Newsletter | August 2023

Despite all the rain, our Course is holding up and is in great playing conditions. It’s great when we get compliments from all our visitors, both local and from abroad, on how they enjoyed our course. Well done to all our staff and I wish I could say the same about our members. Repairing pitch marks, filling in divots and racking bunkers seems to be a thing of the past!!! I ask, would you abuse your own lawn or garden the same? Please remember it’s your Course – so help look after it.

The 7th dam tiding up around the edges is going well and we have seeded some of the area we have also started filling up the dam with water that we are receiving from Pots dam. There are many small projects been done around our course too many to mention but I hope you are taking note. We have levelled out the sand on the right of the 8th fairway and it’s our intension to make this a nursery for repairs on the course.

Billy’s road is nearing completion and is looking good. The wall along the 1st is in the hands of the God’s on when we can restart. I will keep you posted.

There are new projects we are looking at, some to mention:

  • toilets between the 6th and 7th holes;
  • water treatment plant;
  • upgrade of cart pathway on the 7th hole;
  • speedbumps along new road and
  • building new Tee Boxes on the 7th and 13th holes.

We have received permission to demolish the old bowling club. Now the dilemma – what exactly to do?!?

Congratulations to Milnerton – runners up to Bellville in the Winter League. Represented by: Ryan Stopford, Geno Belfiore, Cameron Johnston & Jack Buchanan.

Well done to the following on their achievements:

  • Jack Buchanan – Nomads Coastal National Order of Merit Champion at St Francis Links Golf Club
  • Justin De Allende – Club Champion 2023 B Div Match play winner
  • Geno Belfiore – WP Erinvale Mid-Am Winner

Also well done to Milnerton Golf Club for hosting the Junior Championships. Congratulations to all who participated and to the winners.

Driving Range

As the season of golf is approaching, the Driving range is preparing for a busy one that provides a quality experience to the members and their guests. The Range has been improved with an additional tee box, accurate distances, a club cleaning station, a general tidy up.

With the improvements, there has also been questions about safety and how we can be more courteous towards our fellow golfers. The Range is now limited to a Max distance which is displayed on the new Max distance board.

Arno Would also like to request that players teeing off the 3rd and 17th shout “Fore right” to possibly prevent injury for the players using the driving range and them picking up balls. Please also note that even though the Driving range has become a No Entry zone, we still have plenty golfers entering the range.

Interesting History on our Golf Club:

Golf was first played here in 1913, but due to the start of the First World War it came to a stop. The Club was officially opened in 1925. 

Regards

Billy O’Brien
Captain


We welcome the following new members

  • Anthony Bruce Botha
  • Graeme Lappin
  • David De Villiers
  • Robert Van Sittert
  • Owen John Cross
  • Warren Tyler
  • Jenny Whittal
  • Barbara Schwartz
  • Arnold Eksteen
  • Caron Eksteen
  • Chester Rawstron

Monthly Golf Fixtures & Results

Club Competition Result


Lady Captain’s Corner

Dear wonderful ladies of our golfing community,

Survey questionnaire

We recently sent out a short online survey to gather your valuable feedback and insights on how we can enhance participation and enjoyment at our club. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all who took the time to respond. Your input is incredibly valuable to us!

While we hoped for a higher response rate, we truly appreciate the thoughtful feedback we received. It appears that the majority of those that responded prefer playing on Tuesdays, and it warms our hearts to see that many are content with the current setup. However, we’d like to add even more fun-filled days to our schedule to make your golfing experience even more delightful. The Ladies Committee is here to ensure your time on the greens is filled with joy – come rain or shine☺.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate and welcome Jenny Whittal and Barbara Schwartz to our golfing family. We’re thrilled to have you both join us for our Tuesday competitions. Despite the challenging weather conditions during the Windhoek Pairs event, you both showed incredible spirit, and we know you’ll have a blast here.

Windhoek International Pairs

Speaking of the Windhoek International Pairs, we held our very own exclusive competition on July 18th. Congratulations to Michelle Taylor-Rebel and Sonja Weakley for their impressive victory, even amidst the challenging weather. They will be going through to the Regionals in August, and we couldn’t be prouder. Go out there, ladies and shine!

Sonja Weakley (L) and Michelle Taylor-Rebel (R)

League

As we gear up for the final matches on August 22nd, let’s give a big cheer and support to our League teams. This season has had its challenges, and we recognize the need to grow our pool and nurture commitment for next year. So, if you’re interested in joining the teams next year, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or Ros Howard, our League Manager. Let’s come back stronger and more united!

West Coast Challenge

The 1st leg of the competition was in Malmesbury on July 16th and we were represented by Ros Howard, Tanya Williams, Denise Liang and Lorette Hegie.

We’re gearing up for the second leg, which will take place at home on August 13th.

Monthly Competition Maestros

Lastly, let’s applaud the winners of our Monthly Competition

EventDateWinners
Monthly Medal & putting01 July (Sat)Winner (Best nett) – Casey Hattle
Monthly Medal & putting04 July (Tue)1st place – Silver Div (Best nett) – Atella Hefer
2nd place – Silver Div (Nett) – Ros Howard
1st place – Bronze Div (Best nett) – Denise Liang
2nd place – Bronze Div (Nett) – Jo Elves
Best Gross (Bronze Div) – Denise Liang
Putting – Jenny Whittal
Windhoek International Pairs18 July (Tue) Winners – Michelle Taylor-Rebel & Sonja Weakley
 Runners up – Dawn Blackshaw & Casey Hattle

Keep up the fantastic work ladies!

Let’s continue to create unforgettable memories on and off the greens.

Sending sunny smiles and warm wishes.

Cheers,

Ntsoti Morojele
Lady Captain 2023


Seniors’ Corner

We’ve reached the end of an icy windy month. The golf has been rated as a version of “The golfer who came from the cold.” With apologies to John le Carre.

