SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING - 4 February 2015 at 18h30

A SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING is called for 18h30 Wed. 4^th February 2015 in the Clubhouse. All full Members are urged to be fully informed and to attend.

Click on this link  to read Adv. Olivier's report: Adv. Olivier's report.

The Agenda:

To hear the Appeal of Mr Darius (Bobo) Mentor against the sanctions imposed upon him by the Management Committee of the Kimberley Golf Club on 11^th December 2014 for his misconduct in the 2014 Castle Lite Barney Barnato. And, if so felt, for the Members in attendance to recommend an alternative sanction/s.

The Misconduct of Mr Darius Mentor:

Submitting a substituted scorecard that materially differed from the original and had it been accepted would have resulted in Mr Mentor receiving first prize on the day, Wednesday 29^th October 2014.

The Sanction imposed by the Management Committee of the Kimberley Golf Club:

a 20 (twenty) year ban from playing at the Kimberley Golf Club and from the property of the Kimberley Golf Club (2014 – 2034).

(See below for motivation)

A Broad Overview:

The evidence presented by the Marker led the Tournament Committee of the Barney Barnato to disqualify the result submitted on the day and to raise the allegation of misconduct.

(On a later date Mr Darius Mentor acknowledged in writing that he had in fact submitted a substitute scorecard.)

The allegation of misconduct also led to a Disciplinary Enquiry being held on 5^th December 2014.  The Presiding Officer was Chairperson Adv. A.D. Olivier and the Club representative was Mr Oban Cronje.

The full report by Adv. Olivier including the evidence led, the answers given, the conclusion reached and the recommended sanctions are available to the Members of the Kimberley Golf Club via a link to the BUGLE. This report is also available, on request only, from the Manager’s Office.

Although the following information is available from the aforementioned report, to assist the Members attending the Special General Meeting in their considerations, it might be pertinent to underline herewith the sanctions called for by Mr. Oban Cronje:

1.         A lifelong ban of Mr Mentor from the Tournament (Barney Barnato).

2.         A 2-year suspension of Mr Mentor’s membership with the Club;

3.         A suspension of Mr Mentor from competitions at the Club once he has       served the suspension of his Club membership.   

Equally important are the sanctions recommended by Adv. Olivier:

1.         That Mr Mentor be banned from playing in the Barney Barnato          Tournament for the next 20 years.

2.         That Mr Mentor’s membership of the Kimberley Golf Club be suspended

            for a period of 18 months.

3.         That after the expiry of the above period of 18 months and upon Mr           Mentor’s return to the Club as a member, Mr Mentor be banned from

            playing in any tournaments or competitions held by the Club, for a            twelve month period.

The motivation for the Management Committee of the Kimberley Golf Club to impose the sanctions it did:

1          A precedent was set in the 2011 Barney Barnato. For a lesser         incident of    misconduct the player, not a Member of the KGC, was banned for life from             the property of the Kimberley Golf Club.

2          By substituting a full scorecard this incident is the most serious breach of the   “Rules” and breach of “Integrity” to have been investigated at the Kimberley             Golf Club in recent             history.

3          To add insult to injury Mr Mentor was, on the day, a guest of the Main Sponsor,             Castle Lite.

4          Mr Mentor by his actions undermined the integrity of the Barney Barnato, a      tournament 25 years in the making. This can adversely affect sponsorship,            tournament entry, Club revenue and the very success of the event.

5          Mr Mentor by his actions undermined the integrity of the Kimberley Golf Club.             This, too, can affect sponsorship, competition entry, membership and the revenue of the Club.

6          The direct legal costs incurred by the Club as a result of Mr Mentor’s actions    are, to date, R8 775.

7          The direct man hours required of the Management Committee and the Staff     as a result of Mr Mentor’s actions are considerable.

8          Members of the Club and participants in the Barney Barnato expect to see

            that their interests are protected and that reasonable justice is done.

9          Triviality of the matter is not an option.  

10        Mr Mentor’s remorse seems more for the privileges that he may have lost and             less for the damage / cost that he may have caused the Club. 

