Women’s Web Notes

Rosemary Kavanagh 15/09/2020 Rosemary Kavanagh 15/09/2020

June 2020 Web Notes

Condolences were extended to the family and friends of member Martin Murphy and to the Crennan family on the death of Cora Crennan.

Competitions will resume next Monday, 8th June as Phase 2 of the easing of the restrictions comes into effect. There will still be a few members who must wait until the end of June before they can return to play.

A Competitions Committee meeting took place last week with Mary Stapleton, Therese Porter, Captain Aidan Doyle, Gerry Doyle and Pat Stapleton. There will be competition golf for ladies on Mondays (9-hole), Tuesdays (18-hole), Wednesdays (18-hole), Friday (9-hole back 9) and Saturday/Sunday (18-hole – one day only). Casual golf slots will be available each day. There will be specific time slots allotted to Ladies competitions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (back 9). If any of these time slots are not used by 8pm the night before the competition, then the lines will be released to all members. The Men’s club will run 18-hole competitions on Monday/Tuesday, Thursday/Friday and Saturday/Sunday. With the exception of the 9-hole competition on the back 9 on Friday’s all other competitions will be qualifying for handicap purposes. The timesheets will be reviewed on a weekly basis and changes may be made.

The CoM are hoping to attract more societies once the restrictions are relaxed even more and hopefully some of these will take time slots on Fridays.

There are no specific guidelines on the use of scorecards. The CoM are looking into an app that can be used on smartphones but in the meantime, players will mark their own card and keep their playing partner’s score on the side. Players will verbally verify their scores at the end of the round, sign their card and put their playing partner’s name on the card.

One player from each group will enter the scores on the computer. They must wash their hands, enter the scores and then wash their hands again. If no-one in the group is comfortable doing this, then they can just put the cards in the box and the card checkers will enter them. Although there are plenty of card checkers Mary and Therese have agreed to do the cards for the next three weeks to reduce the numbers involved for Contact Tracing. Mary was thanked for all her hard work over the last few weeks.

Lady Captain Clodagh and Lady President Ann are ringing the sponsors to touch base with them and see how many would still like to sponsor a prize this year. Sponsored competitions will start once all Lady members are allowed back to play. If we have too many sponsors, then some sponsorship will be used at the weekends. The prize values will be reduced slightly for Ladies competitions. Where possible Club vouchers will be given as prizes.

The Ladies committee were asked to release from 11am to 12 noon on Wednesdays for Juniors. A discussion was held, and it was agreed that this time would not be reserved for Juniors. Under normal conditions it would be used for GIG/SIG ladies. Juniors can presently play in any casual golf time slot once they are accompanied by an adult. In Phase 3 Juniors will be allowed play without an adult and there would be no adults present to ensure social distancing.

A plan is being put together for re-opening the Bar and Restaurant on a limited basis once the restrictions are lifted. The kitchen is a good size but is in an awful state and needs a deep clean. Drinks may be served to members who are eating but there will be no social drinking. Members must sit with their playing partners and are not allowed to sit at the bar.

The Marketing sub-committee is looking at attracting green fees and societies once the restrictions are relaxed. They sent an email out to all members about setting up a Business Directory on the website for local businesses but there was low uptake on this. Names can still be added. Lady Captain Clodagh and Lady President Ann are currently ringing the Ladies sponsors so they will mention the Directory to them.

The new 13th green is in play now. Lots of bushes have been removed from the course and trees have been pruned. Nora Dunne thanked all the members who helped out around the course and clubhouse while the no play restrictions were in place. Three parking spaces are going to be allocated to the Handicap/Competitions secretaries.

The Committee agreed the following text is to be inserted into the Ladies Byelaws.

“On the death of a member or past officer of the Ladies Club, or the death of an immediate family member of a current member, an email will be sent to all Lady members by the Hon. Secretary of the Ladies Club. All past and present officers attending the funeral should wear the official Club blazer, and other members attending should wear the club colours. (Immediate family members to include Husband/Wife/Partner, Child, Parent).”

An addition to the Club general Byelaws was agreed and Lady Captain Clodagh will bring this to the next CoM meeting.

Ian Mooney has been asked to clarify the rule on bunkers before competitions start next week. An email will go out to all members. Louise will be asked about doing a video on how to smooth the bunker with your foot.

The CoM are looking at setting up a purse so that competition payments can go through when the booking is made. However, it will be next year before it comes into operation.

The taps in the Ladies toilets were replaced with sensor taps to reduce contact and water usage.

