September/OctoberNewsletter2022Edition
New Bag & Electric Trolley Store
We have been resisting cost increases for some time now having not changed our bar menu pricing for 12 months or drinks since the spring. Unfortunately, we have now reached a point where some increases will be passed onto members, guests and visitors. We have considered options to mitigate these increases including swapping some local suppliers for more national wholesalers, but ultimately, we have decided that this is not the right thing to do. Some examples of increases include: eggs +63%, milk and cream +54%, prawns +51%, sirloin of beef + 50% and smoked salmon +47%.
Weunderway.arenot planning to refurbish the old store as part of our wider plan for Burhill, so this will be out of action once the new facility is operational. Members who make use of the current store have asked about alternative arrangements, but having reviewed what may be required, we simply do not have the appropriate square footage
Theavailable.scale of charges for the new storage facility will be made available in advance and we will provide priority for those members who currently store bags, trolleys, or both.
We aim to have the Bag and Electric Trolley Store water-tight by the end of September, ready to be fit out over the autumn. Completion is due in early 2023 and certainly well before the golf season gets
Hands on The Purse String
2 A note from Nick... Out and About I have been meeting local golf club General Managers in recent weeks to discuss ‘hot topics’: water concerns and future proofing, membership numbers, waiting lists, pricing, and tee sheet management. We are in a good place, and what we will continue to develop (both on and off the course) will ensure that our club remains at the top end in our local area. Any decisions that my team and I make will fall in line with our commitment towards continuous improvement.
In this edition: • A note from Nick... Nick Moran, General Manager • Golf Courses Update Rob Surgey, Senior Course Manager • Golf Operations Update Darren Wood, Head of Golf Operations • Clubhouse Update Stuart Barr, Head of Clubhouse Operations
Entrance Laurels Sadly, due to the drought, many of the Portuguese Laurels planted at our main entrance haven’t established. We are replacing them this autumn and will install some additional irrigation to assist their development. Team Member of the Quarter We are delighted to recognise Greenkeeper, Luca Chachula as our employee of the quarter. Luca’s hard work and dedication to his teammates and our golf courses was recognised by many of his peers. Congrats Luca!
We are also experiencing cost challenges on the golf course. Top dressing sand has seen a 22% increase, mainly due to fuel increases in quarries. Likewise, fertilisers are up as much as 40%. The cost pressure here is caused by lots of the raw materials for fertilisers originating in Ukraine. Also, red diesel, used for our course machinery, has nearly doubled versus this time last year. We could cut back on course projects and wind down on general course maintenance, but that would have a negative impact on your experience, and that is something we won’t compromise. Much like our own domestic situations, energy costs in the clubhouse are also under serious threat going into 2023, so we are taking steps to add additional timers or PIRs to lighting and heating controls.
Burwood Artisans Golf Day
We are re-structuring the Golf Operations team that report to Darren Wood following the resignations of Joana De Sa Periera and Michael Crane. Joana has been given the opportunity of working for European Tour Destinations, and Michael will be taking the role of Golf Operations Manager at Farleigh Court Golf Club nearer to his home. We are seeking three important leadership roles to join the Burhill team; Retail & Custom Fitting, Golf Services and Golf Administrator. The purpose of the roles is to provide an improved level of service in the Pro Shop, as well as offering leadership to marshals, managing the buggy fleet and new bag/ trolley store team, and for the club team to take more responsibility for competition and handicap management on IG and WHS.
On 23rd September, a number of club members will join members of The Burwood Artisans for a day of golf and hospitality at the clubhouse to commemorate the Artisans at Burhill. We sincerely wish that all attending have a most enjoyable day. Obituaries Members will be saddened to learn of the passing of Alan Beard, Douglas Williams and Valerie Manning. Alan was a member of Burhill Golf Club since 1973, meeting, and later marrying wife Mary in her year as Lady Captain. Douglas was a member since 1984 and a regular member of the WAGS. Valerie joined Burhill in 1982 and was Lady Captain in 1997. Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with their families.
