Through The Green

August 2024

In this month's edition

• Around The Club
• Fill, Rake, Repair
• Tip of the Month
• On Course
• W​hat's Hot fr​om Golf Ops
• Co​urse News
• L​ooking Ahead
• Young Guns
  

Long Island Update and Course Walk

We invite members to attend the next Member Course Walk at Long Island on ​Sunday 4 August at 2pm.

Join Ashley Mead from OCM, Golf Course Manager Leigh Yanner, and Long ​Island Superintendent Simon Page, as we look at the recent works that have ​taken place at Long Island.

During the walk, members will have the opportunity to view the new bunkering, ​see the opening-up of the playing corridors, and understand how these ​changes will impact the strategy for each hole.

A delicious BBQ will also be available for members to purchase from before or ​after the walk.

For those wishing to attend, please register via the Long Island booking sheet ​on Sunday, 4 August.

Please note that no carts will be available to take out onto the construction ​site.

If you are unable to make it, we will provide further updates via the Club ​website and app in the weeks following the Course Walk.

We look forward to seeing you there!

To view our most recent Long Island update from July, please follow this link.

Member Survey - New Monthly Process

The Member Satisfaction Survey results recently shared with members highlighted to the Board, Committee and Management, current member ​satisfaction levels and areas for improvement. A copy of the report can be found here.

From August, a new monthly process will take place where approximately 200 members are selected at random and asked to complete a short 90 ​second pulse-style survey. This will help the Club to consistently assess the effectiveness of our initiatives.

Further details will be provided closer to the launch of the first survey.

Town Hall Meeting - Sunday 25 August

The next Town Hall meeting has been scheduled for Sunday 25 August from 3pm on the upper level of the Cape Schanck clubhouse. The first two ​sessions have been well attended by members taking advantage of the opportunity to speak directly with directors on a broad range of issues and ask ​questions about the direction the Club is taking.

A summary from the most recent Town Hall Meetings, including June 15 can be found here.

Pace of Play

MiScore has recently introduced a new feature to the app when players are playing in a ​competition round. Members will view their Average Round Time when selecting Competition ​Score and registering, or are registered in a competition.

When a player opens the MiScore app upon commencing their competition round, their ​Average Round Time and Ranking will display with a customised message.

The Average Round Time will be based on the following parameters:

• Finds all rounds played
  
• on that Day of Week
  
• on that Time of Day in Timesheet (i.e. AM or PM or All Day)
  
• on that Course
  

• Your round time is calculated by subtracting your end time (when you submit through ​MiScore) from your start time (booked tee time).
  

Supporting genU

The Club made a $25,000 donation to genU in FY24 from its ​charity nest. genU are a disability support provider which, ​until last year, had operated a service centre out of the lawn ​bowls clubhouse at Long Island

The funds will assist genU’s continued work in providing ​meaningful employment to people living with disability, ​such as the program to make and sell artisan goods in the ​Mornington Peninsula from locally sourced products. Funds ​were also put towards modifications to their Rosebud site, ​specifically within the kitchen area, including new fridges ​where four staff and 12 supported employees work on a ​regular basis.

Guest Access

Members are reminded of the policy surrounding guest access at The National.

• As pe​r the By-Laws, the same person may not be introduced as a guest of the Club to play golf on more than six occasions in any one financial year.
  
• When ​booking a guest online, bookings need to include your guest’s Golflink number. In the absence of a Golflink number, the booking must be phone​d in.
  
• All g​uests are required to register at Golf Operations prior to commencing their round.
  

The ​b​ooking rule of allowing guests to fill unused spaces on the Member course within 48 hours was removed on 1 July, with Guests only permitted to play ​on the allocated Member/Guest or Guest Course.

