Club Email

Reef Breezes | Thursday 21 August 2025

Dear Kimberley,

Ball Knockout

Congratulations to the following teams who have qualified for the 4 Ball Knockout:

1	Adam Lynn and Paul Bowler
2	Michael Maras and Anthony Papandrea
3	John Perego and Angus Sedgwick
4	Tony Valentine and Malcolm Weir
5	Geoff Cranfield and Cam Gillespie
6	Michael Harding and Ross Kocass
7	Andrew Fraser and Kurt Fraser
8	Martin Haywood and Michael McKerihan

Quarter Finals - Saturday 23^rd August
Semi Final - Saturday 13^th September
Final - Saturday 20^th September.

Course Renovations
The course renovations have been delayed due to ongoing wet weather, which has made the planned fairway and green works impossible to proceed. The green renovations are now rescheduled for Monday and Tuesday, 25–26 August.

Council Bridge Work
The rebuilding of the council bridge next to the 17th tee is scheduled to commence in the next couple of weeks. There will be disruption to play on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 17^thholes as trucks and equipment are transported across the course to the work area. The contractor will make every effort to minimise disruption during this time. Further updates will be provided as more details of the work schedule become available. It is anticipated the work will take up to 3 months to complete.

Eric Apperley Shield
Our team travelled to Penrith on Sunday, 10 August, for a crucial clash against Pymble — an important match that could secure the top spot in the division. It was always going to be a challenge, with saturated course conditions and all bunkers out of play following the recent heavy rain. Despite a strong effort, the team went down to Pymble, 4 games to 2. Our team finished 3^rd in their division.

Golf Connect
Further information regarding the upcoming national rollout of Golf Australia's GOLF CONNECT can be found in the article below.

August Events:
Due to the ongoing inclement weather, the August Medal will not be rescheduled.

Round three of the Hudson Shield has been moved to Saturday, 27th September.
Unfortunately, the second attempt to hold the Men vs Women event on Sunday, 14 August, was also rained out, and it will not be rescheduled.

4 Ball Knockout Update – With the planned green renovations now rescheduled to Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th August, the 4 Ball Knockout semi-finals will instead be played on Saturday 23rd August. The 4 Ball Ambrose will follow the renovations and be held on Saturday 30th August.

Vince Horan Medal – Originally scheduled for 4th August as part of the August Medal, this event will now be played with the September Medal on 6th September.

Results:

Wednesday 6th August – Single Stableford & 2 Ball Aggregate with a field of 198.

The winner and score of the day with a score of 39 on the countback was Sebastian Cooper.

Saturday 9th August – Course closed.

Wednesday 13th August – Singles Par and 4BBB Par with a field of 180.

The winner and score of the day was Adam Warwick with a score of +4.

Saturday 16th August – Single Stableford and 4 BBB with a field of 190.

The winner and score of the day went to Michael Hodgett with a score of 41 points.

Rob Cordaiy | Captain

Captain’s Trophy 4BBB Matchplay Final – Tuesday 12 August 2025

After a string of wet weather delays, the much-anticipated final of the 4BBB Matchplay was finally played on Tuesday 12 August. The teams of Karen Reader & Adriana Bowyer and Jodie McPherson & Nikki Winestock delivered a thrilling contest that truly showcased the spirit of competitive golf.

Jodie and Nikki came out firing, surging to a commanding lead—4 up after just 5 holes. It looked like it might be a short day, but Karen and Adriana had other plans. With resilience and determination, they clawed their way back into the match, squaring things up by the 12th hole.

The momentum swung again, though, as Jodie and Nikki dug deep to win two of the next five holes, clinching the match 2 & 1 on the 17th. One moment that summed up the competitive spirit came on the 10th: Karen Reader calmly made par, only for Nikki Winestock to drain a 12-foot putt for a net par after receiving a shot—just one of many examples of the high-quality golf on display.

It was a fantastic final, played in great spirit and with some outstanding golf. Congratulations to all four finalists, and especially to Jodie McPherson and Nikki Winestock, the 2025 4BBB Matchplay Champions!

Women’s Weekend Premiership

The Women’s Weekend Premiership is an honour board event. To ensure all weekend women members (6 and 7 day) can play in the Women’s Weekend Premiership, the event will be played on a Sunday over 36 holes stroke. The first round will be played on Sunday 14 September 2025 and the final round on Sunday 21 September 2025. All 6 and 7 day women members are eligible to play in both the Women’s Club Championship and the Women’s Weekend Premiership as they are two separate honour board events. Times will be allocated on the Sunday timesheet for the Women’s Weekend Premiership. Please put your name on as usual on the timesheet within the allocated times for the first round. The second round will be a seeded draw. The winner of the Women’s Weekend Premiership will be presented the trophy at the Major Trophy presentation on 2 November 2025.

