Our Irish Boys U18 team took part in their qualifier today at Ballycastle Golf Club.  The boys put in a great performance and only just failed to qualify by 4 points.  Well done to the team and all concerned.  Definitely a credit to Antrim Golf Club and to all those who have worked with them in the Junior section.

The boys who played are photographed below;

Conor Lynn,  Jack McMenamin,  Kenny Nicholl,  Tommy Chambers and  Carlo Davies   (Team reserve was James Hood)

Due to flooding on the course,  Wednesday’s competition (5th August) was declared null and void.   The following members will have the competition fee of £3 refunded to their competition account:

Paddy Ball,  Paul Brammeld,  Sean Clarke,  George Davies,  Richard Galloway,  Tony Hughes,  Brian Kane,  Paul Lemon,  Liam McGarry,  Ryan McQuillan,  Michael Nicholson,  Colm O’Loan,  Cyril O’Loughlin,  James O’Loughlin,  Gary Ritchie,  Barry Shaw,  Desy Smart,  Stephen Tennyson,  Robert Turley.

Victor Watson

Competition Vouchers

When the Centre reopens, Competition vouchers will be left at the Centre Reception for collection as in previous years. These vouchers will have the normal use by date of 6 months from the date of issue.

NB Those vouchers issued before the ‘lockdown’ will have their use by date extended until the 31st December 2020

Competition Card Returns

It is important that scores are returned for all competitions, whether good or bad, as non returns can have an effect on the CSS of the competition.

Penalties may be incurred for continual NR of competition scores.

 

Kenny Lee

(Honorary Secretary)

Update from Craig Fullerton

I hope all is well. I just wanted to update the club that the Centre and Clubhouse will be opening at Allen Park this coming Friday 7^th August.  This will include both male & female locker rooms and the toilet facilities within the club house.

See below a couple of the main points that members will raise regarding the reopening of the clubhouse.

Locker Fees – The fees for the lockers will be going out at the start of next week commencing Monday 10^th August via Email payment link. This is the same method that members have been paying if they have booked guests in over the last few months. The fee for the lockers will be pro rata so members will only be paying for their locker from August 2020 to March 2021, therefore the cost would be £16.70 per locker up to March 2021.  Unfortunately we will not be able to take any payments within the centre hence why it is going out via email.

We will also making members aware before they pay for their lockers for the remainder of the year,. that they will have limited access to the lockers which will be the same times as the Centre opening hours which are as follows:

o   Monday – Friday 7.45am – 9.30pm

o   Saturday & Sunday 7.30am – 4.30pm

These do not differ to much than before lockdown, but we still want members to be aware of the change as if they have a tee time at say 7.15am they will not be able to access their locker.  Hence they will need to prepared in advance and have their clubs etc. lift the day before. Or similarly, if they have a tee time at 2pm on a Saturday by the time they are back in from the course the locker rooms will be locked.  We will be making members aware of this on the fees that will be emailed out also so they are aware.

Club Computer – Unfortunately the club computer will not be able to be brought back into the club house at this point. We will keep this under review and make you aware whenever it can return.

If you have any questions Kenny or need any further information then please just get in touch.

Many Thanks

Craig

Allen Park

Due to the extended playing time for the golf course and the reduction in the time between tee slots, the Committee have decided to return to having separate competitions on Saturdays and Sundays starting this weekend (Saturday, 4th July). Members will therefore now be able to play in competitions on both days.

It is also the intention to restart Wednesday competitions from Wednesday, 8th July.

Entry to all competitions will be by using the recently introduced Genesys system and entry to a competition and payment must be carried out before going on to the course, as stated previously. Scores must be returned on the system no later than 10pm on the day of the competition.

Entry fee for the Saturday competitions remains at £4 and Sunday and Wednesday fees will be £3.

It is the responsibility of members to ensure they have enough funds in the system before entering a competition and if not, transfer further funds (£32) by Bank transfer in a timely manner .

(Members expecting to play in all three weekly competitions may wish to consider prepaying more than £32 to save making multiple Bank transfers).

If you know of any members who are not receiving emails from me, please ask them to send me their email address or, if they do not use email, ask them to regularly check the News section of the Club’s website where information is also posted.

Please note the revised Fixture List below .

Cheers,

Kenny

Dear Members,

The good news is that the Committee has decided to run Qualifying Competitions again starting next Saturday (20th June).

In order to abide by the Return to Golf Protocol agreed by the GUI/Executive and due to the fact that we have no access to the Clubhouse, it has been necessary to change the methods that we use to deal with competition entry, competition fees and entering scores. These will now have to be done online to prevent handling of cards or money.

