MEMBERS NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 2024 - JANUARY 2025
AN UPDATE FROM... SARAH BLUNDEN
General Manager
2024 is coming to an end and we’re getting ready to welcome in a new year.
Thank you for another fantastic year at Hoebridge. Looking back, we’ve had some brilliant moments including our largest ever Charity Day and the playoff back down the 1st hole following a tie in the Men’s Club Championships.
More recently, we had the pleasure of hosting your presentation evening, where this year’s trophies were presented to the winners, the captains handed over their roles, and we announced the final total for this year’s Captain’s Charity.
The night was brilliant fun, with a drinks reception, and a two-course meal, followed by the presentation event. A huge congratulations to everyone who took home a trophy this year.
The 2024 Captains Charity was Silver Friends and once again you all did an unbelievable job in raising money for this important local charity. Silver Friends is a Wokingbased charity that believes that no one should ever be lonely or isolated, especially in their later years. They help with organising befriending services, home visits, transport and days out for elderly or isolated Woking residents. Across the year you managed to raise an outstanding £23,086! This money will make a huge difference in the lives of so many local people who rely on Silver Friends to help bring joy and companionship into their lives.
I am always so proud to see the generosity that you all give to support the captain’s chosen charity each year and I am sure that next year will be no different as we support our new captains with their chosen charity, ‘Motor Neuron Disease Association’.
The presentation evening also saw the official handover of captaincy into 2025.
I want to give the biggest thank you to Rob and Jess for being brilliant captains this year. It has been a pleasure working with you both, and the amount raised for Silver Friends is a testament...
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to the fantastic job that you both did. Best of luck to our incoming captains, Doug and Mandy, and I look forward to working with you both in 2025 to ensure another superb year of events and competitions.
PROSTATE CANCER TESTING
Back at the start of November, we held a Prostate Cancer Testing Event in partnership with Cancer Testing South. The event was fully booked, and saw 207 men tested across the day.
The test involved a simple, non-invasive, blood sample being taken which in turn was sent off for testing for a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). This test helps to indicate the risk of someone having prostate cancer, with the aim of early detection in turn allowing for much earlier treatment.
Of the 207 men who were tested at Hoebridge in November, there will inevitably have been some who did not receive the results they were hoping for. I very much hope that this early detection will have given them the option and ability for vital further tests and treatment to help give them the best possible outcome. Early detection is so important in the treatment of Prostate Cancer, with it resulting in a 90% survival rate compared to later detection. This is why events such as the one held in November are so important. We will work with Cancer Testing South to try to get another testing day booked for 2025.
Alongside holding events such as Prostate Cancer Testing, we also work to ensure that our team has the training needed to support both them and you during emergencies.
FIRST AID TRAINING
In November, we held our second first aid training session of the year, including a three-day first aid course for some of the team. 83% of our contracted team at Hoebridge are now first aid trained, and we will be holding further training days next year to ensure that as many of the team as possible can take this vital training.
We of course hope that we never have to use this training, especially for more serious illnesses or accidents. But having so many of the team first aid trained is important so that there is always plenty of support available.
One way to help us get you the help you may need is to put your medical information and emergency contact details onto your phone. Anyone can then access these details from your home screen even when your phone is locked. In an emergency, this will help others to contact loved ones and to pass any relevant medical information over to paramedics.
On an iPhone you can add your emergency contact details and medical information via the ‘Health App’ and on Android you can add this information via ‘Settings’ and ‘Safety and Emergency’.
We have five defibrillators around the site, three of which form part of our grab bags that are designed to be taken onto the courses. These grab bags, whilst having essential first aid items, also hold information on which...
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emergency vehicles we can get onto different areas of the site, including ‘What Three Word’ location points, to help direct the appropriate help to you. These grab bags are stored on our warden’s buggies every day so that they are there and ready to go should they ever be needed.
If you are out on the golf course and have an accident or one of your playing partners becomes unwell, then please call the clubhouse immediately on 01483 722611. We will get help to you as quickly as possible.
With 2024 ending and the shortest day getting ever closer, we can at least begin to look forward with the knowledge that lighter days will start to return, and with that, the return of longer golfing days. But during these darker, colder and quieter months, our greenkeeping team will be beavering away and ticking off some of our larger projects that can only be completed when there are fewer of you playing the courses.
Our main project this year is the bunkers on the 6th and 16th of the Main Course, which are both being reshaped, lined and re-turfed. The work on these began at the start of December, with the main disruptive reshaping work taking place during this month. The bunkers will then be turfed, with the turf, in turn, needing to knit in and establish its roots. Depending on the weather at the start of 2025, we hope to be able to reopen these bunkers to you around March.
