PIN Hi Summer 2014

PIN HI The Official Newsletter of Royal Queensland Golf Club Summer 2014 Edition

President’s Report Welcome to the 2014 golfing season. Let’s hope it is a healthy and rewarding year for all of us.

Neville Sandford makes a welcome return to the Board and brings a wealth of experience as a former Board Member and Chairman of the House Committee. Phil Dowling has stepped down and I thank him on behalf of all the membership for his valuable contribution.

Foundation The Board at its brief December meeting resolved in principle to establish the Royal Queensland Golf Club Foundation. Its purpose will be to:i.

Solicit donations for the benefit of the Club from the membership and from any other source deemed appropriate for the purposes of the Foundation;

ii.

To attract and encourage bequests, legacies and all forms of deferred gifts.

All such gifts will be recorded appropriately in perpetuity.

Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne established such a Foundation in 1990 and its operations have attracted much support from its membership and friends.

All funds raised will be set aside for significant capital expenditure projects so that the Foundation becomes our banker.

Inside This Issue

As particulars develop you will be kept informed. If you wish to make suggestions, please contact Marion in the Office.

JDP Programme

3

Solar Power

Associates’ News

4

From the GM’s Desk

5

Course Manager’s Report

6

Pro Shop

8

Over the past six months the Board has been investigating the possible use of solar power as a means to mitigate the spiralling cost of electricity.

Malcolm Raward has been very generous with his time and expertise, provided on a pro bono basis, and the research looks promising. John Neylan has written an interesting paper on energy policy in which he asserts the prudence of an energy audit where significant capital expenditure has occurred over recent years, to ensure all equipment, machinery and pumps are up to date and/or adjusted for maximum benefits and savings.

The project has been handed over to the Development Committee for further research and the development of an energy policy.

Pronouncements Rules are Rules

10

Coming Events

12

Welcome to New Members

12

Recognition for Members with 30 and 40 Years of Continuous Membership Recently, the Board resolved that Members with 30 and 40 continuous years of membership ought to be recognised with an appropriate medallion and be invited to participate in the Annual Dinner at which the 25 and 50 year Members receive their distinctive ties.

Communiqué from the Captain Welcome to all Members for the 2014 golfing season. I hope it lives up to all your expectations.

As Members will be well aware, things are progressing well with the course changes, and we anticipate completion of the works around mid February.

The Professional’s Driving Range is shaping up well, with the three new target greens taking shape. The target greens will hopefully look more like some of the greens on the course. The sand being imported for the greens is coming from the Eastern Land in the vicinity of the old 12th Green area.

The 3rd Hole Modifications are well underway and will give the hole the long awaited feel and visual impact that it has been lacking. Members will have seen by the stockpile of topsoil that a fair amount of earth has been moved to provide for some new undulations and bunker extensions.

The works to the 13th Hole carry modifications have been roughed in. Some fine tuning will take place over the next week or so and the area will also have some plantings to break up some of the spaces.

The 7th hole carry has at the time of writing been rotary hoed several times, awaiting soil removal and the start of shaping. On completion the view from the Blue tees will have a similar feel to that of the Black tee adjacent to the river on the 6th hole.

The 15th Tee side waste has now been completed and only some plantings remain. The extension of this area now fits into the contours of the adjoining bank.

I would like to thank Members for their patience while these works are being completed, and I hope you are enjoying playing our spare Par 3s for a change.

On another course works note, just prior to the Christmas break we received approval from the Brisbane City Council for the works associated with the water control for the 8th hazard. We will commence these works after completion of the main course works noted above.

The next item on the list will be the spillways and Treated Water valve for the dam on the Eastern Land. Quotes and timings are currently being finalised to complete these, and hopefully in the next few months we will be able to fill and test the dam.

No doubt numerous Members travelled over the festive season, and some may have made use of our Reciprocal Clubs, as I did. For the months of November and December RQ Members played 101 and 78 games away respectively. For the year Members played a total of 853 games away at Reciprocal Clubs - one of the great benefits of membership at our Club, and obviously a well used one!

