April 2015

FIVE years ago, our youngtrainee pro, Dylan Stollery,suffered a back injury sosevere,

he didn't think he would playgolf again. But he foughtback.Turn to page 3 for his story.

Sarah-Janecalls our club'home'- for a littlewhile at least

See inside for the story

Clubhouse: (02) 6685 6470Pro Shop: (02) 6685 6977

Murray & Tim 02 6622 3441131 Woodlark Street Lismore NSW 2480

Byron Bay Golf Club - Monthly Newsletter - LiNKSProudly produced by Gary Chigwidden (Editor) - garychigwidden@gmail.com

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April 2015

accommodation option wouldsupply such a revenue source.

Accordingly a committee wasformed to explore the feasibility ofsuch a play-and-stay motel stylefacility.

To date a site design has beencompleted and several constructionoptions are being priced. Afeasibility study has beencompleted by an independentconsultant and we are waiting forthe report.

In addition, as mentioned in aprevious report, discussions withboth Byron Council and The Bankof Queensland have met with afavourable response.

The final project assessmentshould be completed soon and willbe presented at a special meeting.

Bob's allsmiles afterhole-in-oneEVERY golfer's dream is toget a hole-in-one.That dream came true forBob Kay at the 14th in themid-week comp onFebruary 25.Bob is pictured abovecelebrating in the clubhouseafter his ace.Other recent holes-in-onehave been achieved byLaurie Hudson in a mixedevent in February and JohnWallis in January.

CLUB FACES

AS you are aware, we are veryconscious of the need to establish arevenue source which will securethe financial stability of the golfclub well into the future.

For many years we have operatedon an extremely tight budget,which has prevented much neededimprovements from taking placeand has resulted in regularmaintenance and upgrading offacilities to only occur whenfailures and breakdowns cause amust-fix situation.

Much of the ageing clubhouseequipment has reached its use-bydate and patchwork repairs canonly extend the life by a short,limited term.

In recent times the failures of thecool room compressor, the icemachine, the in-house speakersystem, the plumbing leakage inthe men's toilets and thephotocopier, just to name a few,have all been non-budget expensesaffecting the monthly bottom line.

The month-by-month battle tomaintain budget and remain cashpositive is extremely sensitive tothese issues and to the loss ofincome due to bad weather.

The board has explored possibleoptions for increasing revenue on along-term basis and believe that aplay and stay

ROB MACMILLAN

From thePRESIDENT

Page 2

Need to establish agood revenue source

April 2015

AFTER rupturing three discs in hisback, our trainee pro, DylanStollery, didn't touch a golf club fortwo years.

In pain, unable to walk andbedridden for 12 months, Dylan(pictured) didn't think he wouldever play golf again - not the idealscenario for a young man eyeing aprofessional golfing career.

But after six months of intensivephysiotherapy, he was physicallyready to swing a club again.

At the time of his injury in 2010,Dylan was working in the pro shopat Bonville Golf Resort where hewent after working at Coffs HarbourGolf Club for six years.

He came to our club in December,2012 as a trainee pro and is now inhis last year of a three-yearprogram.

Ever mindful of the injury thatalmost ended his golf career beforeit had started, Dylan now doesstretching exercises for an hourevery day.

In February he got his first taste ofwhat life is like in the pro rankswhen he played in the QueenslandPGA event in Toowoomba.

He got his spot in the tournamentthanks to being ranked one of the topthree trainees who had nominated forthe event.

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Unhappily for Dylan, with rounds of76 and 71 on the par 70 course, hemissed the cut.

"I hit the ball better than the guys Iplayed with," he said. "But I hadnine, three-putts over two rounds.To compete you have to have under30 putts every round.

"But playing in the QueenslandPGA was good to see where I was atwith the Australian Tour players.

"I need to improve a fair bit."

Since the Queensland PGA, Dylanhas played in two trainee events,one at Victoria Park in Brisbane andthe other at Surfers Paradise GolfClub.

He claimed third spot in Brisbaneand second at Surfers Paradise andputs the results down to a newputter - he swapped his two-ballmallet for a blade putter.Throughthe support of club pro, GregStewart, Dylan has more traineeevents on his calendar this year aswell as another PGA event inKalgoorlie in October.

"I'm looking forward to seeing whatI can do with my golf," he said.

"With golf, whatever you put in,you will get out."