We will also be completing further winter projects, including path work, and re-doing the steps to the 8th tee on the Main Course.
Whilst the winter months see fewer people playing due to the shortened days and less than favourable weather, we do still have many of you heading out, especially during the mornings.
PITCHMARKS
Unfortunately, over the last few months, we have seen an increase in the number of pitchmarks appearing on the greens. The wet weather does not help and heightens the impact that we see. However, a simple and quick repair of these marks can very quickly have a hugely positive impact, both visually and for playability.
Sadly, we know from the time of day that we are seeing the depressions appear that many of them are from members who are playing, but not taking the time to repair any pitchmarks made. It then takes our greenkeeping team away from their very busy schedule to spend additional time on repairing these.
Please help us to help you, by repairing your pitchmarks during your round. Repairing your pitch marks has a hugely positive impact on protecting the grass root system and on maintaining the playability for all members and visitors across the day.
As a reminder, here is the correct way of repairing a pitchmark.
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 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.
Finally, we always love seeing the photos that you take whilst playing your rounds. I wanted to share a particularly beautiful photo taken by one of our members, Paul Jenkins, during a round in November. You can always share your photos directly with me or the team (we never get bored of seeing them!) or tag us on our social media pages on Facebook or Instagram.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and I wish you all the best for 2025.
Thank you
Sarah
AN UPDATE FROM...
HAYLEY
Sales Manager
Hi everyone!
I hope you are all well and looking forward to the festive season ahead. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself, as the new Sales Manager here at Hoebridge Golf Centre.
I’ve met some of you along the way over the past two months that I’ve been here, but for those of you that I’m still to meet, I thought now would be a good opportunity for you to put a face to a name.
I’m very excited to be part of the Sales Team here, to bring my knowledge of memberships and events to the table and to share my experiences with the team.
Sales is a huge passion of mine and my previous roles have included hotels, racecourses, and rugby stadiums, working on both the sales and operations side of the business.
I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you about some of the great benefits you have as members, which include reduced ticket prices for events and also complimentary event...
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room hire, subject to minimum spend, so if you are looking to either join us on one of our tribute evenings or hold an event of your own, we have you covered.
For those of you who haven’t completed our events survey, please take a few minutes to complete it, as this will assist us with our 2025 event calendar and ensure that we’re putting on events that you’ll all love.
I look forward to seeing you all over the festive season and throughout 2025.
Kind regards,
Hayley
COURSE MANAGER REPORT
BARRY GARDNER
Course Manager
With less daylight and generally worse weather, a greenkeeper’s life is not always a happy one at this time of year. I am sure most people will think that the winter is a time for greenkeepers to sit back and relax, as it’s our “quieter” time of year. This is very much not the case!
Indeed, the grass is not growing as strong or fast, but we still find ourselves having to regularly cut during these milder winters that seem to be the norm nowadays. Plus, we always have plenty of other jobs to get on with, which we always aim to complete when there are fewer of you on the course.
Thankfully most of the leaves are now down, and so leaf removal is not taking up as much of our time as it did during the autumn.
We have installed posts and rope around some of the green complexes to reduce wear close to the greens and to help spread wear from trolleys and buggies. Please support us by abiding by these, as they are in place to protect your course. We will also be topdressing some of these walk-off areas with sharp sand to try and reduce the amount of mud you may pick up on your shoes and trolleys.
You should have hopefully noted some new pathway edging that has gone in on the Main Course and the Shey. The paths will receive a further fresh covering of path material in the spring once all the winter muck and mud are done with. We also have a very skilled shaper, Callum Mckie, (I encourage you to look him up on social media or YouTube, as his videos are quite impressive), to carry out the bunker work on the 6th and 16th holes on the Main Course.
Callum will be removing the boring round bunkers on both holes and creating new bunkers that will be much more visually appealing and will make the holes more striking. Once the bunkers have been constructed, we will have a company in to line the bunkers with the rubber crumb liner we used on the 17th bunkers previously. The in-house greenkeeping team will then finish off the bunker project by turfing and filling it with sand.
In these new bunkers and the 17th greenside, we will be using a different type of sand than what we currently use. The new sand we will be moving to is called China Clay and is made from crushed granite. It is quite an angular sand, which allows it to pack down firmer whilst still being able to fluff up on the top to create bunker shots you can control more. In addition to us believing that this is an allaround better bunker sand for playability, it also has the added benefit of us being able to get more consistently good quality sand delivered from the quarry.
