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Bunker Master Plan update

The Bunker Master Plan is nearing completion with the 12^th and 13^th bunkers and surrounds completed. A path is being constructed on the eastern side of the 13^th green to direct traffic and to protect the area on that side of the green.

Construction on the 15^th green has commenced and it is anticipated to be completed by the beginning of December, weather permitting.

The bunker on 4a will also be done as part of the Master Plan and will be completed when the full course is in play.

The Course

The wet weather is a welcome relief from the prolonged dry and windy weather of late with a total of 31.6mm received since our last newsletter on 15th November. Although we are expecting a hot summer, this burst of wet weather has helped some way to replenish our dams and waterways and improve playing conditions.

Monday the 4^th December is Long Reef Senior Medal. The draw has been published on the Long Reef Website with a 1pm Shotgun start.

Christmas Cocktail Party Thursday 7 December from 6pm. Members are invited and are welcome to bring their partners.

Results

Wednesday 15 November - 2 Ball Aggregate & Single Stableford and a field of 218 players.

Excellent scores were recorded with Lockey Mcgrath winning A Grade with a 2 over par round and 46 points. Second was Michael Dennis with 39 points and third place was Warren Evans with 38.

The B Grade winner was Stewart Nettleton with 39 points while second place went to Ben Knight on the countback with 38 points from Anthony Harrison.

The C Grade winner was Gary Milsted with 40 points on the countback from Lloyd O'Harte and Michael Dunn winning third place with 39 points.

Nick Sherlock was the scratch winner with a round of 70.

Nearest the Pin on the 2^nd was Simon Couch (186cm).

The 2 Ball Aggregate winners were Lockey Mcgrath and Ben Grozier with a score of 83. Second place went to Tom Sullivan and Steven Norman with a score of 75 on the countback.

Saturday 18 November - 2 Ball Multiplier & Single Stableford. It's not surprising that the scores reflected the good playing conditions and good weather.

The A Grade winner and score of the day went to Phil Marnoch with 43 points. Second was Innes Maclennan with 40 points followed by Ian Brown with 38 on the countback.

The B Grade winner Andrew Jenkins with 41 points with Jeremy Gruzman with 39 points on the countback from Timothy Jones in third place.

The C Grade winner was Doug Moult with 42 points with Robert Powell in second place with 39 points and third place went to Dermot O'Brian with 36.

Nearest the Pin on the 2^nd Carter Harris (20cm). Shane Pearson on the 7^th (54cm).

The 2 Ball Multiplier winners were Phil Marnoch and Andrew Dunn with a score of 81.

Second place went to Doug Moult and Peter Watson with a score of 76.

Wednesday 22 November - Midweek Stroke Play Cup & Premiership - Round 2 was well contested with field of 225 players with the countback separating the top scores.

The A Grade winner with a score of nett 67 on the countback went to Ross Kocass. Second place went to Steven Hill with a nett 67 on the countback from Frank Skiffington.

The B Grade winner and score of the day went to Alex Hammond with a nett 63 on the countback from James Kirby. Third place went to Scott Dawson with a nett 67 on the countback.

The C Grade winner was Tom Sullivan with a nett 64 on the countback from Paul Bradford. Third place went to Paul March with a nett 66.

The scratch score went to Chun-Ta Wu with a score of 70.

Nearest the Pin on the 2^nd went to Glen Lovelace (225cm). Davis Bradley on the 13^th (111cm).

The Midweek Strokeplay Cup (Gross) was played over 2 rounds, Wednesday 8^th and Wednesday 22 November and was tightly contested. Congratulations to:

A Grade

1^st Chun-Ta Wu with two round aggregate of 140

2^nd Nick Sherlock with two round aggregate of 141

3^rd Doug Campbell two round aggregate of 141

B Grade

1^st John Steuart with two round aggregate of 171

2^nd Peter Munro with two round aggregate of 172

3^rd Rob Mander two round aggregate of 172

C Grade

1^st Bob Jones with two round aggregate of 178

2^nd Tom Sullivan with two round aggregate of 181

3^rd Stephen Spillane two round aggregate of 188

The Midweek Premiership (Nett)

A Grade

1^st Cameron Daddo with a two round nett score of 133

2^nd Nick Sherlock with a two round nett score of 136

3^rd Dave Karlsson with a two round nett score of 136

B Grade

1^st Alan Morisset with a two round nett score of 136

2^nd Rex Carroll with a two round nett score of 138

3^rd Rob Mander a two round nett score of 172

C Grade

1^st Tom Sullivan with a two round nett score of 132

2^nd Bob Jones with a two round nett score of 132

3^rd Paul Bradford with a two round nett score of 137

Saturday 25 November - Single Par 4^th round of the Hudson Shield. A field of 132 players were not put off by the wet and windy conditions and went on to record some great scores.

