AN UPDATE FROM...

Sarah Blunden General Manager

Hi everyone, With the Masters upon us, and Spring just around the corner, the new golfing

We have been very busy over the past few months prepping for the start of the season. Whether this has been out on the golf course, around the clubhouse, or processing hundreds of membership renewals, the team have had plenty to keep them busy.

The greenkeeping team have been out improving the pathways, including re-edging and putting down fresh surfaces, in addition to tidying up the practice chipping area with new sand and a fresh trim. They were also able to re-lay turf on the putting green and 13th greenside, and will be completing some overseeding later this spring across the walkoff areas and some of the tees. At the end of March, all fairways and green surrounds were fertilised in order to maximise the health of the grass as we head into the core growing season.

The main winter project this year was the completion of the bunkers on the 17th. They have now been lined, turfed and filled with sand. Once the turf has knitted in, these will be back open and ready for you to play from. The new playing surface within these bunkers is called a blinder. It allows water to drain through, stops stones from coming up, and also offers a softer surface for the sand to sit on.

We hoped to have also been able to start work on the new bunker on the 12th. However, the heavy rainfall this winter meant that the ground around the hole that we filled in was too soft to begin work. If we’d dug the bunker out and lined it ready for use, we would have risked the ground later moving, and in turn, damaging any work that was completed. We’ll therefore be flattening and seeding this area in the spring. Once we are happy that the ground has settled and dried out, then we will look to begin this bunker project, however it’ll likely need to be in the autumn.

At the end of March, a group of us, including both the Hoebridge team and members, headed onto the Main Course to fill the divots. This divot party evening will have a positive effect on lessening the number of visible divots during the spring. However, it is with your support that we can help maintain these, as well as limit the pitch marks on the greens. If we all do our best to repair our pitch marks, plus one other whenever we are on the greens, it will ensure the greens repair much quicker, giving us all a better playing surface.

Correct repair will help protect the grass root system and benefit all members and visitors. Below is a reminder on how to repair a pitch mark properly:

Correct Method

1. Insert the pitchmark repair tool just outside the back of the pitchmark

2. Lever the turf towards the centre of the pitchmark

3. Repeat this motion from all sides of the pitchmark

4. Gently tap the repaired area with your putter – this action stretches the undamaged turf over the pitchmark, providing instant recovery

Incorrect Method

1. Do not replace the loose piece of turf taken out by the ball – it will die and delay the healing process

2. Do not pry up the centre of the depression with the pitchmark repair tool as it exposes soil and will delay the healing process

3. Do not insert the pitchmark repair tool and twist it – this only damages more turf

Around the clubhouse, the function room has received a lick of paint and new lighting has been fitted. We have also started to add a splash of colour to our outside walkways and seating areas, with freshly planted bulbs and plants. We have some green-fingered team members amongst us (me included!) who are all very excited to start bringing more flowers and foliage to Hoebridge. We hope you get as much enjoyment out of watching them grow as we do.

To finish off our winter projects, our Adventure Golf course has also received a makeover, with nine of its holes having been re-astro turfed just in time for the Easter holidays.

We are excited to be holding our next ‘New Members Golf Day’ on Wednesday 26th April from 5pm. Our sales team: Shawn, Tommy, Hannah, and Frances will be inviting all our new members to an evening of fun golf across either our Main or Shey Course. The round will be followed with some food and drinks back at the clubhouse. This evening will be a great opportunity to meet other new members, but also the Hoebridge team and committee. For those new members that I haven’t met yet, I am really looking forward to introducing myself on the night.

Finally, I’d like to say a big thank you to everybody who has renewed their membership for 2023. We are now in the process of finalising this year’s renewal season. For those of you who renewed your membership prior to April 1st, we will be issuing renewal vouchers as a thank you. These vouchers will be sent out towards the end of April / early May, and will contain a voucher for a small gift, as well as some vouchers to use around the club. We will let you know once the vouchers are in, and will send them out directly.

Thank you!

Sarah Blunden

General Manager