E-News

The refreshment/bar area is in its final stages and once everything is completed we will go back to council for an occupation certificate, and then hopefully it won't be too long before we can start utilising the new area.

The new bar/refreshment area will consist of both an indoor and outdoor seating area which can hold up to approximately 80 people at any given time. The outdoor area will be covered and have glass frontage for views of the golf course as well as BBQ facilities available for groups. Everything going to plan we hope to be in the new area in the next 4-6 weeks.

The strength of the dollar has also seen a huge reduction in prices and with some of the leading companies dropping their prices by a whopping 20%.
 
Counterfeits continue to be a hot topic in the golf industry with more and more people being affected. Please be careful when purchasing online and if the price seems to good to be true it usually is for a reason.

You can support the golf industry by reporting counterfeit good via the Counterfeit Alert Network. All submissions remain as anonymous and confidential.

Take advantage of 10% discount on all Driving Range Ball hire via the new Ridge Range Card.

• Cardholders receive 10% discount on all driving range ball hire from the dispensing machine when credit is placed on the card.

• Cards are limited to a maximum of $100 credit at any given time. Credit can only be redeemed for hire of golf driving range balls at the Ridge Golf Driving Range. No cash refunds for credit available.

• Cards are provided free to customers and are limited to one per customer and are not transferable.

The biggest brands in the golf industry visit The Ridge Golf Driving Range on a regular basis, giving you the opportunity to try out all the latest gear. Just purchase a bucket of balls from the office and have a swing.

Bucket Prices: Small Bucket $6.50 Medium Bucket $11.50 Large Bucket $16.50

Upcoming dates: 1st June- Ping, Titleist 4-7pm 8th June- Mizuno, Callaway 4-7pm 29th June- Nike 4-7pm

The Ridge Social Golf Club continues to go from strength to strength. The Social club has grown to over 400 members which is exciting to see the interest in the golf course.

New (yellow) Social Club member cards will be issued upon renewal / registration. Old cards will not be valid from 1 July 2011.

Special Offer: Register or renew for 1 year ($99.00) and receive a ½ hour Professional Golf Lesson with your membership. ½ hour lesson valued at $60.00

Ben Grylewicz,
(Superintendent, Turnpoint)

Cooler weather is upon us once again.  The golf course has come through another season with high respectability.  I can say now that we are starting to have the greens at a more consistent speed and firmness.  More frequent rolling along with the drier weather of late has brought them to a level that you would see at championship time.  Hopefully we can maintain some warm temperatures for winter growth and repair.  Fairways are also covered over well and continue to improve.  A significant pre emergent weed control program is in place to keep the course free of unwanted pests.

Future programs throughout winter will be a heavy planting schedule for trees and shrubs in the mulch areas, alongside with the start of the construction of the next 9 holes.  This is forecast to start towards the end of June.  With all things going well and decent weather we hope to bring it all together for the middle of 2012.  Also overhauls to the garden beds outside of the golf course will begin to upgrade the appearance of the whole facility.

Things to consider whilst playing golf are the entry and exit points in and out of bunkers.  It is preferred that you come in from the back of the bunker and not down the face as repair work is difficult and will also be exposed to what we call a poached egg in the bunker wall.  Ball marks are also a huge problem especially over the winter months so please take care in folding your pitch marks in and over. HAPPY GOLFING

Regards,
Ben Grylewicz (Superintendent)

"While the interest rates seem to be always going up it's nice to see that some things do go down in price, our junior camp is a big part of our junior calendar and if by dropping the price we expose more kids to our great game then everyone is a winner" - Kurt Stegbauer

The camp is a 3 day camp which goes from 9am -3.30pm on all three days.
The juniors receive coaching, range balls, morning tea, lunch, 2 x 9 holes of golf, prizes and a lot of fun. > Read More / Register

If you have any queries feel free to email kurt@theridgegolf.com.au

The SSGA is proud to announce that Maxfli, Ping and Titleist / Footjoy have come on board as sponsors of our Junior Program. All three companies were more than keen to support the future of Junior golf out at the Ridge.

Their sponsorship will enable the juniors to play for some great prizes while being been given an opportunity to keep up to date with the latest training aids.

The 3 representatives from each Golf company had this to say about sponsoring the program:

• Tony Foster from Maxfli - "We are very proud to be associated with Kurt and all the staff at The Ridge golf course and The Sutherland Shire Golf Academy. Their program to develop Junior golf is second to none and I am only too please to have the Maxfli brand associated with the program."
  
  
• Brad Glass from Ping - "American Golf Supplies & PING are proud to partner with The Sutherland Shire Golf Academy in continuing to develop Junior Golf in the Sutherland Shire. Kurt & Gary provide a variety of quality programs for budding young golf enthusiasts and PING is delighted to be associated with their commitment to Junior golf."
  
  
• Dane Price from Titleist / Footjoy - " Titleist and Footjoy are proud to be associated with the Sutherland Shire Golf Academy and the Ridge golf course, the SSGA offers a comprehensive junior program and we are keen to help build the future of the game"

Some new signage will soon be in place at the Ridge promoting all of the junior golf activities while another exciting initiative will be our junior player of the Month award.

Both Kurt and Gary would like to take the opportunity to Thank Maxfli, Ping and Titleist for there generous support.

To check out the latest gear from all the companies click below.

Another year of Free golf clinics for Primary Schools in the Sutherland Shire is under way and I must admit that the move to the younger Year Three classes has been met with great enthusiasm.

So far I have been to Tharawal, St John Bosco, Gymea Bay Public and Kirrawee Primary Schools and have had over 300 children take part in the clinics. I even received a nice email from the class at Kirrawee that had a one liner from each of the students.

I was scheduled to go to another two schools this week but it looks like the rain is going to force them off to a later date. Moving into June I have another six schools booked in and I am working hard to fill up spots in Term 3 as well.

If there are parents, students or teachers out there that would like to see the clinics at their school then please visit the website for more information or contact me via email: darren@theridgegolf.com.au.

We are now taking bookings for all our Term 3 2011 junior programs: Tiger Cubs, Sharks, Birdies and our Scholarship Programs.

The “Get into Golf” clinic format is a cost effective way for new or experienced golfers to improve. Clinics can be ladies, men’s or mixed. There are 3 levels which cover all aspects of the game including: full swing / driving, long game, chipping / pitching, putting, course management, rules, etiquette and on course play.

> Read More / Register

Why not take the worry out of what to do with your kids these school holidays. Enrol them into The SSGA's School Holiday Golf Camp. The SSGA boasts one of the leading junior golf camps in Australia.

Term 3 2011 : July 13th -15th

> Read More / Register

The come and try day is a good opportunity for juniors who have never experienced golf to come and have a try in a fun, monitored and safe environment. All equipment is provided.

Dates: July 12th 2011. - 2pm - 3pm

> Read More / Register

A proficient short game is the fastest way to reduce your handicap. Over 12 months of planning has now resulted in the Whittle-Stegbauer Short Game School.

This will fast become Australia’s premier short game program.

It all started with a mutual respect for each other’s short games, since then they have been connected through coaching circles in Sydney and now after many discussions Glenn Whittle and Kurt Stegbauer have announced that they have officially joined forces and are about to stage their Whittle-Stegbauer Short Game School.

Knowing how much passion we both have for teaching the short game our goal is to become Australia's premier short game school.

Read more / Register > As at today only 5 spots available.

If you have not done so yet, please update your details in our database.

We look forward to seeing you up at The Ridge again soon.

Regards,

Gary Booby and Kurt Stegbauer
- Head Professionals