Congratulations to the following winners:

  • 3 June 23: Dave Riley, Bill Grantham, John Dransfield and Arie Meulman. 92 points.
  • 10 June 23: Results unknown.
  • 17 June 23: Only the brave and patient played 18 holes. All were winners.
  • 24 July 23: Johnny de Lange, Hugh Neeson, Walter Stertzel and Herman Kuhn. 91 points.

We all wish Eddy and Beth a great time in Italy.

Prepare the pink ball is coming.

Tip

The wind will blow. When it does tee it low and swing slow.  

See you on the course.
Arie


Golf Course Report

Hi all members,

Not much to report this month as the rain and winter is making things tough as far as shaping the 4th fairway is concerned, we have though concentrated on getting all our bunkers the same, you will maybe have noticed we have been firming up the surrounds inside the bunker and making the middle of the bunkers fluffy , this should help getting less balls being buried in the face of the bunkers which has been happening often.

Besides the new tees on the 7th and 13th, we also planning to build two new tees on the 2nd and the 3rd, both these tees will give us more options so we not playing the same shape every time.

We have started seeding on the left of 13th, we will probably seed all the new areas by the end of August in time for the growing season. The good news is by the time you peruse this report the road will be complete, and we will be concentrating all our efforts to get the course back to where it should be. Staff are still resodding most of our bad areas on the fairways and green surrounds, hopefully one day I won’t have to comment on this. Once again, I ask if we all keep to the rough around the greens it will help tremendously in the recovery of the sodded areas. All in all, I think our course has come through this winter without too much damage and look forward to trying to get it in an even better condition than what it is now.

Happy golfing.

Cheers
Shaun Buchanan



As the season of golf is approaching, the Driving range is preparing for a busy one that provides a quality experience to the members and their guests. The Range has been improved with an additional tee box, accurate distances, a club cleaning station, a general tidy up.

With the improvements, there has also been questions about safety and how we can be more courteous towards our fellow golfers. The Range is now limited to a Max distance which is displayed on the new Max distance board.

Arno would also like to request that players teeing off the 3rd and 17th shout “Fore right” to possibly prevent injury for the players using the driving range and them picking up balls. Please also note that even though the Driving range has become a No Entry zone, we still have plenty golfers entering the range.

 


Functions


 

Newsletter | July 2023

Winter has set in, and our Course has soaked in all the rain, making our fairways and greens look good. It was not so long ago that we were wondering if we would survive because we had little or no water and after the heavy rains, we were wondering how we can get the water off the course. As in life, never a dull moment.

In my report last month, I said a few things that I got a lot of criticism for, but like my pronunciation of the birthday names they don’t always come out as they should.  Same when I am writing – doesn’t always come out as I am thinking.

Projects

Our wall along the road has come to a grinding halt.  The reason being we were reported by one of the residents of Sunset Links to the Environmental Department that we were damaging the dunes, so the environmental department stopped all work until we get a permit to continue, but this is how silly it is, if the wall was under 300 meters it would have been acceptable, but our wall is 313 meters.  We suggested stopping at 299 meters but because the foundation was laid, they could not accept.

Water Purification is an ongoing concern to purify our water supply and we have had many meetings with experts on the best solutions.

Half Way House

We have received a layout plan of the upgrade of the Half Way House.  This needs a few changes and when we have completed the changes, we will put it on the Notice Board so you can have the opportunity to have your say !!  50% of our income is generated from Visitors and our current Halfway House is an absolute disgrace.

Driving Range

With the new tee box, it gives Arno room to move his practice arreas around which means that you always have a perfect surface to practice on.  Again I ask for your continued support for Him and know that it’s not very enticing to go out in this very cold weather, but remember that what you put in is what you get out !! Reap your Rewards !!!

Half Way House

Many Members have found an improvement of our Half Way house quality of the Food. The Service has somewhat plenty room for improvement, especially attention to detail when taking orders on busy days.

Pro Shop

Our Pro Shop is looking a lot better with all the changes that Debbie and her Team have made.  Well done to you all and I hope that the Members have taken note.

A tip from the great man Arnold Palmer

I have a tip that can take five strokes off anyone’s game: It’s called an eraser.

Regards

Billy O’Brien
Captain


We welcome the following new members

  • Lemao Motaung
  • Ian Duncan Murry
  • Heidi Van dere Meulen
  • David Barnard
  • Varthraj Latchiah
  • Cameron David Johnston

Monthly Golf Fixtures & Results

 


Lady Captain’s Corner

Hey there, lovely ladies! It’s that time of year when the weather becomes the hottest topic on everyone’s lips. And guess what? When the sun’s shining, it’s the perfect cue to grab your clubs, gather your besties, and head to the course. It’s time to swing, knock that small ball, and watch it dance into the cup. Trust me, there’s nothing more satisfying!

League Drama

Mother Nature seemed to have a grudge against us, as we battled through miserable weather the day of our June league matches. Cold and rain dominated the day, and to top it off, it took a whopping 6 hours to play with some teams playing the last holes in the dark! Well, let’s just say the scores weren’t exactly par-worthy. But hey, don’t lose hope! Our 5th league team may have slipped into 2nd place, but with two more matches to go, we’re still in the running for that coveted top spot. Let’s bring our A-game, rain or shine!

Terrific Tuesdays in June

Now, let’s talk about a beautiful day that unfolded when we played our Monthly Medal. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and oh boy, what a fantastic turnout we had! Plus, we had the pleasure of welcoming a new member, Lemao Motaung, who wasted no time playing in the competition just a week after signing up. Talk about enthusiasm! And guess what? Lemao not only joined our golfing family but also snatched the prize for the best putting. Way to make an entrance, Lemao!

But that’s not all. We were also graced with the presence of two visitors, Barbara Schwarz and Jenny Whittal, who played at the back of the field and joined us at prizegiving. They couldn’t help but marvel at the breathtaking setting of our course. I have a feeling we’ll be welcoming them into the family very soon. The more, the merrier!