Golf Operations Team Structure
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Personal Locker Hire Members will be aware that we have had a locker audit and been able to clear out many lockers that were not claimed or rented. We are pleased to advise that lockers in the Mens and Ladies Changing Rooms are available for hire on an annual basis for £40 for half and £60 for a full sized locker. Charges will be loaded onto membership renewals in 2023. Please contact either Helen Firman or Graham Newton at the club who will be happy to help you.
I look forward to seeing you soon.
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Regards, Nick GeneralMoranManager
We hope that you are enjoying the newly installed parasols outside The Honours Bar. They have provided some welcome shade during the recent hot weather. Equipped with heating and lighting systems, they will provide year round enjoyment.
Parasols
up’ with Bernhard Langer and sharing the putting green with the likes of Vijay Singh will live long in his memory. Congratulations Richard from all at Burhill.
Richard Barnes Members will be pleased to learn of Richard Barnes’ exploits in qualifying for and playing in the Senior Open Championship at Gleneagles. Richard qualified at Blairgowerie GC, with his 11-year-old son, Freddie on the bag. Although Richard didn’t make the cut, he played some fantastic golf and had a wonderful experience. I imagine ‘teeing it
The irrigation reservoir is low. So, we have had to move away from the automated irrigation system to hand water greens and tees, while slightly reducing the amount on the teeing areas. The plan is to give them a good feed once conditions allow to regain the colour and grass density.
Rob Surgey, Senior Course Manager
Golf Course Update
The past two months have been extremely dry and hot which has taken its toll on the courses. We had to stop watering the fairways and aprons in early July and until recently haven’t seen any rainfall of note for seven weeks. We are currently 200mm of rainfall behind last year and the picture below illustrates the repercussions. We have finally seen some much-needed rain, but it will take time for the moisture to dampen the rootzone. We are planning a full overseed on both courses, but the ground needs to be softer to allow the seeding to slice through the surface. We will also be returfing areas that have turned to dust, such as the walkway by the 7th green on the Old Course.
Continued on the next page... August 2021 August 2022
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The dry weather has caused the sand to lose its stability and become very loose. We have been sanding up more bunkers on the Old Course over the past month. The bunkers on 2, 4, 9, 14, 16, and one on 18 have been topped up where required. We’ll continue to check sand depths and move sand where necessary. Please remember when raking, to push the sand away from you and not drag it back towards you as you leave the bunker as this removes sand from the main playing areas.
Summer Maintenance
The summer maintenance has now been completed. The New Course was scarified, hollow cored and double overseeded. Recoverery has been good considering the recent intense heat.
Cheers, Rob Surgey
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We have cut back the pond reeds on the 11th and 15th, offering a good view of the 15th green from the fairway. Once the water level returns to normal, the shoots will be 150mm under the water which should help stop them regrowing.
Bunkers
We have been granted water abstraction by the Environment Agency to store flood water we receive during the winter months. This means we can move forward with the new reservoir, allowing us to almost double our water usage and keep the grass alive throughout the summer. As soon as we have planning permission, the building will start. This is a substantial investment of £350,000 for the reservoir and transfer pumps, which is an important project as we continue striving to improve the member experience at Burhill.
The Old Course has seen a deep scarify which puts sand straight into the profile to a depth of 25mm. Our machine removes organic matter (thatch) and replaces with sand to help firm up the greens. We are really pleased with the results so far. We’ve also overseeded the Old Course greens. We have overseeded both courses with Bent grass. This type of grass is much better suited to the current climate and has much better disease/drought tolerance levels. Irrigation Reservoir
11th and 15th pond New Course
7 Golf Operations Update Darren Wood, Head of Golf Operations Titleist Club Fitting Event September 15th (10:00am – 2:00pm) Considering upgrading your clubs? On September 15th Titleist will be visiting Burhill. An expert Titleist custom fitter and one of our PGA professionals will be fitting clubs to help you gain a few extra yards and improve your accuracy. Slots are limited and available to book free of charge on a first come basis. Call the shop for availability. Competition Results Congratulations to the following members on recent competition wins: Ladies Club Champion: Sasha Crockett (147 +2) Ladies Nett Winner: Susan Sadler (Nett 139 -6)
The Don Vincent Trophy is a generational foursomes competition that was founded by active member and ex-captain, Roger Vincent’s late father. For the first time in the 33 years the Vincent family have their own name on the trophy – won by Roger’s wife Catharine and son – Ben. Many
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Junior Champion: Freddie Surgey (137 -5)
Men’s Senior Club Champion: Lachie Deuchar (73 +3)
Men’s Club Champion: Will Harding (142 LEVEL)
Lady Captain’s Charity Day: Carol Green, Debbie Richards, Tess Graham, Margi Satchel (93 Points)
congratulations!