December saw the issue of the Australian Course Ranking by Golf Australia magazine. RQ has risen from 26 to 22 and was listed along with Commonwealth as the two big movers inside the top 100. The move up of four spots was in fact five, given that Ellerston was included for the first time and debuted inside the top 10.

As the course continues to improve, and with the addition of the extra practice facilities and the refurbishment of the Clubhouse, I feel confident that our place will be inside the top 20 in the near future. The second publication of the “Top 100” from Australian Golf Digest will be due out in the coming weeks.

Finally, this month will see the completion of the Slope Rating for the handicap system in Australia. At the time of writing we are awaiting our revised Slope Ratings from the rating team at Golf Queensland and these should arrive at the same time as the new Slope System from Golf Australia. All rather confusing for many, but luckily for us the computer system will sort most of the details each day as we play the variety of courses that we have.

In closing I would like to thank the Members for their continued support, and I look forward to another successful golfing year ahead for Royal Queensland.

Ralph Heading

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RQ Adam Scott Junior Development Programme Members, Associates, and Young Golfers, Let me start the 2014 season by referring to our 2013 JDP Championship Day, held on 15th December. All the participants had an enjoyable day and the winners were presented with prizes to mark their success. Congratulations to Ben Perkins (Junior Section Gross Winner), Jake Stanton (Junior Nett Winner), Grady Perlin (Winner of the Green Group), Jacob Fitzpatrick (Winner of the White Group) and Seamus Haddock (Winner of the Orange Group). The Coaches' Award went to Jacob Fitzpatrick.

Thanks go to our Coaches, Andrew Marchbank, Richard Gompels, and David Cardillo, and Assistant Professional Chris Berndt for their contribution through the year, to Charlie Earp and Michael Dalgleish for providing additional input, and to Geoff Hall from the Adam Scott Foundation for continuing support.

The 2014 season will contain some changes to the programme, continuing our emphasis on teaching appropriate to developmental stage.

The Pee-Wee group has been re-introduced. Children from 5-7 will be given ageappropriate introduction to golf, with the emphasis on fun and development of balance skills necessary. This is a free clinic and Members are strongly encouraged to bring their young relatives to introduce them to golf. This clinic commences at 10:15am on the scheduled Sundays.

The Junior Development Programme will start at 8 years and continue until a Golf Australia handicap is obtained, usually around 12-14 years (but can be as early as 10 years). This group will be further divided into Bronze, Silver, and Gold groups. Beginners aged 8 and older will start in this Group.

The two private lessons previously included will be replaced by skills tests performed in February and towards the end of the year. The placement in Gold, Silver, and Bronze groups will be dependent on the result of these skills tests, which therefore form an integral part of the programme.

All three JDP group clinics will take place simultaneously, starting at 8:00am on the scheduled Sundays.

This format closely follows the structure of the Golf Australia MyGolf program and has been developed after discussion with Golf Queensland.

After obtaining a Golf Australia handicap, participants will leave the JDP at the end of their subscription period to take up either Junior membership or Junior Associate membership.

Junior Members will gain appropriate access to the Club practice facilities and be able to play competition golf at Royal Queensland. In addition, a new Junior programme will be commenced. This will include two hours of clinics per month with Head Professional Chris Rutherford, Junior competitions twice per month, and four ball inter-Club friendly matches for boys and girls against local Clubs. These matches are intended for non-Pennant players and the aim is to provide a fun and variable experience.

The Junior Pennant Squad will have separate squad sessions.

The intention of these initiatives is to encourage children of all abilities to take up golf and then to continue in the sport into adulthood.

A full description of the programme will be sent out to 2013 participants who are still eligible, and can be forwarded to any other interested parties on request.

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

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Associates’ News November 2013 was a busy month for the Associates as we wound down our golfing year. Numbers for Melbourne Cup Day on 5th November were fewer this year but we are welcoming more men to this day of golf, lunch, and following the ‘Race’, whilst not attracting Bridge players as in past years.

Once again our Annual Trip Away, this year to Pacific Harbour, saw 53 women enjoy a challenging course, a delicious lunch and good camaraderie.

