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| Club Website | www.pgakappy.co.za | Tel: (011) 728 7337 |
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| Thursday, April 25, 2024 | ||||||||
 I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that on Monday the 3rd of September we’ll be moving on to a brand new handicap system based on the USGA’s Slope Rating method. Or do I? There have been numerous e-mails distributed already – like this one - by the clubs and by the SAGA/HNA people to explain what the changes will be and how the system will work, and we will also have a talk on Thursday the 3rd of August at Houghton by one of the ladies who has been intimately involved with the whole change-over. You can read the insert below, but the simple form of the change is that your handicap will change to what will now be known as your HI (Handicap Index). This HI will be used to compare to the slope rating of the tees that you elect to play off that day, or the club you’re playing at if you’re playing away, and you’ll then get a CH (Course Handicap) which will be your actual handicap on the day. Each club will have a table that will be displayed both in the clubhouse and on the 1st and 10th tees, so that you will know your CH before you kick off.
There will no longer be back tees, club tees, forward tees and Ladies tees, but only different colour courses, which for Houghton will be the yellow course, white course, red course and blue course. This means that you can play in club competitions on any course that you feel like, but your CH will then change accordingly, and of course you must then enter your score under that colour course after the round. That’s the gist of the system, although I know we’ll still be inundated with members asking us for explanations in the shop come Saturday the 8th of September. I strongly urge you all to read up on the new system that will govern our play in the future, and then also come around to the club on Thurs the 2nd of August, especially if you have any queries.  Thursday sees the oldest event in world golf tee off at Carnoustie in Scotland, as the world’s best test their swings and their minds as they go in search of another Major, this one the third of the year, and for the last time, the penultimate Major of the year, as next year’s US PGA is moving into May. See the 2019 PGA Tour schedule here.
Carnoustie is without doubt the toughest course on The Open Championship rota, and it also has the meanest 4-hole closing stretch in The Open. The birdieable par five 14th heralds the difficult finish, and as with all other Open courses, Carnoustie’s 111 bunkers should be avoided at all costs. One of the toughest par 5’s in Open Championship golf is the 6th hole, often known as ‘Hogan’s Alley’, a reference to a thin sliver of rough on the left side of the hole, and right alongside a low stone wall that is out of bounds. Hogan hit all 4 drives in the 1953 Open – which he won – down that alley as it was the shortest line to the green. Check out this Golf Channel video of the hole.
And if the weather turns bad, then it becomes Car-nasty, and scores balloon, and those that keep their heads the best always come out on top, and again, there could possibly be a little bit of luck to be had in the fixed draw for the first two days. They only use 1 tee to start in this Major, so times start early – 6:35am local/7:35am SA – and the last group of the day – Match #52 – goes at 4:16pm local/5:16pm SA. That’s nearly 10 hours difference between them, enough to play almost 3 rounds of golf in! And enough time for a pure sunny and still start to turn into a howling zephyr of epic proportion, with rain attached! Can you just imagine what Matt Jones (USA), Curtis Thomas (Eng) and Bronson Burgoon (USA) - they jam last in Match #52 - will be doing on Thursday? Probably wake up early after a restless night because of the tension involved in teeing it up in a Major, let alone The Open. Then take brekkos at around 9am, go back to the hotel room and sit around for a while, then maybe go for a walk or a jog around the hotel grounds, or maybe even a light workout in the gym, then back to the hotel room….and it’s still only 11am!! Watch TV, read a book, answer some e-mails, return a few calls…and it’s still only 12:30pm. Meanwhile, the leaders are going deep in the great weather, and the earlier forecasts for wind, and possibly rain, are proving spot on, as the breeze awakes and the drizzle starts. So off to the course then, through the throngs of cars, and the fans walking towards the entrance gates, past the police barricades, through the club gates and into the grounds. Exit the car, and walk into the ‘house, only to find…it’s still only 2pm!!! Teeing off at 4:16pm means starting the warm-up routine on the range and short game area an hour prior to kick-off, so there’s still time to sit around the Player’s Lounge, chat to some mates, and even worse, to listen to the stories of those already finished, and stories of both good and bad! Now it’s time to move, but you get outside to find the breeze has stiffened, and the rain squalls are coming in, then find the looper, grab the sticks, and head for the short game area, before making your way to the range for rehearsal, and ultimately to the tee, where it just so happens that the leaders are done on 8 under, but it’s raining and blowing before you even start, and even level par looks unattainable! And you thought Tour life was glamorous? And here’s another thing. You eventually finish your round just a few minutes before 9pm, and have to go straight for chow because you’re history, and just want to hit the sack before doing it all again, although at least tomorrow will be a mid-morning tee-off. But I digress! Back to The Open. Due to the lack of rain in Scotland, the course is baked and hard – just like we saw at Gullane this past weekend in the Scottish Open - and while the tee-shots might bounce for at least 20 to 30 seconds after landing, controlling the ball from going too long is going to be a big issue, and whereas Carnoustie normally only needs about 6 to 8 drivers per round, expect many less this year, and lots more irons off tees to try and keep the ball from running into bunkers and whatever thick gorse lurks. If the weather is favourable – which it looks like at the moment, see below – and the course playing short and the greens are rolling true, which by all accounts they are, then I’m predicting some low scores this week. The usual favourites like DJ, JD, Justin², Jon Rahm, Brooks, Rickie and Patrick Reed, will be spoken about, but how about some Euro stars like Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren, plus the really in-form Russell Knox? And the man that all eyes will be on will be healthy and sweet-swinging Tiger Woods, who won this event the last time it was played on such a hard dry course – Royal Liverpool in Hoylake in 2006 – and where he managed his game like no other. And this week, his new putter and brand new 2 iron will be in his bag for hitting fairways that his shaky driver might not.