 11       Mr Mentor, in mitigation, mentioned that his poor conduct should be set aside            as the necessity for “integrity” was not underlined when he joined the Club.     If the necessity for integrity is required to be explained to a perspective      Member then that perspective Member has no place in the world of golf and          less at the Kimberley Golf Club.

12        Golf in the RSA is governed by the Rules of the R & A Ltd., they apply       uniformly to all countries who fall under that body, no exceptions, no          special privileges for us in the RSA. Integrity (the quality of being honest and         having strong moral principles) is the lifeblood of the sport, “the game relies      on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to            abide by the Rules.” This, too, must apply uniformly, there are no exceptions,   we in the RSA are required to step up to the tee.

Barney Barnato 2015 allegation of misconduct, Adv. Olivier's report, D Mentor

IN THE DISCIPLINARY ENQUIRY HELD AT THE KIMBERLEY GOLF CLUB

In the matter between:

THE KIMBERLEY GOLF CLUB

and

DARIUS MENTOR                                                                                         THE PLAYER

PROPOSED SANCTION

1.                  The above Disciplinary Enquiry was held on 5 December 2014 at the Kimberley Golf Club (herein after the Club).

2.                  The Club was represented by Mr. O. Cronje, whilst Mr Mentor represented himself.

3.                  The allegations levelled against Mr Mentor are fully set out in the Notice of the Disciplinary Hearing, but can be summarised as follows:

3.1             That Mr Mentor, after completion of his round during the Barney Barnato Tournament (herein after the Tournament) and specifically on 29 October 2014, re-wrote his score card or allowed it to be re-written and thereafter signed same as being correct;

3.2             That Mr Mentor submitted this score card to the Committee, which bore a marker’s signature other than that of his marker namely Giep Joubert;

3.3             That Mr Mentor failed to ensure that his score card was scored from the first hole played; and

3.4             That the score card submitted by Mr Mentor reflected an incorrect score of gross 76 and 46 individual Stableford points.

4.                  Mr Mentor pleaded guilty on all four allegations and was subsequently found guilty on the allegations set out in paragraphs 3.1, 3.2 and 3.4 supra, whilst the Club abandoned the allegation set out in paragraph 3.3 herein above.

5.                  It should be mentioned that Mr Mentor confirmed receiving the Notice of the Enquiry and also that he took cognizance of his rights during the enquiry.

6.                  Both parties were afforded the opportunity to address the Chairperson before a recommendation regarding a proper sanction be made.

7.                  The respective parties’ submissions may be summarised as is set out herein under.

MR. D. MENTOR:

8.                  He is 48 years of age, has been playing golf for approximately one year and has a handicap of 12.

9.                  He admitted that he did wrong, but submitted that he was never properly introduced to the golf course itself or to the proper way of scoring.

10.             He submitted that he was given a form to sign by the Club, but that he never read same and therefore did not know that he would pick up problems with what he did.

11.             He furthermore submitted that he re-wrote his card because his marker for the round did not properly mark his score and he therefore re-wrote the card due to the fact that he thought that there might be problems with the initial entries on the card.

12.             Mr Mentor furthermore stated that his conduct is not the exception to the rule in the Club, since he has seen other players do the same.

13.             Mr Mentor then requested that a suspended sanction be imposed on him, because he did not act intentionally.

THE CLUB:

14.             Mr Cronje on behalf of the Club called a witness to testify in aggravation and mitigation and then also argued in aggravation and mitigation.

15.             The witness on behalf of the Club was the Club Manager Mr David Charles Walter Wilson, and his testimony may be summarised as follows:

15.1         Mr Mentor did confirm the score of gross 76 and 46 Stableford points after the round and did not plead that he had a problem with his marker during the round.

15.2         Mr Mentor did submit a letter to Mr Venter, the Director of Golf at the Club, which letter was acknowledged by Mr Mentor and was handed up as Exhibit “A”.

15.3         In the mentioned letter, Mr Mentor effectively admitted his wrongdoing and specifically that he altered his initial score card and that the scores which was entered on his “new” score card, reflected incorrect scores and points.

