Editor: Peter Brown : administrator@perdiswellparkgolfclub.co.uk Assistant Editor: Chris Williams : chris@shadowcleaning.co.uk

CLUB

NEWSSEPTEMBER

2017www.ravenmeadowandperdiswellparkgc.co.uk and w ww.perdiswellparkgolfclub.co.uk

YOUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE 18

Sat 1st Crowley PairsAde Day & John Griffiths net 57

(top) Ade Day, (bottom) John Griffiths - Winners– Crowley Pairs

Tue 4th Two Day Salver Rnd 1 of 2Brian Price (13) net 60

Brian Price – Winner – Two Day Salver Rnd 1

Wed 5th Two Day Salver Rnd 2 of 2Dennis Morse (14) net 65

Dennis Morse – Winner – Two Day Salver Rnd 2

Two Day Salver Overall Ed Nicklin (63 + 67) net 130

Ed Nicklin – Winner – Two Day Salver

Wed 5th MedalDuane Parsons (22) net 56

Duane Parsons – Winner – Medal

Wed 5th Ladies 9 Hole Eclectic Rnd 4Sonia Wigley (27) 15 points

Sonia Wigley – Winner – Ladies 9 Hole EclecticRnd 4

Sat 8th Presidents Bowl Rnd 1Mark Colley (15) net 61

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July Winners & Results

Mark Colley – Winner – Presidents BowlRnd 1

Sun 9th Presidents Bowl Rnd 2 Tommy Hayes (3) net 60

Tommy Hayes - Winner – Presidents BowlRnd 2

President's Bowl WinnerNorman Vernalls (65+64) net 129

Norman Vernalls – Winner – Presidents Bowl

Wed 12th Foursomes Par PlateEd Nicklin & Roy Turner (15) +4

(top) Ed Nicklin & (bot) Roy Turner – Winners– Foursomes Par Plate

Wed 12th Ladies ChampionshipJane Brinsford (24) net 68

Jane Brinsford – Winner – LadiesChampionship

Sat 15th Summer NationalDavid Hollis (22) net 58

Tue 18th Seniors Captain's Day TexasScrambleAdrian Burbridge, Geoff Edge & EdNicklin (3.4) net 61.6

(top to bot) Adrian Burbridge, Geoff Edge & EdNicklin – Winners – Seniors' Captain's Day

Texas Scramble

Wed 19th StablefordMalcolm Stanley (22) 47 points

Malcolm Stanley – Winner - Stableford

Wed 19th Ladies StablefordMagdelen Coomber (31) 39 points

Magdelen Coomber – Winner – LadiesStableford

Sat 22nd Captain's Day (Captain'sVase) Chris Williams (13) net 62

Chris Williams – Winner – Captain's Vase

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Wed 26th MedalJim Staunton (18) net 60

Jim Staunton – Winner – Medal

Sat 29th Club Championships

Scratch Championships (36 holes)Tommy Hayes (2) gross 145(74+71)

Tommy Hayes – Winner – Club Champion

Handicap Championships (36 holes)Ben Parsons (11) net 128 (61+67)

