Golf Committee Chairman’s Update
Following my last report in February I am happy to welcome Caroline Nettel to the Golf Committee in her capacity as Board Liaison Director. Caroline was recently elected to the Board and will replace Chris Bray, who I would like to thank on behalf of the Committee and the membership at large for his years of commitment and invaluable contributions to golf at Roehampton Club.
Course update and drainage works
Heading into the summer, rising temperatures have created perfect conditions for growing turf, resulting in an excellent course condition throughout. We have also been blessed with less rain than we would traditionally see at this time of year, which has resulted in stress to certain unirrigated areas. The follow-on consequence has seen rough thickness reduce significantly throughout most of the course though, which I know will come as a welcome respite for many of you.
Led by new Head Greenkeeper David Howe, the staff have already begun the process of overseeding greens with Creeping Bent grass seed. A further phase of this overseeding process will happen during the maintenance week commencing 18th July, but I have been assured that the inconvenience will be worth it in the long term as our greens will become more durable and weather resistant as a result, particularly during the winter months. During the maintenance week, the team will also Verti-cut and hollow-core the tees, approaches and greens which will be followed by a top dress and green fertilisation in order to speed up the recovery process.
There will be planned drainage work scheduled to take place this month on the swale in front of the 10th green to address the flooding that we often see in this area during the autumn/winter. The team will also excavate (widen/deepen) the ditch to the right of the 14th to address overflow capacity on this part of the course. In addition, the Club is waiting for the drainage plans to be finalised from the 4th hole down to the practice area. These works will commence as soon as possible and are expected to be completed before the Pro Am in early September.
As mentioned, I believe the course has been in great shape, with the fairways and greens particularly standing out. Peter Bradburn and team are now focussing on the bunkers to ensure they maintain depth and consistency throughout. Bunker sand is moved daily to ensure this, but with higher temperatures and limited moisture, sand tends to fall from bunker faces leaving the base visible in certain areas. As Members we can and should assist the team in ensuring bunker consistency throughout by always raking bunkers back and forth following play, which will result in more evenly distributed sand for other Members to benefit from. Basically, please always rake properly and leave the bunkers in the state you would expect to find it in!
10th Hole and Priory Lane Netting
As you will have noticed, the 10th tee has been rebuilt but cannot be utilised until we finish construction of the internal netting to the right of the tee which will regrettably not start until a quieter period in mid-October, following completion of the boundary netting alongside the 11th tee and 12th green. This work along Priory Lane will start earlier on 15th August and will result in closure of the 12th hole on or around this time for up to five days. The 11th hole should remain open though, although a forward tee is expected to be used for this short period of time.
Golf Practice Area and Sports Shop
Regrettably, there has not been much positive momentum on the build out of the new Indoor Golf Centre and practice area. As you may remember, we had received pre-planning permission from the council on the development of the IGC, although they did not approve the addition of the six proposed outdoor bays that were to be attached to the indoor building. We nonetheless planned to move ahead with the design of the indoor centre only, but the designer we were using was slow to respond, to say the least. This has forced the Club to re-consider its vendor arrangements and will now align with a separate provider with equally great experience developing and building golf centres across England. The Golf Practice Group will meet soon to discuss the next steps, which could include the commissioning of a feasibility study to examine combining the build out of the IGC (and short game area) with the new Sport Shop in one convenient location on the current driving range. I will keep you posted on developments in my next submission.
Final thoughts
Congratulations are in order to the Ladies’ Pearson Team for their excellent performance in winning the Surrey County Final held at Woodcote Park on 21st June. A fantastic result which means that they will now compete against the winners of the Kent, Middlesex, and Hertfordshire County Finals in the Pearson Salver on 21st July at Princes Golf Club in Kent. Good luck to all of you … the Club is massively behind you!
I’d also like to congratulate Peter Crocombe on winning the Surrey Mid Age County Championship with a brilliant two round score of 141. This is the third time in four years that a Roehampton Club Member has won this prestigious tournament! I’d also like to recognise Scott Stanley for once again winning the Club Championship, shooting a brilliant 65 in the afternoon round! Congrats Scott.
I would further like to note that there has been a notable effort to repair more pitchmarks around the course. Nonetheless, there is still work to be done and it is imperative that this practice becomes second nature to all of us, particularly as we head into the winter months where green damage becomes much more pronounced. I’d also like to extend a friendly reminder to the membership that pace of play is critical to the enjoyment of all golfers at Roehampton Club, both within your group and for those behind you. Please play ‘ready golf’ when possible, try to keep up with the group in front of you but nonetheless be aware of groups behind that may play faster than you do.
Finally, I wanted to extend my warmest congratulations to Tristan McIllroy on the recent news that he has been offered an exciting opportunity as the new Club Operations Manager at St. George’s Hill Golf Club. Their gain is certainly our loss, as his management and service has been nothing short of exemplary over the course of almost two decades at Roehampton Club. That being said we are delighted for him to further develop and advance his career, and on behalf of the Roehampton Club golfing community, I offer my deepest gratitude for all that he has done for us at our Club. Congratulations Tristan and best of luck in your new role!