Good morning ladies,

I hope you are having a lovely week so far.   The weather is due to pick up again tomorrow!  Warm congratulations to Marie Maher who is our Player of the Month (Category A) for the month of August.  Player of the Month for September will be from Category C.

We are heading to Glen Mill Golf Club for our Away Day on the 12^th September.  It is a lovely 18 hole, Par 3 course.   We have a total of 48 slots available with tee times starting at 11.00 a.m. and finishing at 1.30 p.m.  There will be 3 golfers per line every 10 minutes.   It will cost €15.00 per person, payable directly to the club on the day.  There will be an A and B category with 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize in each.

The timesheet for this will open tomorrow evening, Thursday 3^rd September, at our usual time of 19.00 hrs. and will close on Friday, 11^th September at 18.00 hrs.   The Waiting List is activated so please put your name on it if you don’t manage to make the timesheet.

Unfortunately, with 48 players it is very unlikely that we will be able to group book anywhere for a bite to eat afterwards.  I will make contact with the winners that evening following which the results will be uploaded to the web-site.

Have a great week everyone.

With very best wishes,

Paula,
Lady Captain

Hi ladies,

I hope you enjoyed ‘Captain’s Day’ golf on Saturday last, despite the very mixed weather.   It seems to have been a very different experience for people, depending on the time of duration of play!

Thanks everyone for your lovely good wishes and gifts which are very much appreciated.

Congratulation’s to Dympna McCabe who won the Captain’s Prize and to Patricia Murphy who was the runner-up.   Congratulation’s also to Marie Maher who won the Best Gross.

The full set of results are up on the web-site now and congratulations to everyone who was a winner on the day.

It was a pity we could not proceed with the BBQ on Sunday but we should be proud that we set an example for ‘other prominent Societies’ around the country, particularly in the west!!

I have provisionally agreed a new date with the Radisson Hotel, which is Friday, 18th September at 6 p.m. for the same BBQ format.   We won’t know until the 13th September whether or not we can go ahead but, in the meantime you might like to pencil it into your diary.

Many thanks for your kindness and support on Saturday.

Very best wishes,

Paula,
Lady Captain

Good afternoon ladies,

I am delighted to attach the timesheet for my Captain’s Day 9 and 18 hole golf competitions.   The tee-times are scheduled so as to line the 18 hole players up with the first available tee-time on the back 9, i.e. 14.30 p.m.  If you loose a ball please remember that you can only take 3 minutes to look for it, after which you must declare it lost and put out another ball.   While you are looking for your ball the player due to take their next shot should take it.   This will help to keep play flowing at a good pace and avoid back-logs.

The Committee and I, together with Leopardstown management, have put a lot of thought and work into managing the logistics around the day, with the ultimate aim of following social distance measures and keeping us all safe.   Please take note of the following:

–   please arrive 20 minutes before your tee-off time;
–   you will be greeted by a Committee member at the main entrance who will guide you through to the Welcome and Prize Display tables;
–   up to 4 members maximum will be allowed through at any one time;
–   you must wear your face mask inside the club house;
–   once you have collected your welcome pack you will exit via the doors down beside the old Golfino Shop;
–   your welcome pack will include your score card, however you will have to fill in all the details yourself;
–   you can check your handicap via the website in advance or at the welcome desk;
–   information on handicaps and related shot losses will also be available at the welcome desk;
–   please bring your own water with you – top-ups will be available for anyone who would like it in between the front 9 and back 9;
–   the ‘longest drive’ will be on the 9th hole and ‘nearest the pin’ will be on the 13th hole – if you are lucky enough to be in contention for either of these prizes, vinyl gloves will be available at the welcome desk and must be worn when measuring up and/or writing your name.  Feel free to bring your own gloves too;
–   please make sure to put your completed score-cards into the Saturday Strollers score card box.   This will be kept at the welcome desk so as to avoid anyone putting their card into one of the other societies boxes!

The Committee names are highlighted in red on the timesheet and we are more than happy to assist you with anything on the day.

I am looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, fingers crossed for dry weather, and the very best of luck to everyone

Best wishes,

Paula
Lady Captain

Good afternoon ladies,

We almost made it!!!