The A Grade winner was John Carroll with a score of +6 with Innes Maclennan coming second with +5. Third place went to Angus Reid with +4.

The B Grade winner and score of the day went to Michael Maras with +6 on the countback. Second place went to Luke Whittington with +5 and third place went to Ben Grozier with +4.

The C Grade winner was Drew Millson with a score of +5 with Peter Goodall in second place with +1. Third place went to Ethan Brown who finished square.

The Scratch score went to Innes Maclennan with a par round 69.

Nearest the Pin on the 2^nd Jason Walters (105cm). James Ellis the 13^th (169cm).

Rob Cordaiy | Captain

15th Hole bunkers with drainage

Australian Open

This week, we were fortunate to extend an invitation to one of our parents, offering them the chance to accompany three promising juniors for an exclusive 'Inside the Ropes' experience at the Australian Open.

This Friday, Adam Elliott will be the chaperone for Will Elliott, Lennox Cleary and Oli Robinson, providing them with a well-deserved and unforgettable experience.

Additionally, our very own Stephen Prior has successfully qualified to participate in this year's Australian Open in the All Abilities section. His first round, scheduled for Thursday at the Australian Golf Club, begins at 1:55 pm. We extend our best wishes to Stephen for a successful tournament!

Jenny Schulenburg | Golf & Corporate Manager

From your Women's Committee

Hole in One

Congratulations to Karman Whitford a hole in one on the 2nd on Tuesday 21 November. The third hole in one for the women this year and there is still time left to add some more. Well done to Karman and with a green ball. Perhaps that is where the rest of us are going wrong...

Results

Saturday 11 November Jane Hagan (19) with 38 points and on Sunday 12 November Clare John (26) had 40 points.

Tuesday 14 November Division I winner was Jenni Brown (16) on 40 points from Wendy Millson (19) on 38 points, Division II was won by Jenny Watts (29) on 40 points on a c/b from Dale Ronald (29), Division III winner was Lisa Jenkins (34) on 39 points from Lisa Mackenzie (35) on 36 points, and Division IV was won by Nikki Winestock (44) on 34 points on a c/b from Judy Gietz (39). The nine hole competition was won by Jan Hanson (32) on 20 points on a c/b from Muriel Dawson (29).

Thursday 16 November Division I was won by Emma Thurlow (9) with 39 points from Vanessa Murphy (16) on 38 points, Division II winner was Muriel Dawson (29) on 41 points from Karman Whitford (24) on 40 points, Division II was won by Angela Brown (38) with 35 points from Sue Dewell (35) on 33 points, Division IV gold was won by Jeanette Black (45) with 38 points from Nikki Winestock (43) on 36 points on a c/b. Fay Sinnott (33) won the nine hole competition with 16 points on a c/b from Margaret Mullis (45).

Tuesday 21 November Division I was won by Jenny Watts (28) on 39 points from Vanessa Murphy (16) on 38 points, Division II was won by Linda Sinclair (30) on 39 points from Sue Dewell (35) on 38 points, and Division III gold was won by Val Hindmarsh (46) on 38 points from Jeanette Black (44) on 34 points. The nine hole competition was won by Amanda Biffin (32) on 21 points from Fran Taylor (45) on 16 points.

Thursday 23 November was the 2BBB Presidents v Captains Day. Congratulations go to the Presidents team who won the day but the Captains team had the best score of the day with Rachael Loomes (20) and Netty Newman (45) winning with 49 points. Well done to all!

