A NOTE FROM ...
Mark Woods General Manager
Hi everyone!
Having been in my position for three months, it’s been wonderful to experience everything that Wycombe Heights Golf Centre has to offer. A personal highlight for me was participating in the Captain’s Charity Day. As a relative novice, I found the event to be inclusive, fun, and competitive, with the added benefit of raising nearly £12,000 for MIND.
A big thank you to Jag and his committee for organising such a fantastic event.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the winners of this year’s Club Championships:
Men’s Section:
• Gross Champion: Ben Moyle (including a hole-in-one on the 8th)
• Nett Champion: Ian Carter
• Plate Champion: Stephen Godley
Ladies’ Section:
• Gross Champion: Anita Reed
• Nett Champion: Vivien Benzie
• All Winners’ Cup: Margaret Devlin
Seniors:
• Gross Champion: Dave Mahoney
• Nett Champion: Phil Bearyman
Looking ahead, we have Jack Robinson’s charity day in September in aid of YES (Young Enquiry Service), followed by the last Wycombe Heights major of the Year, The Robin Panter.
The summer weather has mostly favoured golfers, and despite the low rainfall, Stuart, Dean and the greenkeeping team have done an excellent job of maintaining the course to meet the high demand. We’ve also received the delayed sand delivery for the bunkers, and I appreciate your patience while we waited for its arrival.
Sustainability is a key objective for us, and we are committed to reducing our environmental impact while strengthening our ties with the local community. If you’re involved in any local initiatives, please let me know how we can support them and further increase our positive impact.
Our second Employee of the Quarter this year was Scott, part of our kitchen team, who since joining us has grown both personally and professionally to help deliver the high standards set by Gary and the rest of the team. We look forward to seeing him continue to grow throughout his career here at Wycombe Heights. This month, we said goodbye to Sophie, our Food and Beverage Manager, and welcomed Leah, who has taken over the role. Having worked with Leah before, I’m confident she’ll be a great fit and shares our passion for providing you with exceptional service.
We’re dedicated to maintaining not just a high standard on the course, but also creating a welcoming environment for you, your friends, and colleagues. With a range of events leading up to Christmas, please feel free to reach out if there’s anything we can do to help you celebrate.
Regards,
Mark
COURSE UPDATE
Stuart Giddings Course Manager
Hi everyone,
I hope you’re all doing well. It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since Dean and I joined Wycombe Heights. The time has flown by, but we’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I hope you’re pleased with the changes we’ve made to the course, and I’m confident that things will only continue to improve.
Over the past few months, we’ve been a bit short-staffed, so some small details on the course may have been missed. For that, I apologise. However, I’m happy to share that by the beginning of September, we’ll have a full team of eight members, which is fantastic news!
We’ve completed a few small projects on the course recently. These include installing new drainage on the left side of the 7th green, an area that used to collect water. We also re-turfed and levelled the area next to the right-hand bunker on the 12th green. What I’m most pleased about, though, is reopening the 18th short course green. It’s a bit smaller than before, but now it’s much more level and enjoyable to putt on. I’ve noticed that plantain weeds are becoming a bit of an issue on the short course, but the team and I have a plan to tackle them and restore the greens to their best condition.
Renovations Week, everyone’s favourite time of year is just around the corner. Our plan includes a double dyna core at a depth of 25mm to remove the top layer of thatch, followed by deep solid tine aeration at a depth of 4-6 inches. We’ll also be applying 60-80 tonnes of topdressing sand across both 18-hole courses. I want to thank all members in advance for allowing us to close the main
course for two days (Monday and Tuesday) and the short course for a day and a half (Wednesday and half of Thursday). This time is crucial for us to complete the necessary work, so thank you for your understanding.
The team has also been working hard to improve the bunkers by removing stones and weeds. We’re addressing the sand levels, and we’ll be adding 30 tonnes of new sand to the bunkers across the course. This has been one of our biggest challenges in maintaining the bunkers, and while we’ve made progress, it’s something that will require ongoing attention from myself and the team.
Lastly, I’d like to remind everyone to please return rakes to the bunkers after use. Even if you didn’t play from the bunker, if you see a rake out of place, please take a moment to put it back. Your cooperation helps keep the course in great condition for everyone.
Stuart
AN UPDATE FROM...
Duncan Purcell Head Professional
Hi everyone.
I hope that you have enjoyed the good spell of weather we have had recently. Long may it continue.
