Fires all around and our town rises to help others…
St Francis has seen it’s fair share of fires. Locally, the Disaster Volunteer Group (DVG), a non profit organisation, was formed to co-ordinate, assist and disseminate donations (food, drink, clothes, blankets, etc). This group jumped into action with the fires this past week. While the devastating fires took property and lives from Buffalo Bay in the west to Woodridge College and Thornhill in the east, St Francis and surrounds were thankfully spared. But for those who have suffered, the generosity came pouring in and the DVG was there to assist in the efforts. To follow their efforts, please like their Facebook page: Disaster Volunteer Group. We live in an amazing village! The DVG arranged with ITT couriers to deliver some of the donations to the Thornhill area, as can be seen in the photo.
Health and safety at St Francis Links
We are tackling the thankless task of ensuring workers’ safety through the application of the law as it applies to construction and the workplace!
The law is the law and we have enacted new rules on the estate, required by law, to help ensure a safe working environment for all who work on the estate.
The project is tedious as well as labour intensive and time consuming. It involves paperwork and commitment to conform to the law. Ultimately, the HOA is taking these steps to protect the association and you the homeowners who are building in the future.
Many contractors and service providers have attended meetings at the clubhouse with certified health and safety practitioner Rudi van der Merwe of SafeZure to explain what is required. Nurses are still here with a mobile medical unit to provide the construction workers with required physicals. This assists in ensuring a safe workplace. While there are costs involved for the contractors and homeowners who are building, the consequences of non-compliance may be much worse.
We thank everyone involved for keeping St Francis Links a safe place to work and a desirable place to live.
The United States Open Championship
Where par is the ultimate goal.
The American national championship, the major known as the US Open, is always staged with conditions that challenge all components of the golf game – driving accuracy, shot-making, recovery and rewards for the patient and the most consistent players in the game. However, it often borders on the ridiculous with rough so penal that you could lose your shoes with your balls. Par is a virtue and good bogeys are often the reward for survival. It doesn’t always make for great television if you come looking for birdies and eagles but you will see the best players in the game tested at the highest level. This year’s event is being played on a course that was literally designed for it – a championship course with a championship look and feel in the middle of what looks like a wheat field in Wisconsin. The call the rough brutal with fescue grasses that will take the club right out of the players’ hands.
The players are already mumbling about the rough and play has not begun – check out this video!
insert video here
From the PGA Tour website…
The 117th U.S. Open Championship will be contested in Wisconsin at Erin Hills Golf Course for the first time. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
• COURSE: Erin Hills, 7,693 yards, par 72. Carved from dramatically rolling farmland 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee, Erin Hills opened in 2006 and becomes the second new addition to the Open’s host roster in three years. The design trio of Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Golf Digest senior editor Ron Whitten took a minimalist approach, making use of the contours of Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine to create a prairie-style layout with almost no trees. A mix of dunes, fescue grasses and penal bunkers can make Erin Hills feel like an Irish links when the wind is up. And yet, it will enter Open annals as the event’s second-longest venue – just two yards behind Chambers Bay in 2015. Erin Hills was host of the 2011 U.S. Amateur, won by Kelly Kraft, also staging the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links.
• FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 600 points.
• CHARITY: The U.S. Golf Association has provided more than $67 million in grants over the past 20 years to organizations that serve golf at the grass-roots level. Among the recipients are The First Tee, LPGA-USGA Girls Golf, Special Olympics, PGA Junior League Golf and National Alliance for Accessible Golf.
• FIELD WATCH: World No.1 Dustin Johnson, whose Oakmont breakthrough last year was the first of six wins in the past 52 weeks, is joined by 2015 winner Jordan Spieth and Masters champ Sergio Garcia atop a lineup expected to feature 58 of the top 60 in the world rankings. … Ryan Moore is one exception, sidelined for the past month with a shoulder injury. Phil Mickelson, meantime, figures to miss to attend his firstborn’s high school graduation. … Six slots remain unfilled for players who move into the world top 60 by Monday and haven’t already qualified. Chris Wood, now No.60 after placing second at last week’s European Tour stop, is likely to get one. … A total of 14 amateurs are in the field, up three from last year’s tally.