Presidents team

Ham - Fran Candrick (42) Arlene Veith (45) with 46 points

Pudding - Angela Brown (38) Sue Dewell (36) on 45 Points

3rd place - Liz Morton (31) Rachel Buxton (13) with 44 points

4th place - Amanda Savage (37) Michelle Milsted (28) on 41 points

Captains team

Ham - Rachel Loomes (20) Netty Newman (45) on 49 points

Pudding - Jie Cheng (24) May Yeng (45) on 47 points

3rd place - Emma Thurlow (9) Fiona Wooley (27) on 46 points

4th place - Vanessa Murphy (16) Jennifer Vasseleu (36) 45 points

Up Coming Fixtures

7 December - Christmas Fun day team event played with 3 clubs and a putter. Please put your name down on the sheet in the locker room for an 8.00am shotgun start. There will be fun activities throughout the 18 holes. Remember to dress up and you must play in your outfits to win a prize.

Sue Kruse | Womens Captain

From the Cafe & Bar

Friday Night Meat & Seafood Raffle

For the next 4 Fridays, we will be offering 6 x Half Leg Hams and 6 x Seafood Trays

Tickets available from 5pm each Friday with the Raffle drawn at 6pm

NEW Summer 2023-24 Cafe Menu

CLICK HERE

NEW Summer 2023-24 Friday Night Menu

CLICK HERE

Jim Allen | Finance Manager

Tell us about yourself
I grew up on the upper North Shore with a family of two brothers and two sisters. We were all outdoor / sports nuts and spent a lot of our time outside of school enjoying the sporting fields and the free space of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

The ocean did not become part of my life until I was married when we moved to Avalon in 2000. I reckon my 4 sons and daughter don't truly understand how lucky they are to be in this part of the world. It is such a calming beautiful place to live and enjoy.

What are your hobbies or what do you like to do on your days off?
Socialising with friends, coaching, camping, watching any Sport and walking the dogs "Sterlo and Bert". Sadly though, my golf is atrocious.

How long have you worked at LRGC?
Not long enough !!! Less than one month - should have come here years ago.

Ho ho hole-in-one! The festive season has teed off, and it's time to swing into some Christmas cheer on the Course.

Grab your festive golf attire, don those Santa hats, and let the jingle balls roll.

WHEN: Thursday 14th December

TIME: 4pm Shotgun Start followed by a Christmas-themed dinner.

COST: $60 for Golf & Dinner | $50 Dinner only

Entries are made through the timesheet and payment required on entry.
Event will be a 2 person ambrose 9 hole Shotgun Start at 4pm.

Dinner-only bookings can be made by calling Clubhouse Reception on (02) 9971 8113.

From the Friday Club

Rules with George | Question

Question: Tom was playing a stroke round. On the 4^th hole he teed his ball on the left hand side of the teeing area and 5 cm behind the line between the front edges of the tee markers.

He played a stroke at the ball but missed it completely. Gerry another player in the group said "ball is in play ".

In disgust Tom picked up his ball, changed it for a different ball, and teed it on the right hand side of the teeing area.

How many strokes penalty does Tom get?

A) 1

B) 2

C) 3

D) 0

From the Archives | The Caddy

Last time in the newsletter we featured John Kelly. It was mentioned that he had started his golf education as a caddy. The club's great golfers in those early years all seem to have been caddies first. Today we see that being a caddy can become a full-time professional job, but not as a tool for teaching young people about the game.

Cadet, Youth and Junior memberships were simply not available until the 60s. Women were not encouraged to be on a course on Saturdays as Associates so there are no stories at the club of girl caddies. Some boys would walk the course with their father as Ross Lanes did at Long Reef in the late 40s, and Les Browne in the 60s.

For others interested in the game they could contact the Club's Professional and be allocated a member and help them around the course at a time when bags were carried. They would be paid for their service and it was a good way to earn pocket money. At the same time they would be observing the play and swings of other members of the playing group and absorbing rules, etiquette and how to act around adults.

We know that in the 1920s our first Professional Frank Eyre was a caddy at Manly as were great Long Reef Champions to be Wally Smith and Gordon Thomson. Much later Champion Frank Maiolo had his time at Manly as a caddy. He came from a non-golfing family and it was a way to get started.

Ron Anthony who became a Gold Member in 2004 spoke of being a caddy at the Old Lakes Golf Club from the age of 11 years around 1940.

He lived at Maroubra and a friend had told him that there was pocket money to be earned. They were paid 3 shillings and nine pence.

