Pin Hi Winter 2014

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ROYAL QUEENSLAND – AN INTROSPECTIVE Royal Queensland Golf Club is a traditional golf Club in terms of standards, particularly in relation to dress and etiquette, and in line with our twenty two (22) premier Australian Reciprocal Clubs, our top ranking international Reciprocal Clubs and our membership of the unique worldwide band of sixty five (65) Royal Clubs. Our camaraderie is unique in my experience and is a notable feature of Club life. We are very open and welcoming to new Members and Associates. Our ethos, what we stand for and believe in, is inextricably tied to all aspects of Club activities. That is not to argue that we are perfect or better than anyone else, but over many years a clear set of values has been maintained, as seen each day in the Clubhouse and on the course. These values at times manifest themselves through small gestures, as when a Member or Associate sitting alone is invited to join another table. The Club policy of conservative financing (basically no debt) is sound in a worldwide golf market with declining participation rates. This policy underpins our whole Club. Yesterday’s standards and achievements will mean little if those standards and policies are replaced by changes which adversely impact on our fundamental values and traditions. Differentiating our Club from others, in my opinion, continues to be the single most important aspect of securing our future. We must stand for something well above the lowest common denominator. The Board strives to carry forward our traditional standards, interpreted in a contemporary way, but always remaining relevant to the membership. An integral aspect of the value of Club membership is our unrivalled range of Reciprocal Clubs. Our Members are great travellers in Australia and around the world, particularly in Europe, although Asian and South African Clubs are being increasingly visited. The Club exists for the benefit and use of the membership. Let us make sure that we continue to respect, enjoy, and embrace our ninety four (94) years of rich achievement. Des Knight The Official Newsletter of Royal Queensland Golf Club Winter 2014 Edition President’s Report JDP Programme 4 Associates’ News 5 Course Manager’s Report 6 Pro Shop Pronouncements 8 Welcome to New Members 9 Rules are Rules 10 Heritage & Memorabilia 10 Inside This Issue Coming Events 12 Communiqué from the Captain 2 PIN HI

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Royal Queensland Golf Club PIN HI Winter 2014

Transcript of Pin Hi Winter 2014

ROYAL QUEENSLAND – AN INTROSPECTIVE

Royal Queensland Golf Club is a traditional golf Club in terms of standards, particularly in relation to dress and etiquette, and in line with our twenty two (22) premier Australian Reciprocal Clubs, our top ranking international Reciprocal Clubs and our membership of the unique worldwide band of sixty five (65) Royal Clubs. Our camaraderie is unique in my experience and is a notable feature of Club life. We are very open and welcoming to new Members and Associates. Our ethos, what we stand for and believe in, is inextricably tied to all aspects of Club activities. That is not to argue that we are perfect or better than anyone else, but over many years a clear set of values has been maintained, as seen each day in the Clubhouse and on the course. These values at times manifest themselves through small gestures, as when a Member or Associate sitting alone is invited to join another table. The Club policy of conservative financing (basically no debt) is sound in a worldwide golf market with declining participation rates. This policy underpins our whole Club. Yesterday’s standards and achievements will mean little if those standards and policies are replaced by changes which adversely impact on our fundamental values and traditions. Differentiating our Club from others, in my opinion, continues to be the single most important aspect of securing our future. We must stand for something well above the lowest common denominator. The Board strives to carry forward our traditional standards, interpreted in a contemporary way, but always remaining relevant to the membership. An integral aspect of the value of Club membership is our unrivalled range of Reciprocal Clubs. Our Members are great travellers in Australia and around the world, particularly in Europe, although Asian and South African Clubs are being increasingly visited. The Club exists for the benefit and use of the membership. Let us make sure that we continue to respect, enjoy, and embrace our ninety four (94) years of rich achievement.

Des Knight

The Official Newsletter of Royal Queensland Golf Club Winter 2014 Edition

President’s Report

JDP Programme 4

Associates’ News 5

Course Manager’s Report

6

Pro Shop

Pronouncements

8

Welcome to

New Members

9

Rules are Rules 10

Heritage &

Memorabilia

10

Inside This Issue

Coming Events 12

Communiqué from the Captain

2

PIN HI

Welcome Members to another PIN HI. With Winter finally arriving the course is looking and playing terrific as usual. The sides of the fairways have browned off and highlight the green strips of fairways, and the greens have topped 12’ on the stimpmeter. Slightly reminiscent of Scotland with a little imagination. The last few months have been busy as usual with plenty of great golf. Congratulations to our 2014 Senior Club Champion David Klaffer who has been one of the form players this year, taking out the final against Brad Anderson. In the Junior Championship Ben Perkins had a great game against James Cincotta and is the Junior Champion for 2014.

