and photo. It is exciting to see younger members like Simon and Chris making their mark in our Club. The trophy will be presented at our Anniversary Dinner in March next year.