Hello golfers,

Welcome to another exciting edition of the weekly newsletter bringing you all of the latest goings-on from around the club. Enjoy this week's read.

Competitions update

Ladies Greensome Stableford comp on 14th November was won with 25 points on a card play off by Dawn Skelland and Colly Faulkner. The runners up with 25 points on a card play off were Deidre Watson and Adele Barlow.

Please remember this week there is no booking on Friday night. The next 3 competitions will be shot gun starts over 15 holes at 8.30 and 12.15 as in previous years.

Tee times for Saturday 2nd December will be booked from 12.15 for the 8.30 tee times and after 3.30 for the 12.15 tee times. So you can book when you finish on Saturday.

Special offers

We have some great Christmas gifts ideas in the shop ranging from free printing on Srixon & Titleist balls to free bags with electric trolleys so please come and see us.

We can get pretty well everything you may see on the internet and regularly check prices to make sure we are the same if not cheaper and remember any problems in the future it’s a lot easier to return it to us than have to post it back to a shop miles away.

Gift vouchers can also be purchased for any value.

Good luck Paul

Paul Waring continued his good recent form finishing 19th equal last week in the Ned Bank championship meaning he just got into the Race to Dubai finale this week. He and Ian Poulter finished 61st & 62nd in the order of merit and with Rory Mcilroy and Henrik Stenson not playing they made it into the field.

It was very close in the end with Paul who was lying 62nd playing the final round with Ian Poulter who was 63rd and Jorge Campillo who was lying 64th.

You will also recognise the voice of Tim Backhouse announcing the players onto the 18th green this week.

Course update

With the indifferent weather we are experiencing please keep your eyes on the Status bar on the club website to find out which holes are open and which trolleys are allowed on the course.

Greens newsletter

Well, our window of dry weather didn’t last long, but at least it was long enough for us to empty most of the pond on the ninth! Whilst the whole course is generally wet, it is very wet in many places. It is very frustrating for you all, I know as we are unable to cut many areas of heavy rough – I share your frustration, both from a playing perspective and my desire to present the course always at its best. It is a very fine balance between keeping the course cut and imposing damage as a result of our continuing to cut. Nevertheless, we shall keep trying to cut whenever the conditions allow. Most of you will have seen the progress we are making with the work to the ninth pond and the area around the ninth tee. Can I make a request to those members who stop to check out the pond – Paul Gray (our digger driver) does not want to hear another person ask if he can get their ball back out of the pond!!!!

We have just about finished the pond work (Monday 13th should see the end), the excess spoil will create a mound between the ninth and eleventh fairways (the gap running through to the right of the pond). We have taken many photos of the “before & after” and I shall be showing a selection in my presentation at the SGM on Thursday evening. For those who haven’t seen the pond recently, the photo below gives you some idea of how deep it is. Talking of the depth of the pond, I understand that there have been some questions about why we have gone so deep with the excavation. Well, we have dug down to the original base of the pond – it is no deeper than the original. All we have removed is the silt created over many, many years of leaves and other vegetation deposited in the pond.

Work on the course this week includes:

* Cutting out course (where ground conditions allow)
* Deep slit & solid tine all greens complexes
* Levelling 9th tee
* Grading banks of 9th
* Install temporary paths & general tidying of area around 8/9/11/12

The deepest part of the pond is now full of rainwater. I shall keep you up-to-date with developments.

Rod Backhouse
Greens Committee Chairman