Ben Parsons – Winner – Club HandicapChampion

July Match Results

02nd Handicap LeagueR&PPGC (H) lost 4 - 2 v BewdleyPines B

03rd SeniorsR&PPGC (H) won 4½ – 2½ vDudley

11th SeniorsR&PPGC (H) won 4 – 2 v RodwayHill

13th SeniorsR&PPGC (A) won 5 – 1 vKingfisher

16th Handicap LeagueR&PPGC (A) lost 4 - 2 v BewdleyPines B

16th 17 – 24 Handicap LeagueR&PPGC (H) lost 172 - 166 vBewdley Pines

22nd 17 – 24 Handicap LeagueR&PPGC (H) lost 173 - 161 v LittleLakes

25th SeniorsR&PPGC (H) won 4 – 2 vSherdons

30th 17 – 24 Handicap LeagueR&PPGC (H) lost 167 - 156 vBromsgrove

September Competitions

Sat 2nd Summer League Rnd 5 of 7

Sun 3rd Sunday Medal Eclectic Rnd 6of 11

Tue 5th Bill Moore Pairs SeniorsMatchplay Final

Tue 5th Seniors Presidents Cup

Wed 6th 666 Stableford TeamChallenge

Wed 6th Ladies 9 Hole Eclectic Rnd 6

Sat 9th Ladies EGU

Sat 9th Turner Shield

Sun 10th Dennis English Team Event

Sun 10th Sunday Roll-up

Tue 12 Seniors Roll-up

Wed 13th Geoff Edge Cup Rnd 1 of 6

Sat 16th Olive Hodgetts Cup

Sun 17th Sunday Roll-up

Tue 19th Seniors Roll-up

Wed 20th Medal

Sat 23rd Daily Mail Foursomes

Sun 24th Sunday Roll-up

Tue 26th Seniors Roll-up

Wed 27th Charity Cup

Sat 30th Summer League Rnd 6 of 7

Book into Competitions via the PSITerminal or How Did I Do website.

To enter a competition after theclosing date or to cancel your entry pleasecontact :

Pro Shop 01905 757525

Midweek StablefordCompetition (3rd Thursday inevery month)

Just in case you have not seen theclub V1 Newsletter recentlydistributed by Barrie Hope, theThursday Midweek StablefordCompetition has been withdrawn fromthe Competition schedule due to lackof support as per:

“Over recent months the number ofentrants in this monthly event hasbeen consistently short of therequired minimum 10 for a validcompetition. As a result it has beendecided to remove this as a formalclub competition for the time being. Ifcircumstances change then it canalways be reinstated.”

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Know Your Course

Which hole is this?

Answer on Page 8

Where Did That Come From?Part 2

Here are are few more golfing termsexplained :

Fore! :

The etymology for the word "Fore!" isnot absolutely certain. The OxfordEnglish Dictionary records its first usein 1878 as a warning cry to people infront of a golf stroke and, like mostpeople, believes it is an abbreviationof the word 'before'. There is anearlier reference in 1857 in a glossaryof golfing terms. Its origin is almostcertainly earlier and bound up withthat of the word Caddie.

Currently there are three explanationsfor the origins of term FORE!

1 . From Forecaddie! to Fore!

Because golf balls were expensive,golfers employed "Forecaddies" tostand where the ball might land andreduce the number of lost balls, as isdone in tournaments today.

In 1824 the Rules of the Thistle GolfClub recount a conversation which ayouthful Mr Tytler of Woodhouselee,an 'Antiquary' in Edinburgh, had withthe aged Andrew Dickson when hesaid that he had performing this rolefor the Duke of York in 1681 at LeithLinks. Dickson was then performingthe duty of what is now commonlycalled a fore-cady.

Robert Clark repeated the story in hishistory in 1875 as what is nowcommonly called a 'fore-caddie'.

It is probable that golfers shouted totheir 'Forecaddie!', who would alwaysbe some distance ahead to drawattention to the fact the ball wascoming and, in time, this wasshortened to 'Fore! The almostcontemporaneous appearance of theterms caddie, fore-caddie and Fore!supports this theory over the others.

2. Shoot over their heads!

A second explanation, still given bythe USGA, derives from the militarybattle craft of musket days, whenrank after rank would fire fusillades,some over the heads of those in front.It was speculated that the term Fore!might have been used to warn thosein front to keep their heads down.Modern historians pour cold water onthis theory, partly because it isdifficult to relate it to a Scottish golfconnection and partly because therelevant military terms used do notbear any relation. However, thistheory may in fact be amisunderstanding of the theorybelow.

3. Ware Before!

There is a third explanation, whichappears utterly implausible, but whichis an outside possibility. It derivesfrom a story told by John Knox(1505?-1572) the 'hell-fire' protestantreformer. He tells the tale, as onlyhell-fire preachers can, of someonearriving at the East Port (east gate) ofLeith. This story was noticed by DrNeilson and subsequently reported byRobert Browning in his book 'Historyof Golf' (1955) thus:

'One among many comes to the EastPort of Leith, where lay two greatpieces of ordnance, and where their

enemies were known to be, and criedto his fellows that were at the gatemaking defence: "Ware Before!" andso fires one great piece, andthereafter the other.'

