DEVELOPMENT:
We will soon be releasing Tender Documents for the golf course works and begin the selection process. This keeps us on the front foot so that if and when we get DA Approval we will be ready to go. In the meantime, the temporary greens are growing well, and we thank you for your patience and care in those areas.

HARMONY RESTAURANT
It’s great to see Andrew Liu settling in so well with Harmony Restaurant. Andrew is now opening for take-away meals from 5.30pm Wednesday to Sunday. Also, with Harmony being so popular it’s a good idea to book your table, particularly from Friday to Sunday, by phoning 98962730 or via our website.

GREEN STAFF NEWS
We are sorry to hear that Mathew Andison is moving on. You might remember Matt from when he started with us a ‘Houseman’ working around the clubhouse before he transferred to the green’s staff. Would you believe he has been with us for seven years? We wish Matt all the best for the future and would welcome him back anytime.

Legacy Week: 1-7 September
Legacy Week is upon us, and we’re proud to support this important cause. From 1-7 September, the bar will be selling Legacy pins and pens. We encourage all members to contribute by purchasing these items and helping us support the families of veterans who have given so much for our country.

DIGGERS DAY
Diggers Day this year will be held on Saturday 9th November. It’s not too early to start thinking about participating in this great yearly event where we raise money for Legacy who support the families of our Service Men and Women. All categories of membership are eligible to play on the day. Last year we raised a record $7,500 so let’s see if we can top that this year.

We would love to welcome volunteers to work on the BBQ and then join us as a guest for the memorial dinner afterwards. If you can help, please speak with someone in the office or to one of our Directors.

FAREWELL TO THE ACLOLIZER MACHINE
You may have noticed that the Alcolizer Machine has been removed from the end of the member’s bar. We can no longer get the machine calibrated or regulated for accuracy, not that I believe they are reliable anyway. The only machine you can rely on is the one in the back of those cars with red and blue lights on top.

SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL NOTICES:
Subscription renewal notices were sent out in early August via email or post to those members without an email contact.

Renewal invoices are also viewable in the MY ACCOUNT section of the members portal. Members can also make payment of their subscriptions through the secure payment gateway on the members portal.

For those members wishing to pay their membership fees in instalments, Pay as You Golf will again facilitate this option. Information on this payment method is included with your subscription renewal invoice and available from the Club office.

Please remember that subscriptions fees are due by September 30. Any members who have not renewed will beomce inactive from October 1st.

Please advise Club staff if you do not receive your renewal notice in the coming week.

As winter fades into the rearview mirror, we welcome the arrival of spring with open arms. The end of the cold weather is a relief, and the warmer temperatures are a much-needed boost for both our spirits and our golf game. With the body not getting any younger, the return of pleasant weather is certainly a welcome tonic.

Cumberland Cup
This month, we had the pleasure of hosting the Cumberland Cup, which saw a fantastic turnout of over 40 visitors from various clubs. The competition was fierce, and it was wonderful to see such a strong field of players. Our course was presented exceptionally well, and this is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Matt Turner and his staff. Their efforts ensured that we could showcase our course at its best, and they deserve our heartfelt thanks for their commitment.

The Cumberland Cup winner with a great round of 69 was Daniel Eun from NSW GC.

Pennants
Our Warren & Gibson pennant teams wound up their season last week and although neither side progressed to the playoff’s they certainly did Cumberland proud. Thanks to all those players who represented the club. Both of our teams this year had debutants and from all accounts enjoyed the experience immensely. A huge thank you to Andrew Black (Blackie) and Denis Clifford for managing the sides and to those members who came and supported the teams. Let’s hope we can progress to the play-off’s next year.

Eric Apperly has also finished and unfortunately the boys didn’t have quite as good a year as they did last year. Again, a huge thank you to the boys for representing Cumberland. To Alex Foreman for managing the boys.

Our Super Seniors are having a great season and have made it through to the semi-final against Port Macquarie at Hawks Nest GC Monday 2nd Sep. On behalf of the committee, I’d like to wish them good luck. Let’s hope they can win on Monday and progress to the final.

Monthly Winners
Monthly Medal
A grade – Michael Rolls 68 net
B grade – Paul Medana 70 net (Guzzlers Cup)
C grade – David Criss 67 net

Southpaw Cup – Leigh Williams

Patron’s Trophy – Gregg Frost

Hole in Ones:
Byeongsu Kim – 16th Hole – 4th August
David Hogan – 16th Hole – 5th August
Adrian Tomiak – 16th Hole – 18th August
Bruce Baker – 3rd Hole – 21st August
Anthony Karam – 16th Hole – 24th August

Transtition to MiClub Golf
In an effort to enhance our club’s operations and member experience, we will be transitioning from our current Simple Golf platform to MiClub Golf for our Golf Management system. MiClub are now the market leaders in the Golf management space and deliver more advanced and user-friendly platform. Some members will have used MiClub at other Club and can attest to the positive experience. At present our estimated go-live date is mid-November, and we will be providing additional information to all members as the project progresses.

Finally, I’d like to thank you, the members, for your patience through the winter months and the shotgun starts. As we know we have shotgun starts to get the maximum number of members a game of golf during July & August. So, again thank you all!!

Here’s to a successful and enjoyable spring season filled with great weather and excellent golfing conditions!

Good golfing,
Darren “The Fox” Stocks
Club Captain

What a pleasure the August weather has been, and the course has responded well to the improved weather conditions and the maintenance strategies.

Several members have commented on the bunkers and the Greens committee is always mindful of the state of the course bunkers. The committee has been working on prioritising future Repairs & Maintenance program for bunkers that sit outside the Development Course Enabling Works (CEW).

The committee has been assessing the current golf course and looking at opportunities to improve the current bunkering, reduce maintenance and future capital outlay. This includes looking at the course holistically as to the current state, playability, and longevity.

The goal is once the CEW works have been completed, to focus on existing bunkers from a strategic and playability perspective. Simply this means, looking at bunkering that changes the way we play holes as technology and better maintenance practices are developed. The fact remains that a lot of the current bunkers simply suffer from basic construction techniques from days gone by and the continual problem of soil contamination and drainage issues.

During 2023/2024 R&M bunker works were undertaken on 9, 12, 15, 16, and 18 and new Aussie sand was used which is a quartz based bunker sand that is less than 2mm with angular particle shape. This sand has excellent plugging resistance and drainage, and the ability to sit well on steep faces. The hard quartz particle assures the integrity and durability of the sand for years to come and enables water to drain better with less sand residual in the drainage system and it prevents weed growth.

We’re excited to advised that the course toilet near the 14th tee will be undergoing a much-needed make-over over the course of the next month. The facelift will include retiling and the installation of a new toilet and dryer. A complete overhaul of the facility. Please note that the course toilet will be out of service during the works.

Lastly, some members have commented on the course drainage, if we consider the amount of rainfall in May, June, and July of this year amassed 324mm which fell in very brief periods. Drainage is still a focus, however when this level of rain falls and the water table is already full, no level of drainage will cope. From ‘Lessons Learned’ during the big wet in 2022, works have been undertaken during the year and those areas fared better during the recent weather episode. Of course, there will be areas like the valley on 12 and parts of 2 that remain a challenge as the land sits at an elevation lower than the corresponding dam. Works on 8, 15 and rear of 17 have all seen improvement.

The team has also been proactive around the maintenance of the temporary greens, where potential water pooling and soft areas were identified, drains have been installed.

Notables
• Freshwater dam on the 12th is at 100% capacity. The 2nd dams are at 100% capacity, while the 5th dam is at 90% capacity.
• Treatments are ongoing on all dams to reduce surface algae.
• August’s weather, 11 mm of rain received during the month.
• Green’s renovations have been completed, please check notice board for course conditions.

