AN UPDATE FROM...
ROBIN CHENG
General Manager
Welcome all to both the first newsletter of the year as well as my first newsletter as General Manager. For those who don’t know me, I have been the General Manager at Redbourn Golf Club for the last three years. This is my third time here at Abbey Hill, starting originally in 2008 as a PGA Professional, leaving in 2014, then returning to the group in 2016 as Head Professional at Wycombe Heights. I then moved back to Abbey Hill in 2018 as Head Professional and then over to Redbourn in March 2022 as General Manager….and now I am back!
It is great so see all the familiar faces and I look forward to meeting the new ones that have joined the club since I was last here. I am still working between the two courses at the moment, but I am predicting to be able to dedicate all my time to Abbey Hill by March 1st, after a handover with my successor at Redbourn. I am very much looking forward to seeing how we can continue to move the club forward.
Member’s Warm-Up Range Benefit
I would like to introduce a benefit available to all members starting from February 1st. Whenever you have a tee time, a warmup basket of 25 balls, which is usually £5 is now reduced to £3. Available only as a token in the shop.
I am aware that warming up on the range may seem expensive, but hopefully this will encourage more members to loosen up before their game.
Please may I also remind all members, that range balls and baskets are not to be taken off the premises under any circumstance. Failing to follow this rule will result in warning, then any following offenses will result in a membership suspension.
Adventure Golf for Members
I would also like to give all members one complimentary family ticket (up to six, including themselves) to go around the Adventure Golf Course in February. Please give the pro-shop a call to book your round in.
Going forward I am considering ways in which we can provide more value to our members here at Abbey Hill, and while there are certain things we are restricted on, there are others that we can offer.
Costs. 5p on the £
We are all subject to rising costs, both as a business and individuals. With National Minimum Wage (NMW) increasing from £11.44 to £12.21 in April, alongside Employer National Insurance contributions increasing and thresholds lowering, the actual increasing cost of wages is much higher than the 6.7% headline rate. Business rates are due to increase as of April, potentially doubling monthly costs. Food and beverage remain an area where price from suppliers keep rising. Now a lot of you may think that we charge too much anyway and should even reduce our costs. However, maintaining our prices allows us to re-invest back into the club and not become the next club that closes down.
I will share with you an eye-opening statistic from 2024. For every £1 that went through the till at Abbey Hill, only 5.1p of that was profit after rent and depreciation. Now after that 5.1p…you still need to pay tax.
Margins are very fine in this industry and while we will do as much as possible to offer value to all our members and guests, we must base our prices according to what allows the club to move forward and provide you a quality golf course; and not fall by the wayside.
Reciprocals
Don’t forget a fantastic benefit of membership
at Abbey Hill is one free round per month at one of the other nine BGL Golf sites around England. The options are:
Aldwickbury Park – Harpenden
Burhill – Surrey
Birchwood Park – Kent
Hoebridge – Woking, Surrey
Redbourn – Redbourn
Ramsdale Park– Nottingham/Derby
The Shropshire – Telford
Thornbury - Bristol
Wycombe Heights – High Wycombe
You can book your round a maximum of seven days in advance by speaking to the team in our sales office by calling them on 01908 562566 (option 2) You can also take non-member guests at members’ guest rates!
This year I have also organised a little gift for all members who renew before March 31st. I hope they arrive on time…
Please see below the new 2025/2026 subscription fees:
7 Day Lump Sum: £1,295.00
7 Day Direct Debit: £118.00 pm
5 Day Lump Sum: £975.00
5 Day Direct Debit: £89 pm
7 Day Under 25 Lump Sum: £955
7 Day Under 25 Direct Debit: £88 pm
7 Day Under 22 Lump Sum: £810
7 Day Under 22 Direct Debit: £75pm
7 Day Under 18 Lump Sum: £395
7 Day Under 15 Lump Sum: £225
Burhill Golf Club in Walton on Thames, Surrey is where our company is based. It has two outstanding 18-hole courses, The Old Course and The New Course. It has in recent years held qualifiers for The Open. As an Abbey Hill member, you are entitled to one free round at Burhill per year!
Renewals
While I am aware I have only just recently rejoined the club, I hope you all enjoyed your 2024/2025 season. Renewals are due by March 31st 2025 for the new season, and we send an invite on March 1st.
Renewals are simple and can be done on the Elite Live App or Online. Please contact us prior to March 1st if you are unable to sign in to this so we can help log you in.
Adult Lump Sum: £350*
Under 18 Jump Sum: £150 Family Membership: £700
*Par 3 Membership you may notice has taken a substantial increase and I would like to address this. The Par 3 has received the same attention to detail as the Main Course has in terms of renovations and maintenance. It has also recently benefited from the addition of nine astroturf teeing off matts which allows for a much better teeing off surface all year round.