15.4         Mr Wilson furthermore stated that Mr Mentor did not receive any prize during the prize-giving later that particular evening, due to the fact that he (Mr Mentor) was disqualified because of his conduct.

15.5         Mr Wilson however stated that the allegations levelled against Mr Mentor were of a very serious nature, since same breaches the integrity of the Club, the Tournament as well as golf in general.

15.6         Mr Wilson alluded to the fact that conduct, such as the conduct displayed by Mr Mentor, has potential disastrous consequences for the Club, specifically financially in nature, due to the fact that the Tournament is the largest of its kind in Kimberley and is a good source of income to the Club.

15.7         Mr Wilson stated that the Committee takes a very dim view on conduct such as this and has in the past, instituted severe penalties for similar offences.

16.             Mr Cronje argued along the same lines as the above and emphasised the seriousness of Mr Mentor’s conduct as well as the following:

16.1         That exceptional scores such as the score entered by Mr Mentor, will win tournaments and also prizes;

16.2         That Mr Mentor’s conduct boils down to fraud and forgery;

16.3          That golf is played on a competing basis and that integrity is therefore of the utmost importance; and

16.4         That, although it appears as if Mr Mentor loves the sport, Mr Mentor also needs to show integrity.

17.             Mr Cronje then argued that a severe sanction should be imposed on Mr Mentor to also show other Club members that conduct such as this, will not be tolerated.

18.             Mr Cronje asked for:

18.1         A life long ban of Mr Mentor from the Tournament;

18.2         A 2-year suspension of Mr Mentor’s membership with the Club; and

18.3         A suspension of Mr Mentor from competitions at the Club once he has served the suspension of his Club membership.

REASONS FOR THE PROPOSED SANCTION:

19.             Although this Disciplinary Enquiry is by no means a criminal trial, I deemed it necessary to consider my recommendation as to a proper sanction, based on the same principles applied by criminal courts when considering sentence in a criminal trial, namely:

19.1         The seriousness of the offence/conduct;

19.2         The personal circumstances of the offender; and

19.3         The interests of society (in this instance the Club and its other members).

20.             I have to agree that the conduct displayed by Mr Mentor is of a very serious nature, not only because it is fraudulent in nature but also and perhaps specifically, because of the fact that it makes a complete mockery of the integrity of the game of golf as well as the integrity expected of players of the game.

21.             It is indeed so that the Tournament is perhaps the biggest drawing card in the golfing fraternity in the Northern Cape and if players in the Tournament get only an impression that cheating (and I use this only for lack of a better word) is tolerated, entries will dwindle and the consequences may be disastrous.

22.             I took into consideration Mr Mentor’s contention that he was never properly introduced to the course or the rules of golf and that he never read the document handed to him by the Club which he had to sign and apparently did sign.

23.             I also took cognizance of Mr Mentor’s contention that he saw other Club members do the same and that he never knew that he may not do what he did.

24.             I find Mr Mentor’s arguments unconvincing to say the least, because it appears that he attempts to shift the blame for his conduct on others and, despite admitting his wrongdoing, still does not really accept full responsibility for what he did.

25.             I took into consideration the fact that a problem did exist with Mr Mentor’s marker on the day, which was admitted to by the Club, but I am still of the opinion that the ultimate responsibility to submit correct scores, rests with the player and not the people around him.

26.             I furthermore did take into consideration the fact that Mr Mentor pleaded guilty to the allegations and that he, to some extent, took responsibility for his actions and also that he appeared to be genuinely remorseful about his actions.

27.             Mr Mentor furthermore undertook to refrain from similar conduct in future.

28.             I also took into consideration the fact that Mr Mentor ultimately did not benefit from his actions and that he was suspended from the Tournament, which in itself should have been rather embarrassing.

29.             The question however remains as to what Mr Mentor would have benefitted, had he not been caught out, but since no evidence to this effect was tendered, the question remains rhetorical.

30.             With regards to the interests of the Club and its members, it should be remembered that I am to protect their interests and not their opinion.