Cap​e​ ​Schanck Courses

• Membe​r Course: Members only all day
  
• Membe​r/Guest Course: Members only until noon and guest access thereafter
  
• Guest​: Guest bookings are available all day
  

The ​L​ong Island Course will remain accessible to members and guests: as follows:

• Monda​y all day
  
• Wedne​sday (PM)
  
• Frida​y (all day)
  
• Sunda​y (PM)
  

Memb​e​rs should make themselves familiar with the By-Laws, including the rules surrounding guest access.

Women's Monthly Medal Bookings

Our Monthly Medal event, held on Saturdays, is highly popular and includes separate ​competitions for women and men. Women compete on one course while men compete ​across four courses.

Beginning in August, there will be an adjustment to the booking process for women. When the ​ballot opens, all available tee times will be accessible for booking. To facilitate this, women ​will have access to a dedicated timesheet of 10 groups, 24 hours before the ballot opens. ​Once the ballot begins, all tee times will be open to all members.

These changes aim to streamline the booking process for all members. Starting with the ​medal day on Saturday, 3 August, female members will have early access to a dedicated ​timesheet. This timesheet will be available from 8pm on Mondays until 4pm on Tuesdays ​before the medal day. After 4pm on Tuesdays, bookings will transition to the general ​timesheet, which opens at 8pm on the same day (Tuesdays) for all members.

Women's medal day tee times will vary between 8:30am and 10:30am.

Olympic Dreams with Scott Calder

The Old Course Superindentent, Scott Calder has arrived in Paris.

Hear from Scott about his first few days as he prepares the course for the Olympic Games.

Keep an eye out over the next couple of weeks as Scott takes us behind the scenes at Le Golf National.

Fill, Rake, Repair

Members are reminded of the importance of caring for your courses. Whilst the course maintenance team works hard year-round to prepare the ​courses, it is vital that we all take the time to repair any damage to the course that results from playing a shot. That’s why we are asking you to Play ​Your Part and Fill, Rake, Repair.

Fill Divots

• Use the sand mix provided.
  
• Fill the divot completely.
  
• Level it with your foot.
  

Rake Bunkers

• Enter and exit from the lowest point.
  
• Smooth the sand after your shot.
  
• Leave the rake in the designated spot.
  

Repair Pitch Marks

• Use a pitch mark repair tool.
  
• Insert it at the edges, not the centre.
  
• Push the grass towards the centre and smooth it with your putter.
  

Nominate a Course Care Champion & WIN!

Know a fellow member who consistently Plays Their Part?? Simply nominate them and you both go into the draw to win a box of your choice golf balls. Enter by following the link below or by looking out for the QR codes around the Club.

Nominate Now

Average Scores - Index 1

Members may be interested to see the variances associated with the #1 Indexed holes on each of the courses at Cape Schanck.

The Old

Blue Tees – Hole 3 (Par 4) Average score 5.68 – 1.68 variance

Green Tees – Hole 14 (Par 4) Average score 5.85 – 1.85 variance

Moonah

Blue Tees – Hole 16 (Par 4) Average score 5.54 – 1.54 variance

Green Tees – Hole 4 (Par 4) Average score 6.25 – 2.25 variance

Gunnamatta

Blue Tees – Hole 4 (Par 4) Average score 5.44 – 1.44 variance

Green Tees – Hole 4 (Par 4) Average score 5.94 – 1.94 variance

Note that we have not included the data for Long Island, due to the layout of two sets of nine holes that make up the full 18 at this point in time.

Beware of Kangaroos

Members are reminded of the importance of remaining vigilant to the risk of kangaroos along The Cups Drive, particularly from late afternoon. The ​Club has received a number of reports of near misses in recent weeks from members leaving Cape Schanck late in the day.

Reciprocal Access – Royal Canberra Golf Club

As Royal Canberra Golf Club undergoes Stage 2 of its Grass Conversion Project, there will be limited reciprocal access between October 2024 and ​March 2025. Advanced bookings will only be permitted on Social days (Mondays & Thursdays), with every other day being a competition day. Bookings ​will only be accepted once the timesheets have opened to members 7 days prior.

