Around the Club

Long Island Update

The Long Island renovation is officially underway, with works beginning on Monday 18 September.

During Stage 1, holes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 will all be closed, leaving holes 1, 2, 3, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 open and a temporary hole set up using Jack’s Green (the small practice area and chipping green).

The works in the opening weeks of the renovation will focus on the greens on holes, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Whilst renovations are underway, Golf Operations, Clubhouse services and coaching arrangements will continue as normal. Additionally, the practice facilities will remain open, with the exception of Jack’s Green and the small north-facing practice range, which will be in use as the 9th/18th hole during Stage 1 of renovations.

Members will be able to book in for 9 or 18 holes for both social and competition play.

Alternative play for impacted members will be available at selected times at a number of courses including Rossdale, Settlers Run and Yarra Yarra.

We encourage members to read the recent website update, which provides further information.

The Club will continue to update members in regards to course works via the website, app and members’ Instagram page.

2024 Major Events

Cape Schanck Car Parking Expansion

Members visiting Cape Schanck over recent weeks will have noticed work underway in the external car park, which will alleviate some of the pressure on parking during the busier months. Works are expected to be complete prior to the Grand Final weekend. A speed hump will be installed near the car park entrance gates.

Once the car park works are completed the undercover area will be for members parking with visitors and guests invited to park in the outside areas.

Feedback From Storage Survey

Recently members were asked to provide feedback in relation to the storage options at the Cape Schanck site. With over 1,000 responses, the survey provided the Club with valuable feedback in relation to the appetite for storage at Cape Schanck. The outcomes of the survey indicate overall (storage) demand of no more than 400-500 bags and around 300-375 buggies. This will now be factored into any future plans for clubhouse renovation.

We encourage members to again provide their feedback in the upcoming Member Satisfaction Survey, which will be sent to members in October.

Introducing Wendy Dragojlo

The National Golf Club is pleased to welcome Wendy Dragojlo as a new member of our coaching team primarily focusing on working with women and juniors. She has extensive experience as a player on the Ladies European Tour and most recently with her own coaching business, Evolve Golf.

Wendy has also spent time as the Victorian Tour Director at US Kids Golf, as Golf Operations Manager at Portsea Golf Club and earlier at Green Acres and Woodlands Golf Clubs.

At this stage, Wendy will spend Mondays and Fridays at Cape Schanck and Sundays at Long Island. Lessons can be booked with Wendy via the usual booking process through the website or app.

We are excited about the experience and passion Wendy will bring to this role as we continue to focus on improving the member experience at both the Cape Schanck and Long Island sites.

In The Know

From time to time, we will touch on important and timely rules that all members should be aware of whilst playing our courses. We encourage members to download the R&A app on your phone for easy rule reference - click here to download

Correctly Marking Your Ball On The Green

Your ball on the putting green may be lifted and cleaned. The position of your ball must be marked before it is lifted and the ball must be replaced on its original spot.

If the player lifts the ball without marking its spot, marks its spot in the wrong way or makes a stroke with a ball marker left in place, the player gets one penalty stroke.

Gimmes

Disappointingly, there have been more reports of members engaging in the practice of gimmes in competition play. Please be aware that any such instances will be viewed as blatant cheating and will be actioned accordingly.

Unidentifiable Ball

A player’s ball may be identified by finding a ball with the same brand, model, number and condition as the player’s ball in an area where the player’s ball is expected to be, but this does not apply if an identical ball is in the same area and there is of knowing which one is the player’s ball. For this reason it is strongly recommended to have some form of personal identification on your ball. Most players make a personal mark on their ball with a Sharpie or similar pen.

If a ball might be a player’s ball but cannot be identified as it lies:

• The player may lift the ball to identify it (including by rotating it), but:

• The spot of the ball must first be marked, and the ball must not be cleaned more than needed to identify it (except on the putting green).

If the lifted ball is the player’s ball or another player’s ball, it must be replaced on its original spot. If the player lifts their ball under this Rule when not reasonably necessary to identify it (except on the putting green where the player may lift), fails to mark the spot of the ball before lifting it or cleans it when not allowed, the player gets one penalty stroke.

Celebrate New Years Eve In Style

The National Golf Club is delighted to re-introduce our Gala New Year’s Eve Event!

Guests will enjoy a spectacular three-course dinner set amongst beautifully themed décor at the Cape Schanck Clubhouse. Dress to impress as we dance the night away to live music from Baker Boys Band. The night will begin at 7:30pm and tickets are $145 per adult.

We invite you to put together a table of ten or more, or for smaller groups we will put together tables of ten.

To help with your festive season planning, assistance can be provided with securing local accommodation for the night.