Lastly, ‘Thank A Superintendent Day’ is to be celebrated 10 September. I encourage you to thank our Superintendent and the team for their dedication in creating and maintaining the playing surface we enjoy day in day out by liking and sharing our social media posts on the day.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful golf Pro Joanne Bannerman for once again organising a great ‘Fossils Golf Trip’. With the course being closed on the regular Tuesday Ladies Day, 17 women headed up the Pacific Highway for three days of golf, friendship and plenty of laughs. This year we were joined by some ex-members of the club, Sandy Collins, Mary Patterson and Yvonne Avery who have moved north over the years. Julie McKinnon also joined us for dinner on two nights and it was wonderful to see Julie enjoying life and looking very healthy and relaxed.

We played three rounds of golf commencing with Tuncurry golf course followed by Tallwoods and finished with Forster. These were three quite different courses, and the consensus was that Tallwoods was by far the most challenging. This year’s winner of the Fossil Cup (and backing it up from last year) was Jane Lavercombe. Well-done Jane, you played some excellent golf. These trips however don’t just happen without a great deal of organisation and preparation by Jo and her staff in the Pro Shop. We are very lucky to have people willing to put the time and effort in for our ladies to get to experience a range of golf courses and to make life-time friendships. Thank you all.

Finally, we have our last Open Day of the year on Tuesday September 17 which will be an Ambrose Event. This is our Cancer Awareness Fundraising Day and this year we have chosen to support the Blood Cancers, so please come dressed in red to support the cause.

Professionals Trophy:
Congratulations to Joon Jeon who won this year’s Professionals Trophy. Played over 2 rounds, Joon’s great golf was comfortably rewarded with the latest fit from Footjoy and generously sponsored by our favourite Cumberland Professional, Joanne Bannerman. Thanks Jo!

More great events are coming up in this month’s golfing calendar.
1. Caddies Trophy:
A very special event to acknowledge our wonderful Pennant Caddies. These ladies kept many of us going through the long weeks of representative golf in Grade and Western Districts Bronze 1. They turned up, kept up and cheered us on all the way, good luck!
2. Cancer Awareness Open Charity Day.
This is an invitation Ambrose event and a great opportunity for our ladies and visitors to raise money for this year’s blood cancer awareness charities. This year’s theme is Be Ready in Red, we’ll be looking for the best fashions in the field on the day to award a great prize!
3. Cumberland Ladies Silver & Bronze Salvers.
This premier trophy event is a fantastic lead into the business end of our season, the Club Championships which are scheduled for October. Ladies, it’s time to sharpen your game and practice, practice, practice your putting!

With the course renovations at Cumberland happening on Monday/Tuesday, Muirfield generously extended an invitation to our ladies to play in their Tuesday comp. To the club management and the Muirfield ladies, thank you for your hospitality. We always enjoy playing the course and catching up with our Pennant golfing buddies.

Good luck to all the participants in this years Mixed Foursome Championships. I hope you enjoy the challenge and possibly some new scenery!

Well Hello again from the Pro-shop in September. Another massive fitting month coming up along with the usual excitement as warmer and longer days start to expand our golfing time.

Firstly, our clinics continue throughout the month. These have been so popular in their second month, if you can’t get a spot in these, make sure to keep a look out for more coming over the next few weeks.

We have fitting days now booked for Taylormade on the 12th Sept, Callaway on the 13th and then Srixon / Cleveland on the 26th. All of these have been very popular but we still have a couple of spots available for each. Make sure to get in touch ASAP to secure the final spots.

With Club Championships starting next month and the Presidents Cup Stroke round later this month, now is the time to sort out exactly what equipment is right for you and get those skills sharpened.

This month’s tip comes from our Head Professional Joanne who says, ‘give yourself time to adjust to new equipment and swing changes. Book in for a lesson or add new clubs before you start your Club Championship run, not at the last minute when it’s too late. Typically it takes 4 to 5 rounds to get used to new equipment so get organised ahead of time.’

Great advice Joanne and very pertinent.

Well thats all from the pro-shop this month – stay cool and happy golfing !

For any of your golfing needs call into the Pro Shop and talk to our friendly staff. Joanne, Matthew, Myo, Arthur, Luke, Alex and the Juniors

“Golf is a compromise between what your ego wants you to do, what experience tells you to do, and what your nerves let you do.” — Bruce Crampton