So 'Fore!' could be derived from anartillery term warning gunners tostand clear. This last explanationmeans, firstly, that the term 'WareBefore!' (Beware Before!) wasforeshortened to Fore! (rather thanWare!) and, secondly, it must havebeen sufficiently well known to beused by golfers.

Fairway

The original term used by golfers torefer to the playing area was the 'fairGreen'. This was mentioned in Rule 4of the first Rules in 1744. The wordfairway did not appear until a centurylater. Before lawnmowers there wasno way to create a smoother playingarea than nature provided.

'Fairway' is not a defined term in theRules of Golf. The origin of the wordhas been associated with bothFreemasons and fishermen;Freemasons were heavily involved inthe foundation of most early golfclubs and they laid great store by 'fairplay' from which the term fair-waysmay possibly have been derived.

The word 'fairway' is also an oldnautical term for a navigable channelor a customary course. Early golfstarted on links beside ports andfishing nets were often laid out to dryon them. This looks the more likelyorigin.

Tee

Golfers of the 19th Century, in theliving memory of the early historians,all say that the 'tee' was the areawhere from which you played andthey 'tee'd' on the ground, as laid

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down in the first rules of golf 1744 -'Your Tee must be upon the Ground'.Golfers at this time used sand tomake a tee within one club length ofthe previous hole, later expanded towithin two and later still four clublengths.

There is a 'tee' in curling, derivedfrom the Gaelic word 'tigh' meaninghouse. The House is the colouredcircles that form the target area andthe curling 'tee' today is the linethrough the centre of the 'house' andis the target not the release line,which is the 'hog' line. As the firstgolf tees were within a 'circle' of oneclub length round the hole, this couldbe the origin of the term.

The golf tee or 'teaz' has similaritiesto the Dutch word 'tuitje' pronounced'tytee' and meaning a little conicalshape, which referred to the little pilesof sand or snow that would be usedfor the tee'ing off stroke. This looks amore likely origin of the term.

It was not apparently until Old TomMorris created separate teeing areasat St Andrews in 1875, as reported inthe press, that this defined areabecame common place. Themotivation could well have been tospeed up play as otherwise golferswere waiting for the groups to tee offafter they had holed out, before theycould play to the green, which musthave been twice as aggravating asjust waiting for them to putt out.

“The ball must be teed notnearer the hole than eight norfarther than twelve clublengths, except where specialground has been marked bythe Conservator of the Links,which shall be considered the‘teeing ground,’ and the balls

shall be teed within, and notin advance of, such marks.”

RULES FOR THE GAME OF GOLF as itis played by the Royal & Ancient GolfClub of St Andrews over the Links.September 1875.

Although a designated tee'ing groundmay not have come about until 1875,it is possible that stone tee markerswere in existence a century earlier.There is a reference to 'golf stones' in1781 in a newspaper report atAberdeen.

For centuries, golfers made tees fromsand. This was messy and towelsand water were provided to wash thegolfers' hands as they are today towash golf balls. Often caddies wouldscoop out sand from the bottom ofthe hole to make the tee and thiscaused the hole to deteriorate andclubs often issued reminders thatsand should not be taken from holes.

One answer to this was the provisionof sand boxes, which are still foundon old courses, such as BruntsfieldLinks and Earlsferry Links, thoughnowadays they contain fertilised soilfor filling in divots on the teeingground.

Throughout the end of the 19thCentury and the beginning of the 20thCentury, golfers began trying tocreate re-usable tees, using cork,paper or rubber. (Although the crosse(chole) players have graduated tousing screw caps as their tees, early'colf' and later 'kolf' had died outbefore anyone thought of developingmore sophisticated tees.)

Bunker

Early golf developed on links land,where sand blew across the course

and 'burns' (small rivers) ran across itto the sea. In time these were shapedinto the hazards that they are today,especially the sand, putting it in pitscalled bunkers. The sand bunker isincontestably Scottish as there is noevidence of it in any other gameanywhere else.

Bunkers may also have been inspiredby the quarry pits which proliferatedon many links, such as Aberdeen,Bruntsfield and Gullane. Theetymology of the word bunker itself isvariously ascribed to the 16th centuryScots word 'bonkar', meaning achest, or, by some, to Scandinavianor Old Flemish. The word Bunker ingolf does not appear until the 1812Royal & Ancient rules of golf.

