MEMBER NEWS
As this summer is proving, the decision to invest and replace the entire irrigation system is wise. Although works have been delayed, with little more to see than a vast storage tank and loops of piping, I have news from our contractor confirming work will ramp up this autumn. In some respects, the delay can be viewed as a blessing, as any trenching work completed earlier in the spring would not have recovered given the summer scorching. When I have more news, I will provide you an update when I will also ask you for your patience for what will be intrusive works. The end game will be peace of mind, knowing the golf courses water security is in our hands whilst never needing a drop of tap water.
Dear member,
As we approach the end of the golfing season, I trust you have all been able to enjoy the hot and dry weather of late. Golf courses: The greens renovation went as planned earlier this month and the recovery has gone well. I have received feedback asking why we carry out this renovation work when the greens are in great condition whereas other courses wait until the autumn. The simple answer is that there’s never a good time for this invasive but essential maintenance. Every golf course differs in their cultural course practices, but we have found from experience that the first week of August and again in mid February (weather permitting) works for us, with recovery in August aided by optimum growing conditions.
I have met with a specialist groundworks contractor and agreed for them to complete a number of projects on the course, including the rebuilding and renovation of the 2nd, 5th, and 12th tees, after which they will move on to the refurbishment of bunkers. The intention is for this work to be completed at end of September, subject of course to weather conditions. Whilst these works are underway and in order to provide time for the tees to bed in, temporary tees will be in use. Whilst our greens team are very capable of completing this project work, I would like Robin and the team to prioritise the daily upkeep of the course with two sets of contractors completing disruptive work on the courses.
Food & beverage: We are still awaiting planning approval for the patio pergola which will ease pressure on the bar when we have events and weddings. Our planning application was submitted earlier in the year but the process with South Gloucestershire is taking far
Robin and his team have been doing an excellent job during the dry spell. Reduced growing conditions has allowed them to focus on the rough and under trees, both of which have made a noticeable improvement. They are fighting a battle with the 32 year old irrigation system, and we are finding new leaks appearing daily, one of which you can clearly see in the car park and driveway by the putting green. We are fully aware of these leaks as we manage as best we can our ageing system. Out of prudence we have made the decision to turn off the irrigation system to tees in order to preserve water levels for the greens, a safeguard should the drought continue into the autumn. With my own eyes, I see that our greens are faring well versus some local comparisons suggesting we’re making the right decisions in difficult circumstances.
Driving range: Many of you will have seen the ongoing improvements to the range, which started in the year with new outfield drainage and more recently a repainting programme. We now turn our attention to the renewing of the nets and improving the practice targets.
Lodge: Within the last few weeks, we have invested in the Lodge, including replacing the carpets, adding Smart TVs, sofa beds, furnishings and decorating inside and out. I appreciate that this does not directly affect your experience, but the Lodge plays an important part of our success helping us to invest elsewhere. It’s also an ideal place for your friends and family to come and stay!
Inflation: In addition to the drought challenges faced on the course, we are also facing the growing burden of continued cost pressure across the business. While inflation is currently 9.4%, food service inflation is now over 11.5% and we have seen the cost of many of our staple menu ingredients increase by more than 20%, including eggs! We are all feeling the impact of soaring utility prices at home, and it is no different at the Club, with our electricity alone expected to increase from 14p a kWh to potentially >60p a kWh, an eye watering fact of our contract ending in September. Collectively, the whole company (BGL) is bracing itself for annual electricity costs to rise from £0.9m to between £3 million and £4 million. We will continue to work hard to mitigate the impact of the cost pressures, one such measure is to replace our calorifier water heater system, originally constructed in 1993, its design holds 1,000 litre of water which is heated using a combination of gas and electricity. This system will be replaced in October by a much smaller and heavily insulated vessel, with savings of energy and CO2. I need to be honest and tell you our prices will increase whilst we continue to focus on the standard of the golf courses, quality of food and levels of service expected by our members.
Naomi Woods joins as Clubhouse Manager in the first week of September, she is currently Clubhouse Manager at Filton Golf Club. With a great understanding of golf and hospitality, we are very much looking forward to Naomi joining the team and I am sure you will all welcome her. As two join the team, two members leave us. Kendle will be greatly missed, leaving the team later this month as he relocates to Cornwall with his family and a change of career. Alec Taylor will also leave the bar team mid September as he takes on a new role in retail. I am sure both Kendle and Alec have bright futures ahead of them and don’t forget to say goodbye.
Tim GeneralGoodManager Burhill to Paris: Spare a thought for Robin’s posterior. Our Course Manager is joining a intrepid team of riders from across BGL who are cycling from Burhill to Paris on the 2nd of September. The team of riders including Robin, Colin Mayes (CEO), and several other staff members are raising money for the Red Cross Ukraine Appeal.
If you would like to support Robin and the rest of the BGL team, you can do so via the link below.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bgl bike-2-paris 2022
longer than expected. We are hopeful to receive an update on the progress of our application over the next month or so, when I will update you accordingly.
I do hope you enjoy the remainder of the summer season and I look forward to seeing you all soon.
Team: I am pleased to announce two new members to our team. Jessii Wood has joins as our new Sales Manager. Jessii will replace Nicola’s role by supporting the team and becoming the main point of contact within the sales office for our members’ events in the coming months. Jessii brings a number of years’ experience within the leisure and hospitality sector and is looking forward to meeting many of you during the next few weeks.
Best wishes.