In other events played over the past few months, congratulations go to the following winners: Father and Son Trophy Barry and Bill Ryan

Family Trophy Domenica and Victor De Pasquale

Sir Leslie Wilson Cup Richard Mathews and Chris Potter

W.P.Devereux Trophy Jim Webster

AIF Cup Michael Brimson

Autumn Cup Peter Craig

Club Foursomes Championship A.J. McCoy and Josh Pedder

Sydney Stanna Bond Trophy Peter and Jason Craig

Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews Trophy Greg King

Holden Scramble John Duncan, Tony Child, Josh Pedder, David Child

President’s Trophy John Haberla

Mixed Foursomes Championship Ben Perkins and Christina Mew

Putting Championship Chris Jimenez

To all Members and Associates who made the Reciprocal Clubs weekend a terrific success I would like to say a personal thanks. It is weekends like these where we get to showcase our course, Clubhouse, and the camaraderie that is typical of RQ, and leave our visitors with a lasting impression. The best advertising is via someone else’s positive experience and this cannot be bought. Again thank you to all involved. Following the recent unveiling of the Von Nida statue at Nudgee Golf Club, both Nudgee and RQ have agreed to play an annual match in honour of Norman Von Nida. The Von Nida Trophy will be played in Match Play format between the two Clubs with the venue alternating each year. The team will consist of the lowest Monthly Medal winner from each month plus each Club’s President, Captain, and Professional. Further details will be released shortly. Our works on the bunkers are progressing well and we will review all works again in a month or so to ensure they have all settled in as planned. With the impending spring weather some greens will have an outer ring of turf sprayed, removed and then replaced to remove the common couch incursion. The common couch that gets in between the fairway blue couch and the greens 328 couch cannot be sprayed out easily without damaging the greens 328 couch.

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Communiqué from the Captain

The September / October period will also see the commencement of the works to allow tidal water across the front of the 8th. This is intended to only be ankle deep but enough to feed fresh quantities across both small lakes to also improve water quality and assist in keeping the buildup of surface bacteria to a minimum. The 2014 Pennant season gets underway in early August and this year we welcome many new faces to the team. With a win on the Opens in Division 1 last year the whole team will be looking to try and go one better. If you have an interest in assisting as a caddie please do not hesitate to contact me. We as always welcome any supporters who might like to turn out at our home games on Sunday mornings to cheer on the team. With the assistance of Golf Queensland we will again run a Rules night. The date is 6th August at 6pm and will be open to all Members and Associates. The last one we ran a couple of years ago was well patronised. It was a very interesting evening with many interactive examples of on course situations. A rules exam can be sat at a later time online for a small fee. Members may have seen recently in the Courier Mail a notice relating to a road closure on Curtin Avenue West. This is related to the land between the kerb and mangroves as you drive to the Club. This land will in the future be converted to carparks to support the office buildings on the other side of the mangroves in Northshore and will be joined by walkways through the mangroves. These development areas will stop short of the access point beside the 9th black tee, but expect to see activity along this strip as you drive to the Club over the next 12 months. Regarding our reciprocity with Royal Melbourne Golf Club, some Members are under the impression that a quota of games is in place. A quota is not in place and has not been for many years. Members of RQ are required to pay a green fee—as is the case with all Royal Melbourne’s reciprocals. For those who have enquired the Captain’s Black Marker Challenge will be on again this year and the likely timing will be mid October. This year’s Pro Am is on 19th September, not the 12th as shown in the Fixture book. This year’s event promises to be a great day and will again mark the completion of the bmag Week of Golf. I have also organised the Week of Golf in RQ’s Pro Am to be screened the following week on the Golf Show. A big thank you to all the Members who have shown their support for this year’s event, as the Royal Queensland Cup will be totally sponsored through the generosity of Royal Queensland Members. In closing I would like to thank the Members for their continued support and I look forward to the remainder of the golfing year being a successful one for everyone at Royal Queensland Golf Club. Ralph Heading

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Communiqué from the Captain (continued)

This year it is RQ’s turn to travel to Avondale for the weekend of 27th and 28th September. For all interested Members, Associates, and couples please register your interest with the Golf Service Centre. Avondale is finalising its arrangements for this event shortly and we will ensure that everyone who notifies an interest is kept abreast of the details as they arrive.