Last Medal Round for A and B Grade

The winner of the A Grade medal was Sally Hill with 77 nett.

The winner of the B Grade medal was Robyn Lyon with 84 nett.

The winner of the C Grade medal was May Yeng with 84 nett

Golf NSW Medal

The Women’s Medal Competition is a competition of six Stroke rounds, played in three Divisions, and must be played between January and September. The winner of the Medal in each Division is the player who has paid their Golf NSW fees and has returned the lowest nett aggregate of three scores at the end of the six rounds.

August was the last of the Golf NSW six rounds for the A Grade and B Grade players. The C Grade will play their final medal round on 4 September off the 9^th tee. The weekend players will play their final medal round on 6 September 2025. Winners for all weekday grades and weekend players will be announced at the completion of the C Grade and Weekend Medal rounds.

Remembrance Day

Due to the weather the 18-hole Sherrie Hughes Plate and the 9-hole Forget-me-not trophy will now be played in conjunction with the final par round Thursday 25 September 2025.

Visitors Day

Our Visitor’s Day will be held on 18 September 2025. The event will be a Waltz event commencing at 8am with a Shotgun start. Please put your name down on the sheet in the locker room. If you have a visitor, please provide their GolfLink number. The draw will be done on 11 September 2025. Given it is a shotgun start can you all please pay via the registration sheet which is open on the timesheet. The cost is the normal competition fee of $15.00. The cost for Visitors is also $15.00. Lunch will be served at the back of the room. Please let Michelle Milsted know if you or your visitor has any dietary requirements.

Upcoming Fixtures:

21 August – 4 ball Ambrose

23 and 28 August – GolfNSW 2 ball Ambrose

4 September – C Grade medal final round

6 September – Weekend Medal final round

11 September - last round of the Supervets

18 September – Visitors Day

14 and 21 September – Women’s Weekend Premiership

25 September – last par round in conjunction with the Remembrance Day Trophies.

Sue Kruse PSM | Women's Captain

Golf Australia's GOLF CONNECT – National Rollout Begins in October

Golf Australia is rolling out a new nation-wide handicapping platform called GOLF CONNECT from 2 October, replacing the 25-year-old GOLFLINK system used across all clubs in Australia.

Long Reef Members will continue to play golf and maintain an official handicap exactly as normal under the new platform. Registering is only required if you wish to view your handicap history online or use the new Golf Australia Official App to view your handicap.

Key Dates for LRGC:

Sun 29 Sep – last handicapped round
29 Sep – 5 Oct – offline period
(no handicapping; team events only)
6 Oct onwards – handicapping resumes (subject to MiClub)

The MiScore App will continue to function, Handicaps will be frozen during the offline period and our Programme Book has been updated for team competitions only during this period with no handicapping available.
Click here for the full Golfer Information Guide from Golf Australia

EXPERIENCE THE ULTIMATE GOLF TOUR WITH TEED UP IN 2026

Teed Up Golf Tours invites you to join PGA Pro Michael Mosher the trip of a lifetime—a "Bucket List" experience combining the iconic US Masters Tournament with the opportunity to play Pinehurst No. 2, the legendary host course of the 2024 US Open, or just to experience the thrill of Masters Week.

Our 2026 Pinehurst & US Masters Tour begins with 3 unforgettable rounds of golf at Pinehurst Resort,

For more information, click on the image below

As of the 19^th of August, The Course has received a total of 1272.6mm of rain so far this year. In the last fortnight 305.8mm has fallen on the Course. The Dams are at 110% capacity, and the Course is extremely wet again.

With all the rain in August, course maintenance has been a challenge. We’ve only been able to keep up with the basics. Hopefully, some dry weather will arrive soon so we can return to our regular maintenance schedule.

Greens Renovations Update
Due to the wet weather and forecasts for this week, we’ve had to postpone greens renovations by 1 week. The ground is too wet to safely bring heavy machinery onto the Course without causing damage.

Fairway Renovation Update
Due to the constant wet weather in August, our fairway renovation program has not been carried out. We are looking into alternative options to ensure qaulity fairways are maintained going forward.

Many of you would have heard about the light plane crash at Mona Vale Golf Course on Sunday. We’ve since been told the pilot was advised to attempt a crash landing at Long Reef. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Here at Long Reef, it wouldn’t have surprised us as we’ve seen it all!

Kurt Schulenburg | Course Superintendent

Trackman Lessons & Fittings

Need a Tune-Up? Let Our PGA-Trained Experts Help!