To welcome 2024 in style, book early by emailing our Functions Coordinator Lynda at functions@nationalgolf.com.au.

Dream 18

Recently, on our social media pages, we asked our followers to vote for their favourite holes at The National to complete a Dream 18.

It will be no surprise to most members that The Old course featured heavily throughout the Dream 18, with its counterparts from Cape Schanck, Moonah and Gunnamatta, also presenting some magnificent holes to make the cut. Whilst Long Island was close on a number of occasions, we are excited to see how a Dream 18 may look in a few years, following the renovation at Long Island.

We’d like to acknowledge the work from our ground staff in presenting such fantastic playing surfaces year-round. Whilst it has been a bit of fun, it has also highlighted the quality of courses and affirmed that The National is a very special place to play golf!

On Course

Mixed Foursomes Championship

The 2023 Mixed Foursomes Championship was played over 36 holes on both the Moonah and Gunnamatta courses. The format of foursomes is played in a pair, where only one player plays their tee shot and from there both partners alternate shots until the hole is complete.

Congratulations to both Priya Khanna and Dan Cousins, who had a 36-hole gross score of 152 (76 + 76) and are the 2023 Mixed Foursomes Champions.

Men's Muster

The Men’s Muster was played on Thursday 24 August on The Old Course.

The format was Gentsomes where all four players play tee shots at each hole, with the best positioned ball then selected. From that point, all players play individual Stableford where the best two scores from the group contribute to the group score.

The winners of the day were Richard Winnall, Matthew Talbot, Nick Mescher and Steve Carroll who had a fantastic score of 100 points!

Father of The Year

The annual ‘Father of the Year’ Two Ball Ambrose event was played on the Gunnamatta Course on Father’s Day. This is a great event that allows fathers and grandfathers to play with their children in a friendly but competitive environment against other pairings.

Congratulations to Neale Rodgerson and Jacob Rodgerson for winning the Member & Guest pairings with a nett score of 66.75.

Congratulations also to Chris Adams and Archie Adams for winning the Member & Member category, referred to as the ‘Father of the Year Trophy’, with a nett score of 63.25.

Holes-in-One

Congratulations to the following members for achieving an ace over the past month:

• Ben Hart

• Bill Beckwith

• Mark Saville

• Derrin Morgan

• Nathan Page

Without discrediting any of these achievements it should be noted that Derrin Morgan achieved his ace on the Par 4 second on Gunnamatta. This was Derrin’s tenth hole-in-one and second albatross. In a similar fashion, Nathan Page had back-to-back aces at Long Island. Nathan aced the 3rd at Long Island and followed it up the next day by holing out on the 12th hole at Long Island on his way to a 66.

Barwon Heads Invitational Challenge

The Barwon Heads Women's Invitational Challenge 2023 was held on 14 - 15 August with 18 teams competing over the two-day Stableford event.

The National team of Fiona Law, Mardi Scott, Joanne Irvine and Cathrine Dalton (as pictured from left to right) continued our Club's history of outstanding performance, finishing third in the overall teams event. Special mention to Fiona Law who also won the individual Stablefordx event on the final day with a score of 41 points. Well done team. Go The National!

GPV Hiscock Salver

The GPV Hiscock Salver is an annual team event for players who have competed in pennant or matchplay during the season. The event was held on Monday 18 September at Portsea Golf Club, with The National being crowned the champions!!. Congratulations to Sandi Dent, Annette Bayford, Lisa Mackevicius and Heather Judd (pictured below left to right). Special mention to Lisa for winning A grade.

Course News

Gunnamatta 11th Hole

During Tom Doak's visit in February, one area for improvement was the repositioning of the forward tee on the 11th hole of Gunnamatta.

Tom proposed to move the tee further out to the right which improves the visual of the hole and encourages more shot variety. The works for the construction of this new teeing area will begin shortly and will be opened mid-late November.

The distance of the green tee will remain at 123m and the new red tee will be 148m.

Moonah Course Fairway Renovations

To improve the Moonah course fescue fairways, earlier this month, all fairways were verti-drained to relieve compaction and provide the perfect space for the fescue roots to grow deep in the subsurface profile.

More recently, the Verado over-seeding machine has planted new and stronger varieties of fescue seeds into the fairway surface. Introducing new fescue varieties into the existing fairways will compete against the poa and repair the divot collection areas and, most importantly, provide improved playing surfaces year-round.

New Fence - Chipping Green

Anyone who has visited the practice chipping area behind the 1st hole of Gunnamatta may have noticed a new fence under construction. This is being put in place for safety, but also in an attempt to collect any stray balls which come from the dreaded shank or thin shot off the clubface. Further work will be done in this space over the coming months.

Long Island Renovation - Instagram Page

The Club will keep members up to date regularly with the ongoing renovation at Long Island, via the website, members Instagram page and email. However for those of you who would like to keep up to date with more regular content from our ground staff, we encourage you to follow their Instagram page - @thenationalocm

Great Golf Courses of The World

Limited Edition - Available Now - $135

Great Golf Courses of the World showcases, in a unique book form, a brilliant array of images taken around the world on some of the best courses outside the USA.

100 courses, 20 countries, 288 pages, 400 images.

20 countries are featured - Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Spain, Norway, Netherlands, France, Portugal, South Korea, China, Fiji, Sweden, Thailand, Vietnam, South Africa, Mauritius and Denmark.

Members can grab limited edition copies which feature The National on the front cover for $135.

Order your copy today by emailing retail@nationalgolf.com.au or pick up a copy by visiting Golf Operations at Long Island and Cape Schanck.

Golf Ops

Spring Has Arrived!!

We encourage you to check out the fantastic new range that has just landed in store.

With options available for everyone, step out on course in style this season!

Upcoming Demo & Fitting Days

The following club-fitting opportunities are available for our members.

• Callaway - Friday 22 September
• Titleist - Thursday 5 October

Bookings can be made via the Club website or app

Any questions should be directed to our friendly Golf Operations team

From The Bar

Oyster Bar - Friday 29 September

The Saint Felix Gin & Oyster Bar is coming to The National on Friday 29 September.

Indulge in the freshest, briny delights from the ocean, as skilled chefs expertly shuck oysters right before your eyes. And to complement these oceanic treasures, sip on our handcrafted gin cocktails that are nothing short of artistry in a glass.

Cocktail Bar - Opening Saturday 7 October

Following the success of our Gin Bar, we are excited to announce the opening of our Cocktail Bar on Saturday 7 October.

Featuring handcrafted cocktails and pre-mixes supplied by Luxe-Brew, the Cocktail Bar will be open throughout October.

Our wonderful Gin Bar will remain open right up until Sunday 1 October.

Tip of the Month

with Nick O'Hern

We are back again with a fantastic tip from former European and PGA Tour player Nick O'Hern.

This one will help us with a tricky shot that we can often be faced with on the course. Add this to your bag of tricks for next time you play!

Looking ahead

F.D. Haward

Sunday 1 October - Qualifying

Sunday 15 October - Quarter Final - Play on or before

Sunday 29 October - Semi Final - Play on or before

Sunday 12 November - Final - Play on date

Women's Charity Day

Wednesday 4 October

Bill Britten Qualifying

Thursday 5 October

Monthly Medal

Saturday 7 October

Sandra McCaw Qualifier

Wednesday 11 October

Senior's Championship

Saturday 14 October - Round 1

Saturday 21 October - Round 2

Saturday 28 October - Quarter Final - Play on date

Sunday 5 November - Semi Final - Play on date

Saturday 11 November - Final - Play on date

Veteran's Trophy

Saturday 14 October - Round 1

Saturday 21 October - Round 2

Composite Course Challenge

Tuesday 31 October

To view the 2023 Programme, which highlights each of these events, including the format - please click here

Join us on

Grand Final Eve - Friday 29 September

Bookings via online timesheets

Returns Sunday 12 November

Junior News

Junior Pennant

Junior Pennant season is upon us and commences on Sunday 8 October. The squad (named on the right) has been practising hard over the past few weeks as they prepare for the five-round season, with finals to follow for the top-ranked teams. The Eagle Flyers and Pin Seekers will represent The National, with home games being played at Cape Schanck.

Keep an eye on the website to track the progress of our junior teams.

We wish those involved the very best of luck!!

Junior Clinics - Term 4

The National Golf Club is pleased to offer junior golf clinics for children aged 6 to 12 years for Term 4 - beginning from Sunday 8 October.

Keep your children entertained while developing their skills in a fun and supportive environment. The clinics are suitable for children of all experience levels and will include engaging and fun games - after all, that’s what makes learning fun!

Any questions, should be directed to Junior Golf Coordinator Ben Hall - ben.hall@nationalgolf.com.au

Holiday Clinics

A number of spaces are still available for next weeks Junior Clinics at Cape Schanck on Tuesday 26 and Thursday 28 September.

Tuesday 26 September – 9am – 10am (6-8 yrs)

Thursday 28 September – 9am – 10am (6-8 yrs)

Cost: $50 for both sessions

BOOK CAPE SCHANCK 6-8 yrs

Tuesday 26 September – 9am – 1pm (8-12 yrs)

Thursday 28 September – 9am – 1pm (8-12 yrs)

Cost: $200 for both sessions

BOOK CAPE SCHANCK 8-12yrs

Previous Editions