Visit to Avondale Golf Club

Young Golfers, Parents, Grandparents The last three months have been a busy time for all our sections. Junior Development Programme As the season has progressed, our Coaches Richard, Andrew, and Chris Berndt have gradually increased the specific golf skills content and reduced the general developmental skills content in all groups, although both areas remain important. The Gold and more advanced Silver groups have been spending more time on the golf course, progressing the skills learned during the coaching sessions into the art of constructing a round of golf, with the less advanced Silver and Bronze groups utilising our new practice ground holes to begin to learn the basics of club selection and scoring. These new holes have allowed us to introduce "proper golf" at a much earlier stage than would have been previously practicable. We have also conducted a Monday competition for JDP participants during the recent school holidays, and will repeat this during the Spring holidays. Enrolments are still being taken for the second semester. Please contact Cathy in the office for further information.

Pee Wees Our youngest Golfers have been a pleasure to teach. The attention span of the whole group has been such that we have been able to introduce golfing skills with plastic clubs and soft balls at a much earlier stage than anticipated, much to the delight of children and parents. Junior Section The fortnightly after-school clinics for our Junior Members with Chris Rutherford have been enthusiastically received and will continue in the second semester. A successful second inter-Club fourball match has been held, this time with Virginia GC, and dates are being investigated for the two return matches before the end of the year. The lower handicap Junior Members are looking forward to the Pennant season, with strong competition for places in the team.

Suddy MacKechnie

Club Vice-Captain and RQ Adam Scott JDP Co-ordinator

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RQ Adam Scott Junior Development Programme

It has been a busy few months for Associates, with perfect weather and no rain to deter or postpone matches. It is not an easy task to compile a successful golfing programme and fit the many Honour Board and other events into the timetable. Judy is to be commended on a job well done. Our first Invitation Day for 2014 was on Tuesday 29th April. A wonderful day of golf, lunch and friendship was enjoyed by 96 golfers, including 35 guests from 18 Clubs. Robyn Wilson won the Captain’s Trophy in early May. This was followed by Veterans’ Day on 8th May. With 48 Associates in the field, Christine Thomas won the Veterans’ Trophy and Harriet Morrow the Senior Veterans’ Trophy. This year, Mrs Eileen McSweeney was unable to join us to present her trophy. Once again, we were privileged to have Charlie and Margaret Earp join us for lunch on 20th May where Charlie presented his Charles Earp Cup to Anne Moran, who won with a fantastic nett score of 67. Perfect weather on Monday 26th May ensured a memorable day for our annual RQ v Sanctuary Cove Challenge. 22 SC ladies joined RQ ladies for competitive golf and a delicious lunch shared in a great atmosphere on our balcony, and made all the sweeter by RQ winning the day and having the trophy returned to our care for another year. June saw the final of the Jessie McNaught Trophy with Barbara Barnett and Robyn Byrnes defeating Robyn Wilson and Evelyn Foley in a well fought match, with highlights from both Robyns. Our biennial Reciprocal Clubs visit during the first weekend in June was a resounding success and enjoyed by all participants. Hosting and entertaining on Friday night, set the mood for a weekend of good fellowship and great golf. Our congratulations to all those who worked so hard to bring this event together, especially Russell and Cathy. The Pennants season finished in May with our Gold Division 2 team coming a very close second to Nudgee. Division 3 were not as lucky this year, placing 6th. This result reflects the very high standard of players from other Clubs. Matches were close and we can be proud of our RQ Pennant players. Thanks must go to Captains Merita Pailthorpe, Jan Kildey and Caddie Master, Julie Phillips for their wonderful leadership and organisational skills throughout the season. Thanks also to players and caddies and to Andrew and Richard for their successful clinics. The Governor’s Medal was played on 24th June with 63 in the field. For the second time, Denise Larkin won the event with a nett score of 70. She will be presented with her medal at the Heritage Day lunch when the Governor is our guest of honour. The Williams Mayflower Cup final was played on 3rd July with Jenna Lyons defeating Janelle Woodhall. Division 2 had a small qualifying field with Elaine Crommelin defeating Barbara McGuire.

