Bunkers
All bunkers will be in play for competition golf.
The ball may be lifted and placed within one club length in the bunker and no nearer the hole.
Having played your ball, the sand should be smoothed using a club.
Slits on Fairways
Ball resting on any of the open slits on the fairways may be lifted and dropped no nearer the hole and within one club length without penalty.
Golf Committee 6 June 2020
Steve has been out and about on the course today (17th April) and he’s kindly sent in a video – in two parts.
Thanks again “Radar”
Whilst the country remains on Lockdown we wanted to share with you some photos of the course taken over the last couple of weeks. Most of them have been posted on Facebook and Twitter, but we know there are members who don’t use these social media platforms, so we shared them here as well. We will post more when we can.
Thanks go to Scott Rigby, Steve Banks and Steve Norman for the pictures, we hope you enjoy them, stay safe.
As mentioned in an earlier post, Steve Norman has been taking his self isolating exercising on the course – one of the joys of living in a house so close he can almost step out of his back gate into the clubhouse.
His exercise has been to do some jobs around the course. He’s already jet washed the patio, which now looks brand new. His current exercise to repaint the marker discs, he’s doing a fantastic job.
Many thanks Steve, we all look forward to seeing the fruits of your labour “in the flesh”. For now we will have to make do with some photos.
Hello everyone, we hope you are all staying safe and well.
If you need help during the lockdown, please let us know. If you can volunteer to help other members, please also contact the club.
All the staff and Directors are heartened by the overwhelming support you are giving the club in this unprecedented crisis.
We’ve been working hard on your behalf to keep the course maintained, Dan, Josh, Mike and Scott are doing a fantastic job, aided by unhindered access – let’s hope they let us back when the course reopens!
Keith and Nicola continue to manage the club from home, ensuring the subscriptions can be taken and the bills are paid, juggling more balls than a lotto machine. The Directors are also working to ensure we make best use of your subscriptions, and that the club will be able to reopen as soon as the restrictions are lifted.
Steve “radar” Norman has been your eyes and ears providing videos and photos when he can. He’s also taken it upon himself to repaint all the marker discs as his daily exercise, providing the paint as well as the labour. As you may know, Steve’s house backs onto the clubhouse, so he’s also keeping an eye on things.
Talking of photos, here are a few more Steve took today. The last one shows Steve’s ingenuity – he assures us that he’s obeying the 90 degree, which hasn’t yet been officially lifted.
Take care, we will post more when we can.
And finally, Steve Norman’s repurposed trolly / paint cart:-
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the course and clubhouse are now closed for the safety of members and staff.
The office team, Keith and Nicola, have relocated to work from their homes. This has caused some disruption whilst I.T. systems were put in place, but everything should now be back to normal. Well almost, we only have a single telephone line, which Keith is manning, and the club systems are operating slower in remote mode. You can contact Keith on the usual number, 01257 255235, but there are no further options to listen to. Please be patient if you can’t get through first time.
Club has had to put Deborah and the bar staff on furlough (paid lay-off) whilst the clubhouse is closed. Dave McMullan’s cleaning contract is on temporary hold, and Dave, Mikey and the other kitchen team are not able to work. The pro-shop is also closed. This is hard on them, and we are aware that many of self-employed members find themselves in similar predicaments. Hopefully the government assistance for self-employed will kick-in soon. Even with this support, we all need to help each other along the way.
On the positive side, in line with England Golf and BIGGA guidelines, the greens staff are, for the moment, able to continue to work. Unencumbered by golfers, they are really getting to grips with the course which is looking better and better every day. Dan, Josh, Mike, and Scott are, of course, working with social distancing, cleaning protocols and other precautions in place. You will see all the same familiar faces when the club reopens.
Some of you will have seen the video made by Steve Norman and posted to the club’s Facebook and Twitter pages. If you haven’t yet viewed it, you can do so by scrolling down to the end of this blog. The course is looking fantastic.
In the background the Directors are working hard with Keith and Nicola to ensure we keep all expenses to minimum, ranging from simple thing like putting Sky TV on hold, to speaking to our bank about securing finance over the shutdown. We are also planning to apply for help with the wage bill for those staff who are laid off. Unfortunately, we have no such help with the staff who have to work. This includes Dan and his team, if they were laid-off to take advantage of the wage support we would rapidly lose the greens and fairways. The damage would take months to rectify. The upkeep of the course comes second only to the safety and welfare of our staff and members.
With the clubhouse now closed members can’t read the noticeboards or speak to the staff and other members, communication via email and social media has become very important.