I am very sorry to have to let you know that The Radisson Hotel has advised that we cannot proceed with our BBQ lunch on Sunday.   It has been postponed in line with newly imposed Government measures around social gatherings, introduced to control the increasing spread of Covid-19, and to safeguard our health and wellbeing.   Under the circumstances the hotel has been flexible and will hold the booking in lieu of a new date or, alternatively will give us a full refund.   I will keep you posted in relation to this and anyone who cannot make the new date will receive a refund.

As of now, the Captain’s Day golf competitions are still on track to take place on Saturday, 22nd August.   The fabulous prizes will be on display and will hopefully encourage your competitive nature!  I will circulate the timesheet tomorrow together with logistical instructions for the day.

It is going to be an exciting Captain’s Day and we still have the social event to look forward to.   The weather in Leopardstown is currently looking good for Saturday.

Best regards,

Paula
Lady Captain

Good morning ladies,

I hope you are having a lovely week so far.   Warm congratulations to Anne O’Hanlon who is our Player of the Month (Category B) for the month of July.  Player of the Month for August will be from Category A.

This year our Captain’s Day golf competition will be held on Saturday, 22nd August.  A change to our usual practice will see the prize giving event taking place on Sunday, 23rd August at a BBQ lunch.    Splitting the event over two days has become necessary due to the change in our Saturday tee-times, arising from Covid-19, leaving too tight a timeline for the results to be produced and for everyone to get home, changed and back out to a dinner venue.

The BBQ lunch will take place at the Radisson, St. Helen’s Hotel, Stillorgan on Sunday 23^rd August.  In line with Covid-19 guidelines, which currently permit 50 people indoors and 100 outdoors, the venue provides a combination of indoor and outdoor space.  The hotel will cater for a maximum of 70 people, 35 inside and 35 outside.  Both areas are adjacent to each other and the indoor area has large French doors that will be kept open allowing fresh air to filter through.   The BBQ will be served directly to your table so as to avoid queueing and close contact with each other.  Spacing at and between tables will be compliant with the social distance recommendations.

Access to the BBQ area is via a gate at the front of the hotel which will be restricted to the Saturday Strollers, thus eliminating the necessity for you to walk through the main hotel.

The BBQ lunch is €30 per person and must be paid via banking on-line on or before Friday, 8^th August.  Places for lunch will be reserved on a payment’s received basis and I attach the BBQ lunch menu together with our bank account details.  Cheques and Cash are not acceptable in the current environment.

The BRS system will be used to register your name for the golf competition.   The timesheet will open up on Monday, 11th August at 19.00 hrs and will close on Monday, 17th August at 18.00 hrs.   If the timesheet is full when you go to book please put your name down on the Waiting List.

Once your name is on the timesheet please email me to confirm if you are playing 9 holes only.   If I don’t hear from you in relation to playing 9 holes it will be taken that you are doing 18 holes.   When the timesheet issues the 9 hole players will have been separated from the 18 hole players, so your tee-time will most likely have changed.

If anyone has any questions in relation to arrangements for golf or for the lunch please let me know.   Times have changed and events such as ours require more certainty and pre-planning in order to keep us safe.   We are a great Society and have managed to keep the spirit of friendship and community going despite Covid-19 restrictions.   I am really looking forward to my Captain’s ‘Week-end’ and hope that you are too.

With very best wishes,
Paula
Lady Captain

Hi ladies,

I hope you are all keeping well and looking forward to getting back to competitions this Saturday, 4th July.   To celebrate this milestone there will be 3 prizes in each category!

I have made some good progress in getting the 2020 Events calendar back up and running.   It is not quite ready to be circulated yet but I do have a few of the more significant dates confirmed and you might like to pencil them into your diary, as follows:

Captains Day – 22nd August 2020
Away Day – 12th September 2020
Charity Day – 19th September 2020
President’s Day –  10th October 2020

With regard to Captain’s Day I would like to remind you of a few rules in respect of prizes.   In order to be eligible to win the Captain’s Prize each member MUST have submitted 3 cards from the 6 weeks of competitive golf immediately prior to Captain’s Day.  Because there is no golf on the 11th July the six weeks commences this coming Saturday 4th July and ends on Saturday, 15th August.   New members are not entitled to win the Captains Prize but, in the company of all other members, you can compete for an array of fantastic prizes on the day.

