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.

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