Unleashing the Marine Shield Competition

After some unfortunate rain-related delays, the golf gods finally smiled upon us, granting a beautiful day for the Marine Shield competition on the 20th. And who emerged as the unstoppable force, claiming the trophy? None other than Karien van Rooyen! Give it up for Karien, ladies. She’s on fire!

Karien van Rooyen | Marine Shield Competition

Monthly Competition Maestros

 

EventDateWinners
Monthly Medal & putting10 June (Sat)Winner (Best nett) – Casey Hattle
Monthly Medal & putting06 June (Tue)1st place – Silver Div (Best nett) – Atella Hefer
1st place – Bronze Div (Best nett) – Denise Liang
2nd place – Bronze Div (Best nett) – Lorette Hegie
Best Gross (Bronze Div) – Denise Liang
Putting – Lemao Motaung
Marine Shield Trophy20 June (Tue) Winner – Karien van Rooyen

A thunderous round of applause for all our competition winners! Well done, ladies!

That’s all for this month’s update. As the sun continues to grace us with its presence, let’s make the most of it. Swing those clubs, enjoy the camaraderie, and create unforgettable memories on the course. Until next time, keep shining!

Cheers,

Ntsoti Morojele
Lady Captain 2023


Seniors’ Corner

Greeting, all seniors,

It was with shock that we had to say farewell to Sona Dass, fellow golfer and a dear friend, who passed away suddenly on the 10th of June. Sona, of course became “famous” as the golfer who played a record 711 rounds of golf in one calendar year. He will be greatly missed. We convey our sincere condolences to the family and hope they find peace and acceptance in their moment in grief.

We will remember him.

Then, the competition results for June:

  • 6 June 2023: Madie Odendaal, Gideon Odendaal, Herman Kuhn, Walter Stertzl – 92pts
  • 12 June 2023: Ivar Drewierte, Herman Kuhn, Bruce Wynton, Gideon Odendaal – 92pts
  • 19 June 2023: Cancelled due to weather. A new song by ‘Wet Wet Wet’.
  •  26 June 2023: Rina Buckley, Johnny de Lange, Ken Anderson, Peter Seifritz – 91pts

Swing smooth and connect true.

Happy golfing.

Cheers
Shaun Buchanan


Golf Course Report

Hi all members,

What a month June has been, from having a course with no water 4 months ago to the deluge that came down this month, Milnerton can be proud to have Mark and the green keeping staff on their books, for them to get rid of all that water that came from the flooding of the lagoon is a testament of what can be achieved when its needed most. That happened on a Friday, to have the course playable on Saturday afternoon was a minor miracle, appreciate the effort it took from all.

You might have noticed that we are still fixing up the greens and surrounds and fairways, this will be an ongoing exercise which has not been easy with all the rain that has been falling, but happy to see the way most greens have been fixed and we are concentrating on the fairways and surrounds now. You may also have noticed that we have cut the tee on the 4th all one length and taking the fairway of the 4th more to the left , the reason for this is to give the fairway more of a dog leg to the right so that when on the tee it’s just not a straight looking hole to the green, one will only get the right impression when it all starts to grow. Cutting the tees all one length give us a much bigger area to place our tee markers and saves the greenkeeper from sending two mowers to every tee, and it will give the course that links feeling. We are only going to do this hole as template to see if that is what the committee and its members would like to see the rest of the course to be the same.. This month of July we will be starting on the new Tees on the 7th and 13th and seeding the areas that have been messed up by all the excavating of the 7th dam.

Once again please can all golf car users stick to the rough around the greens, it helps the recovery of these areas very much.

Happy golfing.

Cheers
Shaun Buchanan


Functions


 

Newsletter | June 2023

After been acting Captain for so long I was thinking of changing my name to Kevin Costner!!

On the 9/5/23 I stopped acting and became Captain of this great Golf Club. It is a great honour to represent your Club and I will give it my best shot. I will always try and remember that you, the members, put me in this position to represent you and will at all times do so. While saying that it is your responsibility to advise and make suggestions and be active at all times. Your input will always be welcome.

Our projects are all progressing well. Second phase of the road, as you would have observed, they are busy laying the asphalt from the halfway house. The wall along the side of the Road is in progress and should be completed by the end of June. The 7th dam has been enlarged and is completed – now to try and fill it with water.

We are also busy with new tees on the 7th and the 13th this will give us more options playing these 2 holes.

We have used the sand from the 7th dam to good use by extending our ground on the right-hand side of the road on the 8th fairway. This should make a lot of you very happy and it is our intention to grass this area which should make it look good once it’s grown.

I attended a Board of Governor’s meeting on Monday 22 May 2023 and was surprised that some of the matters that we, as the Committee over the last two or three months have been discussing, the Board of Governors have very little knowledge of. I’m not sure if it’s a lack of communication or a gap between us and the Board of Governors. So, what brought this to mind is that there is probably also a bit of a void between the committee and the members. I would like to address this in a serious way going forward. I have asked on numerous occasions for feedback from the members on what you would like to know within reason. There is no point coming up to me on the fairways and the t-box asking me. If you need to know something or have suggestions, please put it in writing to our secretary who will pass it onto me and then I can look at it and communicate back to you. We may make changes or suggest things that we think is a good idea, but to you it is not, therefore suggestions coming from members are always welcome. So, if we could eliminate that kind of void and get feedback from all the members be it small or big or whatever the situation at least then there would be an avenue for communication.

Our new committee portfolios are as follows:

  • Shaun Buchanan – Greens and Tools – Golf Course in General
  • Billy O’Brien – House and Surrounds
  • Peter Waison – Handicaps, Marketing, New Members
  • Harry Todd – Finance, New Projects
  • Harrold Solomon – Sunset Links & Bossa correspondence
  • Alan Pearson – Bar & Catering
  • Ryan Stopford & Aaron Marinus – Leagues & Junior Golf
  • Bart Gardener – Security & HR matters

For all your queries, complaints, etc please address them with the above allocated portfolios.