A lot of our social events will not be the same as before.   Everything that we do will be done with your health and safety in mind.  Before each event takes place I will give you a detailed update on the logistics around the event.

I am delighted to say that 11 out of the 12 new members this year have been awarded handicaps.   I would like to thank everyone who assisted them in completing their cards over the past few weeks.

Because of a change in procedures around marking cards, for the foreseeable future the results will not be posted to the web-site until early the following week.

Many of you will know one of our long term members Ger Duignan, who is a tourist guide and whose work has completely ceased due to Covid-19.   She has offered to take interested members of the Strollers on a ‘walking tour’ of central Dublin in small groups of 5-6 people where social distancing can be observed.   She would be delighted to impart her knowledge on a leisurely stroll around the city centre.  If you are interested her email is gerduignan22@gmail.com and her mobile 086 3837318.

As a reminder, there is no golf on Saturday, 11th July so there will be no timesheet opening tonight.

I am really looking forward to seeing you on Saturday.  Fingers crossed for a nice day.

Best regards,

Paula,
Lady Captain 2020

Good morning ladies,

I hope you have the sunscreen to hand as I believe it will get up to 25 degrees in Dublin today!

I want to sincerely thank the ladies who held back from the timesheet last Thursday.   It afforded a more even spread of players across the timesheets over the last number of weeks.   After play this coming Saturday 27th June we will have completed both Phase1 and Phase2 of re-opening and out of 122 members 110 will have played as follows:

10 members – 6 times
22 members – 5 times
19 members – 4 times
25 members – 3 times
23 members – 2 times
11 members – 1 times

The very good news this week is that from the 4th July we will have 4 balls every 10 minutes, giving us capacity for 92 players, which is 1 slot short of the total slots we had available to us before Covid-19 arrived.   On that basis, I don’t envisage there being any issues getting onto the timesheet this evening nor will there be any need for me to continue to monitor player frequency.

Our start time is now 11.40 a.m. and finish time is 15.20 p.m.   While it has not been confirmed by the ILGU/GUI, Leopardstown are of the view that it will not revert to the 6 minute gap between teetimes so its possible these start and finish times will continue into the foreseeable future.

Competitions are permitted from the 29th June and Leopardstown have confirmed that there will be no official signing in.   Scorecards will be left at a table in the doorway beside the hand sanitiser.

It will not be necessary for cards to be exchanged between players or for the person who is the ‘marker’ to touch the player’s scorecard.   Instead, each player can mark up their own score and ask their marker to verbally certify the scores.   The player can then write the name of the marker on their scorecard.

All of the Saturday Societies intend to commence competitions from the 4th July and I am meeting the other Captains to discuss various logistics around returning scorecards (the normal box in reception area will not be in use), marking cards and re-scheduling the Calendar of Events for the duration of 2020.   I will provide further updates on this as soon as I can.

The Café is hoping to reopen the week of June 29th and it will be a very different set-up from previous times.   The offering will be reduced as will the seating capacity.   There will be extra seating available on the terrace when weather permits.  This will be a work in progress while Leopardstown tries to find the best way forward and they have asked for your patience and for you to follow all instructions provided onsite.

From 29th June visitors will be allowed to play golf in Leopardstown again.  They will have to book the same way that other society members have been doing in the afternoons, by providing names and phone numbers.   Priority will be given to society members when it comes to booking.   They will be permitted to book golf from Friday at 8 a.m. for the following week.   Visitors will not be permitted to book until the following day.

As expected, the Waiting List is working well.   Could I ask that anyone who needs to take their name off the timesheet after the booking system closes at 18:00 hrs on Friday, contact Leopardstown on the SATURDAY morning to do this.  If you contact them on Friday evening it is possible that they may not have received our timesheet yet and your cancellation may not be noted.  This did happen last week resulting in a vacant slot on one of the player lines.

Finally, based on feedback received could I give a gentle reminder that ‘fresh-air’ shots are counted as one of your shots.  Also, with the reduced 10 minutes tee-off times, please keep the players ahead of you in sight.   If you loose a ball you have a maximum of 3 minutes to search for it.  In most cases, if a ball is going to be found, it will be found within the first three minutes.

Please note that there is no golf on Saturday, 11th July due to racing.

Thank you all for your patience and good natured attitude to the ‘new way’ of managing our Society golf.   I hope you enjoy this Saturday and that the weather is kind to us.

