Abbey Hill Member News - March 2023

AN UPDATE FROM...

Russell Heady General Manager

Hello all, Welcome to the March/ April newsletter edition.

Our newsletters will now be sent out every two months, to keep you updated on everything going on at Abbey Hill. So, for the remainder of the year, you’ll receive a newsletter in March, May, July, September, and November.

The strange weather continues! At the time of writing, we’ve seen a couple of weeks of dry weather, which has enabled us to get buggies out on to the course – a very rare sight in winter months! It’s been great to see golfers who otherwise cannot play at this time of year for medical reasons getting some rounds in.

By now, you should have received your membership renewal letters. For those that pay for the year upfront, payments are due by the end of March – you can pay using the Elite Live app, by logging in to our website, or by giving the sales office a call. For those who pay monthly by direct debit, there is nothing to do, your payments will continue at the new price from 1st April.

We did our best to keep price increases to a minimum, but with the current high costs of electricity, gas, fuel, sand, fertilisers, machinery, food, drinks, and staff, we have had to pass some of these costs on to members and customers to remain a profitable business. The membership price increases for this season are roughly in line with inflation at around 10%.

Our clubhouse refurbishment is gathering pace, and we moved into our lovely new offices at the back of the clubhouse in mid-February. As you read this newsletter, our new staff room and meeting/ registrars’ room should also be completed. The next phase, due to be complete by early April, is a full refurbishment of the two function rooms, the downstairs Fairway Suite

and newly named upstairs room, the Atrium Suite, as well as the entrance foyer. We have also redecorated the Coffee Bar and the male, female, and disabled toilet rooms.

Our latest golf course improvement project should also be finished this month. You’ll see a new tarmac pathway from the bridge to the first tee, fully refurbished greenside bunkers on holes 5 and 7, and a new tee ready for the 8th hole. Already this year, we have removed the trees and bushes around the 6th hole pond which looks a lot better and brings an extra water hazard into play.

As the weather now (hopefully) warms up and we head into the main season, please always keep up a good pace of play. At Abbey Hill, we encourage, ‘Ready Golf’. Examples of ‘Ready Golf’ in action are:

Shorter hitters playing first from the tee or fairway if longer hitters must wait.

Hitting a shot when safe to do so if a player farther away faces a challenging shot and is taking time to assess their options. Hitting a tee shot if the person with the honour is delayed in being ready to play.

Hitting a shot before helping someone to look for a lost ball. Taking no more than 3 minutes to look for a lost ball. No more than two practice swings.

Putting out even if it means standing close to someone else’s line. Move from the green immediately when your group has finished putting, marking scores upon arrival at the next tee, or if you are first to tee off, making your card after hitting.

Leave buggies, trolleys, and bags to the next tee side of the green before putting

Hitting a shot if a person who has just played from a bunker is still farthest from the hole but is delayed due to raking the bunker. When a player’s ball has gone over the back of a green, any player closer to the hole but chipping from the front of the green should play while the other player is having to walk to their ball and assess their shot.

In this newsletter, we have a course update from Ross, a fantastic pro’s tip from John, an update on our fantastic 40% off golf shop sale, info on a new draught cider and premium lager, a meet the team profile, as well as details on our Mother’s Day meal and Adventure Golf offer.

All the best and see you around!

Russell

COURSE UPDATE

Ross Course Manager

The weather continues to keep throwing curve balls at us, from 22 days rain in one month, to the driest for nearly 100 years the next. It certainly makes the job more challenging, particularly when trying to set out a plan.

January continued the theme of the end of 2022, with lots of rain falling on what was already a pretty wet golf course. Then on 26th January, the taps turned off and that’s pretty much how it’s stayed through all of February – the total precipitation was less than 4mm for the whole month. It’s been the driest February since 1932 and by some way since I started recording rain fall back in 2001.

Despite the wet start in January, we were busy out on the course. Many will have seen the AIR2G2 out in action during that horrible second week in January. It’s a great machine that breaks up the soil pan that forms below the surface from foot traffic and machinery use over the greens, thus helping the soil/sands to drain and perform better.

We were also able to get the deep tine Verti Drain out on the greens, tees, and aprons. Again, this aids drainage, root development, and the breakdown of organic matter.

We took advantage of the dry weather in February and moved our spring coring and sanding forward a month which will hopefully see the benefits of going into the spring. It certainly helps to aid the recovery and settling down of the surface on the 14th green following the rope drainage that was installed in November last year.