Dylan bounces back after seriousback injury for tilt at big time

April 2015

SHAUN CROSS

From theSUPER

The work we do and why we do it

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"THERE is always a reason". You areprobably thinking, well what are they?So I thought I would elaborate on some ofour practises over the last couple ofmonths to try and shine some light on themand give you all some information on thereasons for undertaking these task out onthe golf course. With the Board ofDirectors making the decision not toundertake a second renovation inFebruary, to try and maximize revenueand reduce disruptions to the golf course,we have undertaken some less disruptivestrategies.These practises are predominantly toreduce thatch and compaction, allow oxygento the root zone and promote root depth.These are the main reasons for the twoaeration practices carried out in Februaryand March, with the March one consistingof a small hollow tine which also removes a smallpercentage of thatch (dead/decaying organic matter).The most frequent cultural practise carried out on the puttingsurfaces is the task of grooming and dusting, this process iscarried out regularly to reduce thatch, eliminate grain andkeep the turf healthy, whilst also promoting a very fine, tightknit surface.The dusting component of this practice consists of a veryfine layer of sand rubbed into the mat of the turf to dilute thethatch layer, which keeps the surface running true.Both these practises once mown and rolled are nearly non-detectable only a few days after completion, but have a verypositive impact on the health of the turf, the roll of the balland the way in which the surface is receptive.The aprons and collars around the greens have also beingscarified to reduce the density of the turf, as it hasvigorously matted up with the incredible growing season weare currently experiencing.The main reasons behind this, is to remove the mat andthatch to allow the ball to run through this surface and notpull it up, which allows more bump and runs to be played.

Along with this it will reduce the amount of scalp marks from the mowers due to the soft fluffy nature of the turf surface, upon recovery it should be a win/win for play and maintenance. The golf course is a hive of activity with general maintenance consuming a large percentage of our available labour hours at this time of the year. It is also an ongoing evolution as we earmark areas for improvements and remodifications to keep improving the playability of our surfaces. Although at times it seems to take a long time to complete this never-ending list with only our very small green staff team on hand five days a week, but be sure, there is always a plan in the pipeline. This, however, is only one of therestrictive elements in completing some of these tasks, as insome cases it is also the initial expense to be outlaid tocomplete certain projects. One thing is for sure though, I have 99% of these taskdocumented and costed ready for approval andimplementation.

Please consider the timeframes and working windows weoperate in and around golf next time you are having a socialround, and maybe even consider picking up and moving tothe next hole if works are been carried out, to minimisehalting any work programs, it would be very appreciated.

So on that note, I will leave you with another little phrasethat I often use, "failing to plan, is planning to fail".

FOOTNOTE: Shaun, is on the lookout for a casual mechanicfor a day a week to repair and maintain vital golf courseequipment.

If any member knows someone who would fit the bill, letShaun know.

Business Centre

Fuji Xerox Business CentreNorthern Rivers10 Keen Street LISMORE NSW 2480

(02) 6621 5858

GOLF'SFUNNYSIDE

Dave got home from his Sunday round of golf later than normal and very tired. "Bad day at the course?" his wife asked."Everything was going fine," he said. "Then Bill had a heart attack and died on the 10th tee.""Oh, that's awful!""You're not kidding. For the whole back nine it was hit the ball, drag Bill, hit the ball, dragBill."

April 2015

Winninga greenjacketcan youleave youskinnedUNLIKE Augusta, a group of ourmembers plays for a green jacketevery week, not just once a year.

And also unlike Augusta where richesand fame go to the winner, thewinner of the Byron Bay FridaySkins group's nine-hole competitioncan end up with nothing and have adecent dent put in his wallet in theclubhouse afterwards as well.

It's all summed up on the logo on thejacket, 'Win big, or don't win at all'.And why is this so? Because thewinner has to buy a schooner for allthe other players.

Which means a narrow win in theskins leave s the victor with a smallpayout and not enough to cover theshout.

The group has been playing Fridayskins for several years, but onlystarted playing for the green jacket,made in Bali for $60, in July 2013.

David 'Hammo' Hamilton, one of theregular 10 players in the group, cameup with the idea after Adam Scottwon the real green jacket at Augustain 2013.

'Hammo' said the Friday games werea fun, social event involving a fairamount of sledging - on the courseand later in the clubhouse.

It was 'Hammo' who was the first toget his name on the jacket as thewinner of the most skins in theinaugural 2013-14 season.

