Dear members,
I hope you are all keeping well and that those of you who have been back playing golf in Phase 1 have enjoyed the long awaited experience!
I am maintaining a log of members who have/will have played over the 3 weeks in Phase 1 and, out of the full complement of 122 members, the following are the stats:
32 members played 3 times
25 members played 2 times
16 members played 1 times
A total of 73 members have been back playing, leaving 49 members yet to play.
It was brought to my attention by a number of people in recent days that there were 3 groups out playing on Saturday last with only 2 players. With timeslots at a premium I was very disappointed to hear this. Can I remind everyone that if for any reason you have to cancel your booking after the booking system is closed on Friday evening, the usual golfing etiquette applies. You must let your two playing partners know by phoning or texting them and you must also phone Leopardstown and ask them to remove your name from the time sheet. They will then be able to re-allocate your slot to someone on the waiting list.
There are some welcome changes coming in Phase 2. The ILGU/GUI are allowing 4 balls every 14 minutes from the 8th June. This means that we will have an extra 18 players with capacity for 72 players each Saturday from the 13th June. In pre Covid-19 times we had 93 slots available to us with general take-up in the 65 to 70 number bracket.
When the timesheet opens this coming Thursday, for those of you who have not logged in recently, the screen has a new look which I believe was amended by the BRS. I was not aware of it last week so I could not give you the ‘heads up’ in advance.
You may find that your user id and password does not automatically come up like it did before, when you try logging in. I suggest that you try to login well before 7 p.m. on Thursday next and if you need a reminder of what your password is you can email/text me.
Phase 2 sees the ‘eligibility to play’ distance extend from 5 km to 20 km. This is a welcome step and opens it up to the 49 additional members who have not yet played. I am keeping the priority list going for the duration of Phase 2. For clarity, this means that anyone who has not played to date can email/text me and I will allocate a slot on the time-sheet for you. Could I ask you to do this by 12 noon on Thursday, 4th June for play on the 13th June. You can only be on the priority list once.
Leopardstown have re-iterated their request that you go straight from your car to the 1st tee. You do not have to register your arrival at reception. Please do not tee off before your allotted time so as to ensure that the 14 minute gap is maintained between groups.
Club competitions can commence from the 8th June but the Committee and I have decided to hold off until Phase 3. While it is up to each society to determine when they will recommence competitions Leopardstown are not encouraging it. They have advised that quite a number of golf clubs across the country are planning to hold off on competitive golf until Phase 3 of the roadmap, which is 29th June. Score cards seem to be the biggest issue in relation to this and the Committee and I will need to be comfortable with how the card exchange/marking process is conducted.
Phase 2 allows for members to bring guests to their golf club to play. Leopardstown have advised that as the demand for golf is huge amongst the ladies societies they have decided not to allow guests in the first week, from 8th to 14th June. They will provide a further update on this. This relates to bookings made directly with Leopardstown for play between between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. each day, after ladies societies play is finished.
McGuirkes Golf will re-open their store on the 8th June. There is no date yet for re-opening the Café. The driving range is open with every second bay in use. You can pre-book or just turn up.
That is as much information as I have for now. I am looking forward to playing on the 13th June and to seeing everyone again. As always, please feel free to email/text/phone me if you have any issues or need clarity on any aspect of Phase 2.
Take care for now.
Best regards,
Paula
Lady Captain 2020