Welcome to my first Newsletter as General Manager of Redbourn Golf Club.
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I officially took over from Robin on the 17th February, whom I must extend a big thank you to; not just for an incredible handover but more importantly, for what a fantastic job he did during his three-year tenure at the club.
The first three months have been extremely busy for me, meeting lots of people, visiting many sites, and overall immersing myself in all things Redbourn.
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Now that my feet are firmly ‘under the desk’, you will be seeing me more out and around the Clubhouse, where I will stop, talk, and answer any questions you may have.
GM UPDATE What’s in the pipeline?
Having now assessed what is on the horizon, I would like to share what tasks I will be concentrating on in the near future:
• Driving Range Development: As you will all know, this project is long overdue, but still very exciting. We aim to break ground in late May/early June, where an estimated three month build time has been allowed for. Not only will the development see a further six large bays built, but there will also be a food and beverage facility to help quench the thirst or fill you up after any practice session.
• Practice Nets: You may have seen by now that two new practice nets are being installed as a replacement for the old, tired-looking one.
• Renewals: You all would have received your renewal invoice by now, and I hope the very small increase was warmly welcomed. Historically, the annual increase has been around the 7% mark, however, to recognise the fact that the course struggled last year, the fees have gone up by the smallest amount affordable, at just 3%.
• As a thank you for all those who renew, I have arranged the following just for you:
• Three complimentary guest passes to use with no restrictions.
• Extended 20% levy discount on Food & Beverage Items during July.
You may have already seen the QR codes up around the clubhouse lately for our newly introduced and updated WhatsApp group.
I have introduced this WhatsApp group to give you all quick and informative updates as to what is happening in and around the golf club. Examples of this are:
• Updates on golf course projects and works we are undertaking.
• Immediate course status updates (during the winter)
• Information on social events we are hosting.
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GM & OPERATIONS UPDATE
• Competition news.
• Staffing news.
I encourage all members of Redbourn to join this group, so please scan the QR code on the right and request to join.
Pathway To Golf
If you do have any friends and family members who are thinking about getting into the game, now could be the perfect time!! For further information, please contact reception on 01582 793493 or info@redbourngolfclub.co.uk at any time.
Charlie Turner Golf Operations Manager
Golf Operations Update
This is your chance to have a tour professional experience and try the latest TaylorMade clubs. Book yourself in through the pro shop to find out how good you really can be after getting fitted by the best in the game.
We have an exciting new starter joining us in the Pro Shop called Josh. He has joined us straight out of university, exploring the golf industry. Josh played off a 3hcp before university, so most definitely can give you some quality advice straight out of the pro shop.
We’re kicking off the summer season in style with an exciting 3 for 2 offer on Oscar Jacobson and Stuburt clothing. This is the perfect time to kit out your wardrobe for the season and get more for less.
TaylorMade Tour Demo Day – Wednesday 12th June
Join us for an exclusive TaylorMade Tour Demo Day.
If you haven’t already noticed, we have taken ownership of a lovely new buggy fleet. Why don’t you enjoy your round in style and give your legs a break occasionally? Not forgetting your members’ discount of £10 per buggy!
I would also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that we price match any competitors, and we also take trade-in clubs to help you fund and clear your old, unwanted clubs.
I hope to see you all around the club soon, and please don’t hesitate to approach me!
Charlie
COURSE UPDATE
Haydn Drinkwater Course Manager
Course Manager Update
Golf Course Plans
We have a lot planned on the golf course, and I wanted to touch on something specific that has taken place lately. White lines have been sprayed to reshape/size the fairways to and I would like to explain the reasoning for this: The fairways here at Redbourn were generously sized, which took the greens team a considerable number of hours to cut. By trimming some fairways down in shape and size, this has reduced the cutting time, meaning greater staff efficiency. In turn, this allows the team more hours to concentrate on the smaller attention to detail items such as: strimming and raking bunkers, strimming around course furniture, cutting around sprinkler heads, blowing the carpark regularly, tree maintenance work, the list goes on. In essence, the more streamlined jobs become, the neater and tidier the golf course looks.
On top of this, we have also introduced a new agronomic plan for the team to follow, which includes a significant increase in the number of fertilisers and feeds the golf course receives. This plan is not only detailed but is a significant investment in the golf course, which I know the fruits of this labour will soon be enjoyed by all.
Once the summer playing season has been enjoyed, the first job to kick-start the winter program will be to install winter mats at the front of the tee boxes, specifically the smallest ones. The tee boxes had little rest in winter and have struggled to recover so far. By introducing these high-quality astroturf hitting areas, we will be able to spread the wear and see better playing conditions in Spring 2026.