March and April will see us again Verti Drain all fine turf areas, followed with sanding. Although this time it’ll be fairly heavy, with the aim to apply around 60 tonnes of sand. The more sand we can get into our greens, the better – it will help battle against organic matter build up and improve the speed in which the greens can dry down during wet conditions. Overseeding will also be on the list of tasks to perform, then fingers crossed the greens will be good to go.

The works on the 5th and 7th bunkers, 8th tee, and first path will continue, with the contractors set to be on-site by 6th March. Should the weather remain dry, this should all be complete within 2-3 weeks. Lots of other works are also planned leading into spring. Topping up of bunkers, paths, spraying fairways, tidying tree bases, and fertilising all areas are just a few examples. We’ll be busy, but it’s great to see the course changes as we come out of the winter months.

We have also had some really exciting news within the team. Each year, two apprentice greenkeepers are selected in the UK to be given the opportunity to join the greenkeeping team for a week at the The Open Championship – this year held at Royal Liverpool.

Continued on the next page

Sam Norman, one of our greenkeepers has been awarded that opportunity! Sam will travel up to The Open the week before and help with preparing the course, then he’ll join the bunker raking squad who are assigned to each group daily. He may even get the chance to walk up the last hole on Sunday afternoon with the eventual winner. We are thrilled for Sam (and a little jealous). I have asked Sam to complete a diary of his ‘week at The Open’, including pictures, which I will be sharing with you all later in the year.

GOLF UPDATE Reciprocal Golf

Don’t forget, a fantastic benefit of membership at Abbey Hill is 1 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

• The Shropshire – Telford

• Thornbury – Bristol

• Wycombe Heights – High Wycombe

You can book your round up to seven days in advance by speaking to our sales office, or calling them on 01908 562566 (option 2). You can also take guests at members’ guest rates!

Keep up the good work with repairing pitch marks! Whilst it’s not perfect out there, there’s definitely been an improvement in the past couple of years. Also, please refrain from pulling fown our post and rope around the greens. I know it can be a pain, but it really is the best way to protect important areas of the course.

All the best, Ross and the team

“Wycombe Heights Golf Centre, only an hour’s drive from Milton Keynes via Aylesbury!”

GOLF UPDATE Pro’s

Tip

John Scheu Head PGA Pro

Hit more greens and lower your score!

The clearest trend in golf is that approach shots are where golfers lose the most strokes per round.

My advice is to pay more attention to your short game. Let’s start with the pitch shot, and the ‘Hinge & Hold’ method.

The ‘Hinge & Hold’ is the perfect shot for that 20–50-yard range, when you need to loft the ball to get it over the fairway, but it isn’t necessary to throw it way up into the air (the lob shot looks good, but is definitely the high-risk option). It’s a medium trajectory shot and resembles an underhanded toss – it will improve your consistency around the greens.

The ‘Hinge & Hold’ method is a technique utilised by Phil Mickelson, his short game is exceptional and there’s merit in watching his linked YouTube video below.

https://youtu.be/PEv5F4F7610

Cancelling tee times

We must remind members of the need to be courteous and proactively cancel any tee times that are not required as soon as possible. The tee sheets are very busy at the moment,

and it’s frustrating when a group does not turn up. NO SHOWS from members will now be recorded, and sanctions will be applied for repeat offenders, so please support your fellow member.

Pro Shop end of season sale continues! Up to 40% off clothing!

Member photos

Following review, there are approx. 200 members (over a third of our membership) who do not have a current photo held on the club membership software. It is a requirement of membership to have this, and we will be checking and updating your photos when you next pop into the pro shop to check in. We’re doing this to protect the club and all members’ interests. There are reports of 5-day members playing at weekends, and sadly some members’ guests not paying a green fee. While the marshals and starters keep a watchful eye, they can’t be everywhere at all times.

Registering in the Pro Shop

So, that we may track member and non-member rounds properly – which helps us plan staff rotas, manage the clubhouse opening hours, reduce unnecessary energy consumption and be mindful of who is playing on the course from both a club and personal Health & Safety consideration – we ask that ALL MEMBERS and members’ guests pop into the Pro Shop prior to play to register for their round. It only takes a few moments. This enables us to provide course updates (including any local rules or temporary changes) and for us to ensure everyone has paid for their golf.