With the summer holidays here, the courses are very busy indeed. I must commend Stuart and his greenkeeping team for just how well the courses are playing right now. The 18th green on the short course is now open and the feedback has been very positive, and the changes were well received. A word on our marshalling team as well - Antony, Pete and Luque have been kept quite busy indeed.
Captain’s Charity Event
The Captain’s Charity event was held on Sunday, August 4th. Much-needed funds have been raised for the chosen charity this year, MIND. Thank you to all those who donated to the charity and offered their time to assist on the day voluntarily. I especially enjoyed the samosa’s Captain! Please continue to donate and support this charity for the remainder of Jag’s tenure as Captain.
Goodbye Matt
My assistant, Matt is moving on from Wycombe Heights, with his last day being the 16th, and is moving to Woking Golf Club. Matt
has been a valuable member of the team over the two and a half years he has been with us and will be sorely lost. Please join me in wishing him the best in his professional journey.
Jamie Amer Available For Pro-Am
Our other Assistant, Jamie Amer, is making himself available to the membership to play in Pro-Am’s. Jamie is a superb player, with previous experience on The Clutch Tour. It would be a team of three amateurs plus Jamie. If you are interested in playing in a proam with Jamie, please contact him directly at: j.amer@wycombeheightsgc.co.uk. I would highly recommend the chance to play with Jamie as he’s an outstanding player.
Continued On The Next Page
Last Chance For Junior Summer Camps
We have very limited spaces left on our Junior Summer Camps. These have proved to be very successful this year. Should you wish to book onto these please call the Professional Shop.
Dont Miss Out, PING Fitting Day
We have our final external fitting day of the year taking place on Monday, September 9th with Ping. If you are looking for the ultimate in forgiveness, then I cannot recommend their products highly enough. The event runs from 11am – 3pm and is by appointment only. Please contact the Professional Shop to reserve your space and avoid disappointment.
F&B UPDATE FROM...
Leah Food & Beverage Manager
Hi All,
I would like to introduce myself as the new F&B Manager. Having worked in several sectors including leisure management and as a landlady, I have a passion for customer service and have always looked for ways to cater for members, customers, and guests.
Living locally with my family, I have previously been a visitor to Wycombe Heights as well as walking my dog Oliver on the bridal path and have always had a great experience.
Alongside this, my brother Kris is a member and when the opportunity to work here became available I believed that it would be a great fit for me.
I enjoy spending time with my family, Oliver and my cat Charlie, I watch F1 as well as completing various charity events to raise money for some much-needed causes.
This year we will be taking part in the MacMillan Coffee morning on Friday 27th September and will be sharing more information soon.
With the ‘British Summer’ still hanging on why not make the most of the weather and enjoy a pint, glass of wine, or maybe a jug of Pimms on the patio?
I look forward to getting to know as many of you as possible over the coming months and what you enjoy most about the clubhouse.
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GOLF SALES & MARKETING UPDATE...
Henry Willett Sales & Marketing Manager
Hello everyone!
It’s almost Christmas! Well, not quite but it’s true what they say – it comes around quicker every year. At the time of writing, we have already sold out two of our Christmas Tribute Nights and one of our Christmas Party Nights! We still have tickets left for our Typically Tina and two Grease vs Dirty Dancing Tribute Nights plus a host of our shared party nights. If you are interested in booking a table, please chat with me or Torrie in the Sales Office!
While some of the club’s sections have their own Christmas lunches already booked, we would love the chance to celebrate the holiday season with you and your family in December. Two or three-course Christmas lunches are available every day and members receive a 10% discount on these and all our Christmas packages! More information can be found in
our Christmas brochure – there are free copies available to pick up in the Bar & Pro Shop.
Our last Christmas offering comes at the Driving Range. We have put a festive spin on our Driving Range Packages giving you the option to bring friends or family to our heated VIP bays this December. Balls, clubs, drinks and festive food directly to the bay provide a great holiday treat whatever the weather brings this winter.
Aside from Christmas, membership recruitment continues full steam ahead and many existing members have made full use of our membership referral scheme. Remember, if you refer a five-day, seven-day, or Intermediate member you receive a £50.00 bar levy!
Planning a celebration in 2025? Our function rooms are a great place to celebrate family birthdays, anniversaries, and christenings. As a reminder, all members receive 25% off room hire and 10% off food, so contact us today to lock in your preferred date!
Celebrating Christmas 2024