New Projects and Centenary Celebrations – Billy O’Brien, Harry Todd, Harrold Solomon plus subcommittee. Our 100 years is not far off and as you all know how time flies (that is what the Irish Man said when he threw the clock out of the window – how time flies!!!) there is a lot to be done and we need all the help we can get to make it a great celebration. So put your thinking caps on.

Our Driving Range is looking better and better every day with thanks to Arno and Franzie for all their hard dedicated work. As winter is here with us, all your support will be appreciated in order for them to survive.

Don’t forget the ProAm Golf day on Monday 5th June. Please try support.

In closing

Gimmie Gimmie…?
A ‘gimmie’ can best be defined as an agreement between two golfers, neither of whom can putt very well.

Regards

Billy O’Brien
Captain


We welcome the following new members

  • Joshua Kelly
  • James Kelly
  • Christopher Stephenson
  • Kutlwano Ramboa
  • Sandile Charles Nzimande

Monthly Golf Fixtures & Results

Milnerton Club Competitions results

Milnerton Club Fixture listMilnerton Recent Achievements | May 2023


Lady Captain’s Corner

Hello, ladies! It’s time for our monthly dose of all the happenings in May. Winter is definitely knocking, so keep warm and make use of the beautiful sunny Tuesdays to soak up some needed sun and get some fresh air.

Interclub Robertson

Wow, what a turnout! This year, our team of 14 fierce ladies represented us at Interclub, and guess what? That’s twice as many as last year! We know how to make an entrance, don’t we? Those days away from home were a blast, filled with laughter and great bonding moments. And let’s not forget to applaud Ros Howard and Nadya Ritchewald, who rocked it and brought home some shiny prizes for the best gross 1st and 2nd rounds. Bravo, ladies!

Now, here’s a bittersweet moment. We bid farewell to our beloved Bev Torrington, who has ventured off to Gauteng. Bev, we’ll miss you dearly. Your presence on Tuesdays and in the league won’t be the same without you. Wishing you all the best on this new chapter of your life!

League Success

Our 2nd League team is on fire! They’re currently leading the league with just three matches left to play. The excitement is real, and we’ve got our fingers crossed, hoping they maintain that top spot till the end of the season. Go team, go!

Getting Chatty

Guess what happened recently? The Ladies Committee and the main Club Committee had their very first meeting in early May. Can you believe it took us this long to get together? Better late than never, right? We’ve decided to make this a regular thing, as it’s essential to interact more and share our thoughts on all the stuff that affects us as a group. Let the conversations begin!

Socializing at Atlantic Beach

We’ve been spreading our social wings lately and mingling with our neighbors. This month we had a delightful friendly match at Atlantic Beach. What a day it was! The AB ladies were absolutely lovely and gracious. We’ve even planned to extend our hospitality by inviting them to experience the warm Millies welcome soon. Friendship and golf, a perfect combination!

Monthly Competition Maestros

EventDateWinners
Monthly Medal & putting06 May (Sat)Winner (Best nett) – Megan Hattle
09 May (Tue)1st place – Silver Div (Best nett) – Atella Hefer
2nd place – Silver Div (Best nett) – Keneilwe Moloko
1st place – Bronze Div (Best nett) – Denise Liang
2nd place – Bronze Div (Best nett) – Lorette Hegie
Best Gross (Bronze Div) – Denise Liang
Putting – Jo Elves
Marius Steyn Trophy23 May (Tue)Winner – Dawn Blackshaw

Raise your golf clubs high for the winners! Congratulations to each and every one of you for your incredible achievements. Massive congratulations to all of you!!

Here’s to Many More Golfing Adventures.

That’s a wrap for this month’s newsletter, ladies. We hope you enjoyed the fun-filled update. Keep swinging those clubs and making unforgettable memories on the course. Until next time!

Cheers,

Ntsoti Morojele
Lady Captain 2023


Senior’s Corner

Greetings, all seniors.

And so we have had another month of good gold behind us. The winners for the month were:

  • 01 May 2023: Terry van Rooyen, Wesley van Rooyen, Callie Vorster, Dave Thorn
  • 08 May 2023: Rain, wind
  • 15 May 2023: Marie Junger, Rolf Junger, Hugh Neeson
  • 22 May 2023: Weather

The AGM has been and gone. The Honorary Treasurer and Auditors declared the club to be in healthy position.

The only glitz was the loss in the bar account. This has been going on ad infinitum and must be rectified.  It’s not as we don’t consume enough liquid. Like “Old Blue Eyes” once said. “I pity people who don’t drink because when they wake up in the morning that’s how they are going to feel all day.”

The erosion on the beach-side was discussed in detail. The committee are constantly monitoring the situation. We wish them well for the ensuing year.

In the meantime ‘Swing smooth and connect true’

Greetings
Arie Meulman


Golf Course Report

Hi all members,

Only been on the job 3 weeks and must apologize for the mess the course is in due to the various projects going on i.e., the dam on the 7th, the road, and the retainer wall all along the first fairway. I am elated about the new dam as water supply remains our number one priority, as you might have noticed we are busy fixing the bad spots on our greens and surrounds and when finished we will start fixing the bad areas on the fairways and rough. At the same time, we are going to concentrate on fixing the mess that the excavating of the 7th dam has caused, this will take a bit of time as we can’t plant grass at the moment, it would be a waste as the growing season only starts in August again.

I have one request for the benefit of all that play golf at our club from our members that if we all stick to the rough around the greens with our golf cars it would help tremendously as our surrounds are in a shocking state.

All in all, I and our greenkeeping staff look forward to providing a course that will be enjoyed by all and feel free to speak to me about anything that you would like to see as it’s nice to hear an opinion other than my own.

Till next time

Regards
Shaun


Functions


 

Newsletter | May 2023

We are still busy looking at naming each of our Holes on our Golf Course. Thanks to those that have put suggestions forward and more suggestions would be appreciated.

