David Geraghty—President

Inside this issue:

President’s Report 1—2

Captain’s Report 2

CEO’s Report 3

Lady Captain’s Report 5-6

Eco Corner 8

Pro Shop News 10

Pro Am Sponsor Listing 12

50 Years of Membership with Cec Weekes

7

December 2011

Fairways Castle Hill Country Club

Dear Members,

Firstly, I would like to say that I am happy to be back in the chair as your President and also welcome to the Board our new Board members (Phil Moore, John Dakin, John Kelly and Celestine Michel). The year ahead certainly is not going to be without its challenges however I believe that we have a highly committed and passionate Board to steer us through those challenges.

During my last term as President we identified that the new irrigation system would require an increase in our electricity consumption. During the hotter days of summer the peak load required to run the club, air-conditioning and the irrigation system exceeds our available supply. Our electricity substation is capable of delivering a maximum capacity of 400 Amps of power. The transformer was installed well over 25 years ago and at the time serviced our needs very well ,however, with the construction over the years of a larger clubhouse, more extensive air-conditioning, lighting and now a better irrigation system the transformer needs updating. The process of getting the additional electricity is quite complex and requires additional high tension cabling to be brought underground down Spurway drive to a new 1000 Amp capacity substation. Our mains power board within the clubhouse will also need upgrading to handle the additional load. All-in-all it is quite a large project and will require member approval for a capital spend of up to $500,000. Unfortunately this project cannot be delayed as we need to ensure that our major asset (the course) is maintained. Further details of the project will be provided to members in due course and we anticipate holding an EGM in March 2012 to seek member approval for the project.

Our land situated at No 2 Fairway drive has now been subdivided and can be sold as is, or sold in conjunction with one or more of the adjoining lots. The parcel of land in its own right is too narrow to develop into housing blocks and the Board has decided to defer any sale until it can be “packaged” with an adjoining lot and accordingly maximise its sale value.

Our Clubs Constitution is in need of a complete review. We are in the process of securing appropriate lawyers to undertake this task and will present the recommended amendments to the members for approval at either the upcoming EGM or the next AGM. The recent AGM highlighted the need to ensure that wording of resolutions to amend the constitution is correct and the Board believes that a review by lawyers would stand us in much better stead for the years to come.

Clubs NSW is currently undertaking a review of Board Terms and are considering mandating that Boards be elected for a period of three years. Accordingly we have decided to wait for the outcome of the review prior to putting any resolution to the members to change the existing term. If Clubs NSW does not have a result prior to our next AGM, we will revisit putting forward a resolution for a two (2) year term at that point in time.

Captain President’s day was a great success this year and I extend my congratulations to those members who played for the winning Captains team - the result was very close. To those who played for the Presidents’ team, “thank you” for your efforts and well…… “there’s always next year”!!

This year’s major trophy presentation evening was also a great success with the star of the evening being our new Club Champion, 17 year old Trent Smith. Trent has emerged from our junior ranks and certainly is one to watch in the

President’s Report continued

Page 2 Fairways Castle Hill Country Club

Dear Castle Hill Country Club members, As 2011 draws to a close, the uncertain weather that s t a r t e d i n F e b r u a r y c o n t i n u e s n o w i n t o December. As we strive for continual improvement to our Course, decisions made two and three years ago now

mean that the Golf Course can be constantly presented to a very consistent and high standard despite what Mother Nature throws at us. The installation of the new irrigation system will provide us with very enjoyable playing conditions for many years to come. The rectification work to cover up the irrigation lines is happening as we speak. This work was delayed until now to allow for the growing season to start. We will concentrate on the tee surrounds, green surrounds and fairways at first, then move on to the general rough areas that have been affected. I remind Members that other golf courses that have undertaken the same irrigation work, have taken three years to fully recover. However I am sure that this will not be the case at Castle Hill. Staying on Course matters, our last greens renovation has been our most successful in my mind for many years. We have been mowing

Lindsay Verdon—Captain

coming years. Trent is a credit to his family and all those in the club who have supported him over the years – well done Trent! Congratulations also to all the other major trophy winners.

