Abbey Hill - Member's Newsletter (July - August)

AN UPDATE FROM...

Russell Heady General Manager

Hello all, Welcome to the July 2023 edition of our newsletter. Newsletters are now sent out every 2 months to keep you updated on everything Abbey Hill. You still have September and November editions to arrive later this year.

I played 18 holes on the main course last Friday, badly I must admit, but it was lovely to get out! I was really pleased with the condition of the course. The fairways were good and the greens excellent - credit to the greenkeeping team for their continued excellent job.

The early year golf course improvements are finished, and you will now have all used the new tarmac pathway from the bridge to the first tee. The fully refurbished greenside bunkers on holes 5 and 7 are now in play with the latest capillary concrete drainage technology installed. They will now be playable year-round and not retain any water. The new tee on the 8th hole is now in play and we will rotate this with the other tees to give you variety on this fantastic signature Par 3 hole throughout the year.

Later in the year we hope to do another 3 bunkers and potentially 1 or 2 more tees.

We have some big events / competitions coming up in July to look forward to. Captain’s Day is on Saturday 8th July. A huge well done to Lewis Coates our men’s captain for organising what looks like a fantastic day. We then have the Club Championships on the weekend of 29th and 30th of July.

This newsletter features a course update from Ross, a pro’s tip from John, some excellent value pro shop offers, an update on reciprocal golf, a fantastic free adventure golf member offer, news of an award-winning staff member, and a link to our brochure for our fantastic Christmas events. Enjoy!

Best regards and see you around the centre.

Russell

COURSE UPDATE

Hello and welcome to my 4TH update of 2023 at the mid-way point of the season......

Ross Fish

Graph Taken from weather station highlighting Evapotranspiration rate over a 25-day period in June 2023 showing the calculation of the amount of moisture in mm lost (111 mm).

Some rainfall details then for May and June. May saw a total of 45.7 mm for the month, however looking at the details 44.6mm of that total fell in a 5-day spell between 5th-10th of May. June’s total (at time of writing) so far stands at 14.5mm, falling on 2 separate days on the 12th and 20th. Looking at the previous ET graph therefore gives a clear picture of just how challenging the conditions have been, giving us a deficit of 96mm for June. When we experience such conditions eventually the surfaces start to repel water due to Hydrophobic soil conditions.

In my previous newsletter I was bemoaning the seemingly endless spells of rain that were hampering our efforts to complete our winter projects and try to present the golf course in a better light. Well, let that be a lesson to me. After what was undoubtably a very wet spell of weather, on the 10th May, we had the superficial taps quite literally turned to off.

As I write this, I find myself once again regularly checking the forecasts and looking up to the sky in hope of some rain.

Since the 10th May we have had 46 days out of 51 days (28th June, date of writing) without any precipitation. To make things even more challenging, it’s not just been the lack of rain, but the prolonged period of strong winds that have also dried the land further and at times left our sprinkler system watering next doors garden rather than our own. The evapotranspiration rates have been through the roof and today the met office also reported that June 2023 will go down as the warmest June on record in the UK.

Hydrophobic soils are soil types that exhibit a reduced ability to absorb water. These soils contain hydrophobic substances, such as waxes or organic compounds, which coat the soil particles and create a barrier that prevents water from infiltrating into the soil. As a result, water tends to bead up on the soil surface or runoff, leading to poor water penetration and increased water runoff. This can cause soil erosion, decreased plant growth, and reduced plant health.

We reduce this by using water surfactants (wetting agents) that help breakdown the wax coating the soil particles. Ideally these products are best applied before a rain event or if no rain is due, watering in after being applied. Many of you will have seen us out spraying these products regularly.

Continued on the next page

Ross Course Manager

An example of hydrophobic soil conditions that occur following prolonged periods of dry weather. Water droplets will not be absorbed (beading) and run off occurs.

As we move into July, we will turn our Focus to this year’s club championships that this year have been moved from the end of August to the end of July. We will of course be hoping to produce some great greens surfaces and toughen up, as we usually do, the pin positions over the weekend. Good luck to all those playing.

Once the club champs have finished, we will then turn our attentions to the fight against organic matter and we will be coring the greens in early August followed by overseeding and dressing. Once again, we will be using the micro tines so that the surfaces heal quickly.

Sam Norman at THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Many of you will now know that Sam, our apprentice will be working at this years’ Open Championship - due to take place at The Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake between 20th –23rd July.

Sam will travel up to Hoylake on Sunday 16th and start work with the Greens maintenance team at Hoylake that evening. Sam has already been allocated some of his jobs which will include mowing greens. You will be able to follow Sam via his personal Twitter Account @ SN_1882. He will be posting videos and pictures daily of his adventure.

