Membership Fees now overdue
The end of the golf membership year was May 31.
If you have not done so already please arrange for payment of your 2023-24 membership fees as soon as possible. Many members use the value of their trophy and ball accounts to reduce the actual amount needed to pay their fees.
Please bring your invoice to the Office with you to make a payment after which you will also collect your new membership card.
Full Membership price is $680; $340 for Intermediate Members and $30 for Junior Members.
The NSWVGA Matchplay Championships 2023
Kim Oborn – Division 3 Champion
“Congratulations, Kim!”
She was successful in winning all four of her matches and won the final day with a resounding 7/5 victory. Kim was defending her title from the 2022 tournament held at Nelson Bay.
This prestigious annual event was held at Shoalhaven Heads Golf Course and is the first time it has been held at this venue. Greg Collins, tournament director, encourages all Vets to place this event in their calendar for 2024.
Pam Middlebrook
President JWGC
The case of the missing sign
Whether the strong winds of last week or a person so enamoured with signs nicked it, the course today was definitely supposed to be played with preferred lies. The secondary sign in the shop was still there so I think it was the wind!
I am seriously considering making it ‘play as it lies’ with free drops from bare patches in the near future, but there are just too many bare patches at the moment.
So the local rule remains – “one club length preferred lie on fairways not nearer the hole“.
I will give proper notice when the fairways are back to their usual excellent standard so that “play it as it lies” becomes fully possible again.
I have decided to not DQ players today for taking prefered lies. It is almost impossible for me to know who did and who, like myself, did not take preferred lies.
Super Shot That!
The thing I like about the “super shot” is that everybody who enters has a chance to win it no matter what the size of their handicap or age.
Normally, of course, Bob N wins the jackpot but it was very pleasing to see a new face to the winner last Wednesday. Congratulations to Tony Dawson, a very spritely Veteran golfer and about $70 better off!
Rules and More Rules
The rule of golf that is most infringed at Jamberoo is the one concerning where to take your penalty drop if your ball ends up in a penalty area (or water hazard in the old lingo).
If the penalty area is marked yellow you have three options:
- Play the ball from the hazard, or
- Play the ball from where you played your last shot for the cost of one penalty shot,or
- For the cost of one penalty shot, play the ball back on line, keeping the point where you crossed the hazard and the pin in line.
If the Penalty area is marked red you have a further option of dropping your ball within two club lengths of the last point the ball crossed the hazard but not nearer the hole.
Do not bring your ball to the middle so that you have a clear shot if that is not your reference point. Its back on line or back to the tee regardless of the surrounds of the dropped ball! You can go back as far as you wish if you decide on ‘back on line’.
To disregard this rule is unfair on the rest of the field who obey the rules of golf.
For further reading it is Rule 17 [https://www.randa.org/rog/the-rules-of-golf/rule-17]
Hi David
During my few golfing rounds last week an incident occurred where a golfer within my group who card I was not marking was approved a drop that appeared to me as incorrect procedure. Is it up to every player within a group when they see possible breachers of rulers to inform of the correct procedure.
Another point I would like to clear up is as follows:
Can you increase the area for dropping as per option 4 ( 2 Club Lengths) in an attempt to find a place no nearer the hole?. Having an area marked Red behind a green sometimes makes this not an option (example our 6 and 7 holes) with out increasing the drop area .
I think it is up to the player and their marker, but the other group members should lend a hand if there is an issue.
As for the drop area, it is 2 club lengths from the point of the last point where the ball crossed the red hazard. In the case of 6 and 7, if you cannot use option 4 then you should either go back to where you played the last shot or go back on line keeping the point where you crossed the hazard and the pin in line.
Many members on 6 just drop the ball near the creek, clear of the tree, in contradiction of the rules.