The Ladies Committee is to request a meeting with the Constitution sub-committee regarding the Lady officers being nominated again for next year. All agreed that the officers should remain for 2021.

Lady Captain Clodagh thanked everyone for contributing to the wonderful video. It was a great success. She also thanked Brendan Hickey and Ilona for all their hard work putting it together.

Lady President Ann was congratulated on her great idea to distribute the Spring League prizes last month. All ladies were delighted with the surprise.

Therese was thanked for putting together the email that went out to all members regarding the start of competitions next week.

A short meeting will be arranged for Thursday, 18th June at 8pm to discuss competitions and the Bar Restaurant. Our next monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, 7th July at 8pm.

18th June 2020

Liz Cuddihy, Lady Captain Clodagh, Tom Vickers and Tony Michaels have been working towards getting the Bar and Restaurant ready for re-opening, hopefully on Monday, 29th June. They have consulted with Ciaran Doyle re Covid-19 regulations. All bar staff have completed a number of safety courses.

There will be a one-way system around the lounge area, with tables well-spaced out.

The Clubhouse will only be open to those playing golf and tables will be available for one hour, 45 minutes with a further 15 minutes allocated for cleaning. Alcoholic drinks will only be served with a substantial meal. Members will not be allowed to order drinks at the bar.

CoM is currently in talks with a member about taking the catering job for a few months and will get a wage from the Club. This member has a number of years’ experience with golf club catering.

Competitions will hopefully resume on Monday, 29th June. There will be competition golf for ladies on Mondays (9-hole), Tuesdays (18-hole), Wednesdays (18-hole), Friday (9-hole) and Saturday/Sunday (18-hole – one day only). Casual golf slots will be available each day.

There will be no reserved Ladies competition slots on Monday’s and Friday’s for the 9-hole competitions. Ladies can choose their own times.

There will be reserved competition slots on Tuesday’s for Open competitions. These slots are open to both ladies and men. Competition play is only allowed within the specified times.

There will be reserved competition slots on Wednesday’s although competition play is allowed outside of these times.

There will be reserved competition slots on Saturday’s/Sunday’s with play allowed on one day only. Competition play is only allowed within the specified times.

All competitions will be qualifying for handicap purposes.

HowDidIDo have added Wicklow G.C. to the list of clubs that can avail of their scorecard entry app. A Smartphone is needed, and the app must be uploaded to the phone. Once members have their HowDidIDo account set up it is then possible to sign into the competition and enter your scores. However, it will be necessary to fill in a card to verify scores. Not all members have a Smartphone so will not be able to avail of the app.

Mary Stapleton and Therese Porter will redo the diary. Presently nearly all the sponsors have agreed to continue with their sponsorship this year. Some sponsors will have to be moved to a weekend competition.

The committee agreed with Una Doyle’s suggestion that she complete the vouchers that are still to be given out as prizes and deliver them to the relevant winners over the next few weeks.

A question was asked as to whether it would be possible for the Club to send out notifications when spraying is being done on the course. Some members have allergies/medical conditions that make it difficult to be on the course when spraying is in progress. Nora Dunne will bring the matter to the Facilities sub-committee.

There are complaints about slow play, not just from the new beginner ladies but from more experienced ladies also. The time slots at the moment are 14 minutes apart but will reduce to 10 or 12 minutes in a few weeks. Therese Porter will send an email to all ladies regarding slow play.

Guest User 13/05/2020 Guest User 13/05/2020

May 2020 Web Notes

Condolences were extended to:

Patricia O’Connor & Liam Doyle on the death of their brother Eamonn Doyle

Margaret Hopkins on the death of her sister and brother Roy Dickson

Ilona Madden on the death of her father-in-law Kevin Madden

Caitriona Fogarty on the death of her father Bill Fogarty, a past member.

An email received from the ILGU requested that the Ladies Committee discuss whether we wish to proceed with Singles Interclub Matches this year and fill in a survey. The Committee discussed the matter and agreed that we will not enter Interclub matchplay competitions this year.

There will be no GIG programme this year. There are 8 ladies registered for SIG. Their lessons will not take place until next year. These ladies can play casual golf this year and take part in SIG next year.

The main purpose of the Ladies meeting this month was to discuss the new measures that are being put in place by the CoM to facilitate Phase One of the easing of Covid 19 restrictions.

The Club is following the strict guidelines laid down by the ILGU/GUI and approved by the Government. It is important that everyone adheres to these guidelines as the Club might be instructed to close again if not. It is assumed that there will be extra Garda surveillance around Golf Clubs over the next few weeks. The Government guidelines state that only members within a 5km range can play golf. It will not be up to the Club to police this. It is unsure at the moment if those over 70 and cocooning may play golf.

