Author: Gary Bronziet

Abridge Captain 2018/2019

Winer at Toot Hill Pro Am

One of the flagship events on the PGA Essex schedule was held at Toot Hill Golf Club on Friday 22nd March. 32 teams took part 32 Professional all fort for the £2,000 purse.

The day was cold but the course was superb. Tees, fairways and greens all in immaculate condition. 

toot hill golf club

Our PGA Pro Jack Winer got off to a rocky first hole (the 11th) having to make a 12 foot putt for par after a poor wedge into the green but got back on track nearly holing his tee shot on the island green signature hole 12th.

He went on to make a further 6 birdies, carding four 2’s out of the five par 3’s to card a -4 score of 66 and to take victory at the Toot Hill Pro Am by 2 strokes to the ever steady Rob Coles (former European Tour player).

Jack Winer Toot Hill Pro Am Card
scorecard for Jack Winer from Toot Hill Pro Am. 

Highlights for Jack Included:

  • 7 Birdies in a round today
  • -4 on the back 9
  • 4 Under 66
toothill twitter pga comp

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New Rules for 2019 and the truth about provisional balls!

Hope you all had a great Christmas break.

Did I tell you how I love to confuse shop assistants by asking “Do you have this in extra medium”?

Or when a waiter asks what water I would like, I say “Two parts H, one part O please”! 

Or have you been into your favourite golf store and asked for a dozen provisional balls? Which brings me onto the subject I wanted to talk about this week…

As you should know, the revised rules of Golf come into effect on 1 January 2019. See the excellent video on the subject which you can link to from the top of this post or by clicking here. One of the much discussed changes relates to “balls lost or out of bounds”.

  • Balls Lost or Out of Bounds: Alternative to Stroke and Distance:  A new Local Rule will now be available in January 2019, permitting committees to allow golfers the option to drop the ball in the vicinity of where the ball is lost or out of bounds (including the nearest fairway area), under a two-stroke penalty. It addresses concerns raised at the club level about the negative impact on pace of play when a player is required to go back under stroke and distance. The Local Rule is not intended for higher levels of play, such as professional or elite level competitions. (Key change:  this is a new addition to support pace of play)

Firstly, I can confirm that it has been decided NOT to implement this as a local rule at Abridge Golf Club as far as all competitions are concerned. However, in a friendly 4-ball, you could choose to follow this rule if agreed at the start by all players.

Of course this rule change would not be  necessary if golfers used the option to hit a “provisional ball” if they suspect their first ball may be lost or out of bounds. 

Which brings me back to provisional balls. I certainly don’t profess to be a rules expert myself, but it certainly surprises me the number of golfers that don’t follow the correct procedure when playing a provisional ball.

First rule is that when playing a second ball, the golfer must clearly indicate that the ball he/she is about to play is provisional, by saying “this is a provisional ball”. It’s not sufficient to say “[expletive deleted], guess I’d better hit another one” or similar. It’s not up to your playing partners to ask you “Is that a provisional you are about to hit”? If you don’t indicate clearly that you are hitting a provisional, then it becomes your ball in play and your first ball is dead, even if you find it hit a tree and now lies in the middle of the fairway!

Provisional rule basics
If you declare the ball as provisional. If you subsequently find the first ball (and it’s not out of bounds), you HAVE to play the original ball. That’s a nuisance I know, if you have hit your provisional a country mile down the middle of the fairway and your original ball is found in deep doo-doo, but that’s life. Neither can you declare your first ball as “lost”. Although sometimes you might not try too hard to find your first ball in these circumstances, you can’t stop your playing partner/opponent from looking for it! 

If you have omitted to declare the ball as provisional (which you may have done by choice). In this case, your second ball is the ball in play whether you like it or not. If you find your original ball, whether on the fairway or deep rough, you can retrieve it, but continue playing the second ball.