Jessie McNaught Trophy with Robyn Byrnes, Evelyn Foley, Robyn Wilson and Barbara Barnett.

Williams Mayflower Cup with Janelle Woodhall, Jenna Lyons, Elaine Crommelin and Barbara McGuire.

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Associates’ News

General The cool weather has arrived and forecasts indicate possibly the coldest winter for quite a few years. YTD (year to date) rainfall of 479mm is well below last year’s recording of 964mm to the end of June with no substantial rain in sight. This has resulted in some glorious golfing weather and we hope all are taking advantage of this period. With the cooler weather come chances of frost, and early bird golfers may notice some early morning irrigation cycling through to combat the damage that can be caused by these frosts. A syringe cycle of 3-5 minutes per sprinkler is performed over the majority of the course raising ambient temperatures enough to prevent frost forming. Cool and Warm Season Grasses Golfers who travel and those who watch the golfing tournaments will often hear the term “cool” or ‘warm” season grasses. This can be quite confusing for the average person and understandably so. Many hear the seasonal terms and think that these grasses are incapable of surviving outside their respective season; that warm grasses thrive in summer and cool thrive in winter. This is not strictly the case however and below we will explore some of the reasons. The Differences: The main difference between the two comes down to basic plant physiology. More specifically it is the way the way the plant performs photosynthesis, or the conversion of carbon dioxide and light into oxygen and carbohydrates. Cool season grasses use the C3 photosynthetic pathway and respond differently to temperature extremes and environmental stresses than warm season grasses that use the C4 pathway. The C3 pathway allows the plant to tolerate lower temperatures and lower light levels. While the C4 pathway offers more tolerance of high temperatures and drier periods. If you’ve ever heard of a plant referenced as a C3 or C4 plant now you know why. Practically speaking and as their names suggest every turfgrass species has an optimum temperature range in which it maintains its growth. Cool Season Grasses Cool season grasses grow best in cooler climates or during cool, moist periods of the year when temperatures are between 15.5C-23.8C (60-75F). Cool season grasses can only propagate from seed. With each seed a single shoot is produced which as it matures, hardens and sends new shoots from its sides/base. As this process continues the original shoot is now a single plant with many shoots, thickening and growing into neighboring plants. This process is called tillering and when this process is repeated millions of times you have a lawn/turf surface.

Course Manager’s Report

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Associates’ News May and June saw five Associates scoring Holes in One and Eagles. Congratulations to Sandy Grantley and Trish Hatcher – Hole in One. Marion Gazzard, Lesley Ingram and Jenna Lyons – Eagles. That sets a very high standard for the rest of us to aspire to! On Tuesday 8th July, 20 pairs competed in the 36 hole Foursomes Championship for the Lady Douglas Salver. Evelyn Foley and Lesley Ingram won a closely contested competition with a gross score of 182. Susan King-Scott and Jan Kildey won the 36 hole with nett score of 152. A day of endurance for all those playing 36 holes and a well earned celebration followed. July saw the Associates farewell Russell Muir and we wish him the best for his future endeavours. We look forward to welcoming Tim Gahan as General Manager in August. On Friday 11th July 26 Associates joined Moreton Club Bridge players at New Farm for a morning of Duplicate Bridge and lunch. Surprisingly RQ emerged victorious and thanks goes to Sandy Greenwood of RQ and Jean Weeks of MC for organising a most enjoyable day. We are hopeful of resuming after-golf Bridge in the future. In July we hosted 42 Brisbane Golf Club women for our annual RQ v Brisbane Challenge. Even the westerlies couldn’t diminish what was a very successful day, enjoyed by all and topped off by a win to RQ. Jan Olsen and Judy Theodoridis

