Dear Members,
I am both happy and sad to advise that our Club Operations Manager, David Rice, recently resigned from his position with the Club. Whilst the team and I are extremely sad to see David leave Glenelg, a great opportunity has opened up for him within government (Department of Environment and Water) as the GM of Cleland Wildlife Park, and it was too hard to refuse. One of my mantras is to never stop good people progressing in their career, and I am certain David will excel in his new position. David has done an amazing job at Glenelg, with his input definitely improving operations and the hospitality offerings at the Club. These changes and David’s contribution are sure to result in continued improvements well into the future, even after he is gone. Please pass on your well wishes when you see David around the Club as we all wish him the best for a successful future. His last day will be Saturday 25th July and we hope to see him back at Glenelg from time to time.
Golf & COVID-19 Etiquette
I hope you are all enjoying your golf and some normality here in South Australia. I would like to take the opportunity to remind all Members of the need to remain vigilant and continue the great work we have been doing, to stop the spread of the virus.
- Continue to maintain proper hygiene. Clean your hands often. Use soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer located in all areas of the Club.
- Continue to social distance as per the government recommendations.
Golf is currently recording high participation numbers across the country, with competition rounds up approximately 40% and participation up approximately 25%, Australia wide. Here at Glenelg, the months of May and June saw a 35% increase in tee times, as opposed to last year. We are not alone, tee times are hard to come by at all Clubs at the moment, due to limited travel options and the suspension of kid’s sporting activities.
While the course condition has never been better, the unprecedented increase in Member playing numbers means the onus on each Member to help maintain the playing surfaces has also ramped up.
Most of the play over the last few months has been Member based. As a Member of Glenelg Golf Club there is an expectation that each Member plays their part in helping to maintain the quality of the playing surfaces presented by Course Superintendent Tim Warren and his crew.
If, as individual Members, we can all make a conscious effort to follow the basic etiquette in course care (as outlined below), the experience of playing golf at one of the best courses in Australia will be greatly enhanced for all.
- Number one on the list is bunker care; the grounds crew can only do so much. It is each Member’s responsibility to leave a bunker as they found it, or indeed improve it if possible. This takes time, and we ask you to make the effort in smoothing out all footprints.
- Pitch marks on greens. Please repair at least two pitch marks every time you walk onto the putting surface. You may not be able to identify your pitch mark, but by repairing two, the greens will be better for it and you will probably hole more putts!
- Speed of play is always a hot topic, so be aware of your group’s position in the field, and always keep up with the group in front. Playing ready golf and moving to the next tee quickly will help reduce up to 15 minutes from your round time.
- Safety is a key component of course etiquette. Players must only hit when they feel no Member will be in danger. Players are struck by golf balls every year and it is your responsibility to make sure no one is in danger of being hit due to players teeing off in frustration. Enjoy the great walk, socialisation, and scenery rather than teeing off 20 seconds too soon.
- Electric carts and scooters need to be aware of encroaching too close to the greens, tees and penalty areas.
- Lastly, all Members are required to use the sand buckets supplied to fill in divots on tees and fairways, ultimately assisting the turf to come out of dormancy ready for the spring growth.
Catering Cart & Starters Hut
With Clubhouse operations returning to normal, we have now closed sales from the Starters Hut. We have also reduced the running of our catering cart. Whilst it was great having the Hut and Cart operating every day, the trial was only made viable with the support of JobKeeper payments, and while the Clubhouse was closed. Unfortunately these facilities didn’t garner the necessary Member support to make running them every day an on-going financially viable option. We hope Members understand this decision and continue to purchase from the Clubhouse prior to, or after golf. The Catering Cart will continue to run on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. We will also be rolling out an online based ordering system very soon, enabling Members to pre-order food and drinks remotely, and choose their preferred pick up time. Stay tuned for more details.
Monday & Tuesday Food Options
We are excited to announce that we had two new chefs join the Glenelg team earlier this month. William comes to us from d’Arenberg Cube and Ben joins us from The Lane Vineyard. Both have great experience and have brought further inspiration to our kitchen team. In line with the new chefs commencing we have increased our hot food offerings to Mondays and Tuesdays. Chefs will be cooking from the satellite kitchen in the Members Bar and a short menu will be offered to complement all other days of the week. We hope you all enjoy and utilise this new offering.
If you haven’t already had a look at the new Dinner menu, check it out here.
Good golfing and I look forward to seeing you all around the Club.
Robert Vincekovic
General Manager
Official Golf Club of the Adelaide Football Club and proud partners of Links2Golf.