Grand Finale Day on 12th November had a Country and Western theme and 88 Associates played 9 holes of golf dressed in many versions of the theme.

We have many very creative Associates and this always is a highlight of the year.

At the Associates’ Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 19th November 2013 the new Committee was elected. Jan Olsen continues as President, Diana Charlton was elected as Vice-President, Judy Theodoridis as Captain, and Susan King-Scott as Vice-Captain. Anne Moran is Handicap Manager; Helen Hains is our Secretary. We welcome new Committee Members Julie Phillips, Anne McEvoy, and Sonya Pozzi.

We welcome all Associates to our Opening Day on Tuesday 11th February. This year we will play 9 holes of golf with an 8:00am shotgun start, to allow everyone to enjoy our Bring and Buy stalls and raffles. For those not playing golf, Bridge could be a cooler option.

Opening Day is also the day that our entries open for our annual competitions: the Eclectic, Gertrude McLeod Trophy, International Bowl, Golf Queensland Brooch and B&DLGA District Brooch. Your entry fee to these competitions may be paid to the Vice-Captain, Susan King-Scott, or any other Member of the Committee.

The implementation of the new Handicap System commenced on 23rd January. Golf Link has re-calculated the handicaps of all players. Under the new Slope System, a golfer’s playing handicap on any given day will be determined according to the difficulty of the tees and the course to be played.

Our computerised score card system will take care of all daily fluctuations.

The Stroke indices of the Par 72, Par 73, and Par 74 courses played by the Associates have been reviewed and will be implemented on Opening Day. The new indices reflect the level of difficulty of each hole as experienced by our Associates over the last six months. The Match Play index has also been reviewed.

Jan Olsen and Judy Theodoridis

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From the General Manager’s Desk Marcus Price – Course Manager 25 Years of Service

Congratulations to Marcus Price (Course Manager) who achieved 25 years of employment at Royal Queensland on 17th January 2014.

Marcus began his foray into the Greenkeeping industry by studying for a Diploma of Horticulture at Grovely TAFE with the intention of becoming a landscape architect. In 1988 Marcus was awarded Greenkeeping Student of the Year at Grovely. Following a work experience block at RQ at the end of 1988, Marcus jumped at the opportunity to apply for a groundsman position at RQ that became available early in 1989. Marcus then completed his studies after hours whilst working.

In his 25 years of employment Marcus has seen many changes on the course and around the Club in general, including the re-designs of the course due to the construction of the two Gateway Bridges. Marcus was appointed second in charge under Kelly Hyland in 1996, and again as deputy to Danny Brown in 2007. After Danny’s departure in 2010 for an overseas posting, Marcus was appointed Course Manager in his own right.

Marcus is an avid reader of golf course architecture literature, and during his travels visits as many Clubs as possible to broaden his knowledge of course maintenance procedures. Most recently, Marcus and two other staff members visited Royal Sydney during the Australian Open and observed their tournament preparations from the Greenkeepers’ perspective.

On behalf of the Members and staff of Royal Queensland, I thank Marcus for his dedication and commitment to presenting the course to the highest of standards over the past 25 years.

Other Staff News Wedding congratulations to Mick Todd (Irrigation and Drainage Technician). Mick and his partner Leigh-Ann were married in December.

Also, a warm welcome to our new Golf Operations Assistant Jonathon Weaver who commenced duties at the end of December, replacing Liam Sweeney.

Russell Muir

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Course Manager’s Report Maintenance Matters Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all from the ground staff. We hope everyone had a safe and merry festive season. The year has only just begun and already we are underway with our first works programmes for the year.

January will be a hectic month with tight deadlines needing to be met so as to have the course ready for the opening of the season. The start of the New Year has also given the first major storm of the year (39mm on the 6th January) which it is hoped will not be indicative of the rest of summer. Rainfall totalled 1313.5mm (52.62 inches or 1.31m ) for the year with only 4mm separating it from the 2012 total of 1317mm.