31.             It has been stated already that the Tournament is a huge financial injection for the Club, but the Tournament also serves to promote the Club and Kimberley in general.

32.             Any toleration of conduct such as Mr Mentor’s conduct can therefore only tarnish the reputation of the Club and the Tournament.

33.             I still find it inconceivable why players can not make peace with their limitations as golfers and simply enjoy the privilege of playing in a Tournament such as the Barney Barnato.

34.             The game of golf and specifically the scoring system during tournaments and competitions have been designed to also make lesser players competitors for prizes without such lesser player having to revert to underhand methods to compete (I am referring to the handicap system).

35.             The above being said, I share Mr Cronje’s view that a suspended sanction in this instance will not suffice, but I not share his views that the sanction should be imposed to satisfy the opinion of the members of the Club, although it should be sufficient to deter other members from doing the same.

RECOMMENDED SANCTION:

36.             In view of the above, I recommend that the following sanction be imposed on Mr Mentor:

36.1         That Mr Mentor be banned from playing in the Barney Barnato Tournament for the next 20 years;

36.2         That Mr Mentor’s membership of the Kimberley Golf Club be suspended for a period of 18 months;

36.3         That after the expiry of the above period of 18 months and upon Mr Mentor’s return to the Club as a member, Mr Mentor be banned from playing in any tournaments or competitions held by the Club, for a period of 12 months.

DATED AT KIMBERLEY ON THIS THE 8^TH DAY OF DECEMBER 2014.

_____________________________

A.D. OLIVIER

CHAIRPERSON

Weekly Newsletter 12 January - 19 January 2015

Kimberley Golf Club Report 18 January 2015

With a 135 hole start on Monday Hermus Venter finally stepped off the 18^th Green Sunday afternoon having completed 252 holes for the week - another Kimberley Golf Club record. He averaged 76 per round or 4.277 per hole.

On Saturday Shane Arthur proved to be neither a Schwartzel nor a Kaymer as hung on to his lead to take the 2015 New Year’s Cup sponsored by Workwear Depot, despite the handicap cut and the pressure of the occasion. Arthur’s final round 36 points gave him an overall aggregate 82 points that left him four clear of the field.

William Orton was second on 78 points with Christo Swanepoel third on 76 points.

Round one saw Dries Mostert (41), Nico Ross (40) and Alan Doherty (40) accorded first to third place respectively. Round two saw Rudi Kruger (42), Stan de Beer (40) and Stafford Salo (39) the top three players. 

Hermus Venter returned a one under par gross 35 for 22 points to take the Friday Flamingo Casino Meat and Slots Niner. Susan Alexander was the runner up on 21 points. Young Fareez Alexander was third on 20, with Tinus Venter fourth on 19 and Darian Alexander fifth on 18.

Jakes Jacobs was the winner of the KWV Niner on 20 points. Donald Hlakudi was second on 18 points on a count out from third placed Braam Botes.

Morne Coertzen posted 38 points to take the first Leons House of Liquor IPS for 2015 on Wednesday. Gavin van Zyl was second on 37 points with Bernie Bennett third on 36 points.

This week the KGC hosts the Darsha IPS Wednesday, the KWV Niner Thursday and the Flamingo Casino Niner Friday. The Friday CTCS snowball draw stands at R1 150. At the weekend the Club hosts the annual Northern Cape Junior Open played over 54 holes, 36 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. Saturday may offer limited Member access. Standard Member and Visitor access will resume Sunday afternoon when the tournament is complete.

Weekly Results 12 - 18 January 2015

Saturday, 17 January 2015, IPS, WORKWEAR DEPOT NEW YEARS CUP 2015

OVERALL

1          Shane Arthur               46/36                             82 points         

2          William Orton              41/37                           78 points

3          Christo Swanepoel       41/35                          76 points

ROUND TWO

1          Rudi Kruger                                                    42 points

2          Stan de Beer                                                    40 points

3          Stafford Salo                                                    39 points

ROUND ONE

1          Dries Mostert                                                   41 points

2          Nico Ross                                                         40 points

3          Alan Doherty                                                   40 points

           

