Thornbury Member News - January

AN UPDATE FROM...

Tim Good General Manager

Dear members, Happy new year to you all.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas and as we move into the new year, I wanted to share some exciting news on centre activities and developments.

Driving Range - TrackMan Development

I am delighted to announce that we are developing our driving range throughout February. The investment of £350k will upgrade our range to include the latest TrackMan technology, improved outfield targets and bays. The project will see the installation of the TrackMan system into 23 range bays so that golfers can experience the most powerful and accurate measuring system in golf.

TrackMan is used by 96 out of the Top 100 PGA Tour golfers and it’s not just for measuring your distances and accuracy, the system can do many things such as playing games, play worldwide golf courses and record all your practice sessions - there really are no limitations when it comes to you practicing on your own or with friends. All bays will have tables and seating and our dedicated Range team will be on hand to assist your TrackMan needs and serve delicious food and beverage treats.

The driving range will close from Monday 30th January for approximately 3-4 weeks to allow the upgrade to take place. I will keep you updated as the project progresses and let you know confirmed dates for the opening of the TrackMan range.

During this of period closure, the Professional team will not be able to conduct lessons on the range, therefore lessons will take place during daylight hours on course and the professionals will be in touch soon to discuss your lessons.

The TrackMan investment will elevate our range to be the best in the area and I am excited that this project will enhance our offering to the membership and our guests. For a sneak preview of Trackman please click here.

We will host a special members opening event, so keep an eye out for more information regarding this event and how to sign up as spaces will be limited.

We look forward to welcoming you back to the new and improved Trackman range soon.

Course Projects

The irrigation programme is ongoing and the contractors are on schedule to complete phase one and two of the project in spring.

The works to date have had little impact to golfers on course but as we progress and the irrigation system moves towards the installation of greens sprinklers, we are likely to need to close holes or have temporary greens to permit a safe and swift working environment.

Although the final phase will not commence until the end of 2023, we will start to notice the benefits of an efficient irrigation system across a number of holes on both courses.

Should you wish to understand more about the irrigation project, and the effects this will have to the playability of the courses, Robin or myself will be delighted to discuss with you.

The tee renovation programme remains ongoing and I am pleased to confirm that the contractor will be retuning this year to complete further works on tees across both courses.

The rebuild and extensions of the 2nd, 5th, 7th and 12th tees on the Marlwood Course all went to plan, however the poor weather has not allowed us to lay the new turf.

We hope to lay the turf in the coming weeks, and once ground temperatures increase the turf will have chance to settle in. We will endeavour to have the tees in full operation ahead of the golfing season, but there may be a short period where temporary tees will be used to ensure the new turf has bedded in.

Greens Renovation

As part of our annual greens renovation programme, this year’s first round of works is scheduled for the week commencing 13th February, subject to weather conditions.

The greens team will work swiftly to complete the renovation over several days. The front nine will close on Monday 13th and the back nine on Tuesday 14th. The team will apply a further top dressing of sand on the Wednesday if required and the course will fully open mid-morning.

Your cooperation and understanding is greatly appreciated and we thank you in advance for your patience and understanding; this work is vital to ensure excellent greens during the season.

The Archway Room

Over the last month we have been busy converting The Archway storeroom into an additional private space for members and guest to hire.

We are near completion with just a few finishing touches, and we anticipate the “The Archway Room” will be available to book from the middle of February at an exclusive discounted rate for members.

The private room will include a a free play pool table / table tennis table, smart dartboard and TV, and will be available to book at the golf shop or sales team. We will also be looking to set up some pool / darts leagues within the club in the near future.

Member Feedback

I would like to thank all members who shared feedback with me last year, whether that was in person or via our members survey, Net Promoter Score (NPS). I value and appreciate your feedback, which helps me to work with the team to make improvements both on and off course.

The hot topic for discussion has always been the quality of our bunkers and tees which we will continue to focus on making improvements. It’s sometimes challenging for our team to conduct these works inhouse, therefore we have engaged the service of contractors to enable these works to be carried out swiftly to minimise and disruption for golfers.

I share your feedback with all the team and I would very much appreciate it if you could take a moment to complete the survey with constructive and fair feedback. The team and myself are likely to call you regardless of your feedback to follow up and provide more information to you.

The new-look Archway Room

Membership Renewal

2023 membership renewal subscriptions are due on 1st April. Therefore, your membership renewal will be available via the App and online in mid-February.

The renewal process via the app online proved successful last year, therefore this will continue and letters will not be sent via the post.