Renovations ‘Tis the season, and as greenkeepers, a major part of that season is the renovation of greens. These renovations provide a foundation for further programmes and build a backbone for healthier/stronger turf. At this time of the year you will often hear terms mentioned in reports regarding various aspects of this task. Below we will revisit some of the more commonly used terms:

Verticutting – Not to be confused with scarifying, and although they are very similar in action, verticutting is normally performed in the upper canopy of the turf sward. It involves a reel with numerous cutting blades closely spaced together (8mm gap between blades) which rotate vertically through the turf and remove unwanted thatch while thinning the canopy. The depth of the verticut will determine the amount of visual damage with a light verticut (1-2mm into the canopy) quite often being unnoticeable to the untrained eye, a deep verticut as we do during renovations (45mm) is very easily noticed. Deeper verticutting also can have a similar action to scarifying by removing unwanted runners. Lighter verticutting is more commonly used periodically through the growing season and for event preparation.

ABOVE – Verticutters showing gap between blades

Scarifying – Scarifying involves a reel which has numerous cutting blades like the verticuts, but the gap is much larger between blades (35mm). The reason for this larger gap is to allow the scarifiers to run deeper (6-10mm) into the sward for a more aggressive cut without over laboring the mowers. This deeper intrusion removes/cuts more stolons/runners allowing more thatch to be removed and opens up the canopy for the addition of soil and amendments. Scarifying is more commonly done through renovations and is not used regularly outside this occasion due to the recuperation time sometimes required after the process.

N.B. - Both scarifying and verticutting processes are cleaned up by a mower which will double cut the surface to provide as clean an area as possible for sand addition or fertilising. Both processes also have their direction changed each time they are used, to maximise effect on grain.

ABOVE – Scarifiers showing gap between blades Page 6

Course Manager’s Report (continued) Coring – Coring is a process which helps alleviate compaction in the turf surface from a season of mowing, rolling, and general traffic, but it also provides a means of amending soil types through the removal of a core plug.

Coring can be done using hollow (will remove a core) or solid tines (punch a hole). Tine diameters can vary greatly according to the area to be treated. Fine turf areas usually have smaller tine diameters leaving a smaller hole, whereas fairways and tees may have a larger tine for more effect over an area – larger holes will normally mean a larger spacing between holes.

During our renovations hollow tines are used to extricate a core from the surface of the turf. This core is a combination of turf, thatch and soil and can be as deep as 6 inches; commonly our renovations are at 4-5 inches deep so as not to unsettle the profile too much. Spacings between core holes can be adjusted to suit desired effect by settings on the machine. By removing this core or plug we have removed a portion of the green and created a void. This void is then filled with sand and amendments, and it then provides a means to which we can easily move water, air and nutrients to the soil profile and rootzone.

N.B.- During our renovations we used 5/8th hollow tines at 4-5inches deep with 2-2.5cm centres.

ABOVE – Plug showing depth of core hole and how the sand provides entry for nutrients, and water to go deep in the soil strata.

Topdressing – To help the surface recover and to aid in smoothing the turf surface, sand is dressed over the green and rubbed in to the canopy. As well as filling the holes after coring, this also starts the amendment of the soil profile by the structure of the sand allowing easy movement of water, nutrient/product and air. The sand can be amended with product to help with applications of similar type material. Heavy dressings are required immediately after renovations to ensure all holes are filled and we can start the process of smoothing the playing surface after major disruption. Follow up dustings then continue to promote the smoothing of the surface while encouraging further growth to provide a consistent playing surface.

N.B.- We use a straight or amended sand for topdressing; this allows for drainage, air and nutrient free passage through the profile and limits the amount of work needed on the surfaces for the rest of the year. This also allows us to maintain a desirable particle range size in the soil profile.

Amendments – Products used to help with soil and plant health are commonly referred to as amendments. These products assist in adjusting soil and plant conditions to the desirable levels we are looking to achieve through incorporation with the soil, thus amending the soil to our needs. Products such as Calcium may take many forms of solubility to provide fast or slow release nutrient to the soil and plant. Some other products often used are Magnesium and composted beneficial organics (these organics have undergone the composting stage and have broken down completely and are now primarily a nutrient and moisture holding material). These products can be distributed by hand spreaders, or can be incorporated into the topdressing material and rubbed into the core holes.

