Golf
Members at Cromer can look forward to a full golfing calendar offering a wide selection of events throughout the golfing season.
There are interclub events, which provide the thrill of representing the Club against peers in pennant competition, prestigious honour board events, regular weekly and monthly competitions for Club members and much social golf to be enjoyed.
Team Play
The Club fields a seven-player team in the Metropolitan Major Pennants (Men’s), which runs annually from February to April featuring home and away singles match play matches against clubs from around Sydney. Clubs are split into divisions, with promotion and relegation at the end of the season. The top clubs advance to the knockout rounds, with the winner of the grand final proudly getting to take the pennant back to their home club.
The Club’s premier young male golfers form our Eric Apperly Shield side, a pennant competition conducted annually from July to September for golfers under the age of 24.
Don’t think age is a barrier to enjoying good golf. For men aged 50 and over there is the Masters Pennant, which follows the traditional pennants format outlined above, though with eight players comprising a team. Competition is no less intense, with perhaps a little distance sacrificed off the tee by the veterans compensated for by the invaluable experience gained over the years!
For the over-60 male members, there’s the Northern Peninsula Interclub Challenge contested annually between Cromer, Mona Vale, Manly, Wakehurst, Long Reef and Bayview Golf Clubs.
Then there’s the Interclub Challenge Cup, a friendly match play competition played between Private Golf Clubs across Sydney. Cromer is actively involved and other participants include Avondale, Bonnie Doon, Concord, Elanora, Killara, Kogarah, The Lakes, Manly, Moore Park, NSW, Oatlands, Pymble, St Michaels, Royal Sydney and The Australian.
The Women play in the Metropolitan Grade competition, which again features singles match play between local clubs who are split into divisions. Opponents change each year with promotion and relegation, with Cromer fielding a team in the top division. No benefit is made for handicaps at Grade level, so this event features some very good female golfers.
For fellow members, representative team competitions are enjoyed against Sydney Clubs in various divisions, where participants are dictated by handicap limits to ensure opponents are always of a similar standard from single figure handicaps all the way to high handicap players. With such a range of competitions available, it provides a great opportunity to meet fellow golfers and proudly represent your Club at various other clubs and courses in Sydney.
Several Club competitions act as local qualifiers with the winner going on to represent Cromer in a regional event against other clubs. One of the most notable of these is the Scramble, a hugely popular Pro-Amateur team event run by the PGA of Australia.
Within the Club, there are a host of events organised throughout the golfing season. The women members play each Monday and Thursday mornings and the men on Wednesday, with everyone able to enjoy competitive golf at weekends and other days.
Many trophies date back to the very early years of the Club and carry with them great prestige.
The Geoff Berkman Bowl, for instance, is a Four- Ball Handicap Knockout Match Play event played in the memory of popular Cromer member Geoff Berkman.
For those members who would enjoy a leisurely round, the Cromer Cavaliers offer a competition on Mondays following the Women at 10am. The group have been a feature at Cromer for 42 years and cater for players of all standards, there being no age restraints.
They hold three gala days during the year and are famous for their unique handicapping system together with a fabulous prize list on offer every week. All Club members are welcome to join them for a round on Mondays.
The respective Club Championships are arguably the competitions most dream of winning. The leading golfers from the qualifying rounds then battle it out in knockout match play for a spot on the Honour Board.
The Club has some seriously good golfers and while becoming the overall club champion may be an honour out of reach for many, accompanying events played off handicap ensure that any golfer, whatever their level, is able to savour the feeling that comes with lifting a trophy. It is far from all serious, though, with social golf playing just as important part in the Club calendar.
Regular open days are held giving members the chance to showcase Cromer at its best to guests and visitors get a chance to see what the Club is all about.
The annual charity day is a light-hearted event with a serious side. Golf is followed by a trophy presentation and an auction of donated goods and services. A hugely popular day in the calendar, and one of the most meaningful in many ways, it has raised more than $930,000 for local charities over the years.
Other social golf events include the annual Women’s Presidents versus Captains Day, which features around a hundred golfers wearing Cromer colours.
Then there’s the annual Battle of the Sexes, a Stableford match play event between the Club’s men and women held on a Sunday with a shotgun start. Sledging is positively encouraged and the golf is followed by a barbecue and musical entertainment.
Yes, it’s a fabulously fun day, but also one that neither side wants to lose.
