17th July 2023
News Archive
26th June 2023
President’s Address
Mr Julian Lesser, Federal Member for Berowra.
The Honourable Philip Ruddock, Mayor of Hornsby Shire Council.
Mr Michael Medway, Chairman of Golf NSW and Stuart Frazer, Chief Executive of Golf NSW.
Mr Scott Gresham representing his father and Wendy Gresham also representing her husband Mr Tony Gresham AO and Life Member of Pennant Hills Golf Club.
Members and friends of the Club.
Let me repeat Sue’s welcome to you all here today. The large crowd and the company of our distinguished guests reflect the warmth and respect that Pennant Hills Golf Club is held in.
A small number of hard working people have planned and managed the arrangements for our Centenary and today, the launch day, begins a year of celebration. I am sure that they are relieved that today has finally arrived, that so many people are here, that the weather is so good, and that the celebrations are underway in such a spectacular fashion.
100 is a significant number in golf.
When you begin, it is the number you are anxious to break, beating 100 is a milestone for the novice golfer.
As you progress in the game it becomes the number you are anxious to avoid. This happens soon enough, although as your career advances and the distance you hit the ball reduces; the horror of not breaking 100 becomes an unwelcome reality. One that is not readily shared with those at home who, when you return, ask how your golf was today.
For the good golfer the work inside 100 meters from the cup is an art form. And there is the joy of golf, up and down from less than 100 meters from the green.
Now ………. when the life of your golf club is measured in a span of 100 years, the number takes on an entirely new significance.
Celebrating a century of golf in the Shire of Hornsby and on the same site, is a major accomplishment, it illustrates the resilience, commitment, and dedication of countless members of our club over the course of the past 100 years. It also reflects the strong community support we have enjoyed.
It demonstrates that Pennant Hills Golf Club has endured numerous changes and challenges over this time.
It is evidence of acceptance of the many cultural and societal shifts that have occurred in this period. The economic fluctuations which at times have been severe, are and depression, scarcity and the advances in the technology of golf and of management of a golf course.
Our clubhouse and course were commandeered by the Military in 1942 and the club house home to some 250 soldiers who were camped along the creek. They had plans to dig slit trenches along the third fairway parallel with Pennant Hills Road, thankfully General Hearne who was a member of the club persuaded the Command that perhaps that was not necessary.
The M2 plan originally was to assume the 5th hole and more, thankfully the then recently retired Valuer -General of NSW, Frank Bird was a member of the club and led a delegation to the DMR explaining how it would be far cheaper and more efficient to assume the homes along Mahers Rd, including that of Sir Garfield Barwick, that it might be to encroach on the golf course.
Management and embracement of change over such a long period is not easy, those organisations that are able to do it flourish, those who do not are no longer with us. We have been successful at coping with change because of good people.
Most importantly, and to our credit, to prosper as we have, means that our club has played an important role in the lives of its members and the broader community over a the past 100 years . Pennant Hills Golf Club means something to many people and that is why it is 100 years old and growing.
Reaching the 100-year mark is an opportunity to reflect on the club’s history and achievements, as well as to recognize the people who have contributed to its success.
Perhaps it is 3 things;
- An opportunity to reflect on achievements and enjoy the story – later today we launch the 4th publication of our history by Joan Eyles
- Celebrate the now, have a party, today is the start of celebrating the now and enjoying the camaraderie for which we are well known.
- Plan for the next 100 years, to future proof our club ;
Arrangements are in place to renew our greens and tees, Phil Jacobs of the Player Group has been appointed as the course architect and the work has commenced. It is a major club project and the activity timeline to completion spans the next three years.
Plans to now demolish the old pro shop on my left and to build a state of the art Golf Academy on that site are well advanced. The architectural design is complete and has been funded by our Foundation; the Trustees are in the process of raising additional funds to submit the project for Development Approval before leading an appeal for member funds to complete the building.