Milnerton Golf Club Hosted the 2023 IBGA (International Blind Golf Association). It was very successfully run and everyone enjoyed our Course here at Milnerton. I was very disappointed, as were a lot of members, on the lack of notification on this very prestigious event. It is not often that we get an International event at our Club.

As you will have seen our Greens have been hollow tined and the fairways bladed. Hopefully our Greens will be back shortly to the very best again.

We have replaced the Security Fencing around our Holding Dam and we are also renewing the Fencing on the sea side of the Club House. We are also erecting a new fence 40 meters along the dunes to try and keep people coming and going from the beach. This work is currently in progress.

We are going to build a retaining wall along the new road from the Club House to the 2nd Tee Box to keep the sand off the Road.

Our Water situation has not changed really other than the rains that have come to save us. We are in the process of cleaning up and deepening the 7th Dam. This should give us approximately 12 to 14 days of watering when most needed.

Old Bowling Club

We have applied for permission for the demolishing and have had some response from the City of CT and the Heritage Department and until we receive clarification from them there is very little we can do. While saying that we are still looking at what the best way forward is. (All Advice Welcome)

Congratulations to the following:

  • Murray Boast & John Laurie (Manager) on selection for the WP Team competing at the forthcoming SA Challenge Inter Provincial Tournament in May
  • Jack Buchanan who won the All Africa Junior Individual Boys Golf Championship at Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort in Uganda – winning by 3 shots on 285. Jack also helped the SA Team to wins the Teams event by 90 shots over hosts Uganda.
  • Mike DeSwardt as he managed the WP Senior IPT team to win in the A-Section of the SA Senior Inter Provincial Tournament which was held at San Lameer Golf Club.

To our Mid-Am League side who won the 2nd Division Mid-Amateur League:

The winning team was:

  • Aaron Marinus (Manager);
  • Geno Belfiore (Captain);
  • Ryan Stopford;
  • Shaun Alberts;
  • John Laurie;
  • Ruan Liebisch,
  • Roux Burger;
  • Russel Soffer and
  • Kyle Lee.

Well played Gentlemen!!

Some of you may not be aware of our Friday Night Social evening. The kitchen put on an amazing Buffet, or if nothing fancies your taste buds there – you may order from our new tantalising menu. There are up to 3 draws ranging from R1000 to R10000 – you have to be there to win it!!! Our rather humorous MC for Friday nights, none other than our very own Mr Niall Keller was the recipient of the R10000 two Fridays ago!! Well-deserved Niall!! And for those of you that enjoy some good music come along on the last Friday of the month. So get on over to join us on these rather festive Friday nights. Happy Hour Included.

In closing – some competition for Alan Pearson?

One evening, Tarzan came swinging home. Jane, pour me a drink, please – a strong one, he said!! Ten minutes later he poured himself another stiff shot, and 10 minutes after that another one. Steady on darling, said Jane. Don’t you think you are drinking too much? You don’t understand do you? replied Tarzan. You don’t know what I go through every day!! Let me tell you something. It’s a Jungle out there!!

Regards

Billy O’Brien
Acting Captain


We welcome the following new members

  • Joseph Brenner
  • Christopher Smith
  • John Longo
  • Benjamin May
  • Brad Logan
  • Gordon Galley
  • Akeem Raimi
  • John Jones
  • Ashley Gericke
  • Duane Van Tonder
  • David Glass

Monthly Golf Fixtures & Results


Lady Captain’s Corner

Exciting news

I have some exciting golf related news to share.

The first piece of news is that Karien van Rooyen recently had her first hole in one. She had this to say:

I’ve been playing golf for about 5 years. I regularly join the ladies on a Tuesday and play any other day that I get a chance. I am still a high handicapper and working to try and get that handicap down. On Friday 17 March 2023 I was very excited to be invited and to join the field of 152 players in The Links Fancourt annual member guest competition. It is the biggest Links member event of the year. I was nervously excited to join the shotgun start on the 7th hole at 13:30. Little did I know that a few holes later on the 11th I would have my first hole in one!!!

Fancourt Links: Hole #11
A relatively  short par-three, this is still a difficult one due to a severe gully running through the green. If a player’s ball is on the wrong side of this depression, two putts becomes a major achievement. 

I found this write up of the hole above. The ladies tee is about 100m in, on the day the caddy said it played 110m so I took out my 7 iron and hit it past the hole. I was already on my way back to the cart when my 4 ball called me back to say my ball is still moving. I turned around to see it magically run straight into the hole. 

Celebrations!!!! What a magical moment. 

Congratulations Karien on this major achievement. I wish you many more magical golf moments!!!

The other piece of good news is that Lorette Hegie has been selected by WP Golf as Manager of the WP Team taking part in the SA Mid Am Inter Provincial Tournament at East London Golf Club. We are proud of you Lorette and wish you & the team the best of luck.

League

Can you believe the 2nd League has 4 matches left to play and the 5th League has only 3 left!!!. I’m pleased to say the 5th League has done very well so far and we wish them the best for the remainder of the season. It has been tough for the 2nd League but it’s not over until the fat lady sings. We will keep fighting to the end.

‘Lasses & lads’ mixed

We had our 1st fun mixed competition of this year on March 28. The response was so good I’ve already been asked when we will have another one. I would like to thank everyone that participated and made it memorable. My special thanks to Gavin Scott, Judy Teixeira David Du and Paul Real for all the planning, arranging the lovely dinner and donating prizes and the floating trophy.

As you already might know, the winners are Ntsoti Morojele, Sylvia Crotz, Wayne Cooke and Paul Real.

AGM

We held our AGM on the 11th April. The committee members stay in their respective portfolios unopposed. It has been a great year thanks to this committee and I look forward to another.

Social at Metropolitan

We took advantage of hollow tining to visit our friends at Metropolitan for a lovely day of golf and friendship. We did promise to host them too and show our Millies hospitality. Watch this space.