As an entire golf industry, sand is becoming increasingly harder to get, both in terms of availability and quality. However, from speaking with many of our suppliers and experts within our network, China Clay is thought to be one of the longer-term, more sustainable sands that will remain available to us.
We will not be putting this new sand into old bunkers as it requires a bunker that has a liner to perform at its best, so the changeover will be a gradual one as we complete further bunker renovations over the coming years. This winter we will also be redoing the steps going up to the 8th tee on the Main Course, as some of the sleepers are starting to rot. I am hoping to install a handrail if possible. But this decision will be dependent on whether we can safely install one without the risk of a ball ricocheting off it when teeing off the back right of that tee.
Finally, we will also be working on our sustainability projects, such as making more bird and bat boxes and making some new tee markers which are great jobs for cold wet days!
Anyway, that’s all from me for now except to say the greenkeeping team wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Barry and the Greens Team
TrackMan
SAM
Driving Range Manager
Hello everyone!
It’s getting to that time of the year now when we are limited in time, and we find ourselves out on the course, but we shouldn’t worry, as you can still find the enjoyment of flushing those irons and smashing those drivers in the comfort of your range bay!
With the winter period well and truly under way, there’s no need to put away the clubs but to take on the season with full force and utilise the amazing facilities we have.
Currently, we have a few tournaments running including Hit It! And our Winter League, whether you are competitive and looking to win some prizes or just want to have a bit of fun, we have all areas covered.
Within our Winter League Tournaments, each month includes a specific course where you are to play nine holes, no Mulligans, off scratch, and off the back tees. For more information, speak to any member of staff or see our posters on the range!
We can’t wait to welcome you in for your next session!
Sam
GOLF OPERATIONS UPDATE
IAN HAYWARD Head Professional
Summer is starting to feel like it was a long time ago! Even though there has been a considerable amount of rain with a few frosts thrown in for good measure, it’s nice to see everyone battling on through and still enjoying their golf. The course is holding up well and hopefully, we’ll continue getting buggies out as long as possible to make everybody’s golf that little bit easier!
In the shop, we are fully prepared for the winter period and the inevitable poor weather. We have a wide variety of winter clothing in stock from many leading brands such as J Lindeberg, Ping, Puma, Nike, Galvin Green, Oscar Jacobson and Stuburt to ensure that you can remain protected from the...
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elements regardless of when you play. For those of you who prefer a trolley as opposed to carrying, there is a full range of winter wheels in all sizes (fingers crossed there won’t be too many mornings when they will be needed). They do, however, protect the course so please support Barry and his team and please use them when required. If you are unsure of what you require to ensure that your trolley is winter-ready, please ask at the pro shop and we would be happy to advise you.
With Christmas on its way, it’s time to think about the perfect golfing gifts for your loved ones. Whether it’s a set of clubs you are looking for or a pack of balls for a stocking filler, we’ve got you covered. If you are unsure of what to buy the person who has everything, we have a wide variety of gift vouchers available through our website, which can be accessed through the following link:
Golf Gift Vouchers – Old Woking, Surrey | Hoebridge Golf Centre
We also have an exclusive members-only offer for Custom Fitting over the winter period. If you are thinking about upgrading
your equipment in addition to our free fitting service and competitive pricing, we are offering the following bonus:
• For any purchase of hardware through our fitting service, we are offering either £100 range credit or 3x Free Members Guest vouchers with any purchase over £500 between December and 28th February 2025!
Jonny and Andy will be happy to take you through a full-fitting process to find the right clubs for your game to ensure that lowering your scores will be as easy as missing a fourfoot putt on a cold winter’s morning (just speaking from experience)!
With new products arriving from Ping, Taylormade and Cobra in early January and a wide variety of ex-demo bargains to be picked up immediately, I am certain that we have something to enhance everybody’s game!
From all of us in the Pro Shop, have a fantastic Christmas.
Ian
H&F UPDATE
RYAN STONEHOUSE
H&F Manager
Hello Members,
This month we wanted to give you a whole-body workout to try for the party season, where you might not train as much as normal but would like the most out of your session.
Complete the following: Three rounds of either ten reps or three rounds of 30 seconds work and 15 seconds rest.
• Squat – Calf raise
• Squat – Romanian Deadlift
• Sit-ups
• Plank – Hip tilts
• Press-ups
• Lying lat pulldown
You can find a video of these exercises on our Instagram page.
If you would like any further guidance on your training, please feel free to contact us at fitness@hoebridgegc.co.uk
Ryan
Thank you for reading the latest Members News.
Please feel free to contact us on 01483 722611
HOEBRIDGE GOLF CENTRE