Penalty

As well as the skins, there are longestdrive competitions, nearest -the-pinsand a penalty for failing to get past theladies tee.

They also have a 'Friday lie' rulewhich allows players to improvetheir lie by a hand-to-elbow distance.

Friday regular, James Barnes, saidthe Friday skins group would beheading off to Melbourne for theState of Origin game on June 17 -and the green jacket would be goingwith them.

Their weekly skins game, he said,would be played indoors at GolfTecon the virtual St Andrews course.

And as usual, the winner will bebuying the drinks.

It was James who won the day withfive skins when I spoke to the groupfor this story - which didn't givehim enough to cover the shout.

ABOVE: James Barnescelebrates his green jacket win.With him are David 'Hammo'Hamilton (left), Doug Cope, MarkRyan and Andy Craig.

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April 2015

Shining the light on those'crazy' early morning golfersBy JOHN WALLIS

THE alarm jars me awake in themurky predawn light. I stumble out ofbed trying, usually unsuccessfully, toavoid waking my wife.Soon afterwards, having consumedenough caffeine to have my bodyworking with a semblance ofnormality and having dressedfurtively in the semi-dark I tiptoe outof the room, often to a mumbledfarewell from under the covers whichfinishes with the phrase "....must bebloody mad."I am an early morning golfer. We arethe crazy ones who hit off at anabsurdly early hour on Wednesdaysand Saturdays while you luckyafternoon players are still in bed,comfortably snuggled up to a nice

eighteen just as Peter Sinclair and hisgroup are swishing their drivers on thetenth, preparing to go out to join themad dogs and Englishmen.As they are disappearing into the heathaze down the tenth we are standingat the bar as Sal or Luke are pouringus glasses of something cold andrestorative.Winter is a little more problematic. Itis only very recently light when we hitoff and at such times our first tee isprobably the coldest place on theNorth Coast.It is always windy and whateverdirection the wind is nominally fromyou always seem to be hitting into it.

To the next page

Earlymorningregulars,John Wallis(left), AlexMilenko,Vlad Knausand DickFuller.

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warm wife or girlfriend (or inextremely lucky cases both.)Many afternoon players haveexpressed complete incomprehensionat our behaviour and asked why onearth we do it.Well... here is my excuse.In the summer the answer is easy. Wehit off in the crisp cool of the morningand get to enjoy the best part of theday. (This enjoyment can of course besignificantly qualified by the amountof alcohol consumed the previousevening.)We can usually complete the frontnine before the sun has any real heatand we finish our rounds just as thesun is beginning to bore holes throughour hats.Often we will be putting out on

bunkers), the two chips that rolled backto my feet in the gully to the right of thefifth etc. Afternoon players must go tosleep still grinding their teeth aboutthings like this.A relaxing afternoon and a few pre-dinner drinks tend to blur the edges ofthe worst memories.I particularly try to forget penaltystrokes. In a recent round I played thewrong ball on the tenth before hitting anear ninety degree shank on thefifteenth which hit my own bag.It is very hard to score well when yousimply hand back four shots like that.My personal favourite was the morningplayer whose shot from the rough onthe fifteenth came back off a tree, hithim on the shoulder before reboundinginto the water hazard. How manypenalties is that anyway? (We shouldprotect his name to save himembarrassment - let's call him GaryChigwidden.)By dinner time all these have beenforgotten. All I can remember is thesoaring drive which split the fairway onthe seventh and the 15-ft curling putt Idrained on the ninth.Anyone unlucky enough to dine withme that night is likely to be told aboutthem both in great detail. (Although Iam unlikely to mention that my finalscore on both holes was a six.)It is of course also possible that theother underlying reason for not playingin the afternoon is the subconscious fearthat, given the current state of my game,I could very easily go bankrupt, 20c at atime.

