CEO UPDATE

Colin Mayes

Dear Colleagues,

We are now at the beginning of May, and it has only just started to warm up, Spring this year seems to have come very late with most of April being unseasonably cold and very wet. Not exactly a great start to the new 2023 golfing season!

This year’s weather pattern has certainly been all over the place, with February the driest month on record. Then for March the weather pattern changed completely, with the month being one of the wettest on record. This certainly didn’t help our greenkeeping teams! However, thanks to hard work and diligence all of our courses are now in excellent condition. A few are still having works completed which would not normally be the case at this time of the year but the very wet weather in March and April caused delays.

As a business, the group overall has done well through the first quarter, and we enter the main golf season in good shape, albeit assisted by a very good performance from our Adventure Leisure & Ninja Leisure divisions. Both sides of the business have been performing close to expected levels despite the economic climate. We have showed that all three business areas in which we operate are very resilient, and that gives me confidence for the future.

One thing that COVID has taught everyone is that it is important to find time for leisure activities, to try and keep a reasonable level of fitness and to maintain stronger relationships with family and friends. Our golf clubs provide great venues for people to meet up, enjoy themselves and also to become active. Mulligans and Ninja Warrior also provide great venues for families to get together, be active and have fun. As long as we provide excellent service and ensure our customers enjoy their time with us, we will keep progressing.

I am delighted to report that our new Mulligans site in Norwich is trading well, and we are all looking forward to the Summer season with all the tourists that descend upon East Anglia. We are also building our next site in Bristol, right next to one of the largest retail parks in the southwest of England called Cribbs Causeway. The site should be open by early June.

This month we also start work on our second BUNKERS! venue in Romford, North London, and we are in discussions regarding new sites in Belfast and Dublin.

Within the golf division we have now finished the majority of the major works scheduled for 2023 - Burhill has a new Professional Shop, together with a new members’ golf and buggy storage facility. Abbey Hill Golf Club has had their function facilities and their back of house office space completely upgraded providing a superb venue in the city for weddings and functions.

At Thornbury we also completed our work in upgrading the driving range with Trackman, something that has been so successful for us at Hoebridge, Ramsdale, Birchwood, and Wycombe Heights.

At Birchwood we have opened up the existing bar area and created a new covered patio which we hope our members and visitors will enjoy as the warmer weather arrives. Finally, we have started work on transforming the driving range at The Shropshire Golf Club which we expect to be finished by July. Many of these projects are also featured in this newsletter.

Finally, I would like to end with a reminder for us all to keep an open mind and continue our own lifelong learning journey. I am a great believer in that you are never too old to learn new skills and even retrain for a new job or role. Janice, our Learning and Development Manager, has been making sure that those that want to continue their own education can do so with us. More recently, we have been making a real effort to try and get as many of our teams trained in First Aid. I am delighted to report that as a group we now have over 350 first aiders.

If you have not looked at the huge number of online training courses on our Academy site, I urge you all to spend a few minutes taking a look. It is also essential that you continue to ensure that you maintain all your own statutory training as an absolute minimum. If you have any questions in this regard please make sure you speak with your supervisor / manager ASAP.

I will end with two inspired quotes regarding the above subject.

"Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it."

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Thank you all for your support and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the coming months ahead.

Warmest regards

Colin Mayes CEO

Thornbury Completes Major Driving Range Redevelopment

Thornbury Golf Centre has completed a major redevelopment of its driving range facility, becoming the first in the region to install pioneering TrackMan Range technology.

The new state-of-the-art driving range boasts 23 bays with TrackMan touchscreens on the original driving range site. The outfield has also been totally remodelled to create a more immersive experience for visitors.

Employee Profile

Geoff Craggs

Head Warden, Hoebridge Golf Centre

I joined Hoebridge just over two years ago. When I first joined there was a small team of part time golf marshals. I was initially employed to both marshal the golf course and to look after the Trackman Driving Range. One year later I was honoured to be asked to step up and was offered the role of Head Warden.

I now lead a team of eight marshal/wardens here at Hoebridge and report directly into our Head Professional, Ian Hayward. The role can be both challenging and rewarding!

My day-to-day duties vary depending on the demand of the golf courses. As Head Warden I ensure shifts are planned meticulously to ensure there is cover across all three courses.

Throughout the day the team and I check golfers’ scorecards for payment and ensure every golfer make their start times. We always have someone out on course checking on pace of play. We’ve also introduced a personal introduction and course brief with all of our Golf Societies which has gone down really well. We’re now all first aid trained too!

When I’m at Hoebridge I also enjoy the odd round of golf, a bit of cycling, and sailing.

I thoroughly enjoy coming to work at Hoebridge and I’m proud of my team.

Geoff