Stymie

Akin to the word 'tee' the probableorigin of the word 'Stymie' which isprobably also from the Dutch 'stuitmij' pronounced 'sty me' meaning 'itstops me'. The word itself (as stimies)did not appear in the Rules until the1834 Musselburgh rules, since whenits interpretation had been the subjectof many disputes. The most seriousof these was in the Burgess club in1807. The stymie was not abolisheduntil 1951.

Dormie

For a player or foursome partners tobe 'dormie' in matchplay is to be asmany holes up as there as holesremaining, ie a half at any hole isgood enough to win the match. Theword 'dormie' on its own is sufficient,but it is often expressed as 'dormiefour' or 'dormie three', etc..,depending on the circumstances.

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(Note that 'dormie' can only apply inmatches where there is no 'goingdown the 19th', playing extra holes todecide the outcome. In the Ryder orWalker Cups, matches can behalved. In the WGC MatchplayChampionship, every match must beplayed until a winner emerges.)

We know of two possible origins forthe word, although most dictionariessimply list the etymology of 'dormie'as unknown.

The august USGA Museum explainsthe term as being a corruption of theFrench word 'dormir', meaning tosleep, the theory being that since aplayer who is 'dormie' can no longerlose the match, he can now relax, ormetaphorically 'go to sleep'. Puristswho insist that all things golf musthave come out of Scotland attributethis use of the word to the first knownwoman golfer, Mary, Queen of Scots,who spent much of her childhood inFrance and spoke the languagefluently. (She is also credited bysome with bringing the word 'caddie'from France to Scotland.) Keenmatch players will of course tell youthat the quickest way to lose a goodlead is to relax...

Staying in Scotland, but with noevidence before the late 18th andearly 19th century, another theoryholds that it is local Scottish slang for'dormice', which were at home on theheaths and near the coasts wheregolf was played. As the 'dormie' wereextremely shy and would usually hideat the approach of golfers, it wasconsidered a good omen to see one,bringing luck to the spotter in hismatch. An 1828 essay by Sir WalterScott about a visit to Carnoustierefers to the habit of local 'gowfers' of

spattering their conversation with thenames of small rodents duringmatches.

The word 'Dormy' or 'Dormie' is alsofound in use at golf clubs which havea 'Dormy House', but in this context itsimply means somewhere for visitinggolfers to sleep overnight.

Know Your Club Member

So, who's this then?

Golf Rules Explored(courtesy Rhodes Rules School)

Practice Swing :

Question 1:

Assuming that there is no relevantLocal Rule, what is the penalty andprocedure if a player moves their ballduring a practice swing on the ...a) ... teeing ground?

b) ... fairway?c) ... putting green (as in the photoabove)?

Answer 1:

a) No penalty as the ball is not inplay. The player may tee another ballat the same spot, or at a differentplace within the teeing ground. Rule11-3.b) One stroke penalty and the ballmust be replaced. Rule 18-2.c) One stroke penalty and the ballmust be replaced. Rule 18-2. * Seenote.

* Note: However, from 1st January2017, Committees have beenrecommended to introduce a LocalRule that does not penalise a playerfor accidentally causing their ball tomove on the putting green.

Question 2:

a) Are players permitted to practiceon the course before their round onthe day of a stroke play competition?b) Are players permitted to practiceon the course on the day of theirmatch play competition?

Answer 2:a) No. Rule 7-1b.b) Yes. Rule 7-1a.

Question 3:

While making a practice swing closeto where his ball is at rest a playeraccidentally knocks down one or twoleaves from an overhead branch of atree that has many leaves. Does heincur a penalty?

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Answer 3:

No penalty is incurred. It is obviousthat the player has not improved hisarea of intended swing to the extentthat he might gain a potentialadvantage Decision 13-2/0.5.

Note: Decision 13-2/0.5 includesthese words;

“Examples of changes that areunlikely to create such a potentialadvantage are if a player ...... accidentally knocks down severalleaves from a tree in his area ofintended swing with a practice swing,but there are still so many leaves orbranches remaining that the area ofintended swing has not beenmaterially affected.”

What's In Your Bag?

