MEMBER NEWS
Member's Newsletter - November 2022 A Message from Russell, General Manager
Hello everyone, welcome to the November 2022 edition of our monthly newsletter! I hope you are all well and have been enjoying your golf! Temperatures have now turned a little colder as we head into winter. With the clocks going back we also have darker evenings. It's not all bad as there are some advantages to Winter Golf. Firstly, the tee sheet and hence the golf course tend to be quieter, so you can book in more easily and have a faster, quieter round. Plus, the greens are more receptive at this time of year too. One thing I try to do in Winter is carry a half set of clubs round and work on improvising shots. This is the time of year to practice and work on your game. Don't forget we also have a heated driving range to keep your practice warm and dry! I had a walk around the course in the winter sun today and was really impressed with the course condition. The fairways have recovered well overall from the summer drought and the greens continue to be excellent and disease free. Credit to course manager Ross and his team, they have done a magnificent job this year. In this newsletter you will see updates from Ross, a great pros tip from John, some decent deals on equipment in the shop, information on an MOT for your clubs, how to get custom fitted for your new clubs for free as well as a great way to keep up to date with our buggy and course status. Enjoy the rest of the newsletter and I will hopefully see you all soon around the centre! Best regards
Russell
Course Report from Ross, Course Manager This year is certainly turning out to be one of the most challenging I have experienced in my 32 years of working in golf course maintenance. If the summer wasn’t challenging enough the Autumn and particularly this October is continuing the trend. Not only are we still suffering with inflated economic challenges, supply chain issues, retention of staff, a reduction in available chemical control but the weather is testing us to the limit! Whilst the barmy October temperatures were wonderful to be playing golf in, the rate of grass growth, leaf fall and unusually high soil temperatures is putting a strain on machinery and staff. I have never known disease pressure so high and have heard of some horror stories on some courses who have been hit by fungal disease attributed to the warm and wet conditions and the limited available fungicides. Fortunately, as I write we are managing to keep our putting surfaces relatively clean, although I will admit there have been some days when nature is giving us a good beating as the leaves just keep falling and covering the course as quick as we clear it, despite our best efforts. A look back at the details of October's weather sees the average daily temperatures being above 18c for the month. Ordinarily this would be welcome, unfortunately though, from an agronomic view, the night temperatures have also been unusually high, with the average night-time temperature being above 9c. This coupled with the welcomed rain has meant that the sward has remained damp and humid. Ideal conditions for disease to form. 21 days out of the 31 days in the month has seen precipitation. I shouldn’t complain about the rain, given the year we have experienced, and we do certainly need it. This month’s total rainfall is just over 62 mm, meaning that October has been the wettest month of the year so far and taking our total rainfall tally to 311mm for the year. Our previous driest year was back in 2011, when we recorded 405 mm for the year. I wonder if we will see this record beaten in 2022. Interestingly and probably unsurprising, you won’t be shocked to hear that our wettest ever year was the following year, when we recorded 915 mm of rain in 2012. You have been warned!. It might be worth putting a new waterproof suit on your Christmas list in preparation for next year. On a positive, October’s temperatures have meant our heating at home hasn’t been needed. You will no doubt have noticed that the dreaded post and rope has begun to make an appearance out on the course. I can assure you, that it’s just as big a nuisance to us green keepers as we try and manoeuvre machinery around the course as it is to you manoeuvring your trolleys. However, please stick to the routes that we ask you to walk and reframe from pulling trolleys under the rope, as ultimately, we will all see the benefit next spring on the course. A reminder that work is planned on the 14th green in the last week of this month as we continue our programme of installing the capillary rope drainage to the greens. The works should take no more than a week from start to finish. Please can I ask you all for your support in helping to repair all pitch marks on the greens and use the mats on the par 3 tees, once they are out. With the level of play we have over the winter period and the reduction in recovery form use, using mats
on the par 3 tees gives us the best chance to ensure the tees are in better condition next spring. Best wishes Ross and the greenkeeping team.
Post And Rope To protect key areas of the course from too much footfall and trolleys, we now have our winter post and rope out around the course. This really helps to protect areas that can get very wet and muddy. You will see the posts and rope moved throughout the winter to spread the ware on the course. Please do not cross the roped areas.
Par 3 Tee Mats We have put tee mats out on the par 3 holes now (3rd, 8th, 12th, 17th) Please use these to tee off throughout the winter. We do this as the wetter weather softens the tees and teeing off with irons can really damage the tees, taking large divots out that are hard to repair. Thanks for your help.
Winter Wheels A reminder that all trolleys must now have winter or hedgehog wheels to be used on the golf course. If you don't have them, we do sell them in the Pro Shop and we also have plenty of hire trolleys with these wheels. These wheels help by creating less muddy tracks and by not burning the grass in frosty conditions.
Head Professional John Scheu John's Tip of the Month! Pro’s Tip – How to play golf in the cold: 6 tips for conquering winter golf • • • • • •
Layer up, don't wear a bulky coat out to the course. Walk/Carry your bag as much as possible. Warm your hands. Wear a hat. Club up as the ball travels through the cold air slower. Don't worry about your score.
Base Layers, Carry Bags, Hand warmers, Gloves & Hats are all available from the Professional shop!
Srixon Balls Offer! Srixon AD 333 a great all-round ball - only £34.99 for 24 balls Srixon Soft Feel a ball with great control and feel - only £34.99 for 24 balls! Srixon Distance a ball that goes further - Only £24.99 for 24 balls! All available in front of the shop counter now. Hurry whilst stocks last!
MOTs Ask in the Pro Shop about our winter club MOTs. We can check all of your clubs, clean them, re-grip them, check the lie angles, lofts and sharpen the grooves. There is no better time to get them checked.
Reciprocal Golf Don't forget one of your benefits of the full membership is to play 1 x reciprocal round per month at one of the other 9 BGL courses within the group. In order to book a tee time this must be done via ourselves in the office 7 days or less prior to the date you wish to play. Please see a link to all the courses included here: https://www.bglcompany.co.uk/golf/ In order to book feel free to drop us a call or pop into the office and we can help get your booked in for an away day, you are also more than welcome to take visitors with you who will benefit from member guest rate at the club. The Shropshire Golf Club, in Telford, pictured below, has 2 fantastic courses. If you are further north for a few days, it's well worth a round or two!
Sustainability Update - Driving Range LEDs! A lot has been written recently about the rising cost of electricity. We have been looking at ways to save on these increased costs. You will see that we installed LED lights the driving range lights above all the bays in October.
New Draught Ale! We have a new Ale on draught! Beavertown's Session IPA Neck Oil pack a huge amount of flavour into a light, refreshing beer. It is crammed full of hops that are added a different times. Available now from the Coffee Bar!
Course Status Updates! You can now see the course status on our website. Just click on the Course Status tab at the top or follow this link: https://abbeyhillgc.co.uk/course-status/ You can find out if buggies are allowed or if trolleys are permitted etc.
COURSE STATUS MAIN COURSE Status: Open Buggies: No, except for medical exemptions only Trolleys: Yes* Advisories: Last Updated: 03/11 *All golf trolleys must have winter wheels from 1st November