KEY DECISIONS MADE MID YEAR GENERAL MEETING

The 2005 Mid Year General Meeting took place as scheduled on Monday September 26, 2005. Presentations were made by the President, R. Boyer Jaggassar, the General Manager, Maria Nunes, and architect/member, Raul Poon Kong.

The President outlined the Management Committee's vision of what the future holds for St. Andrew's. He indicated that soon a new three year Strategic Plan: 2006-2008 would be drafted and that this process is being spearheaded by committee member Dr. Rikhi Permanand. He discussed the expected impact of increased competition and outlined strategies aimed at guaranteeing the future of the club. A financial prognosis was presented stressing the careful allocation and management of funds for the various proposed projects with built-in control of risk exposure through a component implementation plan. A very favourable reaction was received from members in response to his announcement of the Management Committee's plan to establish of a permanent fund to provide supplemental income and a funding base for an ongoing equipment replacement and capital financing program.
Following the presentation by the President, the General Manager took the floor to outline proposals to the members in relation to   the golf course and the need to renovate the downstairs bar. 

TWO PHASE GOLF COURSE RENOVATION PROPOSAL APPROVED

Detailed explanations were given of the recommendations made by American golf course architect, P.B. Dye, at the end of which members passed, without dissent, a resolution to accept his recommendations authorizing the Management Committee to proceed with the implementation in two phases.

Phase One
January/February 2006 when the 15th green will be re-built and the 10th and 13th greens will be renovated.

Phase Two
January to May 2007 when the remainder of the greens will be renovated and a new irrigation system installed. The final details and costs of phase two will be presented at the 2006 AGM.

GREENS RENOVATION
Please refer to the detailed explanation on page 7 - The Renovation Process

RATIONALE FOR PHASE 1 PROCESS

• There are seven days when no work can be done on the 15th because the sand is being fumigated
• Therefore use the presence of the professional shaper/supervisor needed for the 15th rebuilding to maximum advantage during this time to renovate two greens: 10th and 13th

Upon the conclusion of the General Manager's presentation motions to proceed as outlined were carried by an overwhelming show of hands in favour, while no nays were recorded.

EXPLANATION OF THE PROCESS REBUILDING THE 15 TH GREEN

• "Core out" or remove all existing material: Grass, Sand, Gravel, Drainage
This is very similar to what was recently done successfully on the practice putting green.
•  Install NEW Drainage, Gravel, Sand
•  Compact sand
•  Shape contours
•  Fumigate sand for one week
•  Sprig Tifdwarf Bermuda grass
•  Play on green in 12-16 weeks

WHY NOT DO IT ALL IN 2006?

• Because of the irrigation component
• There is insufficient time between now and mid January 2006 to properly tender the irrigation supply and installation as well as mobilize all the materials and equipment required.

ROLE OF P.B. DYE

• Overall supervision
• One of his specialist shapers will supervise the work from start to finish
• Responsible for testing to ensure the proper specifications are adhered to
• He is NOT re-designing our greens. He will be reducing the severity of slopes which are now too severe. The essential character of the greens will remain intact.

At the end of the presentation a motion for approval to proceed was put forward and also carried by an overwhelming show of hands. Once again there were no dissenting voices.

The renovation is scheduled to begin at the end of October and finished by the and of the year.

Continued on page 2

White Hat Auction Reminder
The White Hat Auction will be held on Saturday December 3, 2006 at 3:00 pm at the Club House

RECOMMENDATION TO RENOVATE THE DOWNSTAIRS BAR APPROVED

The General Manager then put forward to the members a proposal to renovate the downstairs bar.

WHY RENOVATE?

• Modifications needed to meet new, more stringent Health Code requirements
• Visible wear and tear
• Consolidate two existing concessionaire kitchens into one
• Existing downstairs kitchen is inadequate to meet the demands already placed on it
• Improve the overall conditions under which the concessionaire at present operates inclusive of providing a small area for an office.
• While doing mandatory works take the opportunity to improve the overall aesthetics of the bar which was not finished when the clubhouse was extended in 2000/1
  ie: exposed steel pillars, no ceiling, floor behind bar needs tiling etc.

CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO CLUBHOUSE RENOVATION PROPOSAL

The final presentation of the meeting was made by architect Raul Poon Kong who was asked by the Management Committee to propose a conceptual approach to the renovation of the clubhouse with the following objectives:

1. Upgrade the Club facilities to provide a better service and facility to our membership.
2. Provide flexible spaces to provide options for generating income and special club functions.

His proposal provided a framework within which to address these critical areas:
•  Main entrance and image of the club
•  Bar and kitchen facilities
•  Locker room facilities
•  Office and Administration accommodation
•  Bag storage
•  Caddy facilities
•  Pro shop

At the end of the presentation the Management Committee received the members' support to proceed with further developing the conceptual design so that a detailed presentation, inclusive of cost, could be made by the next General meeting.

CGS Summit and Strive for Excellence Development Programme
October 31st - December 21st 2005

We are pleased to announce the TTGA, CGA and the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs have put together a tremendous initiative called the CGA Summit and Strive for Excellence Golf Development Programme. The objective of the summit is to bring together the golf leaders of the region to initiate "Coach the Coaches and Develop the Administrators" programme.

This complete programme will encompass five parts. The first part is the "CGA Golf Development Summit" which is being hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Golf Association at St. Andrew's Golf Club from October 31 - November 2, 2005. This program will be facilitated by The Royal Canadian Golf Association National Coach and Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Henry Brunton along with Associate Coach, Rhonda Fleury, Jon Roy and Laird White.

Henry Brunton

Rhonda Fleury

Jon Roy

Laird White

Rhonda Fleury is one of Canada 's outstanding female golf professionals, she has been the Associate Coach with Henry Brunton Golf School for the past 3 years. Jon Roy and Laird White are Canadian PGA Coaches who are experienced "Strive for Excellence" service providers. Jon and Laird will be leading SFE in Trinidad. They are both "Certified Golf Psych Instructors".

Step two of the initiative is the kick off of the "Strive for Excellenc" programme.

Henry Brunton and Rhonda Fleury, along with Jon Roy and Laird White, will conduct the SFE Trinidad Athlete/Parent Workshop to kick off the programme during November 2-5, 2005. This workshop is targeted to introduce the Athletes/Parents to what they can expect during step 3: November 6 - December 18.

Step three of the initiative is the "Strive for Excellence" programme.
This initiative will comprise of 4 parts which are as follows:

• Beginner Golfers
• Intermediate Golfers
• Advanced Golfers
• Accelerated Golfers

The golfers in this programme will receive scheduled professional coaching from Jon Roy and Laird White which will be a combination of effective training and practice. "Strive for Excellence" is a holistic approach to developing and nurturing adolescents so that they will mature into the finest golfers and most outstanding people possible. This specialized programme presents committed athletes with an opportunity to realize their goals in both sport and life.

Step four of the initiative will offer weekly 2 hour training sessions to local coaches. These coaches will have attended the "Coach the Coaches and Develop the Administrators" programme. This will broaden the impact of their training and continue to lay solid foundations for the future golf in Trinidad and Tobago.

Step five of the initiative will be weekly 3 hour training sessions for the serious adult golfer. The objective of this programme is to provide recreational level adult players with information and coaching. Students will be taught to recognize the many myths which surround golf instruction and will be provided with clear and accurate "facts" about the game of golf. The Adult golf schools are designed to cover the basics of the game (core fundamentals, short-game, putting) over a three-hour period.

The Goal of the Guidelines

The goal of this policy is to minimize lightning casualties by emphasizing advanced planning and the recognition of a potential threat.

Method of Gathering Lightning Information
The decision to suspend should be based on the following:

Flash-to-Bang method- This is the easiest way to determine the distance from the last lightning strike. We cannot predict when or where the next strike will occur. This method is performed by beginning a count which is equivalent to one second at the time you see a flash of lightning and continue counting until you here the thunder. Take that number and divide by 5 to determine the distance in miles that the strike was from you.
An example, if you counted thirty seconds, this would indicate that the strike was an approximately 6 miles away.

Suspension
The average distance from one lightning strike to the next is approximately 2 to 3 miles, yet can be as much as 10 miles. Therefore, a storm may still be several miles from your location yet the very next strike could be on top of you. All activity should be suspended and all persons should seek safe shelter when:
a 30 second or less Flash- to -Bang count is detected. This is equivalent to six miles or less.

Return to Activity
Once play has been suspended the storm should continue to be monitored. No play should be resumed until all lightning activity within the 6 mile radius (30 second count) for 20 consecutive minutes.

Decision Making
The decision to suspend play will be made by the following individuals:
The Captain or the General Manager. The starter is authorized to make a suspension decision in the absence of Management personnel.

Precautions to be taken
If you are caught out in the course during a lightning storm you should seek shelter in the nearest shed on the course as ALL rain shelters, both halfway houses, as well as the starter's booth and small shelter adjacent to the first tee are protected by lighting rods.

