MEMBER NEWS August 2022 In this Edition / GM Update / Club & Course Update / Meet the Team / Recipe of the Month
2 on day one and nett 71 (-2) on day two, so a very impressive weekend of golf. Well done to everyone who played! I have managed to enjoy a few rounds of golf myself this past month. Firstly, at Cowdray Park at the committee away day and then in our Charity Day on 12th July. Charity Day was brilliant fun, and a huge well done to the committee for all their hard in organising the event. Via an auction, tombola, beat the pro, and lots of generous donations across the day, over £7,000 was raised their charity, Strokeability. Thank you to everyone who took part!!! The end of July saw the NAPGC competition with over 90 golfers visiting from across the country. This is a competitive day at the best of times, but was made even harder by being held on the hottest day of the year. The Hoebridge team were out in full force in buggies handing out water and sun cream to ensure everyone was able to make it around. UPDATEGM Sarah Blunden General Manager Hi
Late June saw the playing of the Ladies Club Championship. Congratulations to our 2022 Club Champion Kim Price! Kim’s two gross scores were 83 and 84, making for very consistent scoring! Karen Parker won the nett trophy. She recorded a nett 68 (-5)
andwhohaving!summerWhatEveryone,agloriouswe’reAssomeonelovesthesunheat,Iamloving this weather, but we sure are grateful for the bit of rain we have seen in the last few days after the driest July on record. Please join me in thanking the greenkeepers, who are doing a brilliant job in keeping our greens and tees healthy. Barry will go into more detail, but watering by hand enables the team to have greater control on the amount of water going down, and ensure any dry spots are getting the additional water needed without saturating the full green. This additional attention has allowed the greens to continue playing phenomenally well through the summer months. Thanks to all of you for following our smoking ban on the course. With the grass as dry as it is, we need to ensure the risk of fire is limited as much as possible. For those who do still smoke whilst on the course, we ask that all cigarette butts are put into the sand buckets provided every third hole. PLEASE do not dispose of any cigarette butts on the fairways or in the long rough. Our marshals will continue to police the ban throughout August to encourage as many people as possible to limit smoking and ensure our courses remain protected.
COMPETITION NEWS
It was great to see over 50 members head out on our New Members Golf Day. A 9-hole Texas Scramble was held on both the Shey and Main Course, followed by nibbles and drinks. I really enjoyed getting to meet some new faces and hope to see you again around the clubhouse soon. I hope you all enjoyed the evening, and had the opportunity to meet others and ask any questions you had about your membership. Should you ever have any questions or concerns then please let me or my team knowwe will be more than happy to help. You will have seen some construction work going on in the car park recently. I’m happy to report that this work indicates the start of our car park extension. Over 40 additional spaces are being created, and it should be in use by the end of August. Please bear with us whilst this work is carried out, and we will work with the contractors to keep disruption to a Iminimum.havehad several people asking me about the ‘hole in the ground’ on the 12th hole of the main course. This was one of the first areas of the course that I looked at with Barry when I joined in May. We are both in agreement that we will look to change this back into a bunker. We are currently working on the best shape and position, but hope to begin the work later this year. In addition, each year we will look to refurbish 4 – 6 bunkers, including lining them with a base called a ‘blinder’. We will begin with the worst greenside bunkers in autumn/winter
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One2022/23.ofmy main areas of focus at the moment is the impact that inflation is having on our business. You will have seen on the news; price increases are now affecting virtually every sector. Inflation within the hospitality industry hit 11.5% at the end of June, which marked five months of continuous cost increases. Even simple items that we use every day such as eggs have risen by 20% in the last month, and baked beans and cheese have risen by 25%. By the end of the year, we are forecasting that our electricity prices will increase by 150%, which with a large clubhouse will have an enormous impact on our costs. We are doing everything in our power to mitigate these costs as much as possible. However, we want to ensure that we continue to provide excellent service and great value. I do, therefore, also need to start looking at how much we are charging and will need to pass some of these costs (not the full amount), back onto our customers. This is never any easy decision to make, and any price increases introduced are done via careful competitor and industry analysis. I hope you understand the necessity of us doing this, so that we can continue investing in our club, and continue improving the member experience at Hoebridge. Thank you, Sarah GeneralBlundenManager
7.CourseThestaff team will call 999 even if you have already, to provide clear instructions on how to get to the golfer