A Tip fromour ProUneven Lies

April 2015

Playing in themorning leavesplenty of time inthe afternoon toforget the bad shotsFrom previous page

It is extremely difficult to get a gooddrive away in these circumstances.Mishits bring back faint memories ofgetting the cane at school and drives flyin all sorts of unintended directions.One morning golfer for example hadplaced a significant downpayment onLake Lomas long before Eric claimedownership.(Hint: Canadian born, builtalong similar lines to Eric.) However aswe descend the slope from the teethings improve.The trees provide shelter from the wind,the sun starts to warm our backs and thegolf course starts to become a pleasantplace to be. This is of course a gradualprocess.It is on these mornings that one canunderstand the suggestion that ours isone of the few courses to start with fivepar fives. From there on we can enjoythe best of the day.Our other great advantage is theafternoon. Yes there are times when weget home to a romantic greeting of "Ohgood, you're home in time to mow thelawn / clean out the garage / mind thegrandkids /(insert your own nightmare). Generally, however, there is sport onTV and cold beer in the fridge. Mypersonal favourite is to play newspaperLotto - trying to guess how many pagesof the paper I can read before I fallasleep.Above all, the afternoon gives us timeto forget. There are often things in mygolf that I need to forget - the fivebunker shots (I was only in three

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DO you know most of our fairwayshots on our holes 1-9 are playedfrom uneven lies?Uphill,downhill, side hill, ballabove our feet, ball below our feet- we have it all on our front nine.To improve your shots on thesefairways you need to alter yourposture in your address position tomatch the terrain.Hips and shoulder tilt to increasefor your uphill shots. For yourdownhill shots we decrease our tilt.For a ball below our feet we needto increase our tilt towards the ball(get our chest over the ball more).For a ball above our feet we willstand a little taller (straighterspine).Consider that when playing theseshots always maintain yourbalance and swing within yourself.April is Masters month. Let's hopean Aussie can once again reignsupreme.Good GolfingGreg Stewart

April 2015

Our clubthe perfectbase for UKprofessionalSarah-Jane

WITH a brother living at SuffolkPark and another at Lennox Head,our club was the perfect base foryoung English professional, Sarah-Jane Boyd to prepare fortournaments in Australia and NewZealand over the summer.

Sarah-Jane, 23, (pictured) whohails from Truro in Cornwall andwho turned pro at the end of lastyear after a stellar amateur career,was a regular site on the course andon the practice tee for more than amonth before leaving in earlyMarch to play in the NSW LadiesOpen at Oatlands in Sydney.

Unhappily, after rounds of 74 and76, she missed the cut in the 54-hole event.

It followed mixed results in theNew Zealand Open, the RACVLadies Masters at Royal Pines andtwo events in Victoria.

"My results have not been quitewhat I wanted," she said.

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"I have not done myself justice, butit's good to see what you are upagainst"But it has been a greatexperience. I will be coming backnext year."

Sarah-Jane was full of praise forthe support she received from ourpro, Greg Stewart, trainee pro,Dylan Stollery and club membersduring her time at our club.

'It will be a bit of a shock going back home afterglorious conditions to practice in'

She also praised our layout and ofcourse, she enjoyed the warmweather.

"It will be a bit of a shock goingback home after glorious conditionsto practice in," she said.

Sarah-Jane is looking forward toplaying on the upcoming Europeantour, and is looking to play her firstevent in France this month.

March 2015

Vets descend on TenterfieldWHILE the weather wasn't lookingthat good, it didn't stop 47 Byron Bayvets heading off in a bus for a two-day golf trip to Tenterfield onFebruary 19 and 20.

After a break at the Lunatic Hotel atDrake, the vets got to Tenterfield andhad their first tilt at the golf course.

Unhappily, that was it for the golf,with the second day washed out.

As is the custom, the presentation ofprizes was held at the Lunatic Hotelon the way home.

The winner of the new 'REGWALLIS' Trip Away Shield was

Pommy, Shaun Doran, who comesover from England every summer andto try and take our shields back toEngland. But we won't let them outof the country.

Runner-up was Bruce Green.

There was then a run down for bottlesof wine right down to everyone elsegetting a golf ball.

Zac, who usually takes $2 offeveryone and puts it on the Keno,didn't go on this trip.

So without him, David 'Sput' Keeversdid a Zac imitation and

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took our $2 - and then did a runneron Friday morning going home bycar.

We are still looking for him to see ifhe's driving a new car.

Photos of the trip are on the vet's website, byronvets.com

- Thanks to Sandologist Pete for thereport and photos.

BELOW: Shield winner Shaun Doran(left) with Reg Wallis.BOTTOM: Vets enjoying their dinnerat Tenterfield.

WINE OF THE MONTH

Our new wine list is available nowWine of the Month 2 Mates

James Halliday’s Review ~ 96 Points2012Shiraz

Could this be theperfect shiraz

April 2015

Visitors to theclub on monthlymedal day inMarch includedthis happy bunchfrom The ColonialGolf Course onthe Gold Coast.