Renovations – short term pain for long term gain.

Good luck to all in the upcoming golf season.

Marcus Price Page 7

Pro Shop Pronouncements New Year 2014 The dawn of a New Year usually brings resolutions. If one of them is to improve your golf game, we look forward to being given the opportunity to help you.

Before we can make a plan we need to establish where you are now, and to do this you need to keep accurate records of your rounds.

Most of you will remember Josh Marris. Josh worked with me here at Royal Queensland for seven years. Josh now resides in California and has developed a product called “Get Real Golf Stats”.

It is a web-based golf statistics and analysis product that several Members are currently using.

Our Pennant teams will be using it this year in the lead up to the Pennant season.

If you go to www.getrealgolfstats.com you can trial the premium version for 30 days free of charge.

The data collected and then tabulated indicates clearly where you need to improve, particularly if you compare your data with that of the players on the PGA Tour.

To make the comparisons go to www.pgatour.com and click on the “stats” section.

Once your base line has been determined you can then use the statistics to quantify your improvement.

Now is also a good time to review your equipment as well, particularly the consumable/wear and tear elements of your equipment like your grips, spikes in your shoes, and your gloves. These three grip elements are critical all year round, but particularly as we are coming into the hottest and most humid time of the year.

For the months of January and February 2014, with every full set (minimum 12) of Golf Pride grips replaced, you will receive a Footjoy Weathersof glove, valued at $19.95, free of charge.

Leon Ang, a full member of the Australian PGA. It gives me great pleasure to announce that former Trainee Professional Leon Ang is now a full member of the Australian PGA. Leon is only the second Singaporean to do so.

Leon finalised his training on 31st December 2013 and will attend the graduation ceremony to be held at the Golf Industries Awards night in February.

Leon will be staying on at Royal Queensland for 2014 to broaden his knowledge whilst playing some tournament golf.

Leon is always up for a game and is regularly filling late cancellation spots in the Wednesday and Saturday fields. If you find your group one short or you would like to have a game with Leon please do not hesitate to call the Pro Shop.

Renovated Greens Generally golfers see the immediate post greens renovation period as the necessary evil required so they can have premium quality greens for an extended period throughout the year.

The post-greens renovations scoring year on year throws up some very interesting information.

The scoring average improves significantly particularly in the B and C grade divisions during these periods. As the greens quicken and firm up the scores will return to what is normal for the rest of the year.

Why is this so?

The weakest area of most people’s games, irrespective of their skill levels, is the short game.

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Pro Shop Pronouncements (continued) While the greens are in their post-renovation period they are very slow, and this reduces the amount of dexterity required to read the break and speed on the greens. They are also very soft because of the coring and the amount of sand on them. This reduces the dexterity required for chipping and pitching.

So, if you want to improve your scoring as quickly as possible, it is the short game that you should target. If you proceed with the statistic collection process as above you will see this quite clearly.

Why is it then that not enough people practise their short games?

Most people come to the practice facilities to enjoy themselves, to relax, and to get away from things. As a result, they practise what they are good at.

Helping a Mate Over the last few months some of the Performance Golf family have been diagnosed with breast cancer. In conjunction with Breast Cancer Australia Performance Golf Members are increasing the awareness of this disease through the “Helping a Mate” program.

With the support of Greg Norman apparel we purchased some pink shirts, with the proceeds going to a fund to pay for support for those affected during these challenging times. I will be wearing the shirt I have on in this picture at different times. When you see me wearing this shirt please spare a thought for those who have been affected.

Commencing in February, and with the support of another Performance Golf partner, Peter Wright Golf, we hope to have every lady golfer in Australia sporting a Performance Golf Breast Cancer Australia golf towel. Sales proceeds will go to Breast Cancer Australia.

Ping Fitting Day 21st February 2014. 1.00pm – 5.00pm.

Bookings essential, through the Pro Shop or through the online booking sheet.

This will be a big day with the launch of the new i25 irons and Driver. These clubs are at the cutting edge of design and technology.

On the left is a sample of what is to come.

