'Reading the Lines'- Golfing Newsletter - middle of June 2017

The last blog took us to the middle of May. And the second half of May was just as busy. If not busier.

And colder!

This was the scene recently at the start of play one crisply frosty morning:

It was in the second half of last month that City of Harare Municipality attempted to de-train me on my way to work. One of the main arterial routes in the city is Harare Drive, and one evening on my way home I rode through a large puddle of water. The next morning I realized that an underground pipe had burst, and the gushing water caused a massive trench to form - into which I would have, literally, disappeared:

This is my trusty steed parked at the trench at 05.45 one morning:

And how deep was it? Ummmm - you judge . . .

One of the larger tournaments in the second half of the month was Transerv - a local company. It was extremely well arranged, and the prize table was positively loaded, while the field was also packed, with several players from South Africa, guests and business partners of the sponsors, competing. Transerv specialize in motor accessories - hence the flower arrangement in the tyre in the background . . . .

Did you notice the green mood lights in the pic above? Well the whole room looked fantastic - and St Patrick would have approved:

Another of the larger tournaments hosted was Birdlife Zimbabwe - which was aimed at raising money for the Bird Society. There is a large difference between a corporate-sponsored tournament, and a fund-raising tournament, where the players in the latter purchase spots in a four-ball, and generally pay cash for everything they consume. They are also asked to take part in various initiatives and side-competitions, such as a 'yellow-ball', in addition to the main competition. Held on a Thursday, it was extremely well supported.

Halfway through the round, we often have a Boerwors Roll grab-and-go station for golfers to get a bite to eat with minimum delay, before they set off on the final nine holes. In the background you can see some of the vehicles  put on show by one of the sponsors.

The same sponsor put up a motor vehicle as a prize on one of the short holes - the Isuzu pick-up truck on the left in the picture below. The company that put it up as a prize for a hole-in-one took out insurance against it being won and sadly . . . . no-one did win it, which was a shame!

Staying with the Catering - we had a tournament hosted by The Friendly Diplomats Golf Association, and the field included several members of the Diplomatic Community in Zimbabwe. The luncheon was an al-fresco affair

A recently-hosted Tournament was 'Nomads' - an organization dedicated to charity through golf, and this remains the preserve of the true golfer. After all, integrity and honesty is key to golf anyway, and so the Members of Nomads tend to be people with a genuine affinity for the sport. It was great to see everyone in their Nomads kit. Green and white was the order of the day.

Notice the children fishing in the background?

The Prize Table had a look about it which none of the other groups have - thanks to tradition.

And the prize-giving is unusual in that everyone, without exception, dresses for the awards in collar and tie with jacket. Very smart . . . .

And for the Nomads tournament there was one addition to the exit from the 18th and 9th greens which is missing from all other tournaments. A big, blue . . . . . .bucket. Strategically placed:

And why the bucket, you ask? Well, as the Nomads come off the final green, they drop their ball into the bucket, and it is given to junior golfers in Zimbabwe who cannot afford to buy their own golf balls. It is part of the raison d'etre of Nomads - the furthering of golf in their country.

Notes from the Rules Buff

This time our little nitpick is not so much about the Rules, as it is about Etiquette. Sadly. Generally at The Brooke, we pride ourselves on providing the finest Leisure Golfing Experience in the country, and for this reason we tend to turn a blind eye when a group of friends tee up as a 5-ball. However, etiquette demands that Priority on the Course is dictated by pace of play, and this is often being ignored. Please, people, if you have a group behind you playing faster than you - call them through. This applies not only to 5-balls, but also to 4-balls that find a 2-ball coming up behind them.

We don't mind The Brooke being relaxed in some aspects, but this is not carte blanche for you to suspend course courtesy. Thanks.

The Pro Shop

Stu currently has some great winter wear in stock, and rumour has it that this will be extended to headgear. Please pop in and see what he has to offer when you are next passing through the Club? Cheers.

Kids time

The last note this blog goes to the kids. While we cater for golfers and golfing, the Club can also provide for family needs too. Last blog we showed a wedding, and this time I would like to showcase a kids birthday party, Here is the Restaurant all ready and waiting:

In the background you can see the jumping castles, and behind the popcorn guy is a mechanical bull. Party-time! We had one of the carts in the room so that the kids could have their photo taken, and the party colour was red.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the sushi was being plated:

While on my desk the finest birthday cake in the world for a golfing 8-year old boy waited to be served.

How cool is that? Obviously not all our own work, but it is a glimpse of what can be done if you are a Member, and want to make use of the Club facilities.

Have a great fortnight, and see you (freezing) on the tee box!