Cool season grasses can be grown in warm climates with some species more tolerant than others. Most will not survive any humidity and to keep them alive and in peak health requires greater amounts of irrigation, maintenance practices and monitoring of the turf health when compared to the warm season varieties. Cool season grasses have also been modified genetically or by cross breeding to improve on the varieties already available. You will sometimes hear the term “endophyte enhanced” in relation to these grasses. Endophytes help with stress tolerances and improve disease resistance allowing these grasses to perform outside their optimum zone more efficiently to an extent. Some common cool season grasses used on golf courses are: Rye, Bentgrass, Fescue, and Poa. Warm Season Grasses Warm season grasses perform their best at temperatures of 26.6C-35C (80-95F) in warm humid/arid zones and have the ability to go dormant during extremes of temperature. During winter if conditions and soil temperatures reach a certain point the warm season grasses will go into dormancy. This is why it is particularly important to build the reserves of the plant before winter so as the plant has stored and strengthened itself for this period and giving energy reserves for its transition out of this state. It is also the reason that some of the cooler areas (in the transition zone) will over-sow their warm season turf species with a cool season grass. Warm season grasses can also go into a dormant-like state during the extremes of temperature in summer or in drought situations. Most warm season grasses grow vegetatively from stolons (above ground runners) and rhizomes (below ground runners) as well as establishment by seed. Some common warm season grasses used on golf courses are: Qld Blue Couch, Couch cultivars such as Tifgreen (328), Tifeagle, and Tifdwarf, Couch hybrids such as Wintergreen, Greenlees Park, Santa Anna and also the dreaded Kikuyu. Kikuyu is used extensively down south with a lot of courses on the mid NSW coast and hinterland area having fairways and rough many of which are over-sown in winter. Given the extremes of temperature around Australia that we have seen over the past couple of years there has been argument that most of Australia could be considered in the transition zone for these grass types and that from Brisbane south you could find a variety which could work for your situation. There are many Clubs in Victoria and NSW that are using couch varieties for fairways, tees and surrounds due to their increasingly hot summers and demands on water supplies. Likewise, there has been a number of Clubs on the Gold Coast and Brisbane over the years that have used cool season grasses with limited success. When first officially opened, Sanctuary Cove had bent greens which were then reverted to Tifgreen(328) only a few years later due to maintenance issues. One of the main issues was the lack of airflow which resulted in a build up of humidity, another was the fact that the bent needed more water during stressful events and with shallow rooting from stress were prone to drying out. Staff were given beepers and were required to drop tools and attend their designated greens to either hand water or move/operate the huge fans they had bought to combat days with little airflow. Technology continues to improve and there are a few courses that have used cool season grasses for the past few years with only a few minor setbacks with disease. The courses in Toowoomba have relied on these grasses for years, and yet they are exposed to some very hot and dry weather in summer, as are Canberra and Adelaide. New varieties and genetic modifications may mean there will be no true difference to grass varieties and tolerances in the future - with science manufacturing a grass to suit your climate, position (financial/cultural), sporting need, and maybe even colour preference. Congratulations Congratulations go out to our newest apprentice Jarod Todd. Jarod has recently completed his probation and is enjoying his work at the course. The son of our Irrigation and Drainage Technician Mick Todd, Jarod is a keen golfer (currently off 12) who loves his involvement in the industry.

Marcus Price

Course Manager’s Report (continued)

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Pro Shop Pronouncements

Body, Mind and Putting With winter finally here it is time to look at what we are wearing to keep ourselves warm, but limiting restrictions to movement. Footjoy has a fantastic product called Base Layer. The non-restricting construction comforts the body and fits closely to the skin to help regulate body temperature without interfering with the golfer's swing. I have been wearing the base layer for the last two winters and wore the products while in Japan in January this year. They performed incredibly well. They are not a compression garment and are very easy to put on and remove. Be sure to check it out when you are next in the shop.

Having taken care of the body, we now need to look at the mind. Maintaining concentration while on the course for four hours can be a challenge. The key is to be able to turn the concentration on and off at will. To do this we need a routine, a process, like a recipe, that is unwavering, irrespective of prior experiences. “We never want the result of a previous shot to influence a future shot in a negative way”. During playing lessons, one of the challenges I offer to the students is to see how many holes they can play without making a negative comment about themselves or a shot they have hit. I am yet to have a student make it past the first hole! This habit can be so ingrained that you don’t know you are doing it and need someone else there to tell you. The next time you play have one of your partners remind you. The game of foursomes is arguably the most difficult game in golf to play because the normal flow of the game is interrupted by your partner hitting the alternate shot. This is when a well grooved routine is a huge advantage. The last thing we want to happen is that you become so frustrated that you want to leave your partner behind.