In the modern era our treasured golfclubs tend to be just simply, 'driver','fairway wood'......'Hybrid','Rescue'...'4,5,6......iron, SW..etc.Pretty boring nomenclature reallyalbeit quite descriptive and to thepoint.

Even what many of us still refer to as'Woods' are now 'Metal'!But, golf clubs used to be given somerather inventive and somewhatamusing names and I'm sure our'older' golfers will know many of thesebut some of our 'younger' Membersmay never have come across suchstrange names before :

(Before 1920, golf clubs wereindividually constructed pieces and agolfer assembled a set by purchasinga baffy here and a niblick there. An"iron" was truly made of wrought iron,rather than steel. Each iron washand-worked by a blacksmith into aspeciality shape, such as the Rake,Rutting Iron or Mashie.)

Obsolete golf club names :

Woods :

Driver: Play Club, Driver2-Wood: Brassie

Higher-lofted wood (3 wood) : Spoon Fairway woods (4, 5 woods etc.) :Baffing spoon, Baffy, Baffie, WoodenCleek

Irons :

1 Iron : Driving Iron, Cleek2 Iron : Mid Iron, Cleek3 Iron : Mid Mashie4 Iron : Mashie Iron5 Iron : Mashie6 Iron : Spade Mashie7 Iron : Mashie Niblick8 Iron : Pitching Niblick9 Iron : NiblickVery lofted iron, shortened shaft(wedge etc.) : Pitching Niblick, Jigger

The use of these archaic clubsdeclined in the 1930s when theSpalding Sporting Goods Companyintroduced the numbered sets of ironsthat are used universally today.

There was also the ‘sabbath stick’,which was a club disguised a walkingstick, used to get around the Churchof Scotland’s discouragement ofplaying golf on Sundays.

..and, did you know...?

On the Old Course at St. Andrews,where this year’s OpenChampionship is held, Sunday play istechnically still not permitted.However, this is ignored whenestablished tournaments take placeand the rule is more to do withpreservation rather than any religiousobservance.

So, What's On the TellyThen?

You will have noticed that the Clubhave had a 50” TV fitted in theClubhouse but what can you expectto see on it?

Well, at the time of writing we havecompiled new virtual Honours Boardswhich show the historical trophywinners of both original golf clubsalong with photo's of current Captainsof the Club. No, that's not all you'llget!! We are in the process of having

a suitable TV aerial fitted but earlyattempts have proved fruitless as the digital signal at the clubhouse isextremely poor and our aerial fitter isstill investigating alternatives whichwill probably be a dish receiver topick up satellite signals. Shouldn'tbelong now and we will be able toaccess 'Freeview' programs.

Late Update : All working!

The original, and foremost,consideration when purchasing theTV was to be able to utilise ClubSystems' Live Leaderboard softwareso that,on competition days, we candisplay real-time competition entriesand positions.

To this end the Committee is indiscussions with Club Systems to tryto negotiate some sort of 'deal' to geta better value-for-money package. Ifinstalled, the Leaderboard facility willalso be able to show live newsbroadcasts, photo's etc. and there isa possibility that we could selladvertising space if we can agreeterms with local businesses etc..

There is quite a long lead-time even ifwe order the package right now soplease be patient.

Please Note : The are no plans tohave Sky TV in the Clubhouse as thecosts for business premises are wayout of our budget and thereforecannot be justified.

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Please bear with us as we graduallyimproved Clubhouse facilities toprovide our Members (and visitors)with a more comprehensive golfingexperience.

It's A Knockout!

As we start to move from Summerinto Autumn some of the annualknockout competitions are reachingtheir climax and new names aregoing on the Honours Boards andtrophies.

Already in the bag is the winner of theFred Gough Seniors Matchplay whichwas contested between Tim Delaneyand John Hine with Mr. Delaneytaking the win on the 20th hole.

The Baylis Pairs competition ismoving from the group stage to theknockout rounds for which therandom draw has now been made asfollows :

Mike Williams & Collis Fisher v EdNicklin & Joe Jackson

Steve Williams & Chris Williams vTommy Hayes & Richard Higgs

Scott Thomas & Mike Sanders v JohnGriffiths & Adrian Day

Chris Luff & Matt Hake v Barrie Hope& Steve Baylis

The Secretary's Bowl is well underway with Round 4, the quarter finals,starting early September.

