Our Vice Captain, John Welf!

One of the Vice Captain’s duties is to distribute the presents at our Children’s Christmas party. On the face of it, there could be worse jobs. However, Verulam tradition dictates that elf-garb should be worn! So, a seemingly innocuous task has caused many a previous Vice to tremble in his elf-boots. Not so John Wells (or should we say John Welf) as these pictures illustrate. He clearly relished the challenge – and took the opportunity to show the gathered crowd the new house he will be moving into shortly. Well done Welfie!

 

 

Drive time!

November is new Captains’ Drive-in time at Verulam. This year we welcome Steve Ashley and Mo Roe as our Captain and Lady Captain. Both their Drive-ins were blessed with a break from the rain – and both smashed monster hits to signal their intentions for the coming year! Here are some photographs from the events (click on any picture to view them in full size as a gallery):

PRESS RELEASE: Toro Irrigation for the Home of the Ryder Cup

The following is the text of a Press Release relating to our new irrigation system:

Verulam Golf Club in St Albans, Hertfordshire, has become the latest venue to benefit from Toro’s Golf Decoder Controller (GDC) irrigation system.

The 18-hole course is known as the ‘home of the Ryder Cup’ after Samuel Ryder first conceived the idea for the famous tournament while playing at Verulam. But the club now has a further tie to the tournament – state-of-the-art Toro irrigation products as used at past and upcoming Ryder Cup UK venues, including 2014 host Gleneagles.

The Toro GDC field hardware and SitePro central control system software were specified by irrigation consultant Adrian Mortram from Robin Hume Associates and installed by contractor MJ Abbott. Club manager Robin Farrer says that the new greens and tees irrigation system is a far cry from the previous system, which – at 25 years of age – had reached the end of its useful life.

As he explains: “We decided we needed to do something about our ailing Toro system some five years ago. The pipes had started leaking, the sprinkler heads had become inaccurate and you could not water the greens or tees without surrounding walkways and shrubs getting drenched – it was wasting a lot of water. After organising the finance and overcoming some planning issues, we finally had the system installed last year and we’re pleased to have upgraded.”

Due to this year’s washout summer, Robin says that course manager Chris Carpenter and his team have had limited use of the system so far. But Robin is sure of one thing – with Verulam using a mains water supply, the new system’s improved efficiency will bring significant water savings. “Our watering is now more focused and concentrated,” he continues. “Our old system watered by the minute, but being able to water by the millimetre is much more precise. We pay by the cubic metre, so we’ll certainly save.”

Adrian Mortram’s specification includes Toro DT35 Series dual trajectory sprinklers for the greens so that Chris has the flexibility to apply water to other areas of the course and alter the arcs. “The strategic sprinkler layout has certainly made for more efficient watering,” Robin adds.

Robin also reports that Chris is getting on well with the SitePro PC-operated control system. “Chris used a wallmount system at his previous club, but says that the move to PC has made life easier and he finds it more user-friendly. He’s particularly looking forward to getting trained up on the map function as he expects that to be a very useful tool. Overall he’s looking forward to getting full use of the system in the coming summers.”

Ryder Cup agony (& ecstasy!)

What a fantastic final day it proved to be at the 39th Ryder Cup in Medinah! And it was thoroughly enjoyed by a big crowd in the Clubhouse at Verulam, the Home of the Ryder Cup. As these pictures show, agony as the singles matches progressed culminated in ecstasy when Europe finally triumphed!

Roll-ups/Swindles open to all members

Verulam has a number of roll-ups/swindles (see list below) which are open to all members. These are a great way to meet other members and enjoy some friendly competition. No pre-booking is required, it’s just a case of turn up and play!

Roll-ups & Swindles open to all members at Verulam -
TATS (Tuesday And Thursday Swindle): Meet by 8.15am for tee off from 8.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Winter Eleven Hole Stableford: Meet by 12.45pm for tee off from 1pm on Wednesdays (end September to mid April)
Captain’s Saturday Roll-up: Meet by 8am for tee off between 8am and 8.30am on Saturdays when there is no Club Competition

Junior Trophy Winners 2010

The Captain presented the Junior Trophies to the winners on Presentation Evening.

Two Verulam members become Herts Rules Officials

Look closely at this picture from the Herts Golf Union AGM in February and you will spot two familiar Verulam faces. Dr Alan Thomson and Steve Fownes came 1st and 2nd in the rules of golf exam they sat in December 2009 (we are not sure who was 1st and 2nd though!). Alan and Steve received their Badges and Certificates at the AGM and are now bona fide HGU Rules Officials to whom Club members, the Secretary and the Club Professional can turn for assistance in interpreting the Rules of Golf. As new County officials, they are eligible to referee in county events. So, very well done Alan and Steve. This link will take you to the full story on the HGU website:

http://www.hertsgolfunion.com/information/news.asp?id=557&y=2010

Take a tour of Verulam golf course on your computer!

With a little assistance from Google (you may need some free software) you can now fly over all 18 holes at Verulam.

Give it a try, it’s excellent fun!

Verulam course flyover is also featured on  www.golf-finder.net with information on over 25,500 other courses.

New Members Offer

Verulam Golf Club is offering full 7-day membership, including entrance fee, for £1,335 annually

For further details please contact Robin Farrer, VGC Manager, on 01727 853327 option 4
or e-mail gm@verulamgolf.co.uk

More on MEMBERSHIP categories and subscription rates …

More on HOW TO JOIN (the application process) …