Nearest The Pin

Members are reminded that if the NTP marker is in the way whilst they are putting, that they are able to move it, however they must replace the ​marker back to its original position.

Adding your Playing Partners

If you regularly play with the same group of players, you can set up playing partners to quicken the booking process. If you are unsure on how to do so, ​we encourage you to view the article here.

Boardroom Access

Due to the increased demand on our meeting rooms within the Clubhouse, could you please book your required time and date with Lynda to ensure ​the Boardroom is available for your use. Email: functions@nationalgolf.com.au

Should the Boardroom not be available, just a reminder the library room is available for members to utilise as a quiet space.

Maintenance of Clubhouse and Surrounds

If you see anything that’s broken, out of order or in other disrepair, please don’t hesitate to flag it with us at maintenance@nationalgolf.com.au

Suggestions

Members are able to provide general feedback to the Club through the website – at the link below – or by connecting to the QR Codes located above the mobile phone charging rack on the column in the middle of the bar at Cape Schanck, or at the entrance to the office at Long Island.

https://national.miclub.com.au/cms/contact/suggestions/

Preferred Lies

Preferred lies are currently in play on The Old and Gunnamatta courses.

Details are as highlighted below and can also be found under the Local Rules section in MiScore by tapping Menu (top right) then selecting Local Rules. ​Any temporary Local Rules (such as preferred lies) will be listed in this Local Rules section.

When a player’s ball lies in part of the general area cut to fairway height or less, the player may take free relief by placing the original ball or another ​ball within one hand – span of its original position inside the general area, no nearer the hole. The ball may be cleaned after being lifted.

Please contact Golf Operations for any additional information.

Stroke Scores Converted to Stableford for Handicapping Purposes

The World Handicap System (WHS) requires all scores from Stroke competitions to be converted to Stableford for handicapping purposes. This occurs ​automatically once we close the competition, and your score is processed by Golflink. The purpose of this is to reduce the impact of high hole scores ​and make handicaps more representative of a player’s ability. Members should be aware that although failure to complete a hole in a stroke ​competition will disqualify them from a stroke event, any completed holes will be converted (automatically) to Stableford for handicapping purposes.

In a nutshell – if you pick up in stroke, you can still keep playing for your handicap!

GU​R Options

If a player's ball lies in GUR, or if the GUR interferes with the player's stance or intended swing, the player has the option to either:

• Play the Ball as It Lies: The player can choose to play the ball from its current position within the GUR. There is no penalty for doing so.
  

• Take Relief: The player must identify the nearest point where the ball can be played without interference from the GUR. This point is not ​necessarily the closest physical distance to the GUR boundary; it must be the closest point where the player can take a stance, swing, and play the ​shot without interference. The player must drop the ball within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief, not nearer to the hole than ​this point. The ball must come to rest in the relief area.
  

Re​ading the Grain

Former World Number 16, Nick O’Hern returns with another tip.

This one was requested by one of our members who was interested in ​hea​r​i​ng about how to read the greens, and learn more about the grain.

Have ​you got a tip that you would love to see fea​tured?? Why not let us know by suggesting something via this link.

David Inglis Captain’s Trophy

Congratulations to Mark Limon, who is the winner of the David Inglis Captains Trophy for 2024.

This is Mark’s fourth Captain’s Trophy victory, having previously won in 2005, 2008, 2011. Mark ​played Frank Tamborriello in the 36-hole final on The Old Course, with scores remaining tight ​for the entire match. The scores were even through the 18 holes, with Mark pulling away on the ​36th hole with a birdie to secure the victory with a score of 1-Up.

Winter Cup

The 2024 Winter Cup Final was played on The Old Course on Sunday 7 July in sublime golfing conditions.

Congratulations to Shane Gourley and John Kerr on winning the 2024 Winter Cup with a final score of 4&3, defeating David Disley and Daniel Kofoed.