• 72-HOLE RECORD: 268, Rory McIlroy (2011 at Congressional CC).
• 18-HOLE RECORD: 63, Johnny Miller (4th round, 1973 at Oakmont), Tom Weiskopf (1st round, 1980 at Baltusrol), Jack Nicklaus (1st round, 1980 at Baltusrol), Vijay Singh (2nd round, 2003 at Olympia Fields).
Scroll down for June’s Events Calendar!
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More to remember!
This was our best year to date in almost every way:
- We finished our 109th home on the estate (58 are permanent residents)
- There were three property sale last week alone
- 15 homes are under construction
- 24 homes are in the planning or application stages
- We are financially sound with great lifestyle choices for the entire family
- To date, we are 900 rounds UP on budget
- Our golf rounds featured golfers from more than 20 different countries – from Wisconsin to New South Wales
- We moved up in the nation ratings to No. 7 in Golf Digest
- The UK rates us No. 6
- The Swedish press rate us No.4
- With our members, No. 1
More Great events and Member “Road Trips” to US!
From Standard Bank to Sanlam to The Schreiber Group to Midas and their friends, we had them all this week for golf, games and great comeradarie!
Don’t stop yet! New Events are listed below!
Will be 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” – Prizegiving and Happy Hour at 17h00
June 14 Itec Open Wednesday – R235 with Green Fees, Comp fees, Great snacks and R1000 in Meat prizes
June 18 Special Father’s Day Lunch and activities
June 21 Sticky Fingers Dinner and Members’ Get-together
June 22 Els for Autism (winners advance to Highland Gate)
June 23 Monte Carlo Royale (Fundraiser for St Francis College)
ST FRANCIS LINKS “MAJORS” AND “SPECIAL EVENTS” FOR 2017
Jan 2-3 Men’s Member-Member, St Francis Bay wins by .18 of a point! Well done!
Jan 7-8 The Pam Golding Annual, Derek Ryan and Scott Keevy, Champions
Mar 11 Greensomes over 18 holes (NEW) Sandra Marais/Ingvild Stiansen; Mauro Nettl/Yan Coesens
Apr 28-30 Club Championships – Ralph Richardson and Helen Bridges, Champions
May 7 Inter-Estate Challange (St Francis Links)
May 18-19 Woodlands’ Dairy Golf Days for HOSPICE R400 000-00 raised for Hospice
May 20 Stulting School Day R280 000-00 raised on the day
May 27 Foursomes over 18 holes (NEW) Margot McGregor and Dr Lynn Slogrove, Champions
Jun 3 Ladies’ Invitational (Dr Lynn Slogrove and Noeline de Ridder
Jun 10 Sanlam – Links Qualifier
Jun 22 Els for Autism at St Francis Links (finals at Highland Gate)
Jul 2-3 National Junior Order of Merit
Jul 20-23 Men’s Invitational
Jul 23-25 The Annual “Road Trip”
Aug 6 Sanlam Cancer FINALS at St Francis Links
Aug 8-23 Spring Programme – Course and Clubhouse Closed
Sep 30, Oct 1 Links Cup
Nov 11-12 Pam Golding Ladies OPEN Weekend
Dec 2 Ladies’ Member-Member
Dates for Mixed Events, as well as the Knock-outs to follow.
Seasonal packages are now on offer
It’s also the time of year for golf travel. We join others in advertising our course countrywide. The are are a couple of subtle differences between what you pay and what you receive in a golf package. We pride ourselves on over-delivering with personal services, additional opportunities, special events, shoot-outs and so much more. We’ll supply the braai or what you need to do it yourselves; we’ll serve your meals here or recommend the area establishments who will exceed your expectations (and of course, we’ll do the booking for you). Why? Because we can and we want to!
Why not sign up for the special events coming up in the future and expand them into a few days of play! Play in the Inter-Estate Challenge, enter the Ernie Els for Autism in June, start planning for the Invitationals – ladies and men; Invite your friends in for the best golf in SA (and beyond).
Every Great shot starts with a SMILE 
