Captain's Newsletter June 2023

Captain's Newsletter: June 2023 Since my last newsletter the weather has been brilliant, the course in fantastic condition, and lots of golf has been played. We have had numerous complimentary comments from societies, members and members of other clubs on how well our course is playing and on the friendly and welcoming atmosphere all around our club. The new toilets are on hold at the moment. Details on the new benches we are looking to purchase will be included in next month’s newsletter. Captains’ Day is fast approaching, and Lady Captain Sue and I would like to share the day with as many as possible on 8th July. We will have a nearest the pin on the 5th for the ladies, nearest the pin on 12th for the men and closest to the line on the first for all. There will be on course refreshments by the tee on the 5th. If any member would like to donate a raffle prize, please leave it at reception or bring it on the day. We would be grateful for donations. Tickets will be on sale on the day. Competitions It has been another busy month with the Honours Board competitions well under way. Results and next rounds can be accessed on ‘ig’. We have a number of teams and individual members involved in various fixtures at Clays and against other clubs. Best of luck to all involved. Well done to: Jane and the Ping team on their ongoing success with wins over Conway and Mold. Jack Whitehouse and Jane Evans on winning Redfern gold cup mixt open at Vicars cross Dave Palferman and Richard Collier on winning the Prestatyn open Paul Wallace Jones on winning the Seniors Memorial Trophy with a fantastic 45 points Clays team 1 on taking 1st place in DGU regional qualifier at Old Padeswood with 110 points. Clays team 2 on a very close 2nd with a score of 109 points. Both teams progress to play at Celtic Manor Congratulations to all, great results! Clays DGU team on a great win (4 ½ 3 ½) on Sunday 25th at the Moss, a very difficult place to get a win so well done Team Clays. Coming up: The Draw for JCB quarter final has been made so please check ’ig’ for the details. The Jubilee plate 1st round is now complete, so please keep an eye on the notice board for further details. There are plenty more opportunities coming up so please enter as many competitions as you can to support the club. Ladies report With the Golfing season well and truly underway, the Ladies Section have been playing in a range of both Club, Honours Board and external competitions. It has been great to see some of our ladies returning after a winter break and we have also welcomed new ladies on a Wednesday morning. In the NWLCSA (North Wales Ladies Challenge Shield Association) we moved up a division at the beginning of the year. In previous weeks we have won against Denbigh and Royal St Davids but unfortunately lost to Porthmadog. Plenty of matches still to come! Over the Bank Holiday Weekend, we were invited by the Ladies of Mile End to play a mixed friendly. Seven pairings were able to attend and we received a very warm welcome. They are keen to play a return fixture at Clays next year. Congratulations to Jane Evans and Beverley Hood on progressing through several rounds in of The Daily Mail, Jane and I are also through in the Purves Cup. Congratulations also to the Ping team. The Ladies New 2 Golf sessions are now halfway through. Rhodri has organised the Group lessons and thankfully for good weather at the first 3 sessions the Group have experienced tuition on the putting green and on the Driving Range. My thanks to a number of ladies from the Section who have been able to support this initiative with a ‘Meet and Greet’ rota. We are running a Ladies Open for the first time in several years in July. This is a great opportunity to show off the Club. Support has been excellent with a range of Clubs attending. There are only a couple of slots left so if you know of any ladies who may wish to play, please contact Josh. The Ladies Section have an ‘Awayday’ organised on August 16th at Upton By Chester Golf Club. Plenty of ladies already signed up for the day but time still to join up for this if not already done so. Other great news to report is that Bill has approved the plan to raise the ladies’ tees. The Greenkeeping Team will be starting work in September on a number of tees currently playing off the fairway, so next season those which have been improved will be fully functioning. The plan is to complete any remaining tees over the following months. Finally, a reminder that we have Captain’s Day on Saturday July 8th. Mick and I are looking forward to sharing the day with as many of you as possible. Enjoy your golf! Sue Falcus (Lady Captain) And finally from me… On the 28th of July, I will be taking on 72 holes of the course in aid of this year’s Captains’ charity the Wales Air Ambulance Charity. Angela Thomas-Williams will be joining me for the full 4 rounds, Lady Captain Sue Falcus will be joining in the first two rounds and Jack Whitehouse take on the final two rounds with us. We would be extremely grateful for your support along the course. We would be grateful if you could make a donation towards this worthwhile cause if you are able on our JustGiving page via this Link We are still looking for a Safeguarding /Welfare Officer, and a Junior Organiser, to encourage new young members to join our club. These are important positions so if any members are interested, or if you know of anyone who would be interested in these roles, please get in touch with myself or any member of the council. Please be aware as it’s getting very busy out on the course over the next few months, please avoid slow play. Please remember the 3 R’s: Rake, Repair and Replace and most of all enjoy your golf! Kind Regards, Michael McHugh