GOLF UPDATE

TaylorMade custom fitting day – Friday 3rd March

2-6pm

Come and try out the latest clubs from TaylorMade, including the brand-new Stealth 2 range. The TaylorMade experts will be on hand to custom fit the clubs to suit you and your game, and you can order your new clubs on the day. Contact the pro shop ASAP to get booked in!

Meet the team: Nathan

Nathan Bate

Golf Sales Executive

This year, we have welcomed Nathan to the Sales and Events team. Nathan joins Kath and the team as Golf Sales Executive. He will be looking after our memberships and golf days, and you will even see him in the pro shop. He will also be looking after all your membership needs, and will be your go-to contact for reciprocal rounds at our sister clubs. Say hi on your next visit! Here’s a little info to help you get to know him!

• Name? Nathan Bate

• Where are you from? Originally Birmingham but now live in Stewkley

• What’s your industry experience? Ex golf professional

• How would you describe your job to a group of five-year-olds? I love golf and sell things that people who also love golf need

• What are your hobbies? Football, darts, and golf (of course)

• What are you currently watching on TV? Sons of Anarchy

• Best app on your phone? Sky Sports Score Centre

• Favourite food? Indian takeaway

• Favourite music genres? Dance and acoustic

• What’s your drink on a night out? Lager or Guinness

• Favourite film? Happy Gilmore

• What skill would you love to learn? Play the guitar

• Dream holiday destination? Benidorm

• Do you have any pets? No

• How would you spend £1 million pounds in 24 hours? House, car and holiday

• Best piece of advice? Drive for show, putt for dough!

• Interesting fact? I have two golf course records – Brandhall Golf Club and Sapey Golf Club in Birmingham

CLUB UPDATE

Kim Food & Beverage Supervisor

This year, we’ve welcomed a new supervisor to our fantastic food and beverage team. You will find Kim looking after you in our coffee bar and helping to run our functions. Say hi on your next visit! Here’s a little info to help you get to know her.

• Name? Kimberley, but you can call me Kim!

• Where are you from? Newport in South Wales, I moved to MK in March 2022

• What’s your industry experience? I’ve worked in hospitality in bars, hotels, restaurants, and previously at The Celtic Manor which I enjoyed

• How would you describe your job to a group of five-year-olds? I look after hungry and thirsty people by giving them food and drinks

• What are your hobbies? I love to go on long walks with my dogs

• What are you currently watching on TV? House of Dragon

• Favourite food? Indian food

• What’s your drink on a night out? Old Mout cider or gin and tonic

• Favourite film? Anything scary! My favourites are The Amityville Horror and The Sinister films

• Dream holiday destination? Somewhere hot with beautiful views, maybe Thailand

• Do you have any pets? Two dogs and one cat

• How would you spend £1 million pounds in 24 hours? New house and car, then throw a big party for everyone!

• Best piece of advice? Live each day as if it’s your last, tomorrow is never promised

Inch’s Cider and Heineken Silver

We’ve now installed two new draught drink options, Inch’s Cider and Heineken Silver. Here are the tasting notes:

Inch’s Cider – Our Inch’s Medium Apple Cider is a lightly sparkling cider with a fresh apple aroma – perfect for sunshine sipping. We make it using 100% British apples, grown within 40 miles of our Hereford mill. Every drop is crafted to strike that perfect balance between sweet and dry for lipsmacking refreshment.

Heineken Silver – Heineken’s new, extra-refreshing premium lager, brewed at -1 degrees for a crisp flavour and subtle finish. By brewing at such cold temperatures, more cold haze is allowed to form and be filtered out. This removes proteins and rough-tasting tannins, leaving a delightfully refreshing taste that’s accessible and easy to drink.

Members’ Breakfast is back!

Only £6 every day in the coffee bar!

Just ask for a “members’ breakfast” in the coffee bar and show your membership card!

EVENTS UPDATE

Mother’s Day

Are you looking to treat that special lady in your life this Mother’s Day? Then why not join us at Abbey Hill for a delicious three-course lunch, a fun round on our amazing Mr Mulligan’s Pirate Golf course, and a glass of bubbly for mum. £34.95 for adults, £19.95 for children.

Mothers Day Menus

For more information, drop us an email at events@abbeyhillgc.co.uk or give us a call on 01908 570952.