Cheers

'Reading the Lines' Newsletter - end May 2017

Welcome to the first edition of The Brooke Golfing Newsletter Blog –

“Reading the lines at The Brooke”

This is intended as a Newsletter dealing specifically with Golfing news from The Brooke – updates on what has been happening in the Club, the Golfing Calendar for the next four weeks, Club social news, and all other Golf Club matters, including special offers in the Pro Shop, and course news. The  Brooke Newsletter will continue to be produced for the benefit of Home Owners, and this is a supplementary newsletter for those who love a ‘good walk ruined’.

Winter cometh

If you have not been able to get out and play a little golf in the past month, you are missing out on a fantastic experience. The Course is currently in extremely good condition, and now that winter is here during the early mornings the fairways are shrouded in mist

While in the evenings there is a glow to the course that is simply not there during the rest of the year 

I have lost track of how many times during the past month I have been advised that  the 'Brooke greens are way superior to Royal's at the moment'. Beefy and his crew have done a remarkable job repairing the damage from the floods, and right now conditions are close to perfect. For your Planning, an attachment to this email lists all our current bookings up to the end of June.

First Tee

News from the Golf Club is that Simon Herring has come in, and is currently taking over from Mark Brackley as Club Manager. Mark will be heading for England, where he will join Marion who is already in UK. Simon has a background in Hospitality in Zimbabwe, and has taken over most of the in-house club functions, while he will spend time to familiarize himself with golfing matters – upcoming tournaments, hosts, formats, and so on, over the next month. If you have not met him, please introduce yourself to him, and bear in mind that, including golfers, staff and Home Owners, he has roughly 1500 names to learn – so may be a little slow on the uptake!

The Club will be hosting a 'Farewell Tournament' for Brackers on the afternoon of Saturday 10th June - we will waive Green Fees, but there will be a $10 per person Competition Fee. If you have had any dealings with Mark over the past few years and would like to participate, please try and get a four-ball together and make a booking with Sam. If you don't have any friends just put your name down and you will be slotted into a team! The format will be 4BBBS with 2 to count and all 4 on the shorts. Even if you are unable to participate, please come to the Clubhouse in the late afternoon or evening to join us for a couple of drinks.

Mark has done a fantastic job with guiding the Club to where it is now, and we wish him and his family all the very best in their new life abroad.

Office bearers for 2017

The past 2 weeks has seen a lot of activity in the Clubhouse and on the course, the most important from a Club perspective being the hosting of the Golf Annual AGM, and the election of Officers for 2017. For those who missed it, the new Men’s Captain is Francis Bwanya, with Vice-Captain Carl Varger, and for the Ladies the new Captain is Annie Jones, with Colleen Morgan taking up the role of Vice-Captain. This is a supremely capable team of Leaders, and we ask that you give them your full support through the year ahead

Lastly we also welcome Tricia Manuel into the fold as Golf Public Relations Officer. She has been employed on a commission-basis to market Membership, Tournaments and Functions, and we wish her all the very best. The position has never been filled before and she will be breaking new ground, so any assistance or suggestions relating to marketing the Golf Club should be directed to her.

In addition – and of utmost importance from an administrative perspective is the formation and inaugural meeting of The Golf Committee. This is a committee that has been formed tasked solely with concerning itself with ‘matters pertaining to the playing of golf at The Brooke Golf Club’. It is chaired by Mr D McComb, and includes the Captains, Estates Manager, Club Manager, Caterer, Club Professional, Golf PR (a new appointment),and Mr C Wilson.

Again we would ask that any pertinent suggestions you may have regarding golf be directed to any of the above members of the committee for consideration.

Club Championships

Among the many tournaments hosted over the last fortnight, the most important from a Club perspective was the Annual Club Championships held over the weekend of the 6 & 7 of May. There had been some debate as to dates, and that weekend was also the date of several weddings, so, all things considered, we had an excellent turn-out, with 102 golfers putting their tees into the ground on the opening Saturday. Our Estate manager – Beefy Campbell-Morrison, produced an excellent tournament course, and we are still receiving accolades for the state of the course well over a week later.

Our Club Champions for 2017 are as follows:

Men – Chris Manning, with a Gross score of 155

Ladies – B Tilowakuti, with a Gross score of 163

Seniors – Basil Brent with a Gross score of 165

Very special thanks go to Harry Smith who was our Rules Official throughout the weekend, and who ensured the Tournament was run to the highest standards.