Play will commence each day at 8am and the carpark will be closed each night at 9.30pm. Only casual play is allowed at this stage, in 3-balls, spaced 14 minutes apart. Everyone must enter their name on the timesheet to facilitate Contact Tracing if needed. Tom, Emma and Ivars will take it in turns to be Starter and check that people are on the timesheet.

Members are restricted to pre-booking three days during the week. This can be two mid-week bookings and one weekend booking or three mid-week bookings. The timesheets for the week will go live at 6pm the previous Thursday. If there is a free slot from 8am on a day, a member may book to play that day without impacting their ability to book three times within the week.

There will be 18-hole, 9-hole and 4-hole slots during the day with all play commencing on the 1st hole. Players are not allowed to jump from one hole to another. Rakes will not be used; players may use their club or shoes to smooth out the sand. A device has been fitted to flag poles to lift the ball out of the hole using putters rather than touching the flagpole.

An honesty box will be put out and it is hoped that members will put some money in each time they play – maybe a competition fee. The Club accepts that not everyone will be in a position to do this as some are experiencing financial difficulties at the moment.

Signs are being placed around the golf course perimeter to warn people that golf is resuming, and they are no longer welcome to walk around the course as they will be in danger of being hit.

Competitions will resume in Phase 2 of the easing of the restrictions which starts on Monday, 8th June. Members up to a distance of 20km will be able to take part then, however, there will still be a few members who must wait until the end of June before they can return. As a result, we will not run the Club Matchplay competitions until then, if at all.

We will reserve Competition lines as normal on Wednesdays, but any unused lines will be released to all members the night before the competition. This will force the issue of ladies not booking until the last moment.

The CoM are looking into phone apps to eliminate the need for scorecards and into the possibility of using a purse on the BRS system so payment is taken when you book your competition time, eliminating the need to handle cash.

It was agreed that the Competitions sub-committee will look at the value of prizes with the possibility of reducing the values. Many sponsors may not be in a position to continue with their sponsorship this year.

The major prize dates will have to be changed but we will have a better idea of what will happen throughout the summer in a few weeks’ time.

The new World Handicapping System is going ahead. The seminars were stopped during the Covid 19 restrictions, but a Zoom Seminar is planned for later in the week. If it goes well other Zoom seminars will take place.

Lady vice-Captain Ilona said there has been a good response to the photo video and Brendan hopes to have the finished video ready in a few days.

Ilona said that an email was sent by the Marketing sub-committee to all members re setting up a business directory on the website.

Lady President Ann said that some of the chocolate that was purchased for the Spring Leagues may be in danger of reaching their expiry dates. With this in mind she suggested that a few ladies put the prizes together and deliver them (within 5km) over the next week as a surprise to the ladies. Ann, Mary and Therese agreed to put the prizes together while Una, Maeve and Nora offered to deliver the prizes if they were available on the day. Mary said she would hold onto any prizes belonging to ladies outside of 5km.

Guest User 11/03/2020 Guest User 11/03/2020

March 2020 Web Notes

Condolences were extended to Simon and Deirdre Carroll on the death of Simon’s mother and to Ric Murawski on the death of his mother.

The 9-hole Qualifying competition that is run in conjunction with the Men’s club has been set for Monday, 11th May. This may not suit many ladies. The Ladies Club may hold it over two days – Sunday 10th May and Monday 11th May.

An email was received from President Declan Long re the positioning of an on-course toilet. Declan proposed that the toilet be located by the 11th tee box and he was seeking the approval of the Ladies Committee prior to the next Committee of Management meeting. The email with the pros and cons of this location had been forwarded to all Committee members prior to the meeting. A short discussion was held, and all agreed with the proposed new location.

The Bridge Night was very successful, and thanks were extended to Mary Flynn, Bernadette Roundtree and Phyllis Kavanagh for running the cards on the night. Thanks were also extended to Lady Captain Clodagh and Una for all the work they did on the night and to all who donated prizes for the raffle.

The 9-hole Mixed on Saturdays will resume on 7th March.

Tomasz, the chef, has handed in his notice and will leave towards the end of March.

Several different social and fund-raising ideas are planned for the year ahead; traditional music for St. Patrick’s Day, an Easter Raffle for April, the Greenkeepers Revenge for June and a Race Night for September.

Louise D’Arcy is going to hold a Women’s Day event on Sunday, 8th March which is International Women’s Day. It will be similar to last year with two sessions during the day.

