A longer layout for the EP Champs produced better scores!
This past weekend we played host to the EP Champs with 36 holes of Stroke Play on Saturday and 2 matches for every qualifier on Sunday. The course was set up longer with the fairways running fast (on holes where the carry was less) and the scores reflected the great condition of the course and the quality of the golf. Local favorite and member of the Louis Oosthuisen Academy, Pieter Zietsman, lead the way in the morning with 72 (35-37) and up and comer, Altin VD Merwe from Humewood stole the show with 68 in the afternoon to take the Medalist honours. Veterans Naldo Claassens and Hando Brophy played well as did the “handy” senior amateur, Doc DeKock.
The top 32 advanced to the Match Play which began on Sunday. Top-seeded, Altin and highly-regarded, Francois Van Coppenhagen, will face-off this coming Saturday after two impressive wins on Sunday past. Young Pieter Zietsman made the biggest move in the tournament coming from 3-down with five to play, to take all five holes, winning 2-up to advance. That’s what I call BMT (Big Match Temperament)
Ladies’ Tuesday Tea (expanded) attracts a great response
Each Tuesday at 10am sees the estate’s ladies’ coffee club gathering over a coffee or tea for a casual catch-up … but today, we hosted more than 25 Links ladies for what will become a quarterly ladies’ breakfast! Each lady introduced herself and Liezl chatted about upcoming events, ideas with new residents on the estate, the Garden Club (contact Sally Nienaber to join the Whatsapp group) and the Walking Club (contact Maggie Langlands). Our thanks also to AquaSpa at St Francis Links for donating a massage lucky draw, won by Ann Phillips and congrats to Anna Grimsley who won Chef Jon’s cooking class for herself and 3 others! Delicious breakfasts and chatter amongst friends is what it’s all about … watch out for the next one!
W(HOA)…News from the Estate!
We (EXCO) representing the Board and you, our members, have always sought your opinions and asked for your thoughts regarding everything that happens here on the Estate. I have stated that the first 10 years was all about promotion, through everything from weddings to golf tournaments, with the hope that each and every person who came through the gate, could and would be a potential homeowner. The recession forced so many members to offer their properties for sale and in those days, there were simply few buyers at any price. So, we needed to attract buyers through exposure – exposure to our Estate, our facilities including our top-rated course and our amenities that could provide the venue and services from a Board Meeting to a major conference. For a number of years, we turned our homes, in rental pools, into hotel suites with room drops and personal services that attracted everything from top golf tournaments and their VIP guests to Moneyweb and their movers and shakers in big business.
It worked and is still working with new investment coming from the very people who have experienced life on the Links through our activities and accommodation on offer. In the last two AGM’s I emphasized the need to be more of a community – doing things that bond people together. The Ladies’ Breakfast was a perfect example of growing comminity spirit – a walking group, a gardening group, a birding group, a cooking group and in its simplest form, a weekly tea to just keep each other aware. The men are adding Mondays as another optional golf day and for the golfers and non-golfers, the Men’s “Book Club” follows. Bridge is hosted here on Mondays and Fridays – a great venue for the players and an easy drive for the members. Our Get-togethers are well supported and, as is advertised this month, the family-welcome environment. Without the young families on the Estate, we would all simply grow older. Kids keep us all young!
With the Board Meeting coming next week, we (Liezl and I) met with Member-Directors, Norman and Tim earlier in the week to discuss items for the Board and items for EXCO that reperesent “opportunities” for the Estate. The topics ranged from easier access to the tee sheet for members to the unsightliness of the water meters athat have not been completed – from abuse of the gym and the need for better supervision to the possibility of storage facilities. Many of you want to see the Estate become a better community, even better than what we are today. That is fantastic and it all works when we are talking with each other. If the get-together is not the venue for you, take the time to meet with us and your Member-Directors.
In the future, I will use the newsletter to better communicate Estate happenings and where it is a “Member Only” topic, we will upload the information to the “member section” of the newsletter. You can access that with your user name and password – contact Anne if it has slipped off the memory board.
Speed bumps to formal gardens, dog poop to dessert, your thoughts and suggestions will continue to help make St Francis Links the best destination in the country we love.
The Year Ahead – Your planner for 2018
Please take note of the dates and post them where you will see them and ENTER!
Important Note: We endeavour to keep our “Majors” on the same weekend each year to encourage the best participation. We are forced to move the Annual Club Championships back a week this year because we were the chosen course in the Eastern Cape to host the National Senior Inter-Provincials, a tournament featuring the country’s top golfers. It finished on Thursday the 26th, leaving no time for practice or course preparation. I apologize and the Champs will return to the last week in April in years to come.
http://www.Leadingcourses.com – Please rate St Francis Links
February Birthdays
7 – Jordy Bendeman
More to Come!
Itec are our sponsors for OPEN Wednesday (2nd Wednesday) with meat and added prizes. Invite your friends to enjoy SA’s best with special rates for golf, snacks after the game and great prizes – Hey, Curry Night follows – stay or take away!
Monday Roll-up! Pitch up and play (9 holes or 18 Par-3 from 2pm) let’s add you to the What’s app group
All day Saturdays: Morning and afternoon fields – the afternoon field will be booked from 12 noon backwards with emphasis on “ready golf”
Monday Men’s Book Club – 5pm in Jack’s Bar (no reading required)
Ladies’ Tea (and Coffee) – Every Tuesday at 10am on the Veranda
February 2 Member’s Get-together (Par-3 golf and party at the pool)
February 3-4 EP Amateur Championships (matchplay) – normal play
February 14 Valentine’s Dinner – Mixed Golf – ITEC OPEN Wednesday (Special rates, snacks and prizes)
February 16 Pizza Night
February 20 Electrial Outage (Eskom repairs)
Check this out – 1-stop shopping!
Every Great shot starts with a SMILE!
Santa and the Links TEAM