Do NOT shelter under an umbrella with a metal frame

Do NOT hold a club in your hand.

Do NOT shelter under a tree.

Follow the Flash-to-Bang method as outlined above to determine how near/far the lightning is and therefore when you should stop/resume play.

Rules Corner
with Amoy Chang Fong

Loose Impediments (Rule 23)

The treatment of loose impediments can cause a lot of confusion, because many players take the Rule lightly. Also, because "preferred lie" are in effect at Moka, many aspects of the Rule do not apply and many players are not aware of the appropriate Rule. It is very important however, to familiarise yourself with the Rule if you are playing other courses or in major competitions where Rules of Golf are in play.

The Rule, as set out in the Rules of Golf, is fairly straightforward but there are many playing situations that give rise to the need for further clarification. If you are interested, you can go to the website of the USGA, to the Rules section www.usga.org/playing/rules, where many decisions on the Rules are set out at. The decisions on the Rules are set out alongside the Rule and can answer many of your questions.

Loose impediments are defined as natural objects, including:

provided they are not fixed or growing, solidly embedded, or adhering to the ball.

Sand and loose soil are loose impediments on the putting green but not elsewhere. Dew and frost are not loose impediments.

Rule 23-1 provides for relief from loose impediments as follows:

Except when both the loose impediment and the ball lie in or touch the same hazard, any loose impediment may be removed without penalty. If the ball lies anywhere other than on the putting green, and the removal of a loose impediment causes the ball to move, Rule 18-2a applies (one stroke penalty and ball to be replaced)

On the putting green, if the ball or ball-marker moves in the process of removing a loose impediment, the ball or ball-marker must be replaced. There is no penalty provided the movement of the ball or ball-marker is directly attributable to the removal of the loose impediment. Otherwise, if the player causes the ball to move, he incurs a penalty of one stroke under Rule 18-2a.

Stones in Bunkers are not loose impediments as defined in the Rules. However, because striking such stones may be considered dangerous, the Committee (Club) may allow under a Local Rule the removal of stones in bunkers by declaring them "movable obstructions" (Rule 24-1).

Please note that the booking of lessons for all Club Professionals is now being done in the Pro Shop.

Any member who would like to book a lesson with Anthony Gill, Bernard Benny or Peter Latchmansingh may make their bookings in person at the ProShop or by telephone at 629-4653 (golf).

1st Flight
Martine de Gannes

2nd Flight
Kelsey Lou Hing

3rd Flight
Aleema Jack

LADIES MEDAL RESULTS

September Medal
September 6, 2005

1. Jennifer Grainger - nett 72
2. Angela Hodgkinson - nett 72
3. Elena de Gannes - nett 73
Best gross: Pauline Raynor - 83

October Medal
October 4, 2005

1. Kitty Murphy - 68
2. J. Hamel-Smith - 69
3. Charmaine Stewart - 70
Best gross: P. Raynor - 81

2005 Amcham Citygroup Linkage Golf Tournament
October 9, 2005

Winning Team Monica Sealy & Aleema Jack receiving the first prize trophies from Amcham Chairman Mr. Nicholas Galt and his wife Nicole

Better Ball Tournament Winners

Linkage Winners

Special Prizes

Annual Courts Golf Tournament - Saturday, October 1, 2005

H. Harnarine is congratulated by Thomas Pantin of Courts on winning the 1st Nett in the Men's Division

Men Nett 1st - H. Harnarine- 40 2nd- Deryck Gonsalves -39 3rd - Mark Henderson - 37 4th - Sonny Maharaj -37 5th - Edward Grell -37 Gross 1st - Robert Costelloe -76   Seniors Nett 1st - Rasheed Ali - 40 2nd - Rae Stewart - 38 3rd - Hamish Knox - 37 Gross 1st - Robert Grell - 76 Ladies 1st - DeAnna Gregory - 38 2nd - Sigrunn Lillelokken - 38 Closest to the Pin 15th Hole - Jordan Stephens

Schlumberger Tournament
October 14, 2005

Closest to the Pin 5th Hole Mark Bradshaw
Closest to the Pin 15th Hole Hillis Richards
Longest Drive 9th Hole (Men) Maximo Savari
Longest Drive 9th Hole (Ladies) Hillis Richards

Boys 13-15

Brianna Winford
Annie Cape

St. Andrew's
Golf Club
P.O. Box 3403
Moka, Maraval
Trinidad, W.I.

Office:
868-629-0066
868-629-6187-8

Fax:
868-629-0411

Starter/
After Hours
868-629-2314