Being a 100-year-old club is a remarkable achievement and being members at this time is a special privilege, we share this together and with you all I look forward to the future with enthusiasm and energy.
A club without a history is a club without a soul, we have a deep and eventful history that is well recorded and has provided us with a sustainable culture and personality. Long may it live.
I now invite Scott and Wendy Gresham, in the absence of The Governor to unveil the plaque commemorating our centenary.
10th May 2023
President’s Letter – Course Rejuvenation Update
It seems ages since I wrote in December last setting out the basic steps of the project to rejuvenate our course. This letter is to provide Members with a status report and signal plans for a general presentation of the project.
The Centenary celebrations have provided a sensational chapter in the life of Pennant Hills Golf Club and our course was in spectacular condition for the conduct of the 2023 NSW Amateur causing some to wonder if there was any need to do anything at all to rejuvenate the course. Then in April the Pennant Hills Cup coincided with a massive downpour and despite all attempts to continue on, the course eventually succumbed to the conditions which forced us to abort the event late in the day. Members might visit the YouTube video, click here, and see the water pooling on the greens and the bubbling of air as the moisture soaked into the sub structure. You will also see some excellent golf and how smart the course appears on television.
Project Status
It is worthwhile repeating the basic steps outlined in the December letter and to describe where we now stand in the timeline. At that stage we were in the second step and digesting the reaction from the Review Groups. It was planned to incorporate that feedback into the detailed design and to present the option(s) to all Members. Since then, the Technical Committee [1] elected to undertake some field trials by testing the concepts using a group of players from the Men’s Pennant Team and a similar group drawn primarily from the Women’s team.
These trials proved invaluable, the participants played to flags positioned in greens envisaged by the Concept Design. We were testing the feasibility of the concept. One part of the concept was the extension of the 11th hole to a shared “L shaped” green with a reduction in length of the 3rd hole. The big hitters approached that green using 3 woods or long irons and illustrated the safety risks to players of the 3rd hole from high, long and wayward shots from the 11th fairway to the shared green. The risk of injury was considered such that the concept should not proceed. This had a domino effect on the planned reduction of 12th hole to a par 4 and a similar effect on the lengthening of the 7th and the re-siting of the 4th green and tee.
In the interim, our architect Phil Jacobs was instructed to proceed with the detailed design of the 14 greens that would not be impacted by the changes outlined above. We have subsequently discussed the results of the trial with Phil and the need to make changes to the 3rd hole to reduce the incidence of balls straying on to Pennant Hills Road. The completion of the Detailed Design is in Phil’s hands and we are currently considering a visit by Phil in early June.
Member Presentation
The discussion about the trials and the concept design might be difficult to follow for those who were not part of the Review Groups. Similarly, those who were part of the Review Groups may be keen to understand what the trials mean to the final Detailed Design. The current concept drawings, feedback from the Review Groups, scheduling plans and comparative data will be available for Member viewing and comment within the next two weeks. A display will be developed and set up in the Meeting Room opposite the Board Room. Barnaby will shortly provide an email message to all Members advising the dates that Board Members and/or Members of the Technical Committee will be on hand to discuss matters and answer Member questions.
We are late with this presentation, but the focus was and will always be on getting it right rather than getting it done quickly. The presentation for Member viewing will be:
- Exactly the same as was presented to the Review Groups
- Include feedback from the review groups
- Explain the outcome of the trial testing
- Provide a schematic representation of the likely Final Design
- Include a timeline and scheduling plan
Likely Final Design
The only major change to our course is likely to be the shortening of the 3rd hole to a par 4 for general play from the white tees for Men and retaining the par 5 from the existing championship tee. This means a par 70 for general play and par 71 from the championship tee. The white tee and Women’s tee will be bought forward and lowered considerably.
Other changes will be increased green sizes and small directional changes to tees. Otherwise we retain what is known as the 1937 course number 5. We are blessed with an astonishing undulation, a clever and varied layout of holes, beautiful tree plantings within a delightful garden surround and to have tried various ways to improve this without success is not surprising. Bunker redesign, relocation of some bunkers and removal of others will provide visual improvement and lower operating costs.