Competitions are going well. The 9-hole Spring League will end next week, and the Weekend Spring League has three more weeks. The Spring League presentations will take place at 8pm on Wednesday, 25th March. The Competitions committee will review the weather over the next few weeks before deciding on 14-hole or 18-hole competitions for Wednesdays in March. The Tuesday competition will no longer be labelled as Senior Competition – it will now be open to all Ladies.

A Rules Night will take place this coming Friday night at 8pm. It is open to all adult members. Mary Stapleton, Rosemary Kavanagh and Therese Porter will attend a World Handicapping System seminar.

Lady Captain will raise the matter of cleaning at the next CoM meeting. There are cobwebs in the Tower and in the general lounge area. The tops of tables get wiped down but not the legs and sides. It’s a very grey area as to who should do this – Bar staff, Catering staff or the Cleaner? This needs to be sorted out before the new chef starts.

Guest User 12/02/2020 Guest User 12/02/2020

February 2020 Web Notes

Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Bridget Murphy (Breda Carroll’s mother).

It was with regret that the committee accepted a letter of resignation from Terri Cullen. As a result of this Lady Captain Clodagh nominated Una Doyle as Treasurer. Mary Stapleton seconded the proposal and it was passed unanimously.

An email was received in relation to limiting the number of users on the WGC Ladies WhatsApp group requesting that the committee amend their decision to the way it was previously. A discussion was held, and all agreed that the change remains. All other responses to the change were very supportive of the move taken by the Ladies Committee.

An email was received from a lady who is concerned that the timesheet for ladies on Day 2 of the Lady Captain’s Prize will be very late with the risk of ladies finishing in the dark. She asked that the leading 12 ladies start first on the day. Lady Captain said she has discussed the timesheet with Captain Aidan Doyle and assured the committee that there will be changes to the Men’s usual timesheet on their Saturday qualifying day. They will have a more restricted timesheet with the Ladies starting at 3pm/3.30pm. The Committee agreed that the format on the day will remain as normal with ladies going out in reverse order

Lady Captain reported that there is a change this year from normal practice within the Committee of Management. Pat Stapleton was elected Chairperson and Captain Aidan has been elected vice Chairperson. A finance proposal was received from the Bank. The CoM are pleased with it and it has been accepted by the Trustees. The Club has been approved for funding for the practice area and plans are being considered. The issue of the on-course toilet has not gone away but funding will need to be raised for it.

Junior lessons took place at Gormanstown Driving Range with 40+ juniors involved. Additional lessons will be arranged in the coming weeks.

The Marketing sub-committee is considering several different projects for the coming year and Louise D’Arcy is researching the price of green fees. It may be that our Green fees are too low.

Louise suggested that the Ladies Club change Wednesday timesheets to 4-balls. The Committee discussed this matter but feel that in the current climate where pace of place is a topic of conversation world-wide, we will remain with 3-balls. Louise also discussed the possibility of the Ladies Club having two categories in the major competitions, with category 1 being zero to 20 and category 2 being 21+. The ladies would play within their categories on major days. The Competitions sub-committee have already discussed having categories for the draws on major days so that no group will have two inexperienced golfers in it. There will be no set handicap limits for the categories, they will be set on the day of the draw to low, medium and high.

The Spring Leagues are going well with a record number of 26 taking part in the Weekend League. One lady has been performing really well over the last few weeks and has had her handicap reduced as a result.

Liam Blake, a professional photographer, has taken a photo of Wicklow Golf course that will feature in a calendar for 2021. The calendar will be sold worldwide and will be great advertising for the club.

A question was asked if there is any reduction in the Weekend League as one lady has now won 4 weeks in a row. It was pointed out that the Weekend League is run in conjunction with the weekly competition. A domestic handicap would have to be applied for the League as the Weekend competition can sometimes be played as V-Par. Mary Stapleton pointed out that the lady in question has had a handicap reduction applied which is most unusual at this time of year.

The Ladies Club fundraising Bridge night will take place on Friday, 21st February. The Committee will provide raffle prizes and wine as the main prizes. The Bar will provide tea and coffee for refreshments on the night.

Guest User 08/01/2019 Guest User 08/01/2019

January 2020 Web Notes

It all begins with an idea.

Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Willie Byrne, Nora Fitzpatrick and Oliver Lalor.

Terri Cullen was unanimously elected as Treasurer for the year.