The decision was also made last year to bring the course back to its roots and stop all footgolf, which while it was a large revenue stream, was detracting away from the golfer experience. While the rise to £350 per annum is substantial, I think how we look after the course and will continue to do so, justifies this price. With green fees starting at £15, it will only take 24 rounds a year to be better off and the more you play, the better value it becomes.
SHORT COURSE MEMBERSHIP
MAIN COURSE MEMBERSHIP
COURSE UPDATE...
ROSS Course Manager
Greetings to you all from my first Course Manager update of the year. We have begun 2025 with some much needed and appreciated spells of dry weather, if somewhat overcast and a little cold.
I’m very pleased to see the back of 2024, something I think I also said in 2023. They were both very challenging years because of high rainfall totals, high humidity and low sunlight levels. 2024 ended with being our highest rainfall totals recorded at the site in the past 20 years.
With September being a particularly brutal month with over 260 mm, the yearly totals finished at 1014 mm, which left ground conditions saturated and at maximum field capacity (FC). The course sits on 60 metres of thick Milton Keynes clay so once we reach FC it then doesn’t take too much rainfall to tip us over the edge, which is what we experienced at the back end of 2024.
The greens, tees, and fairways have remained in reasonable condition and playable, despite the high levels of play the course receives, we have still retained good turf coverage.
20 Year Rainfall Totals
Planned
Work & Future Developments.
During early February, we will again borrow the A2G2 machine from our sister course, Aldwickbury Park and aerate all greens. This machine works by injecting compressed air into the profile, breaking compacted soil pans allowing for improved drainage.
We will also be verti draining and coring all fine turf areas, followed by sanding, with the aim again to apply 60 tonnes of sand. In recent years I have been able to get the volumes of sand reasonably high at around 180 tonnes applied per year, which is something that is significant, particularly on our site. The more sand we can get into our greens will help with our battle against organic matter build-up and improve the speed at which the greens can dry down during wet conditions. Overseeding will also be on the list of tasks to perform and then fingers crossed the greens will be good to go.
Lots of other works are also planned leading into the spring. Topping up bunkers and paths, spraying fairways and tree bases, and fertilising all areas. So, we will be busy, but it’s great to see the course changes as we come out of the winter months.
We will also be planning for further bunker rebuilds later this year on the 1st, 12th and 15th holes, with work starting in early autumn. We will be supported heavily again this year by BGL with significant investment already in the clubhouse and driving range so it’s great news that we will continue with our long-term bunker plan.
We will also be rope draining (PCD) the 9th green and approach later this year. this will leave us just two greens left to complete (3rd and 10th). This has seen the greens improve over the past few years and we very seldom have waterlogged greens. We have plans to install one additional pathway on the 14th and extend two others on the 1st and 2nd to make us more weatherproof and continue with improvements to teeing complexes with the 6th, 7th and 14th in our plans.
11th Greenside Bunker
Being Filled with Sand
GEO Update
I’m delighted to be able to report that we have once again secured our GEO sustainability award for another five years following our assessment back in December last year. This award recognises our continual efforts to ensure that we are sustainably managing our site by monitoring and reducing our impact on the land we care for.
A polite reminder to ensure you keep up the good work with repairing pitch marks, please refrain from pulling down our post and rope around the greens.
I know it can be a pain, but it is the best way to protect the important areas of the course.
Enjoy your golf!
Ross and all the greens team.
NEW SEASON NEW PRODUCT
JOHN SCHEU Head PGA Pro
Hi, I hope you’re all well and back in the swing of things, ready for a successful 2025 golfing season.
I’m pleased to inform you that we’ve recently received the latest demo components from both PING and Taylormade, and you’re welcome to test or be fitted for your new product (Just ask a member of the pro-shop team today!)
Ex-rental Motocaddy S1 Lithium Electric Trolley with 24v battery & charger - New £629.99 Clearance £399.99 (only 4 available!)
Qi35 Range
Turn your old equipment into new equipment with Nearly New Golf Clubs.
Look out for our upcoming trade-in events or ask instore for a quote.
Best regards,
John
Taylormade
Ping G440 Range
Easter Egg Collection
Course Updates
A reminder that we will keep the Course Status page of our website updated regularly. You will be able to see if the course is open, if buggies are allowed, if trolleys are allowed and if there are any temporary greens or tees.
Mother’s Day
Sunday 30th March
Get ready for a Mother’s Day like no other at Abbey Hill! Dive into a scrumptious two or three course lunch that will tantalise your taste buds while soaking in the fantastic atmosphere. But that’s not all – the fun doesn’t stop there!
Embark on a family adventure with a round of Adventure Golf that promises laughter, friendly competition, and unforgettable moments.
Plus, we also have you covered with a FREE gift for Mum!
It’s the perfect recipe for Mother’s Day.
https://www.ibookedonline.com/abbey-hill-golfcentre/event-bookings/mothers-day-lunch-andadventure-golf
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