Dear members,
The date of the Club Championship is just one week away, and I would like to give you an update.
The Committee considered the fact that for many members it was physically impossible to play off White and Blue tees for two days in a row and therefore introduced a Plate competition where everyone can play and enjoy the Championship event. We now have a record number of entries – 101 and we are very happy with such a turnout.
Those who feel ready and fit to play in the Championship will have an opportunity to do so on a more or less equal playing field, with the golfers of the same caliber. The same would apply to those who elected to participate in this great Club event by playing in the Plate competition with a more relaxed stableford format. About 2/3 of allocated tee times are given to the Championship with 1/3 going to the Plate. The Championship will be played in flights of three players teeing off every nine minutes. The Plate will be played in flights of four players also teeing off every nine minutes. The Committee relies on the Director of Golf to provide two marshals each with a buggy for both competition days. So far, we see a field of 74 players taking part in the event. We were given two extra tee times at 10:00 and 10:10 by the management, but any additional tee times are being limited by a CGF event – Junior Order of Merit (JOOM) that is scheduled to begin at 10:20 on May 12th. The Committee is unaware of the reason these two competitions clash, as the Championship dates were set as far back as in November 2023 and this should not have happened, but the management has not provided any explanation.
Today – is the last day a member could sign up for the Championship and Plate competitions. Given the large number of entries and the availability of tee times it is expected that some members would not be able to take part in the competitions. There is a requirement for a three 2024 qualifying competitions for the Championship, then also the standard “Allocation of Competition Slots” procedure is in place.
15 Championship prizes and 12 Plate prizes are awaiting the winners. That’s 27 prizes in total that will be awarded to 27 different players (no one player can win two prizes, he/she will be awarded a higher value prize). The awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 12th around 3 pm. following the conclusion of the competition. There will be a free BBQ buffet for the participants and a concert played by some very talented children. The awards ceremony will be attended by two girls from Latvia whose visit to Cyprus became possible thanks to your generous donations to the Club’s 2024 charity – “Rainbow in Cyprus”.
By making the Championship event more inclusive the Committee has received some unhappy and a lot of positive feedback from the members. We do understand that it is never possible to please everyone, and we remain determined to act in the best interests of all or at least a vast majority of the members.
Best regards,
Boris Zilbermints
Captain
