Titirangi Golf Club Autumn 2020 Newsletter

TITIRANGI G O L F

AUTUMN / 2020

C L U B NEWSLET TER -

THE COURSE COURSE CARE WORLD HANDICAPPING OTHER NEWS

www.t it iran gigolf.co.n z

-

Vol. 03

Clyde Johnson, Lido Winner

trees thrown in. Another says that its four par 3s, facing four different directions, are among the toughest MacKenzie ever devised.

Titirangi will be the site of this fall’s Alister MacKenzie Society annual meeting, and if you win the 2020 Lido Design Competition, you’ll receive an invitation to attend the meeting and play Titirangi, along with $2,000 to defray your travel expenses, all of that on top of the $3,000 prize awarded to the winning entry.

The Lido is the annual golf design contest conducted by Golf World and the MacKenzie Society. It’s now in its 22nd year, and past winners include three contestants who’ve gone on to practice golf architecture full-time—Thad Layton Riley Johns and Clyde Johnson (the architect currently involved in restoring Titirangi)—as well as true amateur armchair architects like two-time winner Bo Links and three-time winner Cameron Hurdus, the defending champion.

THE 2020 LIDO DESIGN COMPETITION Photo By. Photographer Name

Long before New Zealand could boast of Tom Doak’s Tara Iti and Cape Kidnappers, or David Harman’s Kauri Cliffs or Jack Nicklaus’s Kinloch, there was Titirangi Golf Club in Auckland, a course first opened in 1920 and totally remodeled seven years later by Dr. Alister MacKenzie, his only work in that country. For decades it was considered the finest in that nation and today it’s still in the top five. One writer describes it as part tropical and part Pinehurst, with towering Eucalyptus Tit iran gi Go l f C l ub | Au tu m n

As usual, the rules are simple. Design an original par-3 hole that you feel reflects the design principles of Dr. MacKenzie. It must be a hand drawing not larger than 11” by 17” and can be accompanied by a single page of explanation. Our judge this year will be golf architect Gil Hanse.

Hole #4 Titirangi Golf Club

Dr. Alister MacKenzie

A complete set of rules and an entry blank are available by sending an email to almaclido@sbcglobal.net. Deadline for the 2020 Lido Competition is April 15, 2020. The winner will be notified on or about May 15.

Courtesy of GolfDigest.com

Aut um n | Titiran g i Golf Club

COURSE MAINTENANCE With 53 consecutive days of no rain, the start of 2020 marks the driest start we’ve had since 1943. On the back of a very dry 2019, the course has taken quite a bit of stress over this period.

Aside from the obvious impacts of a dry period, this episode has also really highlighted a number of key weaknesses with our golf course. A number of these have been known weaknesses and a few new ones have arisen. The Course Committee in conjunction with our Green’s Crew have develped a 36 month plan to address all of these highlighted weaknesses.

Green Surrounds: Many of our green surrounds are a mix of 5 or more grass varieties. This combination provides for a very inconsistent playing surface. As such, over the coming period we will work to replace our surrounds with a more consistent and durable Couch grass. This is the same surrounds that RAGGC is using on its new course and is used quite successfully at a number of PGA Tour courses. We have already commenced this work on key problem holes, such as 13, 14, 15 (also the highest and hottest part of the course).

Tee Areas: Keeping our Tees in prime condition is a tough task given our nearly 46,000 rounds per year.

To remedy this we are looking at extending some key tee areas where needed; moving to Couch grass on tee areas that are conducive and scarating & seeding more often throughout the year.

Drain Lines: Titirangi has significant drainage and irrigation throughout the course, which is a huge benefit for us through Auckland’s seasonal weather. However, as with any drainlines, these do sink after a period of time, leaving an unsightly undulation in our fairways. The recent drought, has only exasebated and highlighted this issue more. To remedy this we will begin to sand, see and turf key drain lines throughout the golf course.

Given the number of drain lines we have this will be a multi-year project.

Tit iran gi Go l f Co urse | Au tu m n

Bunkers: With 72 bunkers on the golf course, our bunkers are a key feature of our golf course as a whole. The three key features that we continually need to work on are: bunker edges, bunker faces and the bunker floors. The Green’s crew work on a monthly rotation of working on all bunker edges and this work is paying dividends, with most of our bunker edges being in excellent condition.

This work will continue to lift this standard. The crew have also been working on putting a mix of clay and sand onto the faces which not only provides a great aesthetic look, but also reduces the number of plugged lies on the faces. The last aspect, our bunker floors is a joint effort between crew and members. Our crew currently prep the bunkers twice a week. But the inconsistency of golfers properly raking and smoothing the bunkers after the enter them, often leave our bunkers with much to be desired. This will be a continued area of focus for all of us.

Greens: Over the draught period, a strategy of growth was adopted to keep our greens smooth and disease free. While this has meant slower greens than we have been traditionally used to, it has also meant that we have come out of that period with incredibly healthy greens. Now that the weather has turned, do expect to find your ball rolling much further than it has. We continue to scarify and sand our greens on a weekly basis, with key greens such as 1 and 17 receiving a double helping. The goal in doing this is to promote the overall health of the green and also promote a smooth true roll on our greens. Members continued vigilance in repairing pitch marks goes a long way in assisting with this.

Course Maintenance: The months of April May are a key months for our Green’s Crew for maintenance. The weather provides an excellent window to prep the course for winter growth.

