Latest advice received from Golf Australia regarding the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

This information has also been sent to all Club Secretaries.

As you are aware, COVID-19 or the Coronavirus as it is more commonly known has created global health concerns regarding the disease and its infection rates.

Golf Australia is writing to provide further assistance and guidance to our clubs and facilities on this important topic.

It is Golf Australia’s recommendation to clubs and facilities that advice from the Australian Government’s Department of Health should be monitored closely over the coming days and weeks, as well as the Australian Government’s Smartraveller website. Advice may change from day to day.

Please note, Golf Australia remains fully operational for all of your clubs and facilities support, rules and handicapping and competition management requirements. For contact details of each departmental area, please visit [https://www.golf.org.au/contactus/]

Member, Guest and Staff travel advice If your members or guests have recently returned from overseas, they are now required by law to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return, as of midnight on Sunday, March 15. During this period, they should not visit your facility for any reason.

If – in the 14 days prior to Sunday, March 15 – your members or guests have recently returned from or transited through China, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mongolia or South Korea, we recommend that they do not visit your facility for any reason – including use of the golf course only – until the 14 day period has elapsed.

We further recommend that if – in the 14 days prior to Sunday March 15 – members or guests recently returned from or who have transited through Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand or from a cruise holiday and who are experiencing flu-like symptoms do not visit your facility, including use of the golf course only, for 14 days.

For simple, easy to understand advice for your members and guests including important health tips, you can also refer to the World Health Organisation’s advice for the public website.

Member, Guest and Staff health advice Golf clubs and facilities are often heavily trafficked, and there is a chance that a member, guest or member of your staff will be exposed to, or test positive to, COVID-19.

It is vitally important that if a member, guest or staff member tests positive to COVID-19, they must inform the club/facility as soon as possible. If this has occurred, anyone testing positive will be contacted by the State/Territory Department of Health in relation to contact tracing. You should then take advice on ongoing facility operations from your State/Territory Department of Health.

PLAYING GOLF:

It should be noted that the vast majority of golfers can and should continue to visit your clubs or facility as per normal. Of course, golfers should exhibit a heightened awareness of personal hygiene as has been encouraged by state and federal health departments.

CLUBHOUSE & GOLF OPERATIONS:

Clubs should consider reviewing their clubhouse and golf operations ensuring procedures are in place that minimise close person-to-person contact where possible. It is up to club and facility management to consider whether policies on clubhouse opening hours, course opening hours and visitor access require review at this time.

It is important for club boards and management to review contingencies to plan stages ahead for club operations should public information change.

Practices within clubhouses should display a heightened regard for the sanitation of surfaces, of which your cleaning chemical provider will be able to provide guidance on.

Staff and volunteers should exhibit a heightened awareness of personal hygiene as has been encouraged by state and federal health departments.

COURSE MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS:

Clubs and facilities should consider reviewing their course maintenance operations ensuring procedures are in place that minimise close person-to-person contact. Practices within the course maintenance team should display a heightened regard for the sanitation of surfaces, including machinery controls, of which your cleaning chemical provider will be able to provide guidance on. Staff and volunteers should exhibit a heightened awareness of personal hygiene as has been encouraged by state and federal health departments.

Clubs should also consider separating course maintenance staff in to separate shifts to help ensure continuity should self-isolation among your course maintenance staff be required.

Examples of easy to implement changes to regular operations: Some examples of changes for clubs and facilities that will help reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 include:

• Place signage around clubhouse along with hand sanitisers
• Remove use of member cards in place of providing member number at point of sale purchases
• Remove shared items such as complimentary cheese and crackers
• Where possible, leaving doors ajar removing the need to push doors open or turn door knobs
• No hand shaking
• No dollar bets
• Use drink trays for rounds of drinks
• Remove items such as shoe cleaners, sun creams, hair brushes and combs, hair gel and hair dryers from locker rooms
• Sanitise motorised carts, push buggy and sand bucket handles, air compressor handles, before and after use
• Encourage golfers to wear their putting glove when removing the flag stick and when raking bunkers
• Remove cash transactions and encourage ‘Pay-Wave’ transactions where no contact is required
• Remove small pins from practice putting greens

Bairnsdale GC is holding a fundraiser for Aaron & Heidi Patten after the tragic death of their wife/mother, Gemma

To be held on Saturday 14 March @ the Bairnsdale GC, a bistro night will be held.

See view details for more.

All proceeds from the meals will be donated, together with a number of auction items, including an EZGO golf cart, Rounds of golf at Royal Melbourne and Long Island and a number of other items.

There are limited meals available (120 meals), but if people miss out on a table, you are encouraged to come for a drink and bid for the Auction items.

Will be holding a 2 day golf challenge on the 18-19th April.

New Year’s Eve 2019 was one we want to forget when Mallacoota was so heavily impacted by fire, and the Golf Course didn’t miss out with the best part of 90% of the course impacted, with only the buildings unaffected. We are striving to have the course fully playable by the above date but we may have to have some temporary greens and other restrictions, but it will not stop us having a great weekend. So please get your partners and join us in showing that golf will always prevail

Nominations are invited from golfers (Men & Women) with an official GA Handicap to form a two person team and register to compete in the Mallacoota Medley Challenge.

