MEMBER NEWS
OCTOBER NOVEMBER 2023 MONTH- 2023 In this Edition | GM, Club and Course Update
AN UPDATE FROM... Stuart Perry General Manager Dear Members Given the wet weather over the last couple of weeks from storm Babet, it certainly feels like Autumn has arrived. We still have lots going on at the club and hopefully, this newsletter can provide a little update for you.
Course Update
With the mild weather of early September, we were able to carry out the autumn/ winter greens maintenance slightly earlier which allowed a faster recovery. This has now completely recovered and there are no plans for any further disruption this year. Unfortunately, we were then hit with Storm Babet and this caused chaos over the weekend of the 21st October. Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago it was 20+ degrees? We witnessed a month of rainfall in 24 hours and had no choice other than to close the course. I’ve included a couple of pictures from the Saturday morning course inspection.
We have installed the new permanent tee plates ready for the re-measuring and re-rating of the golf course that is currently being carried out. As part of this process, we have earmarked several bunkers for removal due to them either being out of play now that the course has matured, or historically impossible to maintain to the standard we expect given their location and size/shape. As we lost one of the short course holes to the range outfield extension, we are also working on a proposal to redevelop the short course to 9 good length holes. Very early days so please watch this space.
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Further Capital Invested from BGL Finally, after waiting what feels like an eternity, the new fairway mower has arrived. You may recall we ordered this in February 2022! The team are looking forward to making use of it as weather permits, and the picture enclosed is Ewan our greenkeeping apprentice getting his first go on the £60,000+ machine.
membership. With the new booking system, we are still trying to fine-tune the booking journey and member discount process so please just bear with us as it’s the software development that will take the time. We are constantly reviewing the opening times and during the winter we will have to open slightly later to enable the greenkeeping team to handpick the outfield. We understand this will be an issue for those who wish to practice before play, but the outfield gets extremely wet, and we need to remain closed for safety.
Winter Tee Times
We recently opened the men’s golf changing room toilets after a £25,000 refurbishment. The plan for early 2024 is to refurbish the ladies’ golf changing room toilets and the men’s bar toilets.
Trackman Range Update
It’s been nearly four months since we opened for the members VIP weekend, and so far, the range has been a huge success. In September, we had our one millionth golf ball hit. The level of beverage sales has been the biggest surprise to us. As such we have had to scale up the staffing levels during peak times. With winter around the corner and golf courses closing I’m sure the range will become busier and busier so don’t forget to use the ‘Your Golf Booking’ website with your account to book the bay and time you require with your member incentive. It’s great to see a mixed and varied clientele and so many familiar member faces in the bays working on their game and having fun. Hopefully, this will elevate us in the local golf community and further help develop the
You would have seen from the captain’s communication a few weeks ago, we are receiving increased pressure on tee times as we approach the winter period when significant daylight hours will be lost. We fully appreciate the positive and negative feedback received on some of the changes we wish to make. With 850 members and approximately 600 of those having access to weekend tee times, those numbers are hard to juggle. The objective of working with the committee closely for the past few months has been to find a fair balance between social and competitive golf. Having 27 holes of golf also isn’t the magic solution. Despite having more golf holes than other local courses, we are all aware of the issues that can be caused after 9 holes if we don’t have a robust course rotation plan in place. Even then it relies on golfers playing to a two-hour window despite the number of players or ability of the golfers in that tee time. Further communication will be sent out in the coming weeks, but we have a plan to trial a tee time rotation for the November Medal weekend that we haven’t tried before, hopefully allowing the maximum number of casual golf rounds available whilst retaining a slightly reduced block booking for competitions and the Saturday knock. Whilst the changes are made if you can’t see a tee time please call the shop to double-check if we can accommodate you.
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Winter Course Conditions & Golf Buggies
As we embark on the winter months the inevitable inclement weather will return and many of you question the decision around course closures and buggy/trolley availability. Please see the below points: •
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Firstly, our primary objective is to keep the course open for as long as possible for the benefit of the members. Closure of the course is very much a last resort, hence why we may bring in firstly measures such as a winter wheel policy, no buggies, no trolleys/ carry only as a last resort to try and stay open. Please can all members adhere to any posts and ropes that are in position. This is to divert traffic away from certain areas which will help with recovery and course conditions.
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The course is reviewed every day and at times we must decide for the weekend ahead. As such it’s possible we may close and then it’s bright sunshine, or we decide to stay open and then it’s waterlogged. It’s not an exact science I’m afraid and we make the decision with the info we have at that time.
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We will keep buggies on as much as we can as we appreciate there are many of you who rely on the use of them to play your golf. We will only take them off for safety reasons including the use of small individual mobility buggies. If you require a buggy it’s best to call up each morning for an update. I know from having conversations with members that many of you who require a buggy to play golf have benefited from moving to the points membership, happy to help should you wish to discuss.
due course but firstly they must be agreed at board level in December. What is certain, is our current membership levels and the success of the driving range are certainly helping the confidence to reinvest even more in our fantastic club.
Club Presentation Night 2023 – Saturday 11th November
I look forward to seeing you all as we celebrate the winners of the competitions for the 2023 season. It’s always a great night to get together as a club, I know tickets have just gone on sale and are selling fast. Antony, the Head Chef has come up with a fantastic menu for us! Best Regards Stuart
Future Projects
Last week I presented the 2024 business plan to the BGL directors, and we have some exciting projects/investments coming our way in 2024. I can’t wait to share these with you in
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Thank you for reading the latest Members News. Please feel free to contact us on 01952 677800
THE SHROPSHIRE GOLF COURSE Muxton Lodge, Muxton Ln, Telford TF2 8PQ