This is a key period for planting, over seeding, laying term, aerating greens and tees, among other key initiatives. We have a Green’s Maintenance window from Monday the 29th of April through to Thursday the 9th of May. Dependent on weather (best if it is dry), we will close the course completely for 4 days while this work is carried out. It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks for the greens to fully recover from this process, dependent on weather conditioins. Throughout the month of April, other key maintence as well as the initiatives discussed above will be taking place. Thank you for your consideration and patience over this period.

Working Bee: May will see us do a significant amount of native tree planting in several key areas of the course. We will notify all members of a working bee in May where you can assist with this and other key projects. Keep a look out for the posters.

Aut um n | Titiran g i Golf Club

WORLD H A N D I C A P SYSTEM WHS to be introduced in New Zealand in April, 2020 • All handicap indices will at that time be re-calculated using the new WHS formula • Allhistoric scores at this time will not include the new playing conditions calculation (PCC)•Change in Handicap Index formula calculation•The best 8 of your most recent 20scoreswill be used • There is anew method of reduction for exceptional scoreswhich stays part of your calculation for the next 20 scores to be entered • There is a limit onthe outward movement of a Handicap Index, with the maximum change an increase of 5.0 over a rolling 12 months. A soft cap will triggeronce the outward movement reaches 3.0.

• The new formula will review scoring recordsand from 2ndMarch a WHS Handicap Index will be active for all members • The maximum Handicap Index for both genders will be 54.0•When establishing a new handicap index, a player will need to complete 54 holes.

• There is arecommendation for score cards to be entered daily • The new Playing Conditions Calculation(PCC)is a daily analysis of scores andmay move a course rating up or downbased on scores thatwould normally be expected and, if applicable, is applied in calculating the scoring differentials of all players • Handicaps are updated daily•9-hole scores willbe scaled up to an 18-hole score for handicap purposes • All 9 holes must be played•A new Course Handicap formulawill be introduced making the game more inclusive and resulting in 36 stableford points representing golf that means you’ve played to your handicap • Course Handicap = Handicap Index x (Slope Number / 113)+ (Course Rating –Par)Example: 23.1x 123 / 113 + 69.6 –72 =Course Handicap 23(2019 course handicap was 25) • New course handicap conversion charts will be available for download•YourHandicap Index will beequitableanywhere in the world

Tit iran gi Go l f C l ub | Au tu m n

Aut um n | Titiran g i Golf Club

NEW RANGE We have a fantastic new range of product for men and women from Footjoy, Peter Millar, Titleist and Sun Mountain. These items are looking great and feature the new TGC branding. Come and check it out, and remember, 10% off for all members.

Tit iran gi Go l f C l ub | Au tu m n

Aut um n | Titiran g i Golf Club

Junior After School Programme

Brett is running a junior after school programme on Mondays and Fridays from now.

The group meets on the practice fairway at 5pm on both monday and friday and it is open to any junior golfers or kids looking to get into the game.

We mainly look at the fundamentals of the game (grip, aim, stance, posture) and integrate that with fun games with the occasional session taking place on course. Cost is $15 per session or you can buy 8 sessions for $100.

If you are wanting to attend, email the shop and we will see you down there.

Upcoming Events

Captains vs Presidents - Saturday 21st March President Gil Wallace has asked that all President Team Players bring the same level of skill, passion and competitive spirit to this year’s match that they did in last year’s momumental defeat of the Captain’s Team.

Veterans and Super Veterans - Round 1 play by date Sunday 22nd March Wynyard Trophy - Wednesday 25th March (White Tee, enter on the day) Black Tee Challenge - Friday 27th March Foursomes Championship - Saturday 4th April (enter via entry sheet in hallway by locker room)

OTHER NEWS Final Twilight

The final twilight event of the year will take place on the 19th of March (which differs from the marketing displayed around the club).

All entries into twilight this year are placed into a draw for the years grand prize!

A trip for 2 to Kauri Cliffs which includes a stay at the Stone Store Lodge. To enter either of the final two events, either call the golf shop or email golfoperations@ titirangigolf.co.nz Entries for the final night are likely to fill up like every year, so please get in quick!

Every week we have over $1000 worth of prizes on the table.

5:30pm shotgun starts on both sides of the course Entry is $15 for members and $25 for visitors Dinner option also available for $18pp (menu changes weekly) Players must be in attendance on the final night to claim the grand prize.

Manawatu Super 6’s

A number of Titirangi members made their way down country for the Inaugural Manawatu Super 6’s event, an event where both men and women are playing in the same field for the same prize.

Sam An and Jang Hyun Lee both advanced to the match play stages, with Eric finishing runner up after losing in the final to Daniel Hillier Terrific achievement for all those involved to put together an even for all.

Congrats !

Metropolitan + Lake Karrinyup

We have received notification from Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne and Lake Karrinyup in Perth stating that due to CoronaVirus increasing. They have made the difficult decision to close the courses to non-member play.

This will come into force from Monday 16th of March and continue indefinitely. Any bookings that have been made at these courses will be cancelled.

The teams at these clubs will be contacting players directly to notify them of their cancellation.

If you have any questions or are wondering if this pertains to yourself, contact the reciprocal clubs in question.

This may also mean closures for other reciprocal destinations whom have not yet notified us.

Tit iran gi Go l f C l ub | Au tu m n

Aut um n | Titiran g i Golf Club

WWW.TITIRANGIGOLF.CO.NZ