The South East course seems to be, in my opinion, in rather promising condition for the time of year. I think that the greens are significantly better than they were at this time last year and the damage done by the winter seems to be a lot less severe.
The greens are already fast enough to pose a few problems if you get into the wrong places on the greens. Despite the fact that our team were on the green on the 3rd yesterday, and the fact that we had three attempts at the birdie putt (texas scramble), we still needed Pirjo Halin to hole out for our three from off the front of the green... an easy par.
One thing which is an extra hazard at the moment is the multitude of small stones which the greenkeepers have deposited on the fairways, presumably as part of the defence against wet conditions. I certainly hope that these are doing the course some good, but they are not very nice to hit from and they are making a real mess of my new golf clubs.
The title of this post talks of beginnings, and I have a lot of those that I would like to mention. As well as the season opening Avajaiskisa and the first points won in the 2014 KCT, this weekend also marks the beginning of the kuukausikilpailu, the opening of entries for our matchplay competitions and the start of our three eclectic competitions.
Kuukausikilpailu
The kuukausikilpailu is one of the most popular competitions at Kytäjä and usually sees more than 300 rounds played per year. The kuukausikilpailu has seven rounds, during May there is one round on the South East course while in June, July and August there is one round on each course. Each participant may play once in each of the rounds but can play on any day of the month, from any tees they desire, the scoring is done using stableford points (pistebogey). If you would like to play in this competition then just inform the caddiemasters before your round and they will give you a specially marked scorecard, the entry fee is €5 per round. After the seven rounds are completed each player's final total is calculated based on their 5 best scores from the 7 rounds and the overall winners are determined.
Each of the kuukausikilpailu rounds counts as its own KCT event as does the final position in the kuukausikilpailu overall... so you can really boost your position in the KCT Order of Merit by playing well in the kuukausikilpailu.
Reikäpeli competitions
This year we once again have six different reikäpeli competitions to offer for our members, the entries for these competitions are open from now until May 31st (give your name to the caddiemaster!!) and I hope that many of you will enter one or more of these great events.
Miesten tasoituksellinen reikäpeli - individual handicap matchplay for men, from the 55 tees, with full handicap difference.
Naisten tasoituksellinen reikäpeli - individual handicap matchplay for ladies, from the 49 tees, with full handicap difference.
Seniorien tasoituksellinen reikäpeli - individual handicap matchplay for seniors (men and ladies together in the same competition), from the 55 tees (men) and 49 tees (ladies), with full handicap difference.
Reikäpelimestaruus - individual scratch matchplay from the 64 tees.
Reikäpeli Cup - mixed foursomes (played in pairs - one man, one lady) handicap matchplay.
Nelipallo Cup - fourball betterball pairs matchplay
Matchplay is the only form of golf where you really play head to head against your opponent, it is a great way to test your skills on the course, to meet and to get to know other club members. Please join in and learn to appreciate the excitement that comes with this different way of playing golf!
Eclectic
Last but not least we have the eclectic competitions. In an eclectic competition your best score at each hole, over a number of rounds is the one that counts for your final score, for example:
All of our eclectic competitions are free to enter, and any round of nine holes or more, played from any tees, can be counted for the eclectic (your first eclectic round must have a score for all 18 holes). The eclectic is a strokeplay event so any hole that wish to count for your eclectic must be properly putted out (no gimmies in the eclectic!).
The mens and juniors eclectic scores are calculated based on scorecards. If you want to play in the eclectic then you need to leave your eclectic cards in the eclectic post box near to the door in the mens changing rooms.
The ladies eclectic is managed by the players themselves, each player marks their scores on the form in the ladies changing rooms.
The eclectic is a really fun competition because it gives you something to play for every time you play, you might have had a terrible day on the course but you can still rescue somehting from the experience by making an eclectic in the final few holes.
For those of you who sometimes play golf with a junior (maybe a family member or a friend) then please encourage them to play in the junior eclectic, it is a great way to keep them interested to try and beat their previous best hole scores.
All members are very welcome to join these competitions.
Well, thats enough from me this time... enjoy your games!
Andy