I would like to pass on my thanks to all the team for their hard work over the golfing season. Everyone has worked extremely hard to ensure you are given the best experience both on and off course. I am sure you can appreciate the challenging working conditions of late for all the team, in particular the greenkeeping staff who have been working outdoors in the extreme heat to prepare both courses to the highest standards.
Have a lovely summer from your every striving Course Manager.
Thankfully, the beginning of BGL’s investment in Thornbury’s irrigation system began back in 2019 with the re establishment of the bore hole, which was failing having been sunk back in 1992. This has meant that our now ancient irrigation system has a far better supply of water – a fundamental. Remembering back, it was in the summer of 2018 when we literally ran out of water.
RoRegards,bin
News from the Course
BGL’s has committed to protecting and improving the playing surfaces against extreme weather events whilst using finite water resources responsibly. The final bill to achieve this is estimated to be £750,000 with the replacement of everything, from the bore hole to the pump house, the tank and on to the pipe work and every single head. Unfortunately, unforeseen issues have meant that the replacement of the system has seen little movement despite the original plan being to have replaced over a third of the system by now
I’m not sure who we contact in 2022 as Roy Castle and Norris McWhirter have sadly been unable to help for several years now, that being said July was certainly a record breaker! England had its driest July since 1935, with Thornbury recording its highest ever temperature, a scorching of 37 Celsius / 99 Fahrenheit.
Every day I get asked the question, is the irrigation fixed and are we watering? The answer is yes, we are watering, and the system is in a constant state of being fixed.
As Tim has mentioned, I am aware of the numerous leaks on course and there are far more issues with the system beyond that but the fact remains I cannot shut and drain down the system to complete the repairs for we need to continue to irrigate The leaks can be as much as 8ft deep and can take two of my team upwards of a day to repair – much of which involves a digger and shovels With the driest month and the hottest day on my mind, irrigation is not an option. We are aware of the problems and as every greenkeeper in the land is doing, we continue to say a prayer for rain – and when our prayers are heard, we can then make a start on the repairs to the leaks. In the meantime, I keep looking at the pile of irrigation materials delivered for the new system that cost the likes of a semidetached house! This time next year, we’ll be in a much better place. No one wishes we could get more water to the course than I do, I am aware the tees are very dry but my priority must be to conserve water to maintain the greens. To keep the greens playable and healthy we are currently using more water than the bore hole can provide, much is being lost through the leaks, a vicious cycle. The tees will recover but I am sorry to say we simply do not have enough water currently to irrigate both. I am well aware of the irony of how much is being lost to leaks, BGL is committed to rectifying this, and I remain hopeful that sleepless nights worrying about leaks, bursts and system failures will be an unpleasant distant memory come next summer.
A message from Kendle Dear Members, As only few of you may know, I’m leaving my position as PGA Professional here at Thornbury Golf Centre, and my last day will be Wednesday 24th August. Before setting off on the next chapter of my journey, I wanted to reach out to you and let you know how great it’s been to work here with you all.
News from the PGA Professionals
2. Play with what you have, not with what you want.
Yours sincerely, Kendle McCrossan One last tip from Kendle Often, we neglect the simpler things when it comes to the golf swing. If it starts to go wrong out there we tend to start messing around with various bits and bobs until, we are completely confused. So, I’ll break down a simple check sheet to help you get your ball round better while playing.
1. Leave the serious work to the mechanics.
5. Consistency needs consistency.
3. Be the best you, not a worse someone else.
I hope you find the above helpful. Happy golfing
To get that little white thing round you’re going to need some patience and persistence at times but wasting energy on trying everything to see that little baby draw, when it’s just not there, is only going to frustrate you. If you happen to have a little fade or the ball seems to be going 10 – 20 yards right to left in flight for most shots, embrace it. You trying to ‘fix’ it probably won’t. In fact, you’re more likely to make it worse.
If you sit to think what your honestly good at comparing your entire game, you might be surprised what you come up with. Some might say putting, some might say driving, some might even say bunkers. But knowing what your good at is the key to success in this game. If your great from around the greens, doing what you can to get it close should be priority. Whereas if you struggle from the bunkers, choosing a club that will be short or long should take precedence.
I hope to see you all over the closing weeks but for those who I miss, I wish you all the best with your golf and in life.
While I’m excited for the new opportunity ahead of me, leaving the centre and great working relationships will feel bittersweet.
Moving forward, my family and I will be relocating to Cornwall and I will be coming out of Golf to endeavour a new career path. I have previously part completed a qualification in Plumbing & Heating and will be working within, and finishing the remainder of the studies, once situated. This decision has not been easy but comes from a place of wanting to be a more present farther with my son soon going off to school, along with other factors.
By this I mean, if you have a problem with your golf swing, trying to fix it on the golf course is not the place and time. Leave that until you have a chat with one of the PGA Professionals. They are here to help with the heavy lifting for your golf swing. Your mates giving their input all at once will certainly not give you the best results.
4. Don’t worry yourself with where the ball ends up. Trying to micromanage the ball and getting yourself pent up that it didn’t go in the fairway will just lead to you feeling more and more anxious over the ball. You control you. Nothing more nothing less. Practice good mental habits out there. See where you want it to go, a couple practice swings, hit it, club back in the bag, take about something else until the next time you’re next to your ball.
Expecting perfection when you haven’t put the work in is the same as expecting to fly a plane after watching a few YouTube videos. Like everything else in life, you get out of this game, what you put in. If you want to be more consistent on the course, then you must be more consistent with how you prepare off it.