Winners of the monthly competitions

EventDateWinners
Monthly Medal & putting01 Apr (Sat)Winner (Best nett) – Tanya Williams
11 Apr (Tue)1st place – Silver Div (Best nett) – Atella Hefer
2nd place – Silver Div (Best nett) – Ros Howard
1st place – Bronze Div (Best nett) – Ntsoti Morojele
2nd place – Bronze Div (Best nett) – Lorette Hegie
Best Gross (Bronze Div) – Ntsoti Morojele
Putting – Sylvia Crotz

Massive congratulations to all of you!!

To many more wonderful golf days,

Ntsoti Morojele
Lady Captain 2023


Monday Senior Section

While summer is turning its back on us in a most unkind way I am reminded of a song by “Old Blue eyes”. (Adapted without permission)

Oh, it’s a short time from summer to autumn.
The days grow short with rain so random.
And autumn cold turns the leaves to flame.
One can barely play the golfing game.

Those who managed to complete a few games this month will awarded the “Bravery Medal”. Your courage and perseverence is proof of what you are made off.

Winners for the month of April are:

  • 3rd : No competition. HollowTining
  • 10th: Marie Junger, Rolf Junger, Bruce Wynton, John Fitzgerald; 97 points
  • 17th: Walter Stertzl John Fitzgerald, Barry Scott, John Mbambani; 98 Points
  • 24th: Washed out.

Lastly, the topic of the month seems to have been ‘rain’ so I leave you with this:

Topic of the month: Rain

NB: Please do not forget the AGM on Tuesday, 09 May 2023.

Wishing you good golfing in m

Arie Meulman


Golf Course Report

Current Projects:

  1. Hollow Tinning:
    The process of Autumn treatment took place on the 3rd & 4th of April with great success. At the same time of hollow tinning the greens we also did a light scarifying of the Fairways. After the last weeks rainfall, the greens have recovered very quickly.
  2. 7th/13th Waterbody:
    We are currently in the process of deepening the Waterbody in between the 7th/13th Holes. The deepening of the waterbody will allow us to hold a greater volume of water when it is received from Potsdam.
  3. Road:
    The road through to the 10th is progressing well & we are hoping for it to be completed in the coming months.
  4. Geese:
    We are monitoring the situation with the Geese very carefully. In the last 2 weeks a large amount of the Geese have migrated & the situation will be monitored closely.

Future Projects:

  1. Levelling of Tees:
    We are in the process of levelling our tees. We have done 3 tees so far with more tees to be done in the near future.
  2. Driving Range:
    We are currently researching other ways of making the Driving Range safer. Unfortunately, the initial quotes to enclose the range were not a viable option. We are exploring other options & are hopeful of finding a solution very shortly.

If you have any concerns or suggestions, please feel free to contact either Mark on manager@milgolf.co.za or Kyle on golfdirector@milgolf.co.za.

We would also like to welcome Shaun Buchanan who has taken over the Course Portfolio & we look forward to working closely with Shaun on any future projects.

Regards
Craig


Hole-In-One Teddy Rogers – 5th hole


Functions


Events

Annual Pro AM

For the first time in a long time Milnerton Golf Club will be hosting its Annual Pro am arranged by our Local Pro Arno Marais. The field will be small due to limited space and it is seen as a fun day where Local Professionals can entertain their clients.

Arno would like to ask any member who would like to get involved in the day by Sponsorship or any support to do so by contacting him at Arno@lootsgolf.com, this will grant these members a slot in the day as there are limited slots available. Puma will be the days main sponsor of the day which means there will be nice prizes up for grabs.

We hope that the following years will allow for a larger field to provide ample space for our members to take part in the day.

Happy Golfing


Bosmansdam High School Golf Day 2023 – Postponed

Hoërskool Bosmansdam High School Golf Day 2023

Wolraad Woltemade Primary Golf Day 2023 – Postponed

Newsletter | April 2023

Well done to all who participated in the Club Championship and well done to all the Winners. Special congratulations to Jack Bucannan and Casey Hattle on your wins. It’s worth mentioning that it is not often, if ever, that Twin Sisters come First and Second in Club Championships.

Our course was in reasonable condition, mainly thanks to the man above for sending us lots of rain when we most needed it.

We had 2 meetings to discuss the changes to our Constitution that is necessary to bring it in line with the Constitution of the Country, but both had to be cancelled because we did not have a quorum and the objection by 2 members on a technicality that stopped the progress. To have a quorum we need plus minus 350 people present which is near impossible. Way forward? Without a constitution we may not have a Golf Club!! Food for thought!!

Achievements under our tenor for those of you that say the Committee do nothing:

  1. Road from Club House to the 10th
  2. New flooring to entrances, pro shop and offices
  3. Upgrade to Ladies Locker Room
  4. Pizza oven in kitchen
  5. Stabilised the seaside on the left side of the 2nd Tee Box
  6. Installation of new pumping system for distributing water from and to our dams
  7. Placed a Pro Golfer, Arno and upgraded the Driving Range
  8. Purchase of new Golf Carts
  9. New outside furniture
  10. Distance markers on all Par 3’s
  11. Tee Box markers with sponsorships
  12. Tee Box White Fences
  13. Upgrade and New Invertors in Club House
  14. Rebuilt Temporary housing for Golf Carts
  15. Painting of Club House and Bowling Club
  16. Implementation of Hogan Path’s
  17. Appointment of Food and Beverage Manager
  18. Appointment of Golf Director
  19. Promotion of Debbie
  20. Upgraded Club Security and Access Control

Our AGM has been postponed to the 9th May. This has been bought about to give time to our Auditors to sort out Taxation with the Tax Man

Which are you ?

Some help the group to grow and grow.
When asked to help they don’t say NO.
Some drag, some pull, some don’t, some do.
Consider, which of these are you.