Your membership renewal will be generated based on your current membership category, however, should you wish to look at alternative categories, please contact the membership team in advance of the renewal date.

If you pay your subscriptions via direct debit, you don’t need to take any action as we will notify DFC accordingly of your new direct debit rate. Your first payment will be collected on 1st April, which will also include your EGU/ County and club fees. Your direct debit will revert to the standard rate thereafter.

Employee of the Year

I am delighted to announce that the Thornbury Employee of the Year has been awarded to our Centre Administrator, Karen Webb.

Karen has been played a pivotal role over the last year, and her can-do approach has been noticed by the team. She has always been willing to take on new tasks and adapt as the business evolves. Many of you will have dealt with Karen at some stage, whether that was regarding your membership, your directs debit or she may have served you coffee whilst supporting the bar.

We are fortunate to have so many great staff members but, the management team and myself narrowed our selection down to Karen for the above reasons. Please join me in congratulating Karen when you see her next!

Cost Pressures

The cost of operating the Golf Centre continues to spiral significantly, and since the 1st October we have seen and increase of over 500% in our electricity costs alone.

We generally review our prices across the centre a few times a year but as costs continue to rise, we will need to monitor and frequently adjust our pricing accordingly throughout the season. We do not want to jeopardise standards and want to continue to improve the centre as we move forward.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the team at the Centre.

Everyone has worked exceptionally hard over the last year and I am very fortunate to work with such a great team who always put our members first.

Meet The Team

I am pleased to welcome two new members of the team:

Mary is an experienced and enthusiastic member of our team and is looking forward to meeting our members in the near future. Should you have any questions regarding your membership or events please contact Mary via the sales office.

Joe Ivin Greenkeeper

Joe also joined our greenkeeping team in December. Joe has worked within hospitality but decided to take on a new venture and turn his hand to greenkeeping.

He is a passionate golfer, who loves to play and practice and is already demonstrating what a great addition he is to our team.

Look Ahead to 2023

Mary Lonican Sales Manager

Mary joined the team in December and brings a wealth of experience to the business.

Mary started her career within hospitality in the late 90’s, before progressing to operational and sales management of events. After 11 years of event management in both city and rural hotels of Ireland, Mary returned home to Bristol to start a family and continued to share her management experience within venues in Gloucestershire.

Away from work Mary has a large family and in between working full time and family life, she finds time to relax by upcycling; everything from clothes to furniture, hunting for treasure in old unique stores and then putting her own style and twist on them.

Should you have any questions regarding the centre or ongoing activities please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the team or myself.

2023 is going to be an exciting year of developments and I look forward to seeing you both on and off course throughout the season. Have a great golfing year!

Best regards,

Tim Good General Manager

Course Update

Robin Cheney Course Manager

Winter Projects

We have been very busy out on the courses over the last few months and have completed a number of projects. We are committed to making improvements and will undertake a number of other projects providing we are not hampered by our Great British weather.

A significant investment has been made into improving the teeing grounds on the 2nd, 5th, 7th and 12th of the Marlwood Course.

With the construction around 80% complete we were hit with snow, sub-zero temperatures for over a week and as I write this newsletter, about four weeks of biblical rain.

This has meant ground conditions have not allowed us to continue these jobs or access the courses with our machinery.

Irrigation Install

The investment and installation of our new irrigation system continues.

Whilst every effort is made keep the installation as clean as possible, quite a few areas have had to be dug with a digger or by hand owing to utilities being present and a legal requirement to do so.

Please rest assured as soon as the weather changes (and it will) my team and I will be getting back to finishing the tees and many other jobs besides.

The scars left by the open trenching are currently unsightly, but this will be much improved by the time the contractors finish the £425K phase one and two in early 2023.

We will hopefully have more favourable conditions to see good recovery on these areas in the spring.

The system will massively improve our ability to accurately water playing surfaces, as well as reducing man hours spent on repairs and supplementary irrigation and help reduce our water usage.

The final phase of the irrigation install is due to begin in October 2023.

Course Etiquette

Unfortunately, we are still seeing a lot of bunkers not raked each day. An of example from the last few weeks is shown below. Please ensure you rake the bunkers back to the standard which you would like to play from.

Club Update

Jon Field Head Professional

Playing Golf In The Rain

December has been a challenging month in the UK with 129mm of rain in 2022 and a forecast that roughly half of the month of January will be rainy with drier spells not expected until after the 24th January.

Here at Thornbury, we’ve been working hard to try and keep you playing in these tough conditions but have had to close some holes recently.

We now have daily course updates on the website in addition to the daily status hotline.