And then finally, there is the American playing golf in Scotland for the first time. After hitting his tee shot off the first out-of-bounds, he asks his local caddie, “Do you have Mulligans in Scotland”?  The caddie replies “Aye, we do sir – but here we call them 3’s”!

Happy and Healthy New Year to you all!

Gary Bronziet
Club Captain

Copies of the revised Rules of Golf Players Edition are available in the club house.

How to Install the Abridge Golf Club Teamup Calendar / Diary

Installing the Club Calendar on your Mobile device

Abridge Golf Clubs operates an online calendar called “Teamup” as the club diary. The advantages of using this over a traditional printed diary is that events may be added and/or modified throughout the year, and these changes will be immediately viewable by members.

Most members have mobile devices and many will choose to view the calendar on their mobile device. Although it is possible to view the calendar in a web browser on a mobile device, the recommended method is to download the free Teamup app. This may be downloaded from the AppStore (Apple devices) or Google Play for Android devices.

The KEY for the Abridge Calendar is ks19sz33d76mwera7j

You only have to enter the key once.  From then on, every time you open the Teamup app, it will display the Abridge Calendar.

Subscribing to a Calendar

If you already use a Calendar app on your phone or tablet as your personal diary, you can merge the events in the Abridge Teamup Calendar with your own calendar. As events are added or modified on the Abridge calendar, they will be automagically updated in your own calendar!

  • Switch between List, Day, Week, Month views.
  • Select All, or single/multiple sub-calendars.

For full details of all of the features, download the full user guide below.

Curtis Knipes crowned champion of champions

It has been an exciting and eventful year for the Abridge Junior section. We are fortunate to have some very accomplished golfers in this age group.

Curtis Knipes  crowned as Essex Amateur Champion at Upminster Golf Club

In June at Upminster Golf Club , Curtis Knipes successfully defended his title as Essex Amateur Champion. In his opening round he recorded 7 birdies and dropped just one shot to set a new amateur course record of 63.

Curtis also won the Abridge club championship for the second year in succession!

The Junior team had an excellent run in the Essex Youth Shield (Scratch) competition. The team reached the knockout stage by winning their group and went on to finish runners up.

A highlight was in the semi-finals where we played against Orsett. In what turned out to be the pivotal match, George Hallybone came back from 5 down with 6 to play, to chip in on the 18thfor a win taking Abridge through to the final against Colchester.

Sadly, the date of the final clashed with the date of the England Golf Union Men’s County Champion of Champions tournament at Woodhall Spa, which Curtis Knipes had qualified for as Essex men’s champion.

Abridge Juniors at Clacton

At Clacton, the boys were narrowly beaten by a very strong Colchester side. George was almost the hero again. At 2-2 in matches completed, George was 2 down with 2 to play against Charley Hatley of Clacton. George  tied the match on the 18thtaking the match down the 1stbut unfortunately for us, Charley prevailed on the first play-off hole, so result was a 3-2 win to Colchester. Congratulations  to them!

Abridge boys collect their Youth Shield  runners up medals. Left to Right – George Hallybone, Freddie Orwell, Matthew O’Connor, Lewis Wright, Liam Palmer Anscombe and team captain Harvey Sullivan.

Curtis Knipes crowned champion or champions. 


Meanwhile, while this match was taking place, Curtis Knipes was busy at Woodhall Spa.

I am delighted and very proud on behalf of Abridge to report that Curtis WON the England Golf Union Champion of Champions event where he birdied the fourth hole in a sudden-death play-off in this 36 hole competition.

Curtis Knipes crowned as England Golf Champion of Champions

I would like to thank all of the boys that represented the club this year and wish them luck in the future. I would like to thank Harvey Sullivan who served as Junior Captain this year.