Friday, 16 January 2015, IPS, FLAMINGO CASINO MEAT & SLOTS NINER

1          Hermus Venter                                                22 points

2          Susan Alexander                                             21 points

3          Fareez Alexander                                            20 points

4          Tinus Venter                                                    19 points

5          Darian Fortune                                                 18 points

           

Thursday, 15 January 2015, IPS, KWV NINER

1          Jakes Jacobs                                                    20 points         

2          Donald Hlakudi                                              18 points

3          Braam Botes                                                    18 points

Wednesday, 14 January 2015, IPS, LEONS HOUSE OF LIQUOR

1          Morne Coertzen                                               38 points

2          Gavin van Zyl                                                  37 points

3          Bernie Bennett                                                 36 points                                                                                             

            

Sport-In-Sight Singles Matchplay Championship

MVD Kalahari Town Planning Masters

Workwear Depot New Years Cup

2015 Labels

2015 Labels

Weekly Newsletter 5 January 2015

Alisdair MacKenzie was hotter than the day on Saturday. A gross two over par 74 saw him post an impressive net 63 to take the opening Rhodes Medal for 2015.  Theuns Barnard was only a degree or two cooler. He carded a level par 72 for the best gross of the day and a net 67 for the best net A division. Adrian McLaren was the runner up in that division on net 68. Shane Arthur claimed best net B division, also on net 68, with Kariem Anderson the runner up on net 71.

Friday’s Flamingo Casino Meat and Slots Niner winning scores also matched the temperature of the occasion - Neville Alexander (23), Jaco Janse (22), Gavin Williams (21), Adrian McLaren (20) and Parks Mashaboa (19).     

Jaco Janse posted 21 points to take the Thursday KWV Niner. Dave Wilson (18) and Quinten Williams (17) were second and third.

Wednesday’s IPS Jackpot competition raised vouchers valued at R140 per unit with Deon van Zyl enjoying the biggest overall payout. Wade King and Yusuf Kana shared the opening six on 13 points, Neville Alexander and David Jacobs shared the second six on 15 points, while Deon van Zyl won the third six outright on 14 points. The first nine was shared by Wade King and David Jacobs on 20 points while Deon van Zyl claimed a second outright win on the second nine on 22 points.

This week the KGC hosts an IPS Jackpot on Wednesday, the KWV Niner on Thursday and the Flamingo Casino Niner on Friday. Friday evening it is the CTCS snowball draw valued at R1050.

On Saturday it is the first round of the Workwear Depot New Year’s Cup, the format an IPS. The second round is scheduled for the following Saturday. Although recognition is given to the top players on each outing it is the aggregate points that ultimately determine the results of New Year’s Cup.

Weekly Results 31 December 2014 - 3 January 2015

Saturday, 3 January 2015, RHODES MEDAL

Best Net Overall          Alisdair McKenzie                63 net

Best Net A                   Theuns Barnard                       67 net

Runner up A                Adrian McLaren                     68 net

Best Net B                   Shane Arthur                           68 net

Runner up B                Kariem Anderson                   71 net

Best Gross                   Theuns Barnard                       72 gross

           

Friday, 2 January 2015, IPS, FLAMINGO CASINO MEAT & SLOTS NINER

1          Neville Alexander                                         23 points

2          Jaco Janse                                                        22 points

3          Gavin Williams                                              21 points

4          Adrian McLaren                                            20 points

5          Parks Mashaboa                                             19 points

           

Thursday, 1 January 2015, IPS, KWV NINER

1          Jaco Janse                                                        21 points         

2          Dave Wilson                                                   18 points

3          Quinten Williams                                           17 points

Wednesday, 31 December 2014, IPS Jackpot, Unit Value R140

FIRST 6          Wade King                                          13 points

                        Yusuf Kana                                         13 points

SECOND 6      Neville Alexander                          15 points

                        David Jacobs                                       15 points

THIRD 6          Deon van Zyl                                    14 points

FIRST 9           Wade King                                         20 points

                        David Jacobs                                       20 points

SECOND 9      Deon van Zyl                                    22 points