6.neededInform the staff team what hole you are on, and whether this is on the Main, Shey or Par-3
5. Inform the staff team of the nature of the emergency and whether a defibrillator is
4. If a marshal is visible wave the marshal down
8. The staff team will be out with you on the golf course as soon as possible Ian Hayward | Head Pro I am thrilled to announce that the upgrade and refurbishment to the custom fitting room has been completed and it looks great! It’s a top-class facility that we are very excited to have at PoweredHoebridge.byTrackman and with a wide range of products available from leading manufacturers such as Taylormade, Titleist,
4 CLUB NEWS Member Benefits Take full advantage of your membership at Hoebridge! Below is a reminder of all the benefits available to you: 14-day advanced tee time bookings 10% off food and drink in the Café Bar & Grill 20% additional range credit when purchasing a £50 range card 1 complimentary round per month at 8 other BGL sites (excluding Flexible Members) 1 complimentary round per year at Burhill Golf Club (excluding Flexible Members) Discounted buggies Discounted use of gym Member guest rates Free room hire for events (subject to minimum spend)Discounted overnight stay at Thornbury Golf & Lodge Emergency First Aid Procedure In the last newsletter,membersweupdated you all on our emergency first aid procedure and the location of our defibrillators. Since then, we have invested in an emergency duty manager phone. This phone will be kept on the duty manager at all times throughout the day, and the line is kept clear specifically for Whilstemergencies.youwill still be able to reach us on the main Hoebridge number, we ask that you all save the number below into your phones. If there is an emergency on the golf course, please call: Duty Manager Emergency Phone = 07506 279087 The emergency procedure when you are on the golf course is: 1. Call 999 and provide your location and emergency (you can use the ‘What3Words’ app to help give a precise location) 2. Immediately administer first aid if you are able to do so 3. Call for help from the Hoebridge staff team on 07506 279087 (or 01483 722611 if you do not have this number saved)
bike-2-paris-2022 Leighton Kane - Ride Across Britain
5 Ping, Cobra, and Yonex, we are certain that we will be able to find a product to enhance your game! Our fitting service will remain free to all members and there is no obligation to buy, so whether you are after a driver, irons, hybrid or even a putter, please come and see us. To book a fitting, please contact the Pro Shop or e-mail customfit@hoebridgegc. co.uk. Jonny and the team will be happy to find a convenient time for you.
Finally, I’d like to congratulate Rhys Hughes for winning the 9-12 category of the British Junior Golf Tour event at Burnham-onCrouch. Rhys shot an impressive 74 gross, which included three birdies. He took the title by a 5-shot margin. Well done Rhys! HeadIanThanks,HaywardProfessional
Charity Bike Rides Connor Thomas – Burhill to Paris Connor Thomas (F&B Manager) is joining a team of riders from across BGL in cycling from Burhill to Paris. From 2nd September – 5th September the team of riders including Connor, Colin Mayes (CEO), and several GMs will cycle from Burhill Golf Club to Paris, raising money for the Red Cross Ukraine Appeal. If you would like to support Connor and the rest of the BGL team towards reaching their fundraising goal, you can do so via the link
Starting on Saturday 10th September, Leighton Kane (PGA Professional) is attempting to cycle from Lands’ End to John O’Groats in memory of his Dad and a close friend (Adrian Girardelli) who sadly passed away this year. He will be covering 1,035 miles (1,665km) with 52,000ft of ascent in just nine days, and will be raising money for both the Prince’s Trust and the Buffalo Foundation. The money raised will make a lasting difference to children and young adults living in poverty. If anybody would like to donate, please scan the QR code below. Any donations would be greatly appreciated.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bgl-below:
Some factors that can increase the need for hand watering are tree/shrub root encroachment, poor sub soil, soils turning hydrophobic (repelling water), and poor irrigation coverage. Where these things occur, hand watering allows us to target the trouble spots without wasting water on other parts of the green that don’t require any extra.
we have been losing 4-5mm of soil moisture to evapotranspiration each day and to ensure good playing surfaces we would generally look to replace 50% of that with irrigation water each night. With a lack of rain lately, we have had to replace more like 75% each night. Our irrigation system, around the greens, allows us to operate each head individually (3-4 heads per green), so we have good control on how much water there’ll be on certain sections of the green, but still we need to hand water certain parts. It is easy to over-water areas by using just the irrigation system. We are looking for control in the soil moisture levels, so we
6 UPDATECOURSE Barry Gardner Course Manager I hope you have all been enjoying the recent sunny weather and playing the courses in firm and fast conditions? The recent weather has been tough at times on our irrigation system. I have been beavering away since I started here on fixing electrical issues and replacing the heads (pop ups), to get the irrigation system working as efficiently as Recently,possible.