If you want to stay in touch please ensure we have your current email address. If you know members who don’t have email or access to social media, we ask you to give them a call from time to time to keep them updated. The club will try to ring round members without email addresses, but you can all help us by doing this as well.
As you will understand, we don’t know how long the emergency will last. This means the social and golf calendar will be constantly changing. We will try to reschedule what we can, but invariably we will have to cancel some things. We already know that this year’s Victory Trophy has been postponed until next year.
We may also have to cancel/rearrange some of the Opens and Invitation days, but it will be a challenge to fit everything in.
Things WILL return to normal, Gathurst Golf Club WILL survive and THRIVE again, but we will need your continued support.
Stay Safe.
Now here’s the video we promised. Thanks go to our very own Steve Norman who is doing a great impression of Sky Sport’s Ken Brown.
Click below to Download your copy of the March edition of the Grapevine
Dear Members,
I am now one month into my year as the Captain of Gathurst Golf Club. On Wednesday the 5th February 2020 I along with my wife Pauline attended “The Society of Liverpool Captains”, Introductory evening ay Huyton & Prescott Golf Club. This is where we met for the first time all the 27 member clubs of the Liverpool Society 2020 captains and their wives/partners. The meal and speeches were followed by a meeting where we agreed on our Captains year name which is:
The Visionaries (2020 Vision)
It was a great honour to be part of this on behalf of Gathurst Golf Club, I am greatly looking forward to visiting and getting to know all the 27 clubs. Sharing thoughts and ideas with my fellow Captains to help all golf clubs in the Liverpool Society, prosper and grow. Not forgetting I’ll be playing lots of Golf….!!!!!!
I am also really chuffed that the club have agreed to move the Captains day to Saturday 27th June 2020. Over the next three months I will be working with Mark Schofield (Vice Captain) along with the Golf, Social and House committees to finalise the arrangements for the day/evening.
The Lady Captain Elaine King and I have chosen “Breast Cancer Now” for our charity and your support would be greatly appreciated.
Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now merged in 2019. They united to create one charity for everyone affected by breast cancer and are the UK’s first comprehensive breast cancer charity.
How your support helps!
1 in 7 women in the UK will develop breast cancer
Your donation will help to make sure the world-class research taking place in their labs, and the life-changing care and support they provide to those who so desperately need it, continues. If we act now, we can create a future where everyone who develops breast cancer lives – and is supported to live well.
As we approach the start of the golf season with the Captains opening dinner dance Saturday 14th March, followed by the Captains drive in Sunday 15th March. I would like to ask if you haven’t already, to consider sponsoring one of the Seventy-Two Competitions scheduled for this season. This gives me the opportunity to have a bacon barm (On me) and a round of golf with lots of different members. Helping me achieve my goal of playing with as many of our 491 golf members as possible in 2020.
For those of you especially the new members, who are unsure what sponsoring a competition entails please see below:
There are two prizes for each of the competitions 1st Division & 2nd Division so the norm is for two people to put their names on the club prize donors list on the notice board. Obviously one person can sponsor if they wish. The prizes normally take the form of a Clarkes golf voucher usually between £30 to £40 or golf merchandise. Although the sponsors can clearly choose any prize they wish. The tee off time is the sponsor choice and Ian White (Chair of Golf) and I will ensure you get the tee off time you want.
Thank you for all your support
Ben Johnson
Gathurst Golf Club Captain 2020
We are currently recruiting for our Ladies’ section and have launched a new initiative called ‘Ladies Get into Golf’. We are asking for your help to introduce any interested, prospective beginner ladies (wives, girlfriends, sisters, daughters, friends, etc.) to the club.
If you know someone who may be interested in joining the Ladies’ section, then please invite them along to our Open Day so that they can give it a try.
New ladies who are beginners will initially be offered a FREE group lesson by a PGA professional at the Open Day on Sunday, 29th March 2020 (meet at 2:00pm for a 2:30pm lesson). Can’t make the Open Day, then no problem; just complete an application form and if this is accepted, come along to the first lesson on Thursday, 16th April at 6.00pm or Saturday, 18th April at 2.00 pm.
The programme will consist of 10 weekly sessions which include both practical and theoretical lessons to gain knowledge and hone skills. All this for a bargain price of £50.
For further information please take a look at the leaflet below; download a copy and pass it on:
Interested ladies can reserve a place on the taster sessions by completing and returning the application form in the leaflet or sending an email with details to secretary@gathurstgc.co.uk,