Regards

Billy O’Brien
Acting Captain


We welcome the following new members

  • Lyle Robertson
  • William Taylor
  • Jacques Mouton
  • Alee Clayton
  • Troy Korevaar
  • Monty Ford

Monthly Golf Fixtures & Results


Lady Captain’s Corner

The 2023 Ladies Club Championships were held on the 5th and 12th of March. We played in pouring rain on the 1st day. The ladies however took it in stride, did their best and even joked and exchanged funny stories of their experiences on the course over pizza afterwards.

The last day’s weather was amazing. It was unusual for us because we tee’d off early, from 7am; and from the 10th tee and these were just the perfect excuses we needed for poor performance – hahaha!

Casey Hattle is our 2023 Ladies Club Champ, a title she’s had now for the 4th year in a row!! Isn’t that incredible? How does she do it? I thought it might be time to get to know her a bit more & see what maketh a champion.

From left to right: Casey Hattle (2023 Ladies Club Champ), Billy O’Brien (Acting Club Captain), Megan Hattle (Runner-up)

  1. How long have you been playing golf and what made you start?

    My golf journey started at Westlake, as I used to live in the Southern Suburbs, I would say around 13 / 14 years ago. I think I was around 23 years old at the time. My late step dad was an avid golfer and that’s what made me get into golf. He kept pleading with me to join Milnerton, which I then did, I really can’t remember what year that was.

  2. Did you and do you still take lessons?

    When I first started golf I had around 10 sessions of lessons to learn how to play the game, as it was a first time thing for me. Since then I haven’t had or don’t currently go for any lessons.

  3. How often do you practice and what does that entail?

    With owning my own business, unfortunately it does not give me much time for practising. I wish I did have the time though. So I get to play golf once a week on a Saturday and that’s it. I arrive about 30 minutes before tee off, and that will give me some time to putt and chip. The short game is probably the most important part of your game. Everybody can a hit good drive and second and third shot to the green, but it’s the chipping and putting that makes the difference between getting a Birdie, Par or Bogey or worse.

  4. What makes a good golfer?

    I would say a good putter. And a person who can clear their mind of negative thoughts from a previous bad hole. 1 bad hole, doesn’t have to mean a bad round.

  5. Who is your favourite professional golfer?

    Female – Lexi Thompson and male – John Rahm

  6. What are some of your favourite courses to play, besides Milnerton of course?

    Besides Milnerton, Leopard Creek is the absolute best course I’ve played. Arabella is my second home so that’s right up there as well. I also enjoy Simola. And for a more local coarse I would say Boschenmeer.

  7. Do you have a preference for any brand of golf balls and clubs?

    I play with a Callaway Chrome soft golf ball. I also enjoy the matt green Callaway Superhot ball. The feel of that ball off the face of my clubs feels great. With irons I’ve always enjoyed my TaylorMade’s. Driver I also enjoy TaylorMade, but my last driver was the Callaway Epic and I’ve really been enjoying that.

  8. What are some of your biggest golf accomplishments? Have you ever had a hole-in-one?

    I have still never had a hole in one ☹ I’ve been close many times but never in the hole. So I will keep trying, one of these days I have to be that lucky. I’ve had a couple of eagles. A big accomplishment would have to be holding onto the Club Champ title 4 years in a row. That is very special to me.

  9. Best score ever shot? When & where?

    Gross 73 at Milnerton.

  10. Any tips or advice for the ladies?

    Head down. Always keep the head down. Commit and follow through on the shots. But most of all, ALWAYS enjoy yourself. We are privileged to play this beautiful game. You get to meet wonderful friends that become family.

Massive congratulations Casey and Jack Buchanan, the 2023 Club Champion.

From left to right: Jack Buchanan (2023 Club Champ), Casey Hattle (2023 Ladies Club Champ)

Winners of the monthly competitions

 

EventDateWinners
Monthly Medal & putting07 Mar1st place – Silver Div (Best nett) – Stefanie Jansen
2nd place – Silver Div (Best nett) – Ros Howard
Best Gross (Silver Div) – Stefanie Jansen
1st place – Bronze Div (Best nett) – Lorette Hegie
2nd place – Bronze Div (Best nett) – Ntsoti Morojele
Best Gross (Bronze Div) – Lorette Hegie
Putting – Ros Howard
05 MarWinner (Best nett) – Casey Hattle

To many more wonderful golf days,

Ntsoti Morojele
Lady Captain 2022


Monday Senior Section

The seniors have been through the mill so to speak battling the Cape weather the past month. In fact they should be applauded for persisting in their efforts to hand in good scores.
On the 6th of March the seniors teed off for their yearly championship game. The results were as follows:

Most valuable Team Player

Ladies

Men

Third place: Sonja Weakley

Second place: Sona Dass

Champion: George Norman

A day that provided good golf, a splendid lunch and most important of all, excellent camaraderie.

A sincere thank you to all the sponsors with the hope we will see you next year again.

Arie Meulman


Golf Course Report

I trust that all participants of the club champs enjoyed the tournament and that the course held up well.

This April we are doing course maintenance before winter to improve the turf condition.

  1. We are hollowtining greens, and fertilizing.
  2. Verticutting tees, topdressing and fertilizing.
  3. Verticutting surrounds, topdressing and fertilizing.
  4. And we will be slicing the fairways and fertilizing.

I trust that there will be minimal disruption to yourselves during the process.

Regards
Craig


Functions



 

2023 Hollow Tining Schedule

CASHLESS Environment

Please take note as of the 1st of April 2023 Milnerton Golf Club will be moving to the
CASHLESS Environment.

We trust you will be patient with us during this time and understand the value of the club becoming a cashless facility.

Payment options will include debit card, credit card & your membership spending account.

We thank you for your assistance & co-operation through this process!

Newsletter | March 2023

I trust you are all ready for our Club Championships and where will the winners come from? I believe we have more possible candidates this year in the A division – who will it be??