The adjustable i25 driver is focused on reduced spin, accurate alignment, and effective shaft fitting for maximizing distance and finding fairways. Tungsten weighting lowers the CG and raises the MOI to increase forgiveness and improve accuracy. This Ti 8-1-1 driver also offers two industry-first design attributes: patented racing stripes on the crown to aid in alignment, and an innovative PWR shaft family that maintains a constant swing weight across every offering.

Titleist Golf Ball Promotion The Titleist Golf Ball Promotion for 2013 has been completed. I am happy to announce that the winner of the local draw for the limited edition Titleist golf bag is Wayne Reed. Wayne went into the draw by purchasing one dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls.

Chris Rutherford Page 9

Rules are Rules Is The Penalty One or Two Strokes?

The general penalty for a breach of a Rule in golf is two strokes in stroke play or loss of hole in match play, except where otherwise provided in the Rules. Sometimes only a one stroke penalty is incurred, and sometimes, for severe infraction of the Rules, the penalty is disqualification.

There is no simple way of remembering when a one stroke penalty is incurred, and often the Rules of Golf need to be referred to. The following is adapted from an article by Barry Rhodes, who writes regularly on the Rules of Golf and describes three categories of situations where the lesser penalty of one stroke applies. This applies for both stroke and match play.

1.

LIFTING BALL INFRINGEMENTS

Failure to comply with the correct procedure when Rules allow lifting of the ball.

Rule 20-1: Lifting and Marking.

A ball to be lifted under the Rules may be lifted by the player, his partner, or another person authorised by the player.

In such case the player is responsible for any breach of the Rules. The position of the ball must be marked before it is lifted under a Rule that requires it to be replaced.

If the ball’s position is not marked, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.

If the ball or ball-marker is accidentally moved in the process of lifting or marking the ball, no penalty is incurred.

If the ball-marker is otherwise moved, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.

If a player has reason to believe his ball has become unfit for play during play of the hole being played, he may lift the ball without penalty, to determine whether it is unfit (Rule 5-3: Ball Unfit for Play).

If a player believes a ball at rest may be his, but he cannot identify it, the player may lift the ball for identification without penalty (Rule 12-2: Lifting Ball for Identification).

Failing to announce intention to lift the ball to his opponent or marker, failing to mark its position, or cleaning the ball beyond the extent necessary to confirm that it is damaged or to identify it, incurs a penalty of one stroke.

When a player discontinues play of a hole under Rule 6-8a, he may lift his ball without penalty (Rule 6-8c: Lifting Ball When Play Discontinued).

If a player lifts the ball without the permission of the Committee or without good reason to do so (e.g. lightning), if he fails to mark the position of the ball before lifting it, or if he fails to report the lifting to the Committee he incurs a penalty of one stroke.

Rule 20-2: Dropping and Re-dropping.

A ball to be dropped under the Rules must be dropped by the player himself. He must stand erect, hold the ball at shoulder height and at arm’s length and drop it.

If the ball is dropped by any other person or in any other manner and the error is not corrected, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.

Rule 20-3: Placing and Replacing.

A ball to be placed under the Rules must be placed by the player or his partner. A ball to be replaced must be replaced by (i) the person who lifted or moved the ball, (ii) the player, or (iii) the player’s partner.

If the ball is placed or replaced by any other person and the error is not corrected, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.

Rule 21: Cleaning ball.

A ball on the putting green may be cleaned when lifted, and elsewhere the ball may be cleaned when lifted except to determine if it fit for play (Rule 5-3), for identification (Rule 12-2), or because it is assisting or interfering with play (Rule22).

Page 10

Rules are Rules (continued) If a player cleans his ball except as provided by the Rules, he incurs a penalty of one stroke.

Rule 22-2: Ball interfering with Play.

If a player considers that another ball might interfere with his play, he may have it lifted. Except on the putting green, a player may not lift his ball solely because he considers that it might interfere with the play of another player.

Lifting ball when not requested by another player incurs a penalty of one stroke for a breach of Rule 18-2a.

2.

“GHOST STROKES”

Rule 14-4: Striking the ball more than once.

