Les Mielles - Ladies

• Every member should have a copy of a Rule Book.
• The R&A Book of Rules is available free from the booking office and a copy should always be in your golf bag.
• The committee would recommend The R&A Golf Rules Illustrated as an excellent book to learn from - full of useful pictures and real life situations (can be purchased on line from Play.com or Amazon).
• The best pocket size book we have come across is "Do I Get a Drop" and many of you will have bought these at the Summer Presentation (more have been ordered).
• The third book to consider is R&A Decisions on the Rules of Golf – much greater depth as the book contains the queries put to the R&A and their decisions.

Please ask me if you would like to see any of these books before purchase.

• The club have purchased a set of DVDs "Know Your Golf" which covers Rules, Etiquette and Reduce that Handicap and it will be available to watch either at the club or at your home for a short period.

With this in mind I instigated a little red book (with the other signing in books in the clubhouse) at the beginning of the year for use of golfing queries, rule clarifications and general club suggestions; to date this has not been used so please, if you have a query, do use it and then other members can also benefit. We have run a couple of Rule Question Time session in the early months of the year in conjunction with an LGU Medal and many thanks to those Committee

Members who have helped us through matchplay rules and water hazard rules. Further sessions will be arranged in the autumn and winter months. Over the coming months, Rule of the Week will appear on the noticeboard. and will be based queries brought to the Committee’s attention; they will be retained in a folder for further use. The notices will also be posted on the website - www.lesmielles.net/ladies.

Attached to this newsletter is a separate sheet (so you can print off and pop in your bag) –

"10 Golden Rules of Golf". If you adhere to these ten points you can’t go too wrong!

I am planning to incorporate a rules session for all new club members as part of their introduction to the club alerting the ladies to those rules that may be new to them, ie. local rules, water hazards, out of bounds at Les Mielles, etc. Team members playing for the Les Mielles Ladies team for the first time will be encouraged to have sessions with members who are ‘hot on rules’ at the beginning of the season to ensure that Les Mielles Ladies taking part in Matches (and Open Days) will be aware and confident with rules.

It is good to remember that correct application of the Rules is essential to fair play which is very important in a competition – if some players are not abiding by the rules then they may have an unfair advantage.

It is not just the rules that are vital to a round of golf, but etiquette is just as important. You will all have seen my reminders in the March newsletter but also remember that we are all striving to increase our knowledge, and those of our fellow members. As a beginner, I was very grateful to established members of the club who took the trouble to explain the rules of golf, showed me how to take a drop, how to work my stableford points etc. Please help each other out, correct others and accept correction with understanding and gratitude. Far rather that we learn with our friends, rather than finding ourselves in a competitive situation when a penalty may be imposed.

Finally – DO NOT PANIC – Les Mielles Ladies know their rules better than many other clubs - because we have all those wretched hazards on the course - Let us continue in that way!!

Happy golfing

Rachel, Lady Captain