The two day competition will offer players the opportunity to participate in a tournament played under an innovative and challenging two person team aggregate format.

Men and Women will be restricted to a maximum playing handicap of 27 & 36 respectively. Players with handicaps over these limits are still eligible and encouraged to enter and play, however their handicaps will be adjusted to 27(Men) and 36(Ladies) for the 1st round and the men only will be adjusted, if necessary, for the Sunday as per the handicap adjustment table – which will be handed out on the first day.

See the events page for further details and entry form.

Country Girls Play Golf.

An initiative instigated by Tania Holmes of South Pines GC has been recognised by Golf Victoria as one of the leading programs addressing their Vision 2025.

See view details for all recognised Vision 2025 initiatives and text box for Country Girls Play Golf article.

Due to the recent bushfires in the East Gippsland area, the Snowy River Classic has been postponed until the Australia Day weekend - 24th/26th January.

Entries are still open and can be made by contacting Chris Shanahan on 0419 106 602

During the recent bush fire emergency in East Gippsland it is believed that Mallacoota Golf Club was impacted by the fire storm that burnt through the area on the 30th December.

Update: It has been confirmed that both the Mallacoota & Buchan Valley clubhouses remain intact and undamaged by the fires.****

Our thoughts are with everyone associated with these clubs, and the wider community and hope you are all safe.

Jan Hobson has been awarded life membership of the South Pines Golf Club.

Jan has been a member of South Pines since 2002 and treasurer since 2009 when she took over from the late Peter Fiddian.

Jan’s commitment to the club in that role has been outstanding and devotes many hours a week ensuring the clubs finances are properly accounted for.

A well deserved honour for someone who puts in countless hours for the club.

Congratulations to Orbost’s Jorja Voss & Blake Robinson, who together with South Pines, Will Guy and Jamieson Stewart of Bairnsdale all ventured to Kooringal Golf Club, Melbourne to play in the State Final of the Primary Schools Championship.

The players had to play in local and regional qualifying events before heading to Melbourne and all gave it their best shot on what is a difficult track for juniors.

On behalf of Golf East Gippsland, well done Jorja, Blake, Jamieson and Will for representing our District and we hope that this is just the start of a long golfing experience for you all.

Johanna Wyllie of Tambo Valley GC has won the National Lefthand Association Championship played @ Royal Hobart GC. The 72 hole stroke play event was shortened to 54 holes due to wild winds making the course unplayable on day one. While Johanna is a duel and reigning World Lefthand ladies Champion, this was the first time she had competed in the National Championships. A final round of 3 over, 76, was enough for Johanna to secure the title.

Golf East Gippsland Inc was created on the 24th November 2019 following the amalgamation of the East Gippsland Women’s Golf & East Gippsland District Golf Association. The amalgamation of the two parties was the last in the State of Victoria and promises to be an exciting future of Golf in our region. The new Committee of Management is:

Karen Liedke (Kings Cove) President

Clive Storey (Orbost) Vice President

Janet Gibson (Bairnsdale) Sec/Treas.

Christine Munday (Maffra) Lady Captain

Chris Shanahan (Orbost) Men Captain

Brett Wyllie (Tambo Valley) Committee

Barry Hoskin (Bairnsdale) Committee

View the ‘About the GEG’ tab to read more on each of our Committee members.

The Annual General Meetings of EGWG and EGDGA will be held at Bairnsdale Golf Club on Sunday, 24 November 2019, at 11 am. At these meetings, a vote will be taken on the amalgamation or otherwise of the two current associations. As evidenced at the meeting of clubs held on 21 August 2019, the vote is expected to be in the affirmative. If so, the first meeting of Golf East Gippsland Inc. will then immediately take place (if not, election of office-bearers for each association will then proceed).

In preparation, please find attached the Nomination form for Office bearers of Golf East Gippsland Inc. (Meeting papers for the individual AGM’s will be forwarded in due course by the respective secretaries).

With the future in mind and as all positions are vacant, the Working Party is keen to encourage all clubs to consider how they may be involved and contribute to the new district association, and welcomes multiple nominations for each position.

Please note that nomination forms must be received by the returning officer by 15 November 2019.

See view details for nomination form

Men’s & Ladies Country Week matches have concluded.

East Gippsland Golf was represented in the Country Week contest with both men’s & ladies teams.

The men were in Division 2 and had a solid competition, eventually finishing third overall, with 1 win, two tied and 1 loss. They tied with eventual winner, West Gippsland DGA, and that was the closest any team got to West Gippsland as they swept all before them.

East Gippsland Women were in Division 1, having been promoted the year before. A couple of late withdrawals due to injury and illness unsettled what would have been a strong team and unfortunately success was never obtained. East Gippsland women will be relegated to Division 2 next year where they hope to re group and have a repeat of their 2018 success.

Thank you to all players, caddies and team officials who attended Country Week and represented our District.