Sam has also been given the opportunity, along with a select few, to play the golf course on the Monday morning after the championship, playing the same tees and pins position that the Pros and the eventual winner will play on the final round. Keep up the good work with repairing pitch marks and encourage your playing partners to do the same.

Here’s to some Rain, but not too much……Enjoy your golf.

Ross and all the greens team.

GOLF UPDATE Pro’s

Tip

John Scheu Head PGA Pro

Calling all golfers, have you checked your grip?!

I can’t express the importance of an excellent grip, how we hold the club affects everything we do throughout the swing and can lead to swing faults when held incorrectly.

There’s an absolute minefield of information online but remember The Three P’s:

• Placement - Linked (Working together as one)

• Pressure - Light but Controlled (Don’t try to kill it!)

• Position - High or Low on the Handle (Distance v Accuracy)

Additionally, correct grip size for your hands, clean grips, new grips and a new glove will all assist you in better ball striking.

My advice is to book a lesson with a member of the professional team or just pop into the store and we will happily help identify any issues.

Regards, John Scheu, P.G.A. Head Professional

Golf Shop Offers!

Titleist Fitting Day!

On the lookout for a new set of clubs? Then why not come and get fitted by the experts at Titleist.

We will be hosting a fitting event on the 7th July between 2.00pm and 6.30pm and the team will be on hand to answer any questions you have.

We have limited slots available, and you can book by heading into the pro shop or calling the team on 01908 562566.

Abbey Hill in Bloom!

We are proud of our new flowers which look amazing around the clubhouse!

CLUB UPDATE

Congratulations Hannah!

We are so proud of our amazing F&B supervisor Hannah, for picking up 2 awards recently! For more information on how incredible she is why not follow her on social media and you will be able to see all the amazing things she gets up to and achieves! Blind Mum VS The World

Members’ Reciprocal Golf!

Don’t forget a fantastic benefit of membership at Abbey Hill is 1 free round per month at one of the other 9 BGL Golf sites around England. The options are:

Aldwickbury Park – Harpenden

Burhill – Surrey

Birchwood Park – Kent

Hoebridge – Woking, Surrey

Redbourn – Redbourn

Ramsdale – Nottingham/Derby

The Shropshire – Telford

Thornbury - Bristol

Wycombe Heights – High Wycome

You can book your round up to 7 days in advance by speaking to the ladies in our sales office by calling them on 01908 562566 (option

2) You can also take non-member guests at members’ guest rates!

The Shropshire near Telford, is a lovely course, only two hours or so drive from Milton Keynes and well worth a round.

Golf in Hot Weather

The hot weather looks set to continue! Here are some tips to help you remain sun safe whilst out on our course.

1) Make use of your golf umbrellas to provide you much needed shade in open areas on the course.

2) Carry a bottle of water with you at all timesreusable bottles can be refilled in our cafe bar area.

3) Wear a hat and sunscreen at all times.

4) Buggies are available to book to provide shade and will save your legs in the heat.

5) Find shaded areas whilst waiting to tee off.

If at any time you feel unwell or need assistance whilst on the course please speak to a Marshal and they can arrange some help - or call 01908 562566 and speak to a member of the team who can support you.

Happy (and safe) Golfing!

Buggies!

Our ClubCar buggy fleet is awaiting you on your next round, prices from only £20.00 Why not reserve yours today in the pro shop or by calling us on 01908 562566.

Weekdays - £24

(£20 Before 11am)

Weekends -£26

(£20 Before 8am)

Free Pirate Adventure Golf!

Special member offer, free Pirate Adventure Golf for you and your family in July. To add extra value to your membership, we are offering you free pirate adventure golf for you and your family in July 2023. To get booked in for this amazing free offer, simply drop Russell an email at r.heady@abbeyhillgc.co.uk

(Maximum free group size 6 people and you as the member must play, only availabe July 2023).

Guinness Zero now on Sale!

We are delighted to share that we have a new addition to our ever-growing range of low or no alcohol options here at Abbey Hill. We are welcoming Alcohol-Free Guinness Zero to our offering. This lighter option with the same great Guinness taste is now available to purchase in our Coffee Bar!

Christmas Events

Our Christmas brochure has landed!!

It’s never too early to book your festivities with us, so whether you are looking for a party night, festive wreath making, bringing the Kids to Brunch with Santa or partying the night away on NYE we have got you covered.

For more information view our brochure or give us a call on 01908 562566 and one of the team can help.

https://issuu.com/bglbrochures/docs/bgl_christmas_ abbey_aw_foil_uv_2023?fr=sMDk0ZTYxNTUwMTg