Sub-Committees

The following have been appointed to sub-committees of the Ladies Club:

Handicaps

Mary Stapleton, Rosemary Kavanagh, Tricia Shannon, Therese Porter, Maeve O’Boyle

Competitions

Mary Stapleton, Rosemary Kavanagh, Tricia Shannon, Therese Porter, Maeve O’Boyle, Phyl Long, Eilish Roche, Mary Cahill, Una Doyle

The following ladies have been appointed to sub-committees (subject to ratification by the Management Committee):

Clubhouse, Social/Fundraising, Bar & Catering – Liz Cuddihy, Lady Captain Clodagh Doyle

Club Professional Liaison – Maeve O’Boyle

Course & Surrounds – Nora Dunne, Teresa Scanlan

Finance - Mary Cahill

Juniors - Una Doyle, Teresa Scanlan, Joanne Logan, Clair Higgins

Marketing – Ilona Madden

Membership – Ilona Madden

Ladies P.R.O. – Lady Captain Clodagh Doyle

Website – Mary Cahill

Compliance – Mary Cahill

Team Managers

The Ladies Club will enter the same Inter-Club competitions as last year and, possibly, the Senior Cup also. Team Managers were approved as follows:

Junior Cup: Phyllis Kavanagh

Intermediate Cup: Siobhan McEntaggart, Mary Cahill

Minor Cup: Maeve O’Boyle, Mary Stapleton

Challenge Cup: Doreen McGettigan, Phyl Long

Senior Foursomes: Breda Carroll, Eilish Roche

Junior Foursomes: Valerie Brennan, Clair Higgins

Revive Active: Una Doyle, Joanne Logan

Boyne Trophy: Rose Kelleher Cox, Anne Hollingsworth

Irish Mixed: Sheila O’Malley

Cullen Cup: Ilona Madden

Courtown Interclub Shield: Therese Porter

Liaison Officer: Una Doyle

Una Doyle, as Team Liaison officer, will call a meeting of all Team Managers towards the end of February/early March once the draws for the Cups and Shields have been made.

Committee meetings will take place at 7.30pm.

Monday, 6th Jan Monday, 3rd February Monday, 2nd March

Monday, 6th April Tuesday, 5th May Monday, 8th June

Monday, 6th July Tuesday, 4th August Monday, 7th September

Monday, 5th October Monday, 2nd November

The 9-hole Spring League will run from Wednesday, 8th January to Tuesday, 10th March – 9 weeks in total with 6 weeks to count for scoring. Play 4 times to get a prize. Mary Stapleton & Rosemary Kavanagh will do the scores.

The Weekend League will run from the weekend of Sunday, 12th January to the weekend of Sunday, 22nd March – 11 weeks in total with 7 weeks to count for scoring. Entry to this league is optional and the cost will be €10. The Entry form will be posted on the notice board. Therese Porter will do the scores.

Una Doyle will look after the money for both Leagues. Mary Stapleton, Rosemary Kavanagh, Una Doyle, Therese Porter, Nora Dunne, Maeve O’Boyle & Lady President Ann will look after the prizes for both leagues. Presentations of both leagues and outstanding prizes will take place on Wednesday, 25th March.

The Christmas Leagues were not as financially successful as in other years. This was due to the 14-hole competitions being played on Wednesdays at the start of the league, as well as the additional prize each week for the highest score on Wednesdays and the bad weather in the last week when only 7 ladies were able to play. Una Doyle, Mary Stapleton, Rosemary Kavanagh and Therese Porter have already bought most of the prizes for this year’s Christmas Leagues.

The Captains spoke at the Drive-In of the importance of Green fees and the fact that last year the numbers were down on the previous year. The Committee was asked to consider moving the draw dates for the President’s Prize to the Ladies and Lady President’s Prize so that lines on the timesheet can be freed up earlier for Green fees. After a short discussion the Committee agreed. The dates will be amended on the notices on the board.

SIG ladies (last year’s GIG ladies) have been offered a Year 2 deal of €420. They also have the option of joining as a Full Member for €799 or as a 5-Day Member for €654.

The competition document is being updated and will be emailed to all ladies soon.

Big handicap changes will be coming in at the end of the year and the ILGU will hold information meetings in each district. Handicaps will go as high as 54 in line with the World Handicap System.

While a lot of ladies are reporting their Away scores there are still some ladies not doing it. It should be pointed out to all ladies that the onus is on each player to look after their own handicap.

The Committee agreed to limit the number of people who may post on the WGC Ladies WhatsApp group to Mary Stapleton (Handicap & Competitions), Nora Dunne (Course & Surrounds), Therese Porter (Secretary), Lady Captain Clodagh (P.R.O.) and Lady President Ann. Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Willie Byrne, Nora Fitzpatrick and Oliver Lalor.