Roehampton Club joins the rest of the country in mourning the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II. The Club flag will fly at half-mast until the date of the funeral. On that day, Monday 19th September, while the Club will remain open, all social functions and competitions are cancelled.
We will gather in the Roehampton Room after the Autumn Meeting Foursomes for prizegiving.
Please order your lunch in advance by clicking on this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSeEglwHwWFhLijtBu7z39qYewToxzUnCkqhRXPdQU1wFSdQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
If you have already submitted your food option, you are not required to submit it again.
Congratulations to the Hicks team, who defeated Foxhills Golf Club to see themselves through to the final of the Plate competition. The team on the day was Hannah Li, Jo Thesiger, Jane Peel, Lorna Robey and Laura Weatherill. A special round of applause to Hannah, who recorded five birdies on her way to victory over a lady whose handicap was plus 2! The final will be played against Sunningdale Golf Club on 2nd October at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club.
The past fortnight has been a busy one for internal competitions. Congratulations to the winners and to all who participated.
The Summerside Cup was won by Jackie Beedle. Other winners on the day:
| Division 1:
1. Angela Atkins (38) 2. Claire Martin (35 c/b) 3. Emma Niven (35)
|
Division 2:
1. Jackie Beedle (41) 2. Caroline Fairnie (39) 3. Martina Syron (36)
|
Roll-Up Fun Competition (best two of three Stableford scores):
Thank you to all Ladies who played in the Autumn Meeting this week. The full results are viewable via the link here (https://roehampton.intelligentgolf.co.uk/competition.php?compid=9734&fulldetail=0)
Please see the Prize Winners below who will be awarded their prizes at the Ladies Autumn Meeting Prize Giving next Tuesday.
36 Hole Silver Nett Winner – Helen Maguire Symons Trophy Winner
36 Hole Silver Gross Winner – Hannah Li Burge Trophy Winner
36 Hole Bronze Nett Winner – Angela Elliot
Day 1 Silver Nett Winner – Liz Collins
Day 1 Silver Gross Winner – Lorna Robey
Day 1 Bronze Nett Winner – Susan Major
Day 1 Bronze Gross Winner – Kasandra Spalding
Day 2 Silver Nett Winner – Sheila Finegan
Day 2 Silver Gross Winner – Rachel Gilman
Day 2 Bronze Nett Winner – Jenny Carter
Day 2 Bronze Gross Winner – Pippa Lyons
Johnson Trophy (for veteran Over 60 with best nett score on 1st day of Autumn Meeting) – Susan Major
Pearson Salver 1968 (player with best nett score in Pearson Range 13-32 on first day of Autumn Meeting) – Susan Major
Anna Cowan Salver (for best Aggregate nett score in Spring Meeting and 1st day of Autumn) – Henrietta O’Shea
Pedersen Salver (for best Aggregate scratch score in the Spring Meeting and first day of Autumn Meeting) – Ali Jacobs
Click here for the Full Results sheet
There are two winter knockout competitions hosted by Surrey for low handicappers. Please do consider entering.
Rothschild Trophy:
An annual weekend scratch singles match play competition. Open to players affiliated to SLCGA with handicap index of + through to 12. First round losers go through to the Monk plate.
Enter online – https://www.slcga.org/competition.php?compid=31
Winter Scratch League:
An annual scratch singles competition played home and away, open to players affiliated to SLCGA with handicap index of 10.0 – 16.0
Enter online – https://www.slcga.org/competition.php?compid=30
I had two very enjoyable Captain and Pro matches over the last fortnight.
Ricky Pharo and I were first challenged by Katy Preston and Kasandra Spalding, in what quickly turned into another drubbing for the home side! Both the ladies played exceptionally well. Kasandra was below her handicap by a fistful of shots. Katy recorded birdies on the 8th and the 10th, meaning a gross eagle by Ricky would have only given us a half. It was a pleasure to watch them play.
In the second match, Nicole Stewart and I faced Wendy Dixon and Lynda Dawson. This match was very special for me, as Lynda and Wendy were among my very first friends when I joined the Club. This match went slightly deeper than the previous one, but in the end the captain was defeated by the very steady play and perfect partnership of the challengers.
All the challengers very generously donated to Regenerate, which made the losses easier to bear.
Professionals from the European Legends Tour arrived at Roehampton Club last week for the first full Pro-Am tournament held here since 2019. On the day, the players arrived for breakfast and an introduction to their teams. The golf consisted of teams of four, recording the two best holes, as well as an individual competition amongst the professionals. As always, it was exciting to watch the pros take on our course, sometimes negotiating it with ease, but also often falling prey to the same difficulties that bedevil us amateurs.
Our beloved Tristan McIllroy will be leaving Roehampton Club at the end of September to take up a new role at St. George’s Hill Golf Club. He has been an invaluable support to me in my captaincy, as I know he has been to all Members. Please join us to raise a glass and wish him well on 16th Friday at 18:00 – 20:00.
The one rule that people consistently get wrong is how they measure the spot to drop their ball when taking relief, whether it be free or for a penalty. I’ve covered this procedure before, but I still see people dropping incorrectly.
If a player is calling her ball unplayable, she has three options under Rule 19, for penalty of one shot. She can go back to the spot of the previous stroke or drop the ball on a reference line going straight back from the ole through the spot of the original ball. Her third option is to drop two club lengths, not closer to the hole, and this is where the mistakes appear. The club lengths are measured from the spot where the ball is sitting, not from an area away from whatever is making the ball unplayable. For example, if the ball is under a bush, the player does not get to measure from the edge of the bush, but from the ball itself. If the ball is deeper inside the bush than two club lengths, the player might need to use stroke-and-distance or back-on-the line relief.
If a player is taking free relief, perhaps from an obstruction or abnormal playing conditions, she is allowed one club length, from the nearest point of relief. Often players try to measure one club length from the obstruction itself (such as a sprinkler head), which is not correct. The nearest point of complete relief is a spot which is not nearer the hole and where the condition does not interfere with the stroke. Estimating this reference point requires the player to identify the choice of club, her stance, swing and line of play she will use for that stroke. She then should identify the spot on the ground where the ball would be sitting when taking her stroke. It is this spot from which she measures her one club length. Please see the great diagrams which accompany Rule 16 if you are unclear on any of the foregoing. And please also stop dropping balls haphazardly all over the golf course!