The primary objective for the course this year will be improving its presentation. We have the ability to water from tree line to tree line so our grass coverage is set to improve. There will be a greater focus on attention to detail, i.e. the manicuring of our gardens, bunkers and rough. I will leave it to our Captain to elaborate further on course and course improvements.

As our clubhouse is ageing and evermore frequently showing signs of its age, I am pleased to advise that a House Committee has been formed and, amongst other matters, the maintenance requirements of the club will be addressed by that Committee to be chaired by John Kelly.

It seems that all we have to say are the words “Pro Am” and the heavens just open up! Despite the incredibly wet weather, the event was held on 25th November. The course staff did a wonderful job in preparing the course for the day. Thank you to all lady professionals, members and guests who played in the event. Such a day is not possible without the support of sponsors and it was wonderfully pleasing to have David Donnan, Dealer Principal – Power Ford, extend his support as naming rights sponsor for a further 2 years – thank you David.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all members, staff, and your families a healthy and happy Christmas. Thank you for your support throughout the year and I look forward to a prosperous and rewarding 2012.

David Geraghty President

Captain’s Report

the greens at 3mm for the past month, something never achieved before so quickly after a renovation. The speed of the greens will increase as the greens dry out and the quality and health of the grass again goes back to decisions made 2 and 3 years ago. During the next 12 months, our aim is to continue the program we began 3 years ago and concentrate on manicuring the Course, its surroundings and the gardens. On another matter directly related to golf, all Members should make themselves aware of the rules changes announced by Golf Australia recently which come into effect on January 1, 2012. The rules changes are on the Golf Australia website, written about in golfing publications available at the Club and in particular deal with a ball moving after address and hole-in -one prizes. We will be having the Course rated around April 2012. We have held off having the Course rated until all areas of the Course have settled down after the installation of the irrigation system. Preliminary discussions with Golf NSW representatives indicate we will have 5 course ratings (black, blue, white, red and jade). The jade course will be a short course similar to those in operation at the Australian, Concord, St Michaels and other metropolitan venues. More will be discussed about this in time.

Captain’s Report continued

Page 3 December 2011

I draw everyone’s attention to the success we are having with our Junior golfers, both male and female. The Pirtek Junior Development program is providing us with an excellent group of kids. This year our girls were in the final of the Encourage Shield, our boys Junior pennant team lost one match to St Michaels in their division and St Michaels are in the final of the Junior Pennant. Our Eric Apperly team has made the final to be played against St Michaels. All this success comes with effort, belief, talent and good coaching. Each of the boys and girls represent our Club in a manner that is very pleasing and I get responses from other Clubs about our kids’ demeanour and ability that are very encouraging. Thank you to David, Shane and Alex in the Pro-shop for your guidance and also to all the Members and parents who support our teams. Unlike many other clubs against whom we

CEO’s Report Dear Members,

As the end to another year quickly approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all members a very h a p p y , h ea l th y a n d prosperous Christmas/New Year, and I hope Santa brings you that magical handicap reducing golfing

equipment you’ve always wanted!

The 10, 20, 30 and 40+ year member bag tags have been very well received, and if you haven’t already done so, please come to reception at the Club to collect your commemorative bag tag.

The Board recently approved a $2 increase to competition fees (from $8 to $10), which comes into effect from the 1st of January 2012. As a result of the competition fee increase the ball allocation will be increased from 25% to 33% of the field. Excess income received from the fee increase will be used to offset the increase in the operating costs the Club has experienced since the last competition fee increase three and a half years ago.

The golf course recently experienced some

Stuart Fraser—CEO

vandalism to the 2nd green, and I seek the assistance of members whose residence adjoins, or is in close proximity to the Club, to report any unusual or suspicious activities immediately either to the club or the police as appropriate.

At the time of writing the Boys Eric Apperly team has progressed to the final of the competition, which is a stunning achievement. Good luck to all the boys in their final against St Michaels Golf Club on Sunday December 18, to be played at Pymble Golf Club from 7.30am. I encourage you to get out and support our team!

Our last social function for the year is of course New Years Eve, and our Head Chef Paul Bacon will be preparing a scrumptious seafood buffet, so why not avoid the city crowds and have a relaxing night at the Club. You will also have the best seat in the house when it comes time to watch the 9pm and midnight fire works on the Club’s large screen TV’s.

