Pam Barnard,Ladies Captain 2008, and David Street, Club Captain 2008, at the New Year's Day Drive-in.

Club Captain 2007 Norman Marlow presents David Street with his blazer after the drive-in.

After some "practice" with moving and exploding golf balls ....... and under some pressure from the 100  or so members watching David Street drove-in well to commence his year of office. 

Tony Page won the prize for estimating the length of David's drive which was a good shot over 150 metres.

Pam's' drive was a good shot of 137 metres - Doug House won the prize for estimating that distance.

..........this driver is not legal and will be impounded!

Congratulations to Keith Sessions our House Manager for finishing runner-up in The London Pride EGU Steward of the Year competition, which is part of a five year deal between Fuller's and the English Golf Union which supports amateur golf and provides greater recognition to clubs and their members.

Keith the man behind the bar in the clubhouse will give you the warmest welcome.

Both Keith and Jimmy James, Secretary/Manager, were interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire and Jimmy stated that "Keith was a genuine character and that when people leave the course they want to spread their sorrows but at the same time they want to feel they get a bit of humour back, and he's got that mix."

To listen to the interview click on this link........

http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/articles/2007/11/09/keith_sessions_feature.shtml

Club Captain, Norman Marlow commented:

"Both on the course and in the clubhouse we have enjoyed a remarkable year. In June Gavin Lingard set a new Professional Course record of 63 in our Charity Pro-Am and David Lane won the English Seniors Championship.

2007 ended with David Lane  again delivering a stunning performance to win the Canadian Seniors Championship, and Keith finishing runner-up in the Steward of the Year competition, which compliments the investments we have made in in our Clubhouse by refurbishing the restaurant and kitchen, and improving disabled access facilities.."

The R & A have confirmed that there are a number of changes to the rules of golf with effect 1^st January 2008, a full list of the changes can be found at WWW.RANDA.ORG the following are the most significant;

For ease of reading, Blue font relates to the guideline as to where a change has taken place. Black is a direct extraction from the Rules of Golf and Red is the known phrase, paragraph or word that has changed.

Definition of Advice now reads:

"Advice" is any counsel or suggestion that could influence a player in determining his play, the choice of a club or the method of making a stroke.

Information on the Rules, distance or matters of public information, such as the position of hazards or the flagstick on the putting green, is not advice.

Identifying a Ball in a Hazard Rule 12:2 (Searching for and Identifying Ball)

Under the old rules a player was not permitted to lift his ball to identify it when it lay within a hazard, the player was expected to play the ball as it lay, and Rule 15-3 permitted a player to strike a ball from a hazard and any strokes made at a wrong ball did not count to a players score.

The 2008 Rule 12-2 (Searching for and Identifying Ball) now reads:

The responsibility for playing the proper ball rests with the player. Each player should put an identification mark on his ball.

If a player has reason to believe a ball at rest is his and it is necessary to lift the ball in order to identify it, he may lift the ball, without penalty, in order to do so.

Before lifting the ball, the player must announce his intention to his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play and mark the position of the ball. He may then lift the ball and identify it, provided that he gives his opponent, marker or fellow-competitor an opportunity to observe the lifting and replacement.  The ball must not be cleaned beyond the extent necessary for identification when lifted under Rule 12-2.

If the ball is the player's ball and he fails to comply with all or any part of this procedure, or he lifts his ball in order to identify it when not necessary to do so, he incurs a penalty of one stroke. If the lifted ball is the player's ball, he must replace it. If he fails to do so, he incurs the general penalty for a breach of Rule 12-2, but there is no additional penalty under this Rule.

Note: If the original lie of a ball to be placed or replaced has been altered, see Rule 20-3b.

*PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 12-2:

Match play – Loss of hole; Stroke play – Two strokes.

*If a player incurs the general penalty for a breach of Rule 12-2, there is no additional penalty under this Rule.

As a result of this change to 12-2 Rule 15-3 (Substituted Ball – Wrong Ball) now reads;

a. Match Play

If a player makes a stroke at a wrong ball, he loses the hole.

If the wrong ball belongs to another player, its owner must place a ball on the spot from which the wrong ball was first played.

If the player and opponent exchange balls during the play of a hole, the first to make a stroke at a wrong ball loses the hole; when this cannot be determined, the hole must be played out with the balls exchanged.

Exception: There is no penalty if a player makes a stroke at a wrong ball that is moving in water in a water hazard. Any strokes made at a wrong ball moving in water in a water hazard do not count in the player's score.  The player must correct his mistake by playing the correct ball or by proceeding under the Rules.

b. Stroke Play

If a competitor makes a stroke or strokes at a wrong ball, he incurs a penalty of two strokes.

The competitor must correct his mistake by playing the correct ball or by proceeding under the Rules. If he fails to correct his mistake before making a stroke on the next teeing ground or, in the case of the last hole of the round, fails to declare his intention to correct his mistake before leaving the putting green, he is disqualified.

Strokes made by a competitor with a wrong ball do not count in his score. If the wrong ball belongs to another competitor, its owner must place a ball on the spot from which the wrong ball was first played.

Exception: There is no penalty if a competitor makes a stroke at a wrong ball that is moving in water in a water hazard. Any strokes made at a wrong ball moving in water in a water hazard do not count in the competitor's score.

(Lie of ball to be placed or replaced altered – see Rule 20-3b)

(Spot not determinable – see Rule 20-3c)

Rule 19-2(Ball in Motion Deflected or Stopped) has been amended reducing penalty incurred when

If a player's ball is accidentally deflected or stopped by himself, his partner or either of their caddies or equipment, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.  The ball must be played as it lies, except when it comes to rest in or on the player's, his partner's or either of their caddies' clothes or equipment, in which case the ball must through the green or in a hazard be dropped, or on the putting green be placed, as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball came to rest in or on the article, but not nearer the hole.

Exceptions:

1. Ball striking person attending or holding up flagstick or anything carried by him – see Rule 17-3b.

2. Dropped ball – see Rule 20-2a.

(Ball purposely deflected or stopped by player, partner or caddie – see Rule 1-2)

Rule 24-2(Immovable Obstructions) is amended to read as follows

A player may take relief, without penalty, from a movable obstruction as follows:

a. If the ball does not lie in or on the obstruction, the obstruction may be removed. If the ball moves, it must be replaced, and there is no penalty, provided that the movement of the ball is directly attributable to the removal of the obstruction. Otherwise, Rule 18-2a applies.

b. If the ball lies in or on the obstruction, the ball may be lifted and the obstruction removed.  The ball must through the green or in a hazard be dropped, or on the putting green be placed, as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball lay in or on the obstruction, but not nearer the hole.

The ball may be cleaned when lifted under this Rule.

When a ball is in motion, an obstruction that might influence the movement of the ball, other than equipment of any player or the flagstick when attended, removed or held up, must not be moved.

When in doubt always remember

Play the ball as it lies

Play the course as you find it

And if you can't do either;

do what is fair

But to do what is fair you need to know the Rules of Golf.