Team News

Also a big well done to our Deputy Course Manager, Dan Harris for successfully completing his cross cutting and felling chainsaw licence in December.

Contact the Centre, 01454 281144 and select option 5, or click here: Course StatusThornbury Golf Centre (thornburygc.co.uk)

Unsurprisingly not everyone is a fan of playing golf in the rain, but there are a number of ways to combat the conditions and keep a regular commitment to the game.

It can be almost impossible to make a decent swing in the rain if your grips are too wet, so a supply of dry towels and gloves are highly recommended.

Hanging a towel from the underframe of your brolly is also a good idea as it will stay dry and is easily accessible for your next shot.

I look forward to seeing you on the course soon.

Kind regards, Robin

One of the best tips for wet-weather golf is to purchase a pair of wet-weather “rain gloves”.

The wetter a pair of “rain gloves” get, the better they work. These are the only thing that makes it feel like you won’t lose your grip on the golf club on a rainy day.

Invest in a good pair of “rain gloves” and keep them in your golf bag at all times, we have the ones pictured below on sale for £19.79 for members, so ask in the shop if you’re interested in making a purchase.

David Weeks Club Chairman

The three key drivers for the golf club committee are: to provide an effective conduit between BGL and the members, to promote cohesion between the various sections within the club, and to bring forward ideas and suggestions for improvement.

We are working closely with BGL on updating course and hole measurements following construction work on some of the tees, and at the same time taking the opportunity to review hole stroke indexes. This work all needs to be done before new tee markers, course signage and scorecards can be ordered ready for the new season.

We also have a range of waterproof jackets, trousers, winter shoes, and umbrellas in stock, so if you are caught with a change in forecast, we can stop the weather from spoiling your round.

Lessons are still available to help you keep your game strong in inclement weather, just ask in the shop for more details.

A little rain is certainly not a reason not to play golf. What do they say?

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.”

Kind regards,

Jon

Head Professional

In addition, we are looking to establish a competitions committee to ensure appropriate rules for all club competitions are in place, properly communicated and understood by all. The committee will also be charged with managing rules issues, resolving disputes, and harmonising entry criteria for boarded competitions. It will report to Brian Cook, our newly elected club handicap secretary, and comprise one member from each section.

At the club AGM in December, we were unable to find a successor to Roger Unwin, who had completed his three year spell as treasurer. Since then I am delighted to say that Howard Marshall has agreed to take on the role and has been coopted onto the committee.

And finally, our charity for 2023 is Prostate Cancer UK. I hope you can support our charity events throughout the year.

The main club committee meets on the first Tuesday of the month in the clubhouse at 3pm. If you have anything you would like to raise, please contact your section captain.

David Weeks TGC Chairman

Upcoming Events

Tuesday 14th February - Valentine’s Dinner

A candlelit dinner for two and enjoy our lovingly created 2 course sharer menu with glass of bubbly

£35 per person, or £150 per couple for dinner bed & breakfast

Members offer: Complimentary chocolate Valentine’s gift

Friday 24th February - Galentine’s Divas Disco with Wine, Tapas & Shots

Celebrate your closest female friends with a proper ladies night out, with wine & tapas. Divas Disco includes: ½ bottle wine – red, white or rose, tapas board featuring a selection of cheeses and charcuterie (vegetarian option available) & shot of limoncello to finish.

£35 per person. Booking in tables of 4, 6, 8 or 10

Members Offer: 10% off ticket price

Sunday 19th March - Mother’s Day Carvery

3 Course Lunch @ £26.95 per adult / U12’s £12.50 per child / U3’s free Carvery lunch with free gift for Mums. Bookings from 12pm

Members Offer: Complimentary organiser place for group booking of 8 or more

Friday 24th March - Tom Jones Tribute & Live Music

Live music, food and bar with a tribute to the national treasure that is Sir Tom Jones. Celebrating all the classic songs and many more, including, Delilah, Green Green Grass of Home, What’s New Pussycat? Sex Bomb, Kiss, Mama, Told me, She’s a Lady and of course It’s Not Unusual! Followed by some more live music celebrating other popular artists.

Bookings in tables of 4, 6, 8 or 10

Members Offer: Complimentary glass of bubbly on arrival

Member’s Clubhouse

Specials

Member’s Breakfast: £7.75 per person

Cumberland sausage, bacon, Heinz baked beans, fried egg, flat mushroom & toast with a regular tea/coffee

Member’s Carvery: £16.95 per adult / £8.95 per child

Our popular 2 course carvery is back on the 1st Sunday of every month from Sunday 5th February, and these special members offers will be available to book throughout 2023.