Word from Golf Director, Stephen Chick
Happy New Year and I hope everyone has enjoyed the festive holiday period.
Firstly, congratulations all of those who played in this year’s club championship which seemed like a lot of fun to play in, as it was certainly fun to coordinate and watch on. I saw many players managed to improve their scores on Sunday which was an impressive achievement in the conditions. The course was deliberately setup in championship fashion to be more challenging with some different tee positions (forward or back from normal) and with some pins tucked away or discretely cut near extreme slope to provide a new test. The unexpected higher winds certainly increased the difficulty as this often causes subconscious unforced errors but as an external factor controlled by mother nature, welcome to golf! As I mentioned during the awards, the 2019 championship would mark the birth of the new Match-play Championship trophy, so another well done to those of you who qualified for the top 32 and good luck in your matches, I look forward to seeing who will be the club match-play king or queen to be awarded at the 2020 club championship. A final congratulations is extended to Ma Su Su Hlaing and U Win Sein who both played some impressive Golf over 2 days to both be deserved multiple champions for a 9th & 4th time.
In other news, I would like to advise that you will notice construction works around the lobby & sales gallery from mid-January onward and minimal disruption will be attempted during peak operation hours. Also, please be advised of a restructured caddie fee rate with effect from February 1st to reflect changes in the labor law and MMK.
Finally, for some Golf Course housekeeping;
Golf balls; please note as per the RandA rules of Golf, ‘rule 18.2a(1)/1’ that you have 3 minutes to look for a lost ball, after these 3 minutes, if not found, your ball is declared lost and you must take the next step of action. Once a ball is lost, this ball becomes the Golf club property and is the club’s responsibility to find and collect all lost balls and this is a job for our local staff. So it is with this information that I request all members and your guests to look for your own ball only and avoid temptation of 'ball hunting' for balls that may or may not be on display for our local staff to collect.
Spike/shoe marks; please take the greatest care when walking on the greens, too often I notice peoples trailing foot or shoe marks which twist and cause damage to the greens, so this is a kind request to take care of your foot marks when walking on greens where the short cut grass is most delicate.
Ball marks; as Pun Hlaing experiences a high volume of Golfers please work with us on helping repair your ball marks and do not hesitate to ask your caddie to repair a random ball mark should you see one un-repaired. A player’s ball mark is their own responsibility, however it is assumed that this is the duty of a caddie which is fine to assume, however at times these can be easily missed so if we work together on this I am sure it will help provide the best putting surfaces for all players at PHGC.
Word from Agronomist, Dan Green
The recently held club championship was a great success particularly for the low handicap golfers who openly declared their appreciation of the fast green speeds. It should be remembered that a club championship is about finding the best male and female golfers within the membership so therefore the course will naturally be set up to be challenging. I am often requested to increase the green speed and whenever possible we will push the agronomic limits of the grass species we have. For the championship, we did just that. The temperatures then dropped resulting in even faster greens that were the same speed as those on European PGA Tour events. What members experienced were true tournament green speeds and due to the greens contouring, any pin placement was going to be tough. The winners truly deserved their wins.
What goes down, usually has to come back up again, so the height of cut of the greens was raised after the championship to keep the grass alive. We are constantly changing the height of cut on the greens, up to three times a week to adjust to various pressures. For example, heat stress, cold stress, low light levels, low oxygen levels in the soil profile, disease pressure, compaction and inevitably golfer pressure. These are constant demands to be monitored so that greens can continue to perform 365 days of the year.
Golfer pressure can come in many forms, the most obvious being the high volume foot traffic from the number of golfers that we work around on a daily basis. However, please consider the safety of staff when playing your shot and follow some basic Golf etiquette as below;
1. Wait until the fairway or green is clear of any staff or golfers before hitting.
2. Repair your ball-marks or instruct your caddie to do so.
3. Do not drag or twist your feet on the greens.
4. Ensure you or your caddie rake footprints in the bunkers.
Respect for the golf course will help everyone enjoy the course in the best condition possible.
News
- The Match-play Championship draw has been made and please contact your opponent and arrange to complete your match by 2nd February.
- Please check out our NEW website. Now when your friends are thinking to visit and play you can easily send this link with all our latest information. www.yomagolf.club
Previous Events
Club Championship 2019 WINNERS
(please check our Facebook page to see all images from the event)
In recognition of 9 Club championship victories Ma Su Su Hlaing was presented with a framed photo to be placed in the Ladies locker room. Can next year be 10?
Results
Division A Men
1st U Win Sein
2nd Mr Choon Seop Kim
3rd Mr Kang Gil Bum
Division A Lady
1st Ma SuSu Hlaing
2nd Mrs Chun Min
3rd Daw Queenie
Division B Men
1st Mr Tiberius Popa
2nd Mr Peter Beynon
3rd Mr Matt Scranton
Division B Lady
1st Mrs Ahn Seung Hee
2nd Mrs Bak Jung Sook
3rd Daw Nan Myint
We would like to thank all sponsors who contributed making this event such a success. Thanks goes to; Dulwich College Yangon, Mercedes-Benz, F45 Training Hlaing, Nuzest, Worldbridge, Golf Asian, Winelink, JOGS Pte, Carlsberg, Ducati, Pun Hlaing Siloam hospital, Cannon, 100plus, Hotel G, Inya Lake Hotel, Ikon Mart, Asia World, Ace Water Tank, JJ Pun, Double Eagle & MrNa.
Future Events
January
Saturday 18th - STAR CITY LINKS Championship & re-brand launch @ Star City Links
February
Sunday 2nd FNI Fun Fever Event (afternoon shotgun)
Saturday 29th DIGAY Tournament (afternoon shotgun)
April THINGYAN Holiday Announcement
PHGC will be CLOSED from Monday 13th April to Friday 17th April & OPEN again Saturday 18th April
Hole in One (November)
Mr Chin Hisung – Hole No. 6
General Reminders
- Early morning Tee offs are currently 06:10 due to the later sunrise.
- Golf ball hunting; please search for Golf balls from your own shots only.
- Avoid foot dragging / twisting on greens
- Thingyan Holiday CLOSING period 13.4.20 - 17.4.20
- Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/punhlainggc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/punhlainggolf
Caddie Corner
Congratulations to Sandar Win (No. 755) who was the 2019 Caddie Tournament Winner!
New Members
A very warm welcome the Club;
Mr Sumida Yoji
There are villas, semi-detached, townhouses, built around Gary Player designed golf course. Whatever your taste, Yoma Land real estate professionals are devoted to uniting you with your dream property. To schedule a viewing, just connect with us and we are ready to provide you with unrivalled service.
To buy and buy-to-rent, email punhlaingsales@yomaland.com or call 01 3687 778
To rent, email rentals@yomaland.com or call 09 777 194 888