 |
|
|
||||
|
|
|
||||
Golf greetings to all,The end of summer is in sight, which means different things to different people. Hopefully for the hard-pressed ground staff at Irene it means the end of the unbelievable summer rains, which have flooded the course on numerous occasions. It is a testament to their skill and dedication that the days when the course had to be closed were few and far between – we were certainly much more fortunate than the other courses that meander along the same river! The other big change at the end of summer is that the Golf Committee’s term of office comes to an end. This year has been a little “shorter” than most due to the delay in the publication of last year’s financial statements, which meant that the Golf AGM was only held at the beginning of winter. There has been some attrition on the Golf Committee this year, due to work commitments and business opportunities in far-flung locations, but the committee has rallied around and made sure that all the necessary arrangements were in place to ensure that the Golf Section continued to go from strength to strength. A special word of thanks is due to Russell Page who stepped in at short notice to be co-opted onto the committee for the last few months of its term. I would encourage those of you who have a passion for golf, and golf at Irene Country Club in particular, to consider standing for committee. It may sometimes be hard work, but it is also extremely rewarding! The big change at the club over the last few months has been the decision to appoint Mark Wiltshire Golf (MWG) as management consultants. MWG will take over the day-to-day running of the entire operation, utilizing Irene’s existing staff in order to turn our vision of an unbelievable golfing experience into a reality. It has been made very clear to MWG that Irene’s mission statement to honour our heritage, whilst encouraging families is a non-negotiable part of who we are and they are fully committed to taking the club from where we are now to being one of the best in South Africa within the next few years. Mark Wiltshire himself is an ex-Irene member and his family has a long and proud history with the club. The Golf Committee is certainly looking forward to working with him and his organization to make Irene the course that we all know it can be. The annual Club Championships take place over the next two weekends. Following all the rain this summer the course is in great condition, with one proviso – don’t go into the rough! The rough has been cut back around the course in order not to penalize a slightly errant shot, but if you are more than Yours in golf,
Paul Davel |