The Claret Jug

Congratulations to Roy Cotton who captured the prestigious Claret Jug in wet and wild ​conditions after posting an impressive nett 75 on the Gunnamatta Course on Saturday 20 July.

As a result of Roy’s great golf, he is crowned the Claret Jug Champion and will be the third ​member to have his name engraved on the Claret Jug.

O'Shea Brothers 4BBB

The O’Shea Brothers 4BBB final was played on the Moonah Course on Saturday 20 July. In testing conditions which included rain and gusts up to ​70km/h, Mick Ryan and Rob Henry defeated Vincent Squatriti and Alex Kuriata 1-Up.

Val O’Shea & Darren O’Shea (middle) with Mick Ryan & Rob Henry

Holes-in-One

Congratulations to the following players on achieving an ace since we last published Through The Green.

• Jim McKenzie
  
• Glenn Anderson
  
• Tony Cahill
  
• James Giannellis
  
• Vern Martin (no photo)
  
• Brian Evans
  
• Peter Yim
  
• Brett Mcilwraith
  

Metro Inter Club

The National Golf Club had a commendable run in the 2024 Metro Inter Club season, which runs throughout the months of May, June and July. ​The Metro Inter Club is a handicap Matchplay competition played on metropolitan courses for participants with GA handicaps of 16 to 30.

The Club started strongly with a 3/2 win against Yarra Yarra Golf Club at Sandhurst. Despite a draw against Sandhurst at Kingston Heath, The ​National secured another 3.5/1.5 win in Round 3 at Keysborough. The team continued to perform well, winning 3/2 against Commonwealth at ​their home course, and fought hard in subsequent rounds, including a close 2/3 loss to Keysborough and a resilient performance against ​Cranbourne. The final round was hosted by The National, and the rain, hail and 80km/h winds tested the players. The National's strong season ​was marked by notable individual performances and a robust team spirit, culminating in a well-deserved third-place finish.

We thank all players, caddies and supporters for helping to create a great season!!

Limited Edition Callaway Drivers

The Club has recently received four limited edition Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Drivers, available in the mini and triple diamond max options.

Please see the Golf Operations team if you have any questions.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max Driver:

• Right Hand – 9.0 Degrees - Stiff flex x 1
  
• Right Hand – 10.5 Stiff – Stiff flex x 1
  

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Mini Driver

• Right Hand 13.5 Degrees – Regular flex x 1
  
• Right Hand 11.5 Degrees – Stiff flex x 1
  

Adidas Code Chaos

The Adidas Code Chaos Boa 25 Shoes have just landed at Golf Operations, available in a variety of colours, check them out next time you are in store.

J. Lindeberg Shoes

Step out in style with these limited edition J. Lindeberg Vent 500 Golf Shoes.

Featuring seam-sealed waterproofing and a breathable interior lining, these lightweight and stylish shoes are perfect for any weather conditions.

With only limited floor stock available, grab yourself a pair (or two) before they are sold out.

Members price – $360

Moonah 19th Hole

The 19th hole is coming along well. From a distance it appears quite playable, it just needs some sunshine to help thicken up the weaker areas of turf to ​better withstand traffic. The green is currently being mowed at a height of 3.5mm.

Our goal is to open the hole for periodic play by mid-September.

Forward Tees - Moonah and The Old

We are always seeking ways to enhance access and playability on ​our Championship courses for golfers of all skill levels, regardless ​of weather conditions. The Old and Moonah courses currently ​feature many Red/Green tees without separation, which can result ​in long carries, making the courses particularly challenging in ​tough conditions for some players. After consulting with the ​designers and discussing with the Match Committee, new forward ​tees will be constructed on the following holes on Moonah and ​The Old.

Moonah

• 4th, 12th, 16th and 18th
  
• 15th
  

The​ Old

• 3rd and 5​t​h
  

Gunna​matta

A spare blue te​e​ will be bu​ilt on the hill behind the current 1st Blue tee. Tee markers will ​periodically be placed on this tee to assist with spreading wear.​ The blue plate (for measurement purposes) will remain on th​e lower Blue tee.