WHISPERS FROMTHE 19th

DICK Fuller had his playing partnersrolling around the 17th tee in fits oflaughter with his tee shot a fewSaturdays ago. Dick was well intohis downswing when the strong windon the day blew his ball forward offthe tee. Rather than stop, his oldcricketing instincts kicked in and hechased the slowly rolling ball withhis follow-through and stroked theball crisply to mid-wicket where itlanded among the trees lining thefairway. There was no miraclerecovery and Dick took a wipe forthe hole.

****

HOW many of us have had such adud first nine holes in a stablefordevent that we've thought of walkingoff the course and heading straight tothe clubhouse? There's been awhisper - or was it a roar - that a fewweeks ago, five points after nineholes was enough reason for oneplayer (and he won't be named toprotect his playing partners) to puthis clubs in the rack and go home.Anyone done worse than five?

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Happyvisitors

April 2015

Donning the green for Irish DayTHE first of our Green/Irish events was launched onSunday, March 15.

A variation on the 'usual' Irish 4-ball was tried, and in true'Irish fashion' the emphasis was on the worst scores.

On the par 4s it was your team's three lowest scores - andeven worse, on the par 3s the team's best score wasmultiplied by the worst score.

Of course this meant much urging of team-mates to avoid awipe - which would have wiped out your lovely birdie on apar 3.

And new words were found to describe when your goodscore was just too good to be included on the card - a'rumble', a 'bev', or . . .

Overcoming all were Zak Zytnik, Sarah Daniels, JohnDonoghue and Bob Lewis with 94 points

Runners-up were Lauri Hudson, Richard Hudson, CherylMulholland and Mike Laskowski with 90 points.

(Tony McRorie suggested that because it was Irish Day, itshould have been the worst score that won.)

There were lots of green prizes and a Guinness/Irish stewrundown. A good time was had by all. Thanks to PJ andWendy for organising a barbecue after golf.

JUST a reminder that YES, you can check your tee timeon-line on the day of the comp.

You will see alongside the event in your Timesheet List:'Not Available', but this only means not available forbooking.

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LADY GOLFERS

THERE were plenty oflaughs and smiles forIrish Day at the club.

ALL changes to bookings on the day of the comp have tobe made direct with the Pro Shop - but you can view thetimesheet and check your tee time.

Vistit our website and support David Alley’sRun around Australia.

www.lordstaverners-northernnsw.com.au

April 2015

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John Cookhints hewants toplay inLegends

SO impressed was he with our courseafter playing in the March MonthlyMedal, highly-respected USprofessional, John Cook, has hintedhe would love to come back and playin our Schweppes Australian LegendsTour Championship event at the endof the year.

Speaking after carding an impressiveone-over 73 in his first tilt at ourlayout, John, 58, said he would speakto his agent to try and "get us overhere".

The appearance of the 11-time winneron the US PGA Tour and 10-timewinner on the Champions Tour wouldbe a major boost for the Legendsevent and the club.

John and his wife Jan were on the FarNorth Coast visiting their daughter,Courtney and

her Australian husband, Adam Jones,who live at Lennox Head.

Adam played with his father-in-lawin the monthly medal with clubcaptain, Peter Sinclair and DaveChegwyn making up the foursome.

John said he loved the tree-linedcourse which he described as having"great character".

He said the small greens meant theball always had to be put "in the rightspot" to have any chance of a birdie.

Many of his good shots were notrewarded, he said, after hitting theball too long and facing downhillputts or chips of 30ft or more.

"I will know better next time," hesaid.

While he said he would love to

play the signature fourth hole whenthe fairway conversion work wascompleted to get a better idea abouthis second shot, he was fulsome in hispraise for our shorter holes.

"I think the par threes wereoutstanding," he said.

"They are not really long, but youhad to hit a proper shot, a shaped shotto the greens.

"I really liked them."

ABOVE: Well-credentialed US progolfer, John Cook (second from left)with his son-in-law, Adam Jones(left), Peter Sinclair and DaveChegwyn ready to tee off.

PUT this in your diary for a great afternoon ofmusic. The very popular Feramones will beplaying on the club lawn on Sunday April 12, at4.30 pm.It’s free entry - and don’t forget to bring yourdancing shoes.

ONE FOR THE DIARY