The Sheila Huggins Memorial ShieldSemi-finals will be completed by 16th

September when we will know thefinal pairings which will be betweenthe winners of Kurt Brauchli & JohnTennant versus Norman Vernalls &Steve Duggan and the winners ofAdrian Tinker & Bill Kelly versusBarry Monk & Chris Williams. Thefinal will be played 14th October.

The Bill Moore Seniors PairsMatchplay final will be played out on5th September when Barry Monk &Mike Williams take on Geoff Jones &Joe Jackson.

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Know Your Course Answer

It's hole 18

Poet's Corner

A Golfers Nightmare! The Classic Draw

By Brian Price

I am on the tee and I check my thoughts, if I hit it right it’s a lesson taught

There’s danger there, it’s no man’s land, but hitting straight it’s in the sand

So careful thinking is what’s required, the ball must spin and be admired

It doesn’t take long for I know its route, from right to left the ball must shoot

It’s the classic draw I’m looking for, so here we go I’ll think no more

The club I’ve set the stance feels good; my mind is focused as I know itshould

Adrenalin's running throughout my veins, my body feels like an express train

The four iron club is the one I’ve chose, it’s the one I use when a west windblows

My back swing starts and my body turns, the club it knows it’s right, it hasearned

Taking pride of place at a time like this, it knows in my hands the ball it won’tmiss

The club head now is riding high, my arms reaching out into open sky

My downswing starts and gathers speed, the club head its self has now beenfreed

Without a doubt its path it knows, and strikes the ball with a crashing blow

From right to left the ball does fly, its target found and I breathe a sigh.

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Course Upkeep, Health andGeneral Care

As you will be aware the up-keep ofthe full 18 hole Course will be firmly inthe hands of Ravenmeadow GolfCentre very shortly.

With that in mind I am endeavouringto get a regular Newsletter feature upand running concerning the generalwell-being of the Course, straightfrom the Greenkeeping Staff.

Tommy Hayes has promised the firstof these 'bulletins' for the next issuein October and between us we will tryto run similar articles on somethinglike a quarterly basis.

I feel it is important that theGreenkeepers have input andhopefully it will help alleviate many ofthe on-going questions that arise onan almost daily basis.

So, prepare to be enlightened folks –Tommy is not one to mince his wordsso I'm sure we can expect some'home truths' along the way as well asplenty of informative updates anddiscussion points.

At the time of writing we are stillunsure how things are going to be runand that is something for James

Leaver to sort out but we will soonknow what's in store.In the meantime please help in everyway you can by repairing pitchmarks,replacing divots and raking bunkersand generally helping to keep theCourse in the condition we would allwish for. The Greenkeeping Staff willno doubt continue to do a great jobbut a little consideration for them,your fellow golfers and the greenfee-paying public will go a long way tomake Ravenmeadow Golf Centre thebest it can be.

Watch out for Tommy's words in thenext issue.

An Important Date For YourDiary :

Saturday 18th November 2017

Please note that the Ravenmeadow &Perdiswell Park Golf ClubPresentation Evening is scheduled forSaturday 18th November in theGraeme Hick Suite at WorcesterCounty Cricket Club, New Road.

Tickets will be available nearer thedate but make sure you book yourplace(s) to avoid disappointment.

Food, entertainment, presentation oftrophies, a few drinks together,dancing and much merriment.

An excellent chance to mix, mingleand take your long suffering golfingwidow(er) out for a great evening.

The full itinerary is still to be finalised– it's all in the very capable hands ofAdrian Tinker .

Look out for more announcements asthings get sorted over the next fewweeks.

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Course Works Reminder

If you haven't already seen James Leaver's message about scheduled Course Works here is what's planned :

….to keep you posted, we have organised some course works to take place w/c 4th September.

This will involve some disruption to play and playing surfaces. We do not anticipate this affecting the playing ofcompetitions, other than the sanded greens.

The work is aeration and top dressing of greens and drainage works to the 6th and 7th holes.

As it stands it is only the Ravenmeadow side, but I am keen to try and get the Perdi guys to do theirs the same week.

I am mindful that some of the work is weather permitting and cannot be 100% sure it will take place that week, but that iswhen it is booked for.

James Leaver