The pro shop has a new look and feel!

Greetings from Erinvale Monday, 10 October 2016

CAPTAIN'S CHAT

It has been a few weeks since you last heard from me and I apologise but it has been very busy around the clubhouse lately. Lots to catch up on.

The spring hollow-tining has been completed and I am pleased to say that the course has recovered very well. We did experience some fusarium infection on a few holes but Greg has done an outstanding job in getting it under control with the greens responding well.

Friday, 30 September saw the second Club Draw take place and again we had a good turnout. The 18:00 draw was won by Ian Pennel who received R1,206.00 and the 18:30 draw was won by Alan Bent who received R1,809.00. On to the much awaited19:00 draw which was standing at R8,015.00. Howard Joyner’s name was drawn but unfortunately he was not present so it carries over to the end of this month. If the trend continues then I would expect the next draw to be worth at least R11,000.00. So if you want to have a shot at winning, then get your name and money in quickly and be there on the night! Besides the draw it is very festive with music, food and drinks to enjoy.

The alterations to the gents change room are almost complete and looking great. It is a lot lighter and has a spacious feel to it. We still have to get some pictures done to hang on the walls to put the finishing touch to it and here we are looking for a stunning shot of the course with the mountains as a backdrop.

The refurbishment of the pro shop is complete and for those who came to the opening thank you for your support. Judging by the comments it is a success and the 20% discount on all goods at the opening saw the shop have a good taking in just two hours. Thanks you again to those members who voted with their purchases. A couple from Sydney popped in and were so impressed with the design and layout that they took our ideas back with them to implement at their club. We now have a truly modern, spacious and bright pro shop. A big thank you must go to Global Golf who paid for the redecoration and fittings that topped R500,000.00 so I hope our members will support them and our club as we benefit financially from every sale that goes through the shop.



The re-opening of our pro shop

Our pro shop's new look and feel - it's brighter, more modern and more spacious!

I am very pleased to be able to report that the quality of the food being served since the arrival of our new Executive Chef, Pierre Fourie, has improved exponentially. I am hearing favourable comments every day and from members who said they would never eat in the club again! Congratulations to Pierre and his team on the good work in turning it around.

So, with all of these new changes the last piece in the puzzle was to get the front-of-house section of the club functioning well. To achieve this, we had to get someone who would be the link between all the departments and especially the kitchen. Welcome on board to Barend Lindes who joins us as clubhouse manager. He has a tough job ahead of him but he welcomes the challenge and I am sure he is going to make a difference. Please give him your support as he builds a strong team to deliver world class service to you and our guests.

On the golfing side I am pleased to announce that the Harry Solomon team is doing very well and has won both games played so far. Well done to Willem van der Merwe for all the organising, that is not easy, and the team on beating two of the top sides in the league. We also play in the Winelands Challenge each year. This was introduced to generate a bond between, Arabella, De Zalze, Erinvale, Pearl Valley and Steenberg. Each side gets to host a match at their club during the year. A team comprises of four ladies and eight men. I am pleased to announce that after three matches Erinvale is in second place behind Pearl Valley with two games to go. It is not about winning but the friendship that exists between the five estates and also gives us the chance to share ideas that we all have in common.

This Thursday we are hosting a very special golf day for our Olympic sprint sensation and champion, Wayde van Niekerk. This is a very prestigious event that will be attended by many top businessmen and dignitaries including our Minister of Sport, Fikile Mbalula. It is a field of over 120 players with a shotgun start. The cherry on the cake is that they were so impressed with our facilities upstairs that they decided to hold the evening banquet at the club and this will bring a lot of revenue. We also owe thanks to the Boland Nomads for agreeing to move their golf day at Erinvale to accommodate this big event.

I see a lot of our swallows returning for the summer season so welcome back to you all and I look forward to seeing you on the golf course. There is certainly a buzz at Eagles and the field is filling up fast.

That’s enough from me for now.

Best regards,
Dean