Best wishes,

Paula,
Lady Captain 2020

Good afternoon ladies,

I hope you are all keeping safe and well.   There is a bit of a change in the weather but hopefully it will pick up by Saturday.

After play this coming Saturday, 20th June, 101 out of 122 members will have played and the breakdown is as follows:

25 members will have played 5 times
13 members will have played 4 times
16 members will have played 3 times
34 members will have played 2 times
13 members will have played 1 times

I am reluctant to suggest this but perhaps the members who have played 4-5 times might hold back this week and let some of the others catch up in order to level the playing field, so to speak.

I have enabled the Wait List on the BRS System.    When the timesheet is completely full there will be a Waiting List option at the start of our tee-time. Click on this and you will be able to access the list.   You will be offered a start time from 12.00 hrs to end time 16.00 hrs.   You can make yourself available for the full four hours or you can select a specific time line i.e. 13.00 hrs to 14.00 hrs if that is the only time you wish to play.  When someone cancels their booking the first person on the list will automatically be moved on to the timesheet and will receive an email confirmation of the booking.

When the timesheet closes each Friday evening at 17.00 hrs we are reverting back to the manual system.   The timesheet will have been submitted to Leopardstown so normal golfing etiquette will apply.   If you have to cancel your booking you must telephone or text your playing partners and phone Leopardstown and ask them to remove you from the list.   Most of you received the Members directory of phone numbers at my Captain’s Drive-In last February.   If there is anyone who hasn’t got one please let me know and I will make sure that you receive one.

We received 4 new member score cards after last Saturday’s play, which is great.  There will be a few more new members out this coming Saturday and I would be grateful if you could keep an eye out and help them complete their score cards.

Leopardstown have confirmed that as of Monday, 15th June society members may bring one guest per member on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.   Wednesday and Sunday will continue for society members only up to the 28th June.  This relates to reservations made between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.  After the 28th June visitor tee times will be introduced and will require advance booking.

Both McGuirk’s golf shop and the bathroom facilities are open.   There is no word yet on the date for re-opening the restaurant.

I really enjoyed meeting and greeting most of you who were out playing last Saturday.   It’s a great feeling to be back out playing and meeting people in person again!

Take care for now.

Best wishes,
Paula
Lady Captain

Dear members,

I hope that this email finds you well and that those of you who are getting out to play in Phase 2 this coming Saturday 13th will really enjoy it.

After play on the 13th June, 101 of the 122 members will have played leaving 21 members yet to play.  Out of the 101 members who will have played:

29 members will have played 4 times
12 members will have played 3 times
22 members will have played 2 times
38 members will have played 1 times

In advance of the BRS system opening up for booking this evening I would like to let you know that each member can now only book for themselves and one other member.   The rational behind this is to open it up to a larger group of people gaining access to the timesheet to book.   Technically, leaving it as it was meant that 18 people could dominate the timesheet, although I don’t believe that was happening.

Some of you may not be aware of this but when you gain access in the timesheet to a particular time slot, you are blocking out the whole row/4 slots from anyone else accessing them at the same time.  Therefore, could I ask that when you have made your booking that you exit the timesheet immediately so that the next person can access the row.

Commencing next Thursday, 18th June I have updated the BRS booking system to enable a wait list.   This means that if you don’t get on the timesheet for the 27th you can join a wait list and as soon as someone cancel’s their booking the person on top of the wait list will automatically be moved into the vacant slot.   I will send you more detail on how to operate this next week.

Out of our twelve new members this year only three of them managed to get 3 cards in for handicap before the lockdown.   This leaves nine of them awaiting handicap.  I am keen that they will be in a position to play in competition as soon as it opens up and so, in consultation with the Handicap Secretary, Maire Barrett, I have put in place an arrangement for the nine members to take a record their own score on their own notepaper.  They will need the assistance of one of their playing partners to verbally agree with them their score after each hole.   The new member will enter the score on their notepaper and at the end of play will sign and date the record.  In place of the assisting playing partner signing the record they will take a photo of the record and send it to me via WhatsApp or email.  The reason I am informing you of this is because you may be asked by a new member to be their assisting playing partner.

I have nothing further to add for now so fingers crossed the weather will be good on Saturday and happy golfing to everyone.

Best regards,

Paula
Lady Captain