The Brenton Beat

2023 Men’s Amateur

2023 Entry Formv3

Mt Brenton 2023 Amateur Posterv2[1968]

 

The Brenton Beat, April 5 

Hallelujah! The port-a-potties are gone as our renovated clubhouse washrooms are now open for business.
We still need a couple of towel dispensers and proper women/men signs for the doors, but that is all.
Many thanks to Colin Stanhope for doing such a great job.

Breaking news and we can fix it!
Our pro shop now offers members a 10% discount on apparel (clothes, hats, etc., but not balls or other “hard” goods.)

Whether you celebrate Easter, Ramadan, or are of another faith, have a safe and happy long weekend.
Did you know that for millions of people around the world, Easter falls on April 16, 2023?
Orthodox Christians in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East celebrate Easter later than most in the Western world.
It’s because they use a different calendar to work out on what day Easter should fall.

This a reminder that our greens will be punched on April 18 & 19. Only one nine will be open each day.

Not only do folks leave cigarette butts and sunflower shells on our course we now have someone who leaves toothpicks on the course.
Gross doesn’t go far enough to describe this disgusting act.
Have some pride in our course.

Tee time booking revision
The current pro shop policy of canceling “guest” from tee bookings the day before play has been updated.
Members who initially booked the time sometimes forget to call the pro shop to confirm the participation of their pals. The problem arose if the members whose “guests” had been canceled didn’t check their emails.
What happened next? Members who took advantage of the empty spots showed up as did the people originally slated to play, causing undue confusion for pro shop staff.
The new procedure is the word “guests” will be replaced by the word “public”, and the member who booked will get an email showing that.
That member will have an opportunity to call the pro shop about the reason why they are playing with the “public”.
Let’s see how it goes.

New penalties for on-course alcohol infractions
It looks (from the 800 or so empties, 80% of which were unlabelled, found in the recycle bins over 19 days) as though Mount Brenton golfers have mistaken this for a BYOB course.

It is not!

The BC Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) provides strict guidelines and rules for alcoholic beverage service on golf courses and monitors it closely.

Under BC’s liquor laws, all liquor consumed on our course must be purchased at the course and specially labeled as such. Outside liquor is defined as any liquor (including beer) not purchased at MBGC. The club is required to limit the quantity of beverages it will sell to individuals, and this is the primary way LRCB rules help limit overconsumption on or adjacent to the course. Through education and regulation, LRCB rules are intended to help make sure that the service and sale of liquor are done according to law and in a way that keeps customers, guests, and others safe from alcohol-related harm.

The intent is control, not prohibition. The LCRB is not opposed to liquor being sold and consumed on golf courses. It is a legal and socially acceptable practice that provides enjoyment and relaxation for those golfers who choose to imbibe while playing or share a drink with their playing partners after a round.

The issue with outside alcohol is that its distribution cannot be effectively controlled, and the risks of overconsumption, legal liability, impaired driving, and violence are significantly heightened.

The MBGC Board fully supports these principles.
Overconsumption of alcohol detracts from everyone’s enjoyment. The terms of MBGC’s liquor license require the Board of Directors, our staff, and all members to be diligent in trying to prevent the consumption of outside alcohol. We must take this responsibility seriously or risk serious consequences. The LCRB also does frequent inspections to monitor what takes place on the property.
Failure to abide by the rules may result in substantial fines levied against the club, the food and beverage contractor, and staff members, as well as suspension or removal of the permit.
In the fall of 2021, complaints were made to the LCRB about golfers bringing and consuming outside liquor purchased on our course. The LCRB contacted the Board and since that time LCRB officials and MBGC Board members have met on multiple occasions to discuss the specific complaints and the general expectations for control of liquor on golf courses.
The LCRB has identified the problem of outside liquor being consumed on Vancouver Island golf courses as a serious concern and is ramping up its monitoring of this activity.
As a result, the Board has adopted a zero-tolerance policy with respect to outside alcohol.
As permitted under our liquor license, we can, and will, search golf bags, carts, and coolers if there is any indication that they may contain outside alcohol, and all outside alcohol found will be confiscated. All our staff—pro shop, grounds crew, office managers, and course marshals—are empowered to report all rule breaches.
And we ask you, as members and owners of our golf course, to be vigilant and report alcohol-related transgressions to either the pro shop, office, or restaurant. All incidents will be documented and reported to the Board and as required, to the LCRB.
Our zero-tolerance policy will contain a three-pronged progression of penalties for both members and public golfers.
First offence — the golfer or golfers found in possession of outside alcohol will be asked to leave the course immediately and will receive a written warning from the Board. No refund or rain check will be given.
Second offence — automatic 30-day suspension of booking and playing privileges from the date of infraction.
Third offence — immediate indefinite suspension, and the golfer or golfers will be subject to a Board disciplinary hearing which may result in further penalties up to and including permanent banishment from the course or termination of membership.
The consumption of any alcohol in our parking lots and in or near the cart shed is strictly prohibited and subject to the same penalties but may also involve the RCMP.
Alcohol service hours are set by the LCRB from 10 am to closing from Monday to Saturday and from 11 am to closing on Sundays.
Aligning ourselves with LCRB policy is a reasonable, fair, and important responsibility for our members and the public.
Mount Brenton Board of Directors
The Brenton Beat

A REMINDER TO FILL IN NAMES ON THE TEE SHEET
With the upcoming better weather, the tee sheet will be filling up again, so make sure that when you book a time be prepared to put the names of your playing partners on the sheet.
The most efficient way is to hit “Confirm booking” when you have selected the time slot and then go back into the sheet and add the names of the fellow members with whom you are playing. You have five minutes from the time of getting your preferred slot in which to fill out the names of your partners.
You don’t need to call the pro shop with guest names. We only need names filled in if they are members. However, they do need to edit the booking to “public” or let us know that they are bringing a green fee player. Also, if you want to add an intermediate player, you can edit the category to intermediate or student.
Empty slots or no-shows cost the club money from green fee players or keeps other members from playing.
Twenty-four hours – the day before – the pro shop will delete positions if your tee sheet isn’t properly filled out.

KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR HANDICAP
A reminder that only scores posted on the club computer or directly with BCGA/RCGA are recognized for a tournament or interclub play.
Just record your hole-by-hole score and the computer will automatically adjust the scores to comply with the handicap index scoring system.
Scores posted on our Chronograph app aren’t considered official.

GREEN FEE PLAY
Four prime-time morning green fee tee times will be reintroduced on April 1.

Peter Collum, editor, the Brenton Beat.