Find out more about our junior golf membership

Etiquette on the Golf Course

General Conduct

  1. Inappropriate language is not acceptable at any time, to either members or employees of Abridge.
  2. Use of mobile telephones are not permitted anywhere on the course or any practice areas
  3. Mobile phones may be used in the club house in silent mode, discreetly without disturbing others
  4.  Smoking is only permitted in designated areas;please ensure you always use the ash trays, not leaving butts on the floor.
  5. Clothing and shoes should be changed in the changing rooms only and not in the car park or other areas

Etiquette on the Golf Course

The guidelines for good golf etiquette are there for several very important reasons: Many of them relate to the safety of golfers, many relate to pace of play (which helps keep the game enjoyable), and other rules of golf etiquette relate to maintaining the quality of the golf course.

In other words, golf etiquette is an essential part of the game. And it’s something that newcomers to the game often learn as they go – on the course,when playing with more experienced golfers.

If you are new to the game, or just need to brush up on your golf etiquette, here are some basic rules that will help keep the game enjoyable for you and those around you.

Keep It Safe

Do not swing your club until you know that others in your group are at a safe distance.   Likewise, keep your distance when others are swinging. Be aware to steer clear of trouble.

When practising your swing, never swing in the direction of another player. There may be pebbles or twigs or other matter in the grass that could fly up and injure a playing partner.

Do not hit the ball until you are certain that the group ahead of you is out of range.

If your ball appears headed toward another player or another group, give them a warning by yelling out, “Fore’’ (an internationally recognized alert).

Observe the safety suggestions posted in golf buggies and drive carefully.

Never throw clubs in anger. In addition to being rude and childish, it could also be dangerous.

Ring the bells on the 6th and 8th holes  on passing, and 11th tee on arriving, to advise following players that it is safe to play.  Listen for these bells before playing your tee shot on the 6th tee and when approaching the 8th and 10th greens.

The retrieving of balls from the pond on the 2nd is prohibited.

Maintain a Good Pace

Keep the round moving by being prepared to hit your shot when it is your turn. You probably don’t like waiting on other groups – don’t make other groups wait on you.

Do not spend too much time looking for a lost ball, particularly if there is a group behind you ready to play. If you insist on taking the full five minutes allotted in the rule book to look for lost balls, golf etiquette says wave up the group behind to allow them to play through.

Always try to keep pace with the group ahead of you. If space opens in front of you, allow a faster group to play through.

When two players in a buggy hit to opposite sides of a hole, drive to first ball and drop off that player with his club, then drive to the second ball. After both players hit, meet up farther down the hole. When walking from your buggy to your ball, take a couple clubs with you. Taking only one club, then having to return to the cart to retrieve a different club, is a huge time-waster.

Always leave the putting green as soon as your group has finished putting.

Be Kind to the Course it is there for all of us to enjoy

Observe buggy and trolley rules.  Stick to buggy paths wherever practicable and when directed by notices on and around the course.

Keep them away from greens and hazards. Do not take them between the greenside bunkers and the green as the wheels can damage these sensitive areas. Please try to avoid damaging the course.

Repair your divots in the fairway.

Repair your ball marks on the green.

 

Always rake sand bunkers after hitting to erase your footprints and damage to the area where your ball was.

Avoid taking a divot on a practice swing.

Use your hand to remove the ball from the hole NOT your putter as this often misshapes the hole.

And a Few More Golf Etiquette Hints

Never talk during another player’s swing.

Do not yell out following a shot. Even if boisterous behaviour doesn’t bother your playing partners, there are other people on the course who may be within earshot.

Be aware of your shadow on the putting green. Don’t stand in a place that causes your shadow to be cast across another player or that player’s putting line.

Never walk through a playing partner’s putting line. Your footprints might alter the path of a partner’s putt. Step over the putting line, or walk around (behind) the partner’s ball.

Captains “roll-up” (swindle) on Saturday 1st December

Friday 26 October 2018

Club Calendar
This Sunday 28 October, we have the GOLD MEDAL event  and a regular monthly medal for people that didn’t qualify for the GOLD MEDAL. All events from next weeks Club Calendar can be viewed here.