Poa Control

With the arrival of cold weather and a few frosts, we can now confirm that the couch grass fairways on The Old, Gunnamatta, and Long Island courses are ​fully dormant. This dormancy allows us to apply very light rates of Roundup to control the Poa, which this year has proved resistant to our usual control ​strategies. Over the next few weeks, you'll notice the Poa turning yellow and dying off.

Mo​rning Frosts

Assistant Superintendent Da​ve Tomlinson recenty captured these shots of the early morning frosts at Cape Schanck.

Fuyu Yang defends her World Championship

Fuyu Yang has defended her title in the World Golf Stars World Championship Final in ​Las Vegas.

Carding an impressive 2 Under through her three rounds, Fuyu set up the win with an ​opening round of 69 (-2) and finished eight shots clear of second in scorching ​temperatures which exceeded 40 degrees throughout the three days.

Angus Hoey Selected for Team Vic

Congratulations to one of our brightest juniors, Angus Hoey, who has recently been selected to represent Team Victoria in the School Sport Australia ​National Championships to be played at Royal Canberra in late August.

Angus, who is a regular in both the Youth and Men’s Pennant teams, is a scholarship member of The National – we wish him and the team all the best in ​the National Championships!

The National Junior Classic

The National Junior Classic returns for 2024 and will be played on the Gunnamatta Course on Tuesday 1 October.

Juniors (U18) are invited to enter through the Golf Australia website from 9am on Thursday 1 August.

Please see the details below and the Terms of Competition for further details.

Format: 18 Holes Stroke (Players with GA handicaps 17 and under) | 18 Hole Stableford (Players with GA handicaps 17.1 and above)

GA H’Cap Limit: 32.0 (Boys and Girls)

Age Limit: Under 18 years of age before or on the day of competition.

Entry Fee: $50.00 (incl. GST)

Inclusion: Light snacks post-round

Tee Times: 11.30am – 1.00pm

Entries Open: ​9:00am Thursday 1 August 2024

Entries Close: 5​:00pm Sunday 22 September 2024

Any questions should be directed to Wendy Dragojlo – wendy.dragojlo@nationalgolf.com.au

Australian Golf Foundation Girls Scholars

National Golf Club member Steve Whitecross (director of Physio Sports Brighton) recently volunteered his time and expertise for our AGF Scholars by ​running two special hands on educational sessions. These sessions educated the girls on the importance and influence of flexibility, control and strength ​on the functioning of their bodies and its impact on their performance.

I'm sure that each scholar will have walked away with something that will help them along their journey whatever that may be and we are very grateful ​for Steve's contribution to the program.

US Kids Tournament

The National Golf Club recently hosted a highly successful US Kids Golf Tournament during the school holidays. This event was the Tour Championship, ​marking the final event of the Melbourne Winter Tour. A total of 82 children participated, with most competitors coming from Victoria. Additionally, the ​tournament welcomed one participant from Perth, one from Singapore, and three children from China. There were five age group categories for girls, ​ranging from under 8 to 18 years, and nine age group categories for boys, from under 6 to 18 years. US Kids Golf organised the event, placing ​approximately seven different tee markers down the fairways for each age group. This setup was strategically designed to allow the kids to reach the ​greens in regulation.

In challenging cold and windy conditions on the Gunnamatta course, the standout performance of the day came from Reanna Tseng in the Girls 8 Years ​and Under category. She achieved an impressive score of 3 under par, shooting a 33 over 9 holes!

Please see the results from the event here.

I was very fortunate to have the pleasure of caddying for my son Lincoln in his first ever competition and accepting a flag for the National Golf Club ​signed by the participants of the event.

- Wendy Dagojlo (Golf Coach and Junior Golf Coordinator at The National)

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