Just a friendly reminder that our expert PGA-trained staff are available for professional club fittings and golf lessons. Whether you're looking to gain distance off the tee, sharpen your iron play, or dial in your wedge performance, we’re here to help you elevate your game.

Ever wondered what trackman numbers really mean and how they relate to your golf swing? Book a trackman lesson to get correct advice and improve your game.

To book your next fitting, click here

Shortees Golf

Exclusive Offer for Long Reef Members at Shortees!

Shortees is offering Long Reef members 33% off green fees next Monday and Tuesday! No booking required—just turn up and show your membership card to claim the discount.

Club Repairs – Regrip Promotion on Now!

Is it time to freshen up your grips? Worn or slick grips can seriously impact your swing, feel, and control. To help you get back to peak performance, we’re running a limited-time promotion on all club regripping services.

From now until the end of this week, enjoy 20% off all regrips!

Whether you're looking for a full set refresh or just want to update a few clubs, our expert staff are here to help you choose the perfect grip style and size to suit your game.

Question: Playing in a stroke round, Murray hit his tee shot on the 4^th hole into a bunker. He took several clubs into the bunker to be prepared to play. He threw these except one club onto the sandy bottom of the bunker.

Before playing his stroke he picked up several leaves which had blown in. His ball was in the centre of the bunker but there was a plastic bag about 20 cm away from his ball. He picked that up also. He had several practice swings without touching the sand with the head of the club. He played his stroke at the ball but unfortunately the ball went out of bounds. He raked the sand in the area of his stroke. He said I will have to play another ball under penalty of stroke and distance. He dropped his ball in the smoothed area and played a good shot the ball ending close to the hole.

He holed his putt . His fellow competitors looked at him in surprise.

Which is correct?

Murray had a score of 5.
Murray had a score of 6.
Murray had a score of 7.
Murray had a score of 8.

Clubhouse closing early on Saturday 23 August

Please not that the clubhouse will be closing at 6pm on Saturday 23 August 2025 for a staff event.

Logo and the ‘old’ Pro shop

Thanks go to former Women’s President Shirley Jenkins and current member Penny Ware for donating to the collection of clothing. This white 90’s spray jacket has what we call “the Gary Churcher” logo on it. This logo was a colourful successful attempt at featuring the landscape of Long Reef Golf Club, with the surf, the cliff, the course and three of the pine trees. It was used on all of the Pro shop merchandise. This example shows the most used colours but occasionally there would be a colour match to a particular article as seen below on the white all-weather jacket. The Archives now have enough examples of clothing for a fashion parade, most of which have the shield logo on them!

(Above)

Beanies – donated by David Costello & loaned by Mick Snell
Hat Band- donated by Frank Jenkins

(Below)
Rain Jacket on loan - Sandra Mellowes

This photo below, part of the 1927 panoramic photo on display, on the Fisherman’s Beach side of the course, shows a series of protected young trees in the background, which we presume are the young pines. This area was used a great deal after the Great War by returning troops and it is considered likely that the trees have a connection.

Gary Churcher came to Long Reef as the Professional in 1985. He followed John Kelly ( 1963-85) and before John, Frank Eyre (1922-63). In his 22 years with the club Gary presented an excellent service in a tiny Pro-shop and from the beginning was on a promise of a new one! Gary and his wife Jenny ran a very successful business from the ‘shed’ that had been the changing shed for the Bowling club. It moved at the same time the 1^st and 9^th tees were swapped over).There was an add-on at the back of the shed for club storage and a club repair area and eventually a covered balcony out the front which gave some secure storage for carts. It was in Gary’s time that motorised buggies were introduced to the club.

(Above) The 1976 - 2012 Pro-Shop. L-R John Harradine a member of staff and Gary Churcher. Please note the grand carpet matching the club house carpet in the dining room at this time.

Photo taken just before demolition in 2012

Sandra Mellowes | Archives Committee

The Australian Golf Heritage Society.
Long Reef is very fortunate to be represented on the Australian Golf Heritage Society by our members Les Browne and Gary Martinolli. Les is the Captain and Gary is a committee member who has taken on the huge job of resurrecting the Society’s magazine. So far two issue have been published giving us a very interesting list of topics to read and study and Gary is to be congratulated on the excellent presentation and content.
For those interested in golf history, the society is sharing the links to Brassie, the magazine, which aims to record golf history with a blend of historical material and items of general interest.

Click here to read The Brassie

Answer: C is correct

Murray was in the bunker for 1 stroke. No penalty for picking up the leaves which were loose impediments or the plastic bag which was a movable obstruction.

No penalty for raking the sand before his stroke and distance penalty. However the General Penalty would app[y if relief is taken in the bunker after a ball comes back into play

By dropping another ball Exception Rule 12.2b(3).