Other Consideration
The Board tried a number of options to incorporate additional practice facilities without being able to achieve this except by reduction in course length and removal of a considerable number of trees. Previous Boards have given thought to the inclusion of a driving range and arrived at a similar conclusion. We are land locked and have lost some perimeter space to the freeway and Pennant Hills Road; we must live with what we have.
The Golf Academy proposed by the Foundation with state-of-the-art trackman and teaching facilities will provide a welcome improvement for Members. The Board proposes that a reasonable amount of free access to the facility for Members will be included in the benefits attaching to their subscription category.
A cart path is included in the detailed design but is not a deliverable of the project. We appreciate that a cart path is a condition required by a number of Members to get out on the course. The path will be constructed in part but will not be completed within the 3-year timeline that is expected for the course work.
I am sure you will enjoy the presentation, good luck with your golf.
Michael Rowan
President
[1] The Technical Committee reports to the Board and comprises Michael Rowan, Damian Maguire, Neil Rolfe, David Blackshaw, Liam Ash, Barnaby Sumner and Paul Watts. The Technical Committee has no authority to act other than is sanctioned by the Board.
27th April 2023
Living History – Time Travel from 1925 to 2023
The latest from Bruce Jones who notes:
“Thanks to some long forgotten photographers, we have a few photographs of some parts of the course taken as far back as 1925.
For years the heavy growth of vegetation in the Devlins Creek Gully has hidden the locations, but we now can locate exactly just where these photos were taken.
With the aid of Photoshop, I hope you enjoy seeing these photos replicated with the original participants in the same location on the 2023 course.”
Click here to view video.
22nd April 2023
Governors Luncheon – Sunday, 16 April
We were delighted to welcome the Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC to the Club last Sunday to enjoy a little of our hospitality along with the opportunity for Her Excellency to unveil the Centenary Plaque.
The following letter was sent to Her Excellency by Michael Rowan on behalf of Members:
I write on behalf of the members of Pennant Hills Golf Club, especially those who enjoyed your company and the company of Dennis Wilson on Sunday when you unveiled our Centenary Plaque.
We were initially disappointed that your health prevented you from joining us on February 26 but subsequently buoyed by two pieces of very good news, the first that your health quickly returned and secondly your determination to reschedule that part of the ceremony as soon as could possibly be arranged.
As I mentioned in my welcome, it would have been easy to let it pass. We remain deeply appreciative of your personal resolve to mark our transition from our first 100 years to our second 100 years in the formal way that was originally planned. It is a remarkable illustration of the dignity and understanding you bring to the Governorship of New South Wales and the respect you have for the Institutions and people of our State.
Your story of the granting of the 100 acres of “Kerby Corner” by Governor John Hunter to Rowland Hassall and now in your role as Governor together with your own family connection to Hassall added an interesting and light personal touch. His ministry to the Calvinistic Methodist and Presbyterians of Beecroft may have contributed to the early refusal by the Commissioner to grant a liquor licence on the site to three opportunistic entrepreneurs in the supposed service to the then Beecroft Golf Club who leased the site. Issuing a licence at that time (circa 1907) was dependent on 75% community support; it is not surprising that this was not forthcoming. It was also not surprising that the owners, unsuccessful in getting a licence, then kicked the golf club off and on sold the site. The Beecroft Golf Club moved to Normanhurst and was disbanded in 1912 leading to the later formation of Pennant Hills Golf Club and the purchase of Kerby Corner in 1923 by Robert Vicars. We regularly toast the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.
An amazing story really and the roles played by Hunter and Hassall add a special dimension to you unveiling the Centenary Plaque. We are forever grateful.
Click here to listen to the Governors speech.
Click here to read opening speech by Michael Rowan
Click here to read speech by Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC
