Sages President Newsletter September 2016
SAGES SENIOR GOLFERS
The Website of Sages Senior Golfers of South Africa
President: Alec Dixon, 079 879 7895
Vice President: Martin van Eeden, 082 826 0172
Secretary: Elfie Alston, 082 775 0827
Treasurer: Trevor Woollett, 073 501 6339
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President se Nuusbrief / President's Newsletter
Dear Fellow SAGES
It is important to keep all our members in touch with developments and initiatives within SAGES. Therefor this newsletter should be available to everyone - on the website and via e-mail from our national secretary to each branch. Please pass this newsletter on to the members who may have to rely on printed media for information.
The Northern Mini, played at Reading and organised by South Rand SAGES, was fully subscribed with 136 players. Vaal SAGES, as you will see on the website took the honours. Thank you South Rand for your labours and hospitality!
The SAGES of Southern Cape will be hosting the Cape Mini at Pinnacle Point, a challenging course, especially when a cold wind howls across the fairways from the sea. We hope to announce at that prize-giving the exact number of golf balls that did not manage to cross the sea from the tee box to the green on the par 3.
The official entry forms for the Namibian SAGES national tournament to be played at Rossmund near Swakopmund from 7-11 November must still reach us. Please consider making up a fourball. You WILL enjoy the tournament and discover Jägermeister.
Zululand SAGES are hard at work preparing for the National Tournament to be played at Richards Bay and Empangeni from 8-12 May next year. The date will NOT change even if there is a meter of snow on the courses. The NMC will co-operate where we can to ensure that the 2 major sources of discontent at previous nationals, namely slow play and manipulated handicaps, are addressed. Too many good SAGES throw in the towel after a 6-hour round or after being pipped at the post by a player with a “managed” handicap who cannot recite the Rotary Four Way Test without blushing:
The SAGES who cannot answer YES to those questions about their scores, should mend their ways, and they should not be in teams for national (and mini) tournaments.
As far as slow play is concerned, consider the impact one very slow player (by nature and through physical limitations) had on a national tournament: four following four-balls had to putt out simultaneously in the dark on the 18th hole. SAGES care for fellow SAGES and show great tolerance for their frailties, but branches should ensure that all their team members CAN play a round in under 5 hours. Zululand should marshal slow play firmly next year and fourballs who do not speed up, should be asked to pick up and move on to the next hole Slow play should not be allowed to spoil the day for the rest.
The NMC team is really firing on all cylinders and is addressing the big and the small matters timeously. We had a work session in Pietermaritzburg recently to focus on where we are and where we wish to be as an organization. Alec Dixon, our vice-president, is busy putting together a working document that will shortly be shared with our members. Challenges and opportunities will surely be identified, and addressed with the co-operation of all SAGES.
I am asking branches to commit themselves as necessary to keep SAGES healthy and allow it to prosper. SAGES wishes to be the leading organization that caters for social golf for seniors in South Africa. We will all benefit from greater recognition from other organizations.
As a start to the process, I am asking each branch to commit to our growth objective that the NMC has felt is realistic:
3200 SAGES members by 31/12/2020
Some branches have waiting lists for new members, while others are struggling. Obviously conditions differ, and the economy is forcing members to adjust, but we need to focus on the reasons for resignations, as well as what pleases them. Most new members join because a friend invited them. If each SAGE can identify a golfer who will benefit from SAGES, and who can be of benefit to SAGES, we will reach that target very soon. Maybe those successful branches want to tell us the reasons for their success? Highveld has agreed to start the ball rolling.
The NMC will help to drive the processes to adapt and thrive. In the end every member should stand a bit taller and be even more proud of who we are and what we do for our fellow senior golfers.
Yours in SAGES.
SAGES National President
Omdat dit belangrik is om almal op hoogte hou van verwikkelinge in SAGES, word hierdie nuusbrief op die webwerf geplaas en ook aan takke se sekretarisse per e-pos gestuur. Nie almal het al die katoeters vir die internet of slimfone nie – maak asseblief maar kopieë waar nodig.
Die pas afgelope Noordelike Mini, wat Suid-Rand SAGES by Reading aangebied het, het ‘n vol huis van 136 spelers gehad. Vaalrivier SAGES, het met die louere weggeloop, soos julle op die webwerf kan sien. Dankie Suid-Rand vir jul harde werk en gasvryheid.
Die SAGES van Suid-Kaap reel die Kaapse Mini vir Oktober by Pinnacle Point - ‘n katjie wat jy nie sonder handskoene aanpak nie, veral as die koue wind van die see jou beanie van jou kop probeer afwaai nie. Ons sal by die prysuitdeling aankondig hoeveel balle in die see geland het van die bof op die syfer 3 waar jy oor die see moet speel.
Ons wag nog vir die amptelike uitnodiging na die nasionale toernooi van NAMIBIË SAGES wat by Rossmund naby Swakopmund gespeel word van 8-12 November 2016. Dié manne is gasvry en julle SAL die toernooi geniet. Ondersteun hulle asseblief en leer dieselfde tyd iets van Jägermeister.
Zoeloeland SAGES werk reeds hard aan die volgende Nasionale Toernooi by Richardsbaai en Empangeni van 6-12 Mei volgende jaar. Ek belowe die datum sal nie weer verander nie al lê die sneeu ook ‘n meter diep by die opening.
Die nasionale bestuurskomitee (NBK) sal hard probeer om te verseker dat die twee grootste bronne van kritiek op vorige toernooie, naamlik stadige spel en gemanipuleerde voorgeë, nie weer ‘n problem is nie. Ons verloor goeie SAGES lede wat die handdoek ingooi na ‘n 6-uur ronde, of wat verloor teen ‘n oneerlike speler wat nie sonder om te bloos die Rotary Vierledige Toets kan opsê nie:
Die Vierledige Toets
Van alles wat ons dink, sê of doen
Is dit die WAARHEID?
Is dit teenoor almal REGVERDIG?
Sal dit WELWILLENDHEID en VRIENDSKAP bevorder?
Sal dit vir almal tot VOORDEEL wees?
Ek vra mooi dat diegene wat nie Ja kan antwoord op die 4 vrae oor sy gholf tellings nie, om te besin oor hul oneerlikheid, en ek vra die bestuur van SAGES takke om nie bekende voorgeemanipuleerders vir jul spanne te kies nie
By die onlangse nasionale toernooi moes 4 vierballe (ja, sestien spelers) gelyk probeer set op die laaste putjie in die donker, omdat daar voor hulle ‘n speler was wat nie ‘n ronde in 6 uur kon of wou voltooi nie. As SAGES lede verduur ons mos met liefde en geduld mekaar se skete wat die ouderdom bring, maar ek vra weer mooi dat takke asseblief mense vir die nasionale toernooie kies wat in minder as 5 uur ‘n ronde gholf kan speel.. Ek vertrou Zoeloeland sal seker maak dat ‘n vierbal, wat na ‘n waarskuwing nog steeds meer as ‘n gat agter is, balle optel en aan beweeg. Stadige en selfsugtige spelers mag nie die dag vir almal bederf nie.
Ek hoop bostaande klink nie te drakonies nie – ons wil net die genot van die dag se gholf beskerm.
Die NBK span trek mooi saam, en werk tans ook aan langtermyn sake. Ons het onlangs ‘n werksessie in Pietermaritzburg gehad om te kyk na waar ons is en waar ons wil wees as ‘n organisasie. Alec Dixon, ons vise-president werk tans aan ‘n dokument daaroor. Dit sal eersdaags by julle uitkom. Uitdagings wat aangespreek moet word, asook geleenthede vir ons as organisasie. sal aangeraak word.
Ek vra julle volle samewerking vir inisiatiewe wat groei en lewenskragtigheid kan teweegbring vir SAGES. As SAGES groei en suksesvol na ons senior spelers omsien, baat almal by die groter erkenning en invloed van SAGES.
Om mee te begin, vra ek dat ons almal werk daaraan om die volgende te bereik:
3200 SAGES lede teen 31/12/2020.
Party takke het waglyste, terwyl ander effens krepeer. Omstandighede wissel natuurlik, en die ekonomie veroorsaak dat lede hul opsies moet aanpas, maar ons moet fokus op twee dinge: wat irriteer lede so dat hul bedank, en wat maak hul so gelukkig dat hul met ‘n lied in die hart van ‘n dag se SAGES-gholf tuiskom.
Die meeste SAGES sluit aan omdat iemand hul gevra het. As elke SAGE ‘n nuwe lid werf, sal ons die mylpaal baie vinnig bereik.
Miskien kan daardie suksesvolle takke vir ons ander vertel hoe hul dit regkry om ‘n groot waglys op te bou. Ek het Hoëveld uitgedaag om dit te doen
Die NBK sal die proses van vernuwing help stimuleer sodat elke lid nog meer trots kan wees op wie ons is en wat ons vir senior gholfers beteken.
SAGES Nasionale President
For further SAGES information or queries please contact the National Secretary
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