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Now the Putting While officiating at the recent Club putting competition it became clear that there was a consistent pattern to the missed putts. The vast majority were missed on the low side. The low side is often referred to as the amateur side and the high side referred to as the Pro’s side. Why the difference? Once the ball is below the required line (amateur side) it will always be working further away from the target. If the ball is above the required line (Pro’s side) it will always be working towards the target. The reason the majority of participants were on the amateur side was due to the greens becoming quite a bit faster. When the greens are faster and the ball is hit at the desired holing speed they break more. This is because when the greens are faster the ball will travel slower for longer to get to the hole. When the ball travels slower gravity has a greater effect. So when the greens get quicker you need to allow more break than normal. You can counter this by hitting the ball harder, but then you run the risk of the ball finishing a long way past the hole if you miss. Now that the greens are at their traditional faster winter speeds it requires you to do a little more distance control practice to stay ahead of the game. The positioning of your approach and shot game shots below the hole will also allow you to be playing more uphill putts and avoiding those treacherous down hillers. Short Game Clinic After the success and positive feedback from my previous short game clinic I will be hosting another on Friday 15th August from 7.00am to 9.00am. I will be covering every aspect of the short game from putting to bunker play. If you are interested please call us in the Pro Shop to reserve your position. Chris Rutherford

Pro Shop Pronouncements (continued)

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Welcome to New Members

Congratulations to 16 new Members who have joined RQ in recent months:

Darryl Ba Pe Tony Hunt

Troy Brown Christopher Jimenez

Matthew Budden Sarah Kelly

Neville Dunne Betty Man

Keiran Foster James O'Brien

David Gosling Harley Pettirosso

Anthony Hancock Rachel Wark

Brigitte Hinneberg

In the last issue of PIN HI, I gave real life adjudications which Ralph Heading has made in his role as Captain. In this edition I will deal with decisions which Peter Monks has had to make when refereeing various tournaments.

1. Knowing your Rule options may help.

At an Australian Amateur Order of Merit tournament, players drove across a large grove of trees to reduce a three shot par 5 hole to a two shot hole. A lateral water hazard lurked unseen at the far end of the grove of trees. One player utilising this line of play unfortunately found the hazard. Because of the number of trees and their canopies adjacent to the lateral water hazard, he was having difficulty finding somewhere to drop his ball utilising Rule 26-1c. He also was unaware of his relief options and asked for direction in taking relief. It was pointed out that Rule 26-1c had two reference point options, (i) the point where the ball last crossed the hazard margin (Point A in illustration 1) and (ii) a point equidistant from the hole on the opposite margin of the hazard (Point B), both drop sites to be within two clublengths of the hazard margin and not nearer the hole. When the player walked to the opposite margin of the hazard, there was no foliage and he had a clear shot to the pin. He dropped his ball under penalty of one stroke, played his third shot on to the green and sank the putt for an unlikely birdie! The Rules are always there to help you, so “know your Rule options”.

2. Loose impediments with a difference.

While playing in a State qualifying round player A, wishing to use his putter, on the carefully prepared and well-presented surround of a green, requested to remove some loose impediments of sand on his line. Both the sand and his ball were on the closely mown fringe of the green. The sand on his line had been spilled out of a bunker by one of his playing partners (B) who had just played while player A awaited his turn to play. The Definition of a Loose Impediment states that sand is only a loose impediment on the green, not on the closely mown apron, no matter where your ball may lie. However, player A was entitled to the lie and line of play when his ball had come to rest (Decision 13-2/8.5). Therefore in equity (Rule 1-4), he was permitted to remove the sand deposited on his line by B’s stroke and lift his ball and clean it, without penalty.

3. Permit yourself and your fellow Members the best line and lie.

While playing in a State qualifying round a player, wishing to use his putter, requested to repair a “ball pitch-mark” on his line on the carefully prepared and well-presented surround of a green. You are permitted to play your next shot from the lie presented when your ball “arrived”. Decision 13-2/8 states you are only permitted to repair such pitch-marks through the green, created after your ball has come to rest, that is by shots played after yours. If you so improve your line of play and break Rule 13-2, the penalty is two strokes in Stroke play and Loss of hole in Match play. Hence, after your group has completed the play of a hole, and as you walk to the next tee, it is permissible and courteous to repair and tap down the ball pitch-mark you made on the apron of the green.

4. Carefully mark your Ball (but not always with the same mark!)

Prior to teeing-off in the Brisbane Amateur a player purchased a new sleeve of golf balls. He meticulously marked them all with his desired personalised mark. The twelfth hole plays over a water hazard, with an out of bounds down the left side of the hole. In trying to carry the hazard he hooked his second shot left, resulting in there being some concern the ball may be out of bounds. He correctly nominated he was about to play a provisional ball (Rule 27-2), reached into his bag for another ball and played. Unfortunately a similar stroke saw the provisional ball also go left. Again there was doubt if the ball was in bounds. He decided to proceed down the fairway and on reaching the area where his golf balls should be, lay two balls, one in bounds and one out of bounds! Both were the same brand, number, and markings from the sleeve of balls he had earlier purchased and meticulously marked! There was no way of identifying which was the original ball, or which was the provisional ball.

Rules are Rules

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In this and similar circumstances when perhaps only one ball is found, or when only one is in bounds or even both are in bounds, it would be inequitable to over-penalise the player. The player was therefore penalised two strokes, and permitted to play the ball in bounds as the provisional ball under penalty. A number of interesting situations where a provisional ball is not distinguishable from the original ball are quoted in Decision 27/11. When playing a provisional ball or in a team competition where each player’s ball must be identified, do not use the exact same markings. Also, any two balls found in the same area to where you have played which have the same brand and number and without a personalised marking are therefore unidentifiable. This results in a lost ball and requires you to replay the shot under penalty of stroke and distance. This scenario is why you are advised to put a personal mark on your ball. Decision 27/10 and Rule 12-2. Once again I emphasise the point that a thorough knowledge of the Rules will help you avoid unnecessary penalties which will undoubtedly occur without this knowledge. Thanks are extended to Peter Monks for providing these examples. Neville Sandford

Rules are Rules (continued)

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Do You Own One of These?

We all play golf for the love and enjoyment of the game, and we hope and strive to play better each time. For a few, a great thrill has been experienced. For the rest of us and those who dare to dream, we live in hope...

431 Curtin Avenue West Eagle Farm QLD 4009

Phone: 07 3633 6500 Fax 07 3633 6541 Email [email protected]

Coming Events

Heritage Day and Lunch 10th August 2014

RNA Show Day—AM Guest Day—PM Members Only 13th August 2014

Rotary Club Charity Golf Day—Course Closed from 12:00 noon 18th August 2014

RQ Black Tie Dinner 23rd August 2014

Associates’ Invitation Day 4th September 2014

RQ Cup Pro Am—Course Closed 19th September 2014

Visit to Avondale Golf Club 27 & 28 September 2014

Associates’ 25/50 Year Membership Lunch 25th September 2014

Labour Day Public Holiday—AM Guest Day—PM Members Only 6th October 2014

Following the President's letter to Members in November last year we had a good response from a number of Members who have donated various items back to the Club for our memorabilia collection. Amongst them was the 1977 Governor’s Trophy (a cigar box), various Associates’ Monthly Medals c1940 and 1978, comprising lapel pins and RQ cuff links that were worn by the Ladies with long sleeved shirts. Members’ Monthly Medals from 1961,'73,'79,'81,and '92 which in those days were pewter tankards. Also from a more modern era were the 2004 and 2007 Senior Championship Trophies of a crystal vase and silver ice bucket. These are important items as it is considered we shouldn't ignore the present, as in years to come it will be the past, and we are seeking to ensure that current items which may be of interest to future generations of Members will be available. We have also been able to obtain two Featherie balls to add to our ball collection. Unfortunately we have not been blessed with any bag tags or RQ clothing from earlier eras. Fixture books pre-1964 and the '65 and '67 editions are also proving elusive, so if anyone can help in these areas it would be much appreciated. Our book and magazine collection continues to grow, with several volumes of both which have particular reference to RQ or its Members being added recently. Our collection of clubs has been collated and labelled and we are investigating how best to display these from time to time within the limited display areas in the Clubhouse. Another current project is photographing all our trophies so they can be identified in the event of theft or other calamitous event. This will enable us to replace any lost trophies with accurate replicas. When this has been completed we will also conduct a similar project for our art works. I would like to thank Past President and ardent amateur photographer Jack Wheeler for undertaking these two projects. In the meantime, if you have any items or memorabilia which you think may be of interest or reflect on part of Club life or memorabilia, don't hesitate to contact [email protected] John Greenhalgh Heritage and Memorabilia Coordinator

Heritage and Memorabilia