One comment received was that we do not play enough medal golf throughout the year, and hence the Club Champs become a bit of a test. The intention is to play at least one medal tournament per month - on the last Wednesday of every month, so please try and make that a firm date in your calendars if you can. We will then use the 2 months prior to Club Champs next year to play off the gold markers, so we should all be ready, willing and able by the time the first weekend in May rolls around in 2018!

For those who missed the event, this is a picture of the Prize Table for Club Championships.

We have also, in the last 3 weeks, hosted major tournaments for Maguires, FDGA, Salvation Army, Transerv, Bird Life Zimbabwe, Generals Day, as well as hosting the usual Business Leagues,  Shumbas, Wednesday Clubs, and Saturday Clubs. The General's day was the final tournament of the month, and the marquee was set up on the Driving Range,  dominating the approach to the Club . . . 

While the exterior of the marquee (designed to host 650 people seated with tables) was impressive, the interior was breath-taking. This year the post-tournament party was hugely successful, and general comment from the Brooke residents was that they hardly heard the music - so grateful thanks to the hosts for their consideration of the Home-Owners. 

In addition to golf, the Club hosted a wedding for 80 people, and those regular members who have never seen the Club in full evening dress, may be interested in the following picture – taken on the outside veranda looking out over the first fairway . . . .

The Wedding meal was provided by Colleen and Sheree and once again the ladies did the Club proud, with a magnificent spread for main course, followed by a dessert buffet and a very comprehensive cheeseboard.

If any Members have relatives announcing engagements – please consider the club as a venue? We can put on a very decent and reasonable show, and Saturdays tend not to conflict too much with tournaments. In either instance, the layout of the Club enables us to divorce weddings and golfers (if that is the correct term to use??!!?) as we will use the inside bar area for the wedding, and the outside bar for golfers.

Ideally we would prefer to host 80-100 people, but we can cope with larger numbers if requested.

While on Catering and social aspects, I would like to remind you all of the Sunday Lunch that the ladies offer in the restaurant. Mother’s Day was a splendid spread, and a lot of thought and effort goes into preparing for that particular meal, so your support would be greatly appreciated. This is the spread on Sunday 14^th – a feature of which was pork fillet cooked in cider and then baked with pears and sweet potatoes.

Every Sunday there is a Lunch, so please come down and support the Club. 

Finally - on to golfing matters. Saturday morning Junior Golf Clinic continues to attract a large number of children, and we would love to welcome more. This is a truly fantastic programme, and Stu Stovold must be congratulated on maintaining an initiative which benefits the community. Again I would urge all Members (who may not even be aware of the programme) to please try and get support from family and friends, and get them to book and bring children along. Let’s get the golfers of tomorrow going today!

The Pro Shop

Word is out that the Pro Shop is de-stocking 'Crocs' shoes, and they have all been reduced to $50.00. These are not the golf shoes, but the normal casual shoes, and Stu has a range for both men and ladies, so you don't even need to be a golfer to take advantage. Hugely comfortable and built to last, these are an ideal purchase - whether for yourself or for a friend, and this price certainly won't be matched in Harare. Again, your support of this vital aspect of the Club would be greatly appreciated.

Notes from the Rules Buff . . . .

One thing that did become apparent at Club Champs was the fact that an awful lot of BBGC golfers are very careless with their cards and record-keeping.

We had a couple of cards which we had to return for signature, and several cards on the final day on which Golfers had omitted to record their handicaps. All of these omissions were corrected before the cards were ‘officially’ received, but when visiting other Clubs you may well find yourself disqualified. We are going to point out such omissions over June and July, and then will follow the same course ourselves. We figure it is better for you to be embarrassed in front of your mates than in front of a crowd of strangers! We may, of course, be wrong.

Handing in correct scores and signing the card are simple requirements, but they are included in the Official Rules, so please pay close attention to these aspects in future. It also does not hurt to double-check the addition on scorecards, and confirm with your marker what your actual score on each hole was if you disagree. Just sayin’ . . . . . .

Public Speaking Seminar

Finally - I have been asked to advise all Members that Mr Basil Brent (our current Seniors Champion) has approached the Club and offered to host a seminar titled “Public Speaking for formal occasions – the do’s and don’ts”. 

His astonishing performance with a microphone at Club Championships will, we are certain, guarantee a packed hall, and we will advise a firm date when we have it. He has assured us that he will cover the Don’ts section of the seminar, and is looking for a co-host to cover the Do’s as he is a little shaky on those aspects of public speaking.

He intends to follow up the first seminar with two sequels: "Multiple uses of the phrase 'ummmmm' in Public Speaking" followed by "The best volume to set your amplifier when using the 'f' word in public"

Have a great month, and see you on the tee box!

Cheers