I would like to remind all members that the Club and course will be closed on Christmas Day, ad I look forward to seeing you at the club in the New Year.

Stuart Fraser Chief Executive Officer

compete, our kids are part of our week in, week out Club fabric, not imported and paid for. Keep up the good work kids, the rewards are worth it. Lastly, thank you to all of our office staff from Stuart down. To have a good golf club you need good people who can work together. Thank you to Martyn and his staff for all your efforts providing us with a very good golf course year round. I hope everyone has a pleasant Christmas and New Year break with time spent among family and friends. Let us look forward to another great year of golf in 2012. Lindsay Verdon Captain

Page 4 Fairways Castle Hill Country Club

Captains Report

Lady Captain’s Report

Page 5 December 2011

Dear Members, It’s that time of the year, with our 2011 golfing calendar complete, we kick up our heels and celebrate our Champions. The final event on the calendar was our Foursomes Championships – a nail biting finish this year, going to a 3-hole playoff. Lynne Papandrea and Julie Cannon were victorious over Darrie Nightingale and Toni Smillie. Our Bronze Foursomes Champions are Di Mann and Liz Graby, with runners-up Stephanie Badger and Grace Kim. Congratulations ladies. Toni Smillie, Diane Schultz and Margaret Stewart, being our GNSW Medal Winners, represented CHCC in the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal playoffs, respectively. Once again

all ladies did us proud in their respective fields. Raina Laughton, Toni Smillie and Gail Mahoney , with an amazing result of +12, lost on a countback for the Metropolitan playoff of the GNSW 3BBB at Massey Park on October 26th, thus missing out on the weekend at Bonville for the finals. Not a fair result for our ladies coming in with such a great score. Well done to the three of you. We had the opportunity to display our wonderful course to visitors when Castle Hill hosted the Coronation Medal in September - ladies from Palm Beach to Liverpool representing their clubs - and also on our Bonnie Castle Trophy Day. We received nothing but praise for the golf course and facilities offered our guests. So delighted were the Bonnie Doon ladies with their day, they expressed their appreciation in the ‘Captain’s Book’. Congratulations to Martyn Black and all our staff.

Tammy Hayton—Lady Captain

Ladies Christmas Party: Di Schultz, Marie Moylan and Dianne Mann. Above right Judy Kim, Regina Jang and Katerina Kim and dancing up a storm (L to R) Bronwyn Burnett, Pip Ellis, Sue Pirrello, Jacqui Kahler, Gill Teague and Stephanie Badger.

Lady Captain’s Report continued

Page 6 Fairways Castle Hill Country Club

Captain V President’s Day began the celebration of year’s end with our fun 4BBB matchplay event. The win by the Captain’s team was, of course, a great result! Another successful day was our Annika Day. Comments received from all Divisions indicate the importance of mixing the field – playing with fellow members they do not normally have the opportunity to play with and thoroughly enjoying the experience. Certainly beneficial and well worth repeating. Our final week culminated with Vets Day, Trophy presentations (see below) and our Christmas Party – all in ‘Acres’. We were spoilt once again with the professional attention received from Duncan, Cherie and Matt and the catering staff at CHCC. A very big thank you to all of you. We cannot close for the year without special mention of David, Alex, Shane and all the Pro-Shop staff for their continued co-operation and support during the year, not to forget all the coaching clinics the ladies received during the Grade and Pennant season. We really do appreciate all you do for us. Last, but by no means least, to Karen, who is ever attentive and available. Thank you for your patience and ever friendly smile. Lorraine Wilson, our President over the last three years, steps down this year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her most sincerely for the camaraderie, guidance, support and fairness she has afforded the committee and members of the club during this time. Anne Phelan steps into Lorraine’s shoes with the support of Jo Power as Vice President. Welcome ladies to your new positions. I wish you a healthy, happy and safe festive season and look forward to a prosperous 2012. Tammy Hayton Lady Captain

Above left; Tammy Hayton and Lorraine Wilson present Jenni Pridmore as Ladies Club Champion. Above Right Carmel Patrick receives the President’s Cup, Bottom left, Lesley Jenkins—Gold Medal Winner and below right Judy Baxter winner of the Best Nett Score Div 3.

At this years 30 Year Members Cocktail Party we welcomed five new members to the 50 Year Members Club; Ray Goulding, Helen Hayes, Peter Pellegrini, Rob Simpson and Cec Weekes. As we celebrated this milestone, Cec Weekes who joined CHCC back in 1961 shared a few memories with us. Here are some of the highlights

1958 Television, 1966 decimal currency, 1959 Cec Weekes began playing as a visitor at CHCC along with friends, acquaintances and neighbours. Les Dorahy (past Vice President), Ivan Callcott and Reg Kirby all joining the club, but I was building a house and money was tight. The Club, in its wisdom, wanting to attract new members made me a very generous offer, “put down a deposit and pay the annual fee off. I am in business, and I know a good deal when I see one. I become a 7 day member in 1961.

Tony Hunter has me playing with the strength of Merv Storey, Cass Francis, Peter Shonk and Doug Breadman. Playing off a 27/20 handicap was very attractive to the low markers like Harry Carrol. So that’s the way it began, setting in train a progression of golfing years which culminated in 2011 as a 50 Year Player. I have seen many changes over the years and I remember very fondly the early years.

On a Sunday afternoon in the 60’s, I would borrow a pound note from the wife, play 18 holes of golf, buy a Rocket ball, maybe win a ball, buy a round of drinks …. a great afternoon and go home with change in your pocket. That is not the case in the modern economy.

Back then the course machinery consisted of a 5 gang mower, the grass would grow as fast as the mower was cutting it. The fairways not cut too often, were say about 12 inches high, allowing the miscreant golf ball to nestle snuggly out of eyesight. Monty Franklin, one of the clubs characters, solved the problem of finding the elusive ball by producing a cigarette lighter, he found his ball OK, but it was also the first bush fire ever in Castle Hill. FIRE BRIGADE HOLDS UP PLAY— a complete shocker! The fire began on the 5th fairway and ended up at Windsor Road.

Monty was a godsend to the club, he was the only golfer that knew how to get rid of the crows. Saturday morning Monty would organise a late hit off. He’d arrive early with a 12 gauge shotgun. From then on the crows were doomed. Tony Hunter vehemently protested!

Clem Feeney was another one of our colourful characters. Clem’s mother didn’t know that he drank until he went home sober one day! Clem qualified number 8 in a C Grade Championship and had to play the Number 1 qualifier, John McInerney. Clem wins the toss and hits his ball well down the middle. The Number 1 readies himself for this nervous occasion and after some delay finally hits off. The group is ready to move off the tee but Clem cannot be found. He is finally located having a drink at the bar and talking to Eileen. Would you believe Clem went on to win the matchplay event 8/7.

Cec Weekes

50 Years of Membership at CHCC …... Cec Weekes shares some memories

Page 7 December 2011

The old CHCC Clubhouse

Page 8 Fairways Castle Hill Country Club

Frogs on the Course Back in February we were fortunate to have Rob Wall from the Frog and Tadpole Study Group of NSW to walk around our course at night to listen for frog calls. However, it was late in the breeding season and had been dry so he retuned this Spring to see if frogs were more active. Frogs are sometimes called an indicator species because they rely on insects and

can easily absorb chemicals through their skin. The large number of frogs heard in ponds and creeks on the course this time indicates that our waterways are very healthy. The quietest waterways were the larger pond next to the 5th green and the main dam. These are not such good habitats for frogs because of their steep banks and an absence of plants growing near the edge. Last time we heard the Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog, and the Striped Marsh Frog. This time we heard these three species again as well as the Common Eastern Froglet and the Whistling Tree Frog. The most pleasing thing was the large number of frogs heard this time compared to the last survey. Thanks again to Rob Wall for his help. Without his trained ear this would not have been possible. During the survey we also saw two kookaburras perched on the clubhouse and using the outside lights on the clubhouse to catch moths. A couple of Tawny Frogmouths were also seen out on the course.

This little story and photo comes courtesy of one of our members, Ron Gripper. About six years ago Ron was driving through Berrigan, a little town in the Riverina. It was a cold winter’s day and when he went into the clubhouse there was a Bush Thick-knee (Curlew) sitting in front of a heater. He was told by members that it comes in every day and if the heater is not on it goes into the managers office to sit there. Club members do not feed the bird and every night it goes back outside. Curlews are nocturnal feeders. Ron didn’t want to startle the bird with a flash but when it heard the click of the camera the bird stood up and faced him. The club has adopted the bird as its logo. This year Ron revisited Berrigan and the bird was still there. Thanks, Ron. Merry Christmas to all.

Bill Milne, John Clarke and Stephanie Badger

Page 9 December 2011

Page 10 Fairways Castle Hill Country Club

MORE LOFT EQUALS MORE DISTANCE This month I’d like to share an article with you written by Mark Rainey, of Performance Golf which discusses how to increase hitting distance by increasing the loft of your club. “One of the quickest ways to increase a golfer’s distance from the tee with his or her Driver is to increase the loft on the club. In fact, we can probably add 10 – 20 yards of distance for golfers with swing speeds of 95 mph and lower, which covers the vast majority of Golf Club Members. The new technology of the golf ball (lower spin rates and more energetic cores) means that we are looking for longer ‘hang-time’. We need to launch the golf ball higher than we did before and then let the aerodynamics ‘carry’ the ball further down the fairway before falling to ground. Even the leading golf professionals have realised that they are better off teeing the golf ball up higher, using more loft and making sure they hit the ball on the upswing. At the recent PGA Memorial Tournament over 75% of the field were using Drivers with 10° of loft or more; and those are golfers with the fastest swing speeds. Golf Digest recently completed a comprehensive study and proved that golfers with an average swing speed of 85 – 90 mph would be better off using a Driver with 12 or 13° of loft AND teeing the golf ball up higher than they currently do. The table below is a guide that was produced as a result of extensive tests.

But please remember that it is launch angle that we are really interested in. Two golfers with identical swing speeds using exactly the same Driver will in all likelihood generate different launch angles. Besides the variable of how they tee the golf ball up and how they position the golf ball in their stance, there is their angle of attack on the golf ball. A golfer who delivers the golf clubhead to the golf ball on the upswing will create a higher launch angle than the golfer who delivers the clubhead to the golf ball at the bottom (ie flat) of the swing path. To get the best out of your Driver purchase we need to assess your swing speed AND your angle of attack. We can then show you how to get the best out of your current Driver, or ensure that you are purchasing a new club with the right loft to get the ball further down the fairway.” Mark Rainey, Performance Golf 2011 I hope you found the above article of interest to you. If you are interested in seeing how different lofts of drivers can affect your “driving performance” book some time with either Shane, Alex or myself and test the range of drivers available in the Pro Shop. We would be happy to help you find the right driver to improve your game.

Pro Shop News

CLUBHEAD SPEED ESTIMATED OPTIMAL LOFT CATEGORY

110-125 8-9 Fastest swing speed Tour Pros

95-105 10-11 Strong men and women

85-90 12-13 Most men golfers

75-85 14-15 Senior men and most women

65-70 16+ Most women golfers

Page 11 December 2011

I recently received an email from another Golf Professional who had just given a lesson to one of his members and thought it might be worth sharing with you. The email highlights the hazards of buying “cheap” or “bargain” clubs from the internet. The member had just purchased a new Hybrid club on the internet and was very excited about his purchase and eager to try it out at his next lesson. He explained to the Golf Pro how much he had saved by ordering on-line and the site guaranteed the club to be the “genuine article”. Five minutes into the lesson and after hitting just four balls the club face completely cracked leaving a gaping hole in the club face (see photos below). Although the club looked like the “real deal”, at closer inspection the professional believed it was an imitation, despite carrying all the markings of an original. The initial on-line savings cost the member the price of the imitation club and the price of a replacement from the Pro Shop, so sometimes a bargain is not necessarily a bargain. It should be said not all on-line sellers are dishonest or sell imitation clubs , but caution should be exercised particularly when purchasing from overseas websites that advertise cheap clubs. On behalf of the staff in the Pro Shop, we would like to wish you all the best for the festive season and hope to see you at the club soon.

David Northey Head Professional

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