The course (see below, this is a brilliant interactive look at the layout) is a 7402 yard par 71 with a record of 63, which was shot by one of this year’s favourites, Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, in last October’s Dunhill Links event, albeit on a course rendered far easier at the time of year than what the field will face this week.
The weather forecast looks decent, with mild to warm temps and light winds expected, and with some rain maybe on Friday morning, and even some passing showers on Friday and Saturday. Tee times for Thurs Supersport’s TV times (main feed on SS6 – 2nd feed on SS7): Thursday & Friday from 7:30am to 9:30pm SA time. Saturday 11am to 9pm Sunday 10am to 8pm. Twelve SA players teeing it up include reigning British Amateur Champion Jovan Rebula, Shaun Norris, Branden Grace (current Open Championship and all Major Championships lowest round ever – 62 last year at Royal Birkdale), George Coetzee, Charl, Ernie, Louis, Retief Goosen – he pre-qualified to get in, Erik van Rooyen, Dylan Fritelli, Zander Lombard, and last but not least, and after his last round 60 at Gullane on Sunday to claim the Scottish Open title and to end an 18-month long slump, Brandon Stone.  With The Open Champs upon us, it’s also our 4th Nicklaus Major of the year this Saturday. In The Race to Pecanwood, Club Champion Brett Berman leads the race to represent the club in the Champion of Champions finals for the Golden Bear Trophy to be held at Pecanwood in November. You can click on this link for the full table, and remember that your best 3 scores out of the 5 Nicklaus Majors count, and that the top 4 on the points table at the end of our US PGA Champs on Sat 18th August will make the Houghton team. Then as far as The Houghton Hunt goes, this Thursday after the midweek member’s comp, a cut in The Hunt to the Top 40 will take place, and those 40 members will accrue points in the remaining member’s comps until just after the Thursday 9th of August Woman’s Day public holiday morning comp, when the Top 28 will be announced for Sat the 18th of August’s Grand Finale. Current updated tables. I must remind those that are still in contention for first the Top 40 and then the Top 28 that Saturday the 18th of August will be a shotgun start at 7:30am and the leading 7 fourballs will be seeded together and off the 17th, 18th, 1st and 2nd tees. We’ll be having a big braai lunch that day with prize-giving for both The Hunt and The Race to Pecanwood. The prizes for the Men’s Hunt 1st: 3 nights at the Four Seasons at Anahita, and 2 nights at the Heritage resort in Bel Ombre! And 2 rounds of golf at Ile Aux Cerf and Anahita, plus 2 rounds at Heritage le Telfair, the home of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, and ranked as the best course in the Indian Ocean! Plane fares paid for! Accommodation on a bed & breakfast basis paid for! And it’s for you and your partner! 2nd place: A year’s supply of Srixon Z-Star golf balls, gloves, and caps! 3rd place: An unlimited rounds package for 2019! 4th: 50% membership for 2019. 5th: 50% unlimited rounds package for 2019. 6th: R2000 paid into your club card. 7th: R1500 paid into your club card. 8th: R1000 paid into your club card. 9th: R500 paid into your club card.  This week will be your last chance to win this unbelievable Callaway Open Championship golf bag. Tickets are available in the shop at R100 cash per ticket, or R200 cash for 3 tickets.
 I mentioned last week about the extension to the 6th tee, so here’s a pic from where the new back tee will be, showing firstly the shot over the water, and secondly, the large bluegum missing in the foreground. It’s a much better angle now for those of us who move it left-to-right (mostly not by choice, I’ll add), and there will still be further trimming of some of the overhanging branches on the right.
You will have noticed spring treatment already underway where the bunker edges have been shaved quite close, and Stuart will be moving on to tee surrounds next. That’s about all for this week. Enjoy The Open. Kappy. | ||||||||
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