The player was charged 4 shillings, but 3 pence went to the Caddy Master. Ron said "Carrying clubs was not the only responsibility, finding the ball was equally as important."

He didn't take lessons he simply copied what he saw. He joined Long Reef in 1954 .

One hundred years earlier as these 1855 photo shows (below), the caddy carried the clubs under his arm. The progression was to place the club handles into a wicker or jute cylinder attached to a small plank of wood, which was also carried under the arm. The addition of straps and buckles came next and by the turn of the century the small but longer bag made of leather and canvas was used, some models with legs attached! Between the wars, the caddie bag became more sophisticated and refined and at the same time after years of experimentation the folding trolley with wheels was produced for the wide market or everyday golfers. The wheels really took off after the war. The present carried Professionals bags with all the zips and compartments that seem large enough to fit the kitchen sink!

Scotland 1855

1880s The bag with legs and a pocket for balls and tees

Also in the last newsletter it was mentioned that Rae Milsted had started lessons at the club in 1976 with John Kelly, but before this, her son Gary (pictured: Gary & wife Michelle Milsted. Michelle is currently the Women's President and we wish her well in her new role.) was already acting as a caddy. His parents had moved to Long Reef in 1971 and he was able to walk around the corner to the club to try to make some pocket-money as a caddy. A few years ago on returning to live in Australia and becoming a member of the club, Gary kindly wrote an account of those caddy days for the archives.

Back then any boys wanting a job waited outside the old Pro Shop until we got a call from the Professional to take the clubs for a member and go to the 1st tee. We would congregate by the starter's box. We could be paired with a variety of members each Saturday or Sunday. As I became a regular, it was not unusual to get 2 or 3 rounds in caddying over the weekend. I started working at the Pro Shop, buffing and cleaning members clubs at the end of the day, before they were stored away.

Early in my time as a caddy, I did a round with John Walker. We seemed to get on very well (he tolerated the 'smart' comments coming from the young teenager) and he asked if I would caddy for him each week. Working for him became a very regular event, caddying with him every Saturday and most Sundays. He taught me a lot about golf etiquette, where to stand and how to make the round enjoyable for the group. I learnt a lot from John.

When the Club Championships came up, I was up early and got around to every green before John's tee-off time, measuring the distance off the pin from the front of the green. His playing partners were very impressed! Due to regular work with John, I got to know his game, regularly advising him on which club to use. It was a good partnership. Later John nominated me for club membership and paid my joining fee, but my golf wasn't as good as my caddying, so I never put in the three cards to get a handicap. Around this time, I had joined Collaroy Surf Life Saving Club and that soon became my priority on the weekends.

As a caddy I met a number of people, members and visitors, club captains and champions, and a few characters along the way. One of the largest 'personalities' that I encountered was Keith Miller, cricketing all-rounder and in my mind, one of the greatest of his era. Keith was never short of a story, and you heard a few during a round. One memory of Keith was his amazing head of hair. Even though there was more salt than pepper, it was like a lion's mane and he kept it in good nick. I noticed that he ran a comb through it every second hole.

One year, John Kelly played in the Australian Open at the Australian Golf Club, Roseberry. He kindly invited people from the Pro-shop to caddy for him for one round. Naturally the assistant Pros were invited and he kindly asked me to caddy for one round. What an honour, but unfortunately not my finest hour. As a young skinny teenager, I had never carried a bag before - I had always pulled a cart. So needless to say John wasn't pleased when I appeared at the first tee with his bag on a rental buggy! John wasn't threatening for the lead, but it all went a bit pear-shaped when he pulled his tee shot on the 17th into the long grass and it took a few shots to clear the rough. John was not happy from that point. I can tell you that the drive back to Long Reef from Roseberry is a very long one when the driver is not talking and steam is venting through his ears!"

In spite of this last memory Gary remembers his time as a caddy at Long Reef as a great learning experience. We thank him for his recollections.

Sources -Golf, Nostalgia and Tips. Alick A. Watt

Account by Gary Milsted

Sandra Mellowes | Archives

From your Captain

From your Women's Committee

Proshop Sale

From the Cafe & Bar

Meet the Team

9 & Dine

From the Friday Club

Rules with George | Question

From the Archives | The Caddy

Rules with George | Answer

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