For the next few weeks Saturday competitions will take place over two days (Saturday/Sunday) to allow more members to play. But obviously you can only enter the competition on one of the days and only that score may be entered.
In order to take part in competitions each member must lodge an initial sum of £32 (8 Saturday competitions) by Bank Transfer into the following Club account.
Sort Code: 95-04-31 Account No. 33818993
It is important that your Name or GUI No. is on your transaction to allow us to identify who has paid.

If really necessary, members may also post cheques to the Hon. Treasurer (Bob Tweedale, 13 Tobergill Gardens, Antrim, BT41 1AW)  but it is the responsibility of the member to ensure that it will arrive well before the first competition they wish to enter.

Members will not be able to enter the competition if the Match and Handicap Secretary has not been informed by the Hon Treasurer that fees have been paid beforehand.

Comprehensive step by step instructions about how to enter competitions and to enter scores have been posted on the Club’s website. Click this link    http://www.antrimgolfclub.com/?page_id=2502   for direct access.

Use the password AGC2020 initially to get on the system and then change to one of your own choosing.

You must enter the competition before starting your round and ensure there are sufficient funds to pay the fee, otherwise your score will not be accepted.
Before returning scores, members of the playing group must verify each other’s scores.

At all times it is important that members abide by the safety measures outlined in the Protocol. Not to do so may result in disciplinary action.

Stay safe.

Kenny Lee
(Hon. Secretary)

Good Morning Kenny

Thank you for contacting Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and for your interest in our facilities.  We are working in unprecedented times due to the impact of the global pandemic and essential services are the priority for the Council.

Following recent announcements by Northern Ireland Executive ministers regarding golf/angling, the Council will consider re-opening the facilities at its May meeting, scheduled for Tuesday 26^th. 

Please refer to social media or the Council website for future updates.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Customer Services.

Please Note:  Allen Park Centre and Golf Course is still closed until Council issues fee invoices to members.  Hopefully this will be in the very near future.  It is important that all golfers abide by the Protocol agreed by the GUI and the Executive for the restarting of golf in N.Ireland.

Ladies & Gents

This is just to confirm that following discussion with the Dept of Health Press Office, the regulations will NOT be amended today and therefore, the legal basis for Clubs to open tomorrow, will not be established. It is envisaged that this will be completed tomorrow at some stage and accordingly Clubs should plan to open no earlier than Wednesday 20 May.

It is essential that club’s and club members follow the Northern Ireland Protocol for the “Safe Return of Golf”, Q&A and Member’s Video, that was issued on Saturday last. They are all available at www.golfnet.ie. We would ask that you circulate this video if you have not done so already, to your membership database – the direct link is; https://vimeo.com/419257146.

Clubs should follow the link in the email that was issued by Alan Kelly to indicate their agreement to abide by the Protocol or go to the following; https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NIProtocol.

As far as the NI Protocol is concerned. The answer to questions about whether or not our sport can be played using Social Distancing Guidelines has never been in doubt. The question of whether it would be played, upon re-start, in a manner commensurate with the requirements of Public Health Policy is a whole different issue.

In order, therefore, to embed the Protocol Guidelines and the need for Social Distancing, in particular, at all times in the sport, we have agreed that Step 1 will be for Members only, casual golf, played in a maximum of 3-balls using a 14 minute tee time interval.

The eyes not only of the sporting fraternity but those in wider society will be upon the sport as we re-start our game. We need to show, as one of the first sports to return from lockdown that we are capable of being, not only socially responsible but supportive of everything that is being done to combat COVID-19.

While the Northern Ireland Step by Step approach to the return from lockdown states, in Step 1, that between 4 & 6 people can meet, providing social distancing is in place, this is not the same as playing golf. The number of members who will potentially be around the clubhouse & car park as players leave the course, just as others start their round, is another issue to take into account. It is for this reason that the 3-ball rule must be followed in the first step. It is envisaged that this will change to 4-balls as we move into the second step, once social distancing has been embedded and the responsibilities of all golfers are more widely known. We hope that we will have your full support in this matter.

We should all remember that the change announced today could be reversed just as quickly, should the need arise, so let’s do nothing that could result in this outcome.

If you have any questions about the Protocol or any other matter, then please do not hesitate to contact me at kevin@gui-ulster.co.uk or 07886 103713.

Kind Regards

Kevin Stevens
Executive Officer
Golfing Union of Ireland (Ulster Branch)
Unit 5 Forestgrove Business Park
Newtownbreda Road
Belfast BT8 6AW