Further funds have been allocated for a further 14 bunkers to be reconstructed, which brings us ever closer to finishing the bunker refurbishments.
With the greens not getting much softer, please can I ask you all to make sure you repair your pitch marks. Our marshals will be going around with our new bit of kit, but that is not to say we should leave it all to them. Please see below a link to show best practice on repairing a pitch mark.
The Best Way To Repair A Pitch Mark (youtube.com)
One last reminder, please remember to rake bunkers - members need to keep on top of this, and not just leave it to the greens staff.
Haydn
MEN’S CAPTAIN UPDATE
Glen Barker Men’s Section Captain 2025-2026
Men’s Captain’s update
Summer is upon us, and at long last, it feels that our 2025 golfing season is well underway. Since my inauguration as Men’s Captain, we have had Medals, trophy competitions and inter-club matches, not forgetting the mixed matches over the bank holidays.
As you are all aware, my period as Men’s Captain began on Sunday, 16th February, which started with my Drive-In. This kicked off with the traditional Drive-In using a hickory shafted club. Not the finest of starts as Captain, I got under my ball and it went higher than the distance travelled. For those that are not aware, my ball went out of bounds in front of the tee on the short course 1st hole.
The winner of the sweepstake for the distance I could drive was Ian Heaps with a guess of 95 yards. This was a vast improvement on my 20-yard hit!
Our Inter Club matches have not exactly gone our way yet. We have played in two losing both. The first was against Batchwood Hall here at Redbourn on Saturday 29th March, which we lost 4&2. Our second match was away to Welwyn Garden City on Saturday 19th April, losing 3 ½ to 2 ½. Well done to all those who played in both matches, which could have gone either way due to the closeness of the matches.
The Men’s Captain versus Vice Captain’s game was played on Saturday, 12th April. After an exceptionally close game which ended in a 2-2 draw, it was decided that we would have a chip off on the 18th. I was dreading a chip off as Andrew Wright (Vice Captain) was chipping and putting like a demon throughout our round. However, the balls were dropped, and we both chipped onto the green. With my chip of the day, the Captain’s team were jubilant.
To date we have played two Bank Holiday Mixed Matches:
The first match was played on Easter Monday – 21st April, which was the Mixed Romian Trophy. A Pair’s Better Ball Stableford. There were some good scores with Les and Lorraine Hull coming second with 43 points on count back. The winners were Sue Hickman-Jameson and Glen Barker on 48 points.
The second match was the Trio Trophy, which was played on Monday, 5th May. It was a Texas Scramble with a difference, with each player teeing off the same hole over the White, Yellow and Red Tees. This was an exceptionally good game with just 3 points difference between first and last place. In second place with a nett score of 61 were Sue and Trevor Wilkins, Naomi and Mark Zieseniss. In first place with a nett score of 60 were Shirley Deudon, Chris Lewin, Ian Rice and Glen Barker.
Glen
LADIES CAPTAIN UPDATE
Sue Hickman-Jameson Ladies Section Captain 2025-2026
Ladies Captain’s update
It is with great honour that I have taken on the role of Lady Captain 2025 - 2026, and hope for a wonderful golfing year. Along with the Men’s Captain, Glen Baker, we are delighted to be supporting Variety, The Children’s Charity which provides essential help to disadvantaged and disabled children in our local area. By supporting this Charity, we are able to fundraise and invest in communities surrounding Redbourn which desperately need our support.
What lovely weather we have had through April, the sun was shining and the balls were at last rolling! It has been a busy month, alongside the Sunday and Wednesday events, Sue Wilkins has captained two friendlies against Harpenden Common and Apsley Guise which I am delighted to say have been extremely well supported.
April 10th saw our final Pearson’s match at home against Batchworth Park – we went out in a flourish winning our last game.
I have decided this year to celebrate achievements of our ladies on a more regular basis by introducing ‘Player of the Month’. The winning lady will be chosen by myself and will be based on their achievements throughout the month.
Player for the month of April was Paula Craddock. Paula has had an outstanding April. She has been placed 1st in three competitions winning a Medal, The Medal Winners Cup, with an outstanding score of net 68, and a Stableford Competition with 39 points. During April, Paula has reduced her handicap index by 3.7. Paula has also supported both friendly competitions contributing to the team effort.
I am busy planning Lady Captain’s Day which will take place on Wednesday 25th June. I can’t share all the details at this point but the theme of the day will be ‘Back to the 80s!’ with both an individual and a team of three competition. Booking will be on HDID shortly where you will be able to enter as a team – don’t worry if you haven’t a team of exact numbers we will place people together.