Men’s Nett Winner: Kris McGuire (139 -3)
Junior Nett Winner: Owen Selwood (128 -14)
Men’s Senior Nett Winner: Stephen Wilson (67 -3)
The Don Vincent Trophy
Men’s New Zealand Shield: Steven Horne (40 points)
The Burhill Family Foursomes
The Burhill Family Foursomes dates back to 1937. 26 pairs of members and visitors battled over two rounds for the Anna Cowan and Longmead Morgan Salvers. The overall winners of this year’s competition were Katharine and Tom Gordon from Worplesdon GC.
Nedbank SA Charity Golf Day
The Burhill Family Foursomes
The Don Vincent Trophy: Catharine and Ben, with Bally Cross
Thanks, Darren Wood
We are looking forward to hosting the Nedbank Golf Day on Friday 9th September. Once we have confirmed final playing numbers, we will look to open the golf courses in the mid-late afternoon for members to book. This will be confirmed before tee times open on Friday 2nd September.
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Katharine and Tom
10 Dates for the diary Saturday 10th September Captains Ball Saturday 15th September Titleist Club Fitting Event Friday 21st October Quiz Night
Our social committee did a wonderful job in organising the Sparrows Competition on July 1st. 40 members were up at the crack of dawn to take part, followed by breakfast at the club.
Clubhouse Update
Heineken Silver Members have been enjoying draught Heineken Silver over the last few weeks. A lower calorie, 4% ABV lager – give it a try! Wine of the Month
Stuart Barr, Head of Clubhouse Operations
Thanks, Stuart Barr
There is still time to enjoy a glass or two on the terrace after a round of golf this summer.
There are a couple of dates for your diary over the coming months. Firstly, the Captain’s Ball which takes place on the 10th of September with dinner prepared by our Executive Chef, David Hanlon followed by a casino and music to dance the night away! We also have the Quiz night on the 21st of October which will be compared once again by our very own Graham Newton. We shall look forward to seeing you there!
classicLadewouldrecommendationMybeComteProvenceRoseVidaubanaise-alightpinkin the glass with a light, bright nose of wild strawberries and watermelon. Express-o By mid-September we will have installed a larger, much quicker coffee machine (e4m!) which will produce twice the number of coffees that the current machine can in the same time. Like swing speed, coffee speed is important!
I like to keep my food simple, so bruschetta followed by chicken burger and fries
What previous roles did you have?
Before coming to Burhill I worked at David Lloyd in the membership office for 14 years
Team Member Spotlight
Enjoyable, interesting, challenging What’s your favourite part about working at Burhill?
What’s the best thing you have achieved?
What’s your typical day like at Burhill?
In three words describe your job.
What is your favourite two-course meal?
Being involved in the Jubilee celebrations including the Jubilee Goblets competition
My three sons – Mitchell works in the bar team at the club
No two days are the same, I could be organising an event one minute, then handling a membership enquiry the next Do you have a highlight from your time at Burhill?
Please feel free to contact us: 01932 227 345 BURHILL GOLF CLUB
I am part of the Membership and Events team and have been working at the club for a year
Our team are an integral part of your enjoyment at Burhill. This month I’d like to highlight a team member that is usually behind the scenes, so please may I introduce Helen Firman. She has very kindly taken some time to answer a few questions for us.
Thank you for reading the latest edition of the Burhill Newsletter
What’s your current role and how long have you been with BGL?
What are your hobbies?
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Socialising and looking forward to starting to play golf
I have some fantastic colleagues that help me deliver the best possible experience for our members and guests
Burwood Road Walton on Thames Surrey KT12 4BX