Captains Roll-up
As an experiment, we will be having Captains “roll-up” (swindle) on Saturday 1st December. The 1st tee will be reserved  between 8:00 – 9:30 am.
To cater for people that like to play at different times, there will be 3 draws as follows:- 

  • Tee off 8:00 – 8:30 am (draw to be made at 7:40 am) 
  • Tee off 8:30 – 9:00 am (draw to be made at 8:10 am) 
  • Tee off 9:00 – 9:30 am (draw to be made at 8:40 am) 

Format will be Individual and Pairs stableford (with a twist). No need to book, just turn up on the day!

New Mobile App
Great news! We will soon be releasing a new Members app for your iPhone and Android devices. You will be receiving details of how to install and register within the next week. This will allow you to :-

  • Check your handicap and handicap record 
  • Check competition results and history 
  • View your catering card account details and top up your account from your phone 
  • View members details and create “friends” lists 
  • View Club news 

In the near future, we will also be implementing a new modernised club website, but more about that later!

Ladies London League
Great news! Our ladies section finished top of the London League this season – which is a fantastic achievement considering the size of our ladies section. 

Past Captains v Chigwell
On Thursday a team of Abridge Past Captains (and some future past captains!) was victorious against a Past Captains team from Chigwell Golf club by 3 – 1. 

Members Guests
I am asked to remind members that  the same guest can only play at Abridge six times a year in total.  A record of such is kept in the Pro Shop. 

Car Park
Please note that when areas of the car park are roped off, this has been done for a reason and you are kindly requested not to park in roped off areas.

Correction
A prize for the person who spotted the deliberate mistake in last weeks bulletin! The Festive Lunch for members and guests will be  Sunday 16th December (not the 15th) !

That’s all for this week’s bulletin.

Best wishes and happy golfing!

Gary Bronziet
Captain

Always look on the bright side of Golf!

Gary Bronziet Abridge Captain 2018/2019
Gary Bronziet Abridge Captain 2018/2019

Welcome to my first captain’s bulletin. I included my mugshot in case anyone has difficulty differentiating me from our past captain. I know for some people that’s a problem. Firstly, I am sure you will all join me in thanking past captainStuart Disdale for being such a great Captain and setting such a fine example. As I said at the “Drive in” on Sunday, he will be a hard act to follow, but I will do my best!

Thanks to all who attended my “Drive-in” and sharing the day with me. It was a great experience and hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. And thanks to everyone who helped make it such a great day, in particular to Lol Green for organising the competition and Brian Allsuch for taking the “official” pictures.

You can see the photos by clicking on the link below.

If you are a glutton for punishment, there is also a video – which includes the “song” in its entirety, complete with mistakes! Make sure you learn the words,  as you are all expected to sing it, especially when dunking a ball in the pond on the second!

My Captain’s Away Day is booked for Wednesday, 15th May 2019 at West Herts Golf course. More details to follow, but please save the date in your diaries.

Well, that’s about all for my first bulletin. This weekend we have the Jack Stone Qualifiers. You can enter Saturday or Sunday (not both!). It’s a stableford competition off the white tees.

Gary Bronziet
Captain

Click below for the Video!

And don’t forget to, “Always look on the bright side of Golf!”

Junior Section..We want you!

We, at Abridge, are committed to providing a wonderful golf course with top class practice facilities for all Juniors to improve their game, no matter the level they look to achieve.

As a Club, we look to a successful future which begins with the younger members of Abridge.

  • If you wish to improve your driving length, we have a golf range that even the longest hitter would have trouble outdriving.
  • Should your short game need improving, there is a designated area that is for wedge play, whether it be 60 yards or 120 yards.
  • To improve your putting, we have a wonderful designated putting green of the finest quality.

Our Junior Captain looks forward to welcoming new members to our Junior Section

  • We enter our Juniors into both the Faldo Wedge and the Essex Youth Shield competitions to give them a chance to pit their skills against the best young golfers in Essex.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to give our Office a call and they will gladly make arrangements for any Junior, accompanied by a parent or guardian, to come and view our facilities. 

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