CourseBarryThanks!GardnerManager
With the pressure for water becoming greater, golf is already under scrutiny in regard to its water usage. Having a reservoir is very positive both for allowing us to irrigate even if a hose pipe ban is introduced, and for increasing our sustainability in how we manage our courses. We currently have two licences for abstracting water – one for winter and one for summer. We are only allowed to take a small amount of water in the summer months, which is why the reservoir gets drained down. We can then abstract more in the winter to fill it back up again ready for next year.
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Each quarter we recognise a member of the team who has gone above and beyond to provide excellent service and support to their team.
In August ’21 as the Events Supervisor. I was promoted to my current role of Events Manager at the start of the year. What do you enjoy about working at Hoebridge? This was a great opportunity because every day is different, and we host a lot of unique events. I just enjoy ensuring they run smoothly, and we have happy guests. What’s been the best moment you’ve had at Hoebridge so far? Probably the first wedding I organised here. The couple were lovely, and they day ran smoothly - they gave me a big hug at the end! Do you manage to get out and play on the course much? You really wouldn’t want me out there, Geoff would kick me off! Although I do enjoy going to our driving range and Adventure Golf.
Izzy looks after all of our functions. She ensures that they are set up, the team are in place, they run smoothly, and all of our guests have a brilliant time. With a smile on her face and a keen eye for detail, Izzy always delivers exceptional customer service and her positive energy comes across to everyone that she works with.
What’s been your favourite event to run so far? Freddie Mercury night was fabulous! Luke was unbelievable, and the atmosphere was brilliant. I also loved the Prom that we organised for children with learning difficulties. What are you looking forward to most this year? Christmas is one of my favourite times of year! I can’t wait to get decorating. We’re also looking to put on a Christmas Market and Santa’s grotto - it should be fantastic! So, you obviously just won our employee of the quarter, how do you feel? I was very surprised! Everyone here works so hard. It was really lovely to be recognised and appreciated by my peers though! Chocolate or Crisps? Crisps Gin or Prosecco? Gin, but it’s close! Beach or Mountains? Beach Mornings or Evenings? Evenings. I am not a morning person! Dogs or Cats? Cats… no judgment please!
QUESTIONSQUICKFIRE
MEET THE TEAM IZZY SOUTHGATE
In this month’s edition of ‘Meet the Team’, we’d like to introduce you to our employee of the quarter – Izzy Southgate.
When did you start working at Hoebridge?
8 RECIPE OF THE MONTH Hi Hoebridge Members! I’m Gavin, the Senior Sous Chef, and I started here in February. I’m a keen golfer and proud chef that likes organisation and efficiency in the kitchen. For August’s ‘Recipe of the Month’, I’ve selected one of my summer BBQ favourites. Bang Bang Grilled Chicken with Oriental Slaw 4 skinless chicken breasts 50ml Satay Sauce 1 Carrot 1 Red Pepper 1 Chilli pepper (hot as you like it!) 3 spring onions 1 red onion ¼ white cabbage 20ml soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp honey Method To make the slaw, thinly slice the carrot, onion, pepper, and cabbage. Then place in a bowl with the soy sauce, sesame oil and honey; mix well, add a bit of salt to season and set aside for at least 45 Diceminutes.the chicken breast into similar sized cubes and skewer up ready for the BBQ. Grill the chicken on the BBQ until just cooked, then glaze with the satay sauce. Then heat so that the sauce starts to Placecaramelise.alarge lettuce leaf in the centre of the plate with a nice spoonful of the oriental slaw in the centre. Take the chicken off the skewers and place on top of the oriental slaw. Garnish with sliced spring onions, chilli and coriander.
Thank you for reading the latest Members News. Please feel free to contact us on 01483 722611 HOEBRIDGE GOLF CENTRE Old Woking Road Old GU22SurreyWoking8JH