If a player’s club strikes the ball more than once in the course of a stroke, the player must count the stroke and add a penalty stroke, making two strokes in all.

Rule 16-2: Ball overhanging hole.

When the ball overhangs the lip of the hole, the player is allowed enough time to reach the hole without unreasonable delay and an additional 10 seconds to determine whether the ball is at rest.

If the ball subsequently falls into the hole, the player is deemed to have holed out with his last stroke, and must add a penalty stroke to his score for the hole.

Rule 18-2: Ball at rest moved by Player, Partner, Caddie, or Equipment.

Moving the ball (accidentally), or touching it purposely (except in the act of addressing it) or if the equipment of the player, or his partner, causes the ball to move, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.

Rule 18-3: Ball at rest moved by Opponent, Caddie, or Equipment in Match Play.

Except during search for a player’s ball, if an opponent, his caddie or his equipment moves the ball, touches it purposely, or causes it to move, the opponent incurs a penalty of one stroke.

Rule 19-2: Ball in motion deflected or stopped by Player, Partner, Caddie, or Equipment.

If a player’s ball is accidentally deflected or stopped by himself, his partner, or either of their caddies or equipment, the player incurs a penalty stroke.

(Exceptions: Ball striking person holding up flagstick or anything carried by him (see Rule 17-3b) or dropped ball (see Rule 20-2a). If ball is purposely deflected or stopped by player, partner, or caddie – see Rule 1-2).

3.

“BUYING A STROKE”

Rule 24-2b: Relief from an immovable obstruction in a bunker – dropping outside the bunker.

Rule 25-1b: Relief from abnormal ground conditions in a bunker –dropping outside the bunker.

If a player has interference from an immovable obstruction or abnormal ground conditions (casual water, GUR, or damage from a burrowing animal), and the ball is in a bunker, the player must lift the ball and drop it either, in the bunker without penalty, or under penalty of one stroke, outside the bunker, keeping the point where the ball lay directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped Rule 26-1, 26-2: Relief from a water hazard – dropping outside the hazard.

When a player’s ball is in a water hazard, the player may play the ball from inside the hazard without penalty (without grounding the club), or under a penalty of one stroke play the ball outside the hazard according to the provisions of Rules 26-1 and 26-2.

Rule 27-1: Ball lost or out of bounds – Stroke and distance penalty.

At any time, a player may, under penalty of one stroke, play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5), i.e. proceed under the penalty of stroke and distance. This Rule is invoked when a ball is out of bounds or lost (not found within five minutes).

Continued on next page Page 11

Rules are Rules (continued) Rule 28: Ball unplayable A player may deem his ball unplayable at any place on the course, except when the ball is in a water hazard.

If the ball is deemed unplayable, he must, under penalty of one stroke proceed under one of the three options in Rule 28. (Note: if a ball is deemed unplayable and is in a bunker, the ball must be dropped in the bunker.)

In summary, there are three categories of situations where a one stroke penalty apply – lifting the ball infringements, “ghost strokes”, and situations where you are in difficulty and are “buying a stroke” to get out of the situation. In all other situations, the standard penalty of two strokes in stroke play or loss of hole in match play applies. Hopefully knowing these three categories as described by Barry Rhodes will assist you in remembering when to apply a one or two stroke penalty.

Neville Sandford and Peter Monks

Welcome to New Members Congratulations to 16 new Members who have joined RQ in recent months: Elizabeth Baynton

Henry Joseph

Judith Campbell

Mark Lazic

Brady Duncan

Helen McKie

Lindy Fraser

Jeanette Micalizzi

Deborah Groeneveld

Luke Sellars

Scott Hayes

Jay Stevenson

Annabelle Hazelton

David Thom

Juanita Hazelton

Stephen Williams

Coming Events Members’ Opening Day JDP Induction Day

Sunday 9th February

Mixed Opening Day and Dinner

Sunday 9th February

Associates’ Opening Day

431 Curtin Avenue West Eagle Farm QLD 4009

Saturday 1st February

Tuesday 11th February

Phone: 07 3633 6500 Fax 07 3633 6541 Email info@rqgolf.com.au