B Division we have a huge surprise A Pearson either miss calculated or decided to give someone else a chance. Those of you in the running must surely buy Alan at least a bottle of wine.  All the best to you all and to all that participate Good Luck!! It’s not in the winning but being a part of the fun.

Our Greens Management and Staff are working extremely hard to prepare the course in the best possible condition for the Club Champs.

With our current water situation it has made their work very difficult and we thank them for their efforts.

On the water situation – we drilled a borehole 150m deep on the 14th fairway and found lots of water, but it was untreatable. We will have to investigate on extending and deepening our dams.

Golf League Mid Am gave Royal a big thrashing beating them 7/1. Well done boys. Billy’s road is looking good, and we have started on phase 2. Be patient – all things that are good take time!!!!

As always, I appeal to you to take care of your course. Rake the bunkers behind you. Fix your pitch marks and fill your divots.

Another project we are considering is upgrading the halfway house on the 10th. Christo Botha has put forward some plans which look incredible.

This is the type of image we would like to see.

With the AGM fast approaching I would like to take this opportunity to Thank each of the Committee Members for their time and effort put into the running of our Golf Club. Serving as a Committee Member is one of the toughest volunteer roles of all and it is performed with dedication and tenacity. You distinguished yourselves as a judicious steward of our Club and never flinched in the face of difficult decisions.

Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it. You proved to be both wise and virtuous. On both professional and personal level, I’m grateful for the time we spent together.

From the Range: Arno & Fransie

New Distance indicator

Day by day we improve the Driving range by creating and adding to make your experience as member better. Thank you for every person that have supported us, by using the driving range and coming for lessons, since we opened in September 2022, we sincerely appreciate your support.

For those that haven’t had the time to come by, we encourage you to bring your clubs and positive attitude to practice your swing between 07:30 and 17:30 at the driving range, next to the 3rd and 17th hole.

 

Which are you ?

Some great new members with a SMILE and
make their coming so worthwhile, while others
go on their merry way – no greeting or kind
word to say!!

Regards

Billy O’Brien
Acting Captain


We welcome the following new members

  • Deirdre Venter
  • Enver Mally
  • John Robert Laurie
  • Deborah Joy Tasker
  • Gareth Bell
  • Jaco Calitz
  • Shaun Whiffler
  • Clive Paul Helders
  • Gilvert Biolley
  • Gabriela Biolley
  • Nicholas Schouw
  • Ruan Schnetler
  • Andrew Roberts
  • Tyrone Lasarow
  • Eugene Adams
  • Aidan Gilbert
  • Alexander Romano
  • Matthew Duncan
  • Reuben Mc Lachlan
  • Tristan Meachin
  • Cameron Pritchard
  • Michael Whiffler
  • Paul Webb
  • Rowan Lombard
  • Frank Reynolds
  • Shelbie Hoddinott

Monthly Golf Fixtures & Results


Lady Captain’s Corner

On a sad note, sincere condolences to Lorette Hegie on the loss of her beloved husband Gerry. Wishing Lorette and her family many happy memories of their loved one.

We had the Harris Cup competition this month. It’s 36 hole medal, played over 2 days. Despite strong winds and difficult playing conditions on both days, we had some very good scores.

I am pleased to announce that the 2023 winner of the Harris Cup is Lorette Hegie. Congratulations Lorette on this achievement.

Lorette Hegie | 2023 winner of the Harris Cup

WP Golf held their annual Town vs Country tournament on the 20th of February at Durbanville GC. Casey Hattle was selected for the Town Team A Division, which won!!

Congratulations Casey. I know it was a terrible, stormy day and you were up against a tough opponent, but you did us proud.

Winners of the monthly competitions

EventDateWinners
Single Stableford10 Jan1st place – Michelle Taylor – Rebel
2nd place – Denise Liang
3rd   place – Atella Hefer
Monthly Medal & Putting7 Feb (Tue)1st place – Silver Div (Best nett) – Ros Howard
2nd place – Silver Div (Best nett) – Stephanie Jansen
1st place – Bronze Div (Best nett) – Denise Liang
2nd place – Bronze Div (Best nett) – Lorette Hegie
 Best gross (Bronze Div) – Denise Liang
Putting – Jo Elves
4 Feb (Sat)Winner (Best nett) – Debbie Tasker
Harris Cup14 FebWinner – Lorette Hegie
4BBB21 Feb1st place – Stephanie Jansen / D Whiffler
2nd place – Jenni Maliepaard / Jill Biccari
3rd   place – Deirdre Venter / Sylvia Crotz

Congratulations to all of you!!

To many more wonderful golf days,

Ntsoti Morojele
Lady Captain 2022


Golf Course Report,

Good day members,

  1. The greens are being worked for club champs in March and is looking a lot better.
  2. We have been thinning out the surrounds to improve the surfaces.
  3. We purchased slicing blades for our fairway hollowing machine to assist with water infiltration on the fairways. We have done one slicing excise already as you may have noticed.
  4. Fairways and tees have also been fertilized with the help of the rains on Monday the 20th of February, the rains were of great help.
  5. The new netting for the practice facility will arrive soon, it was a struggle to get it due to the festive season and non-manufacture by the suppliers. Hopefully we will have it installed before Club champs.
  6. The road is progressing nicely, and we are still working on the dunes at the first hole, once winter arrives we will be able to complete the area as a winter project.
  7. The 12th bush removal and planting up of the area will also be completed as a winter project.
  8. Some Tees have been levelled with more scheduled to be done during winter.

I trust that you will have a successful and enjoy club champs, for those of you competing please feel free to give us any suggestions to improve the course for the betterment of the club.

Please hand your suggestions to the Proshop staff so that we may review and possibly implement them on the course.

Yours in golf.
Craig Helstrip
Greenskeeper


Functions

We would like to say goodbye to our head chef Paul Nienaber who has been with us from 2020. He had spread his wings, and we wish him all the best in his career.

From the Milnerton Golf Club, staff & members.


Annual Golf Day - 24 March 2023