Club News

From Paul Fileman, Golf Manager: What a great month June has been here at Warley Park! Work on the course is now nearing completion and, in my opinion, some of the changes, such as the new 4th green and lake as well as the complete re-design of the 8th hole, have created new signature holes on the course. I cannot wait to play the course once all the greens and new tee boxes are in play.  

Although we have had some disruption on the main course, it has been a fantastic opportunity for many of you to reacquaint yourselves with the Childerditch course that — thanks to the hard work of our greens-keeping team — is in the best condition it has been in for years. It has been gratifying to hear so many positive comments about the overall condition of the course from both members and many of our visitors this month. 

Sadly, Get Golfing’s planning application for a new maintenance building was turned down on the grounds that it would be building on the greenbelt. An appeal will be made in due course. Get Golfing takes its environmental and health and safety responsibilities very seriously and is disappointed that the local authority does not seem to appreciate the reasons behind the application. 

Also disappointing is the four-week extension of Covid restrictions, which means we have had to cancel the Q&A with Get Golfing CEO Edward Richardson, who was extremely keen to be with you all and explain the future vision for Warley Park and answer any questions you have. We will be rescheduling the Q&A once the restrictions have lifted. 

Member news

Warley Park Member Luke Dodds held his stag do at the Club ahead of his impending nuptials and was encouraged on the day for some reason to play from the red tees! His party had an outstanding day’s golf and thankfully the weather held out for them. We all wish you and your wife-to-be the best for your forthcoming marriage and hope that you have a fantastic wedding day. 

Course News

From Dominic Rodgers, Courses Manager: June has seen us experience a range of extremes as far as the weather is concerned. From soaring heat at the beginning of the month to deluges of rain in the latter part of month.  

The rain, however, proved the new drainage system works, with torrents of water travelling along the trenches and away to the ditches, leaving the fairways firm and dry. Fingers crossed, we can look forward to the front nine holes remaining playable throughout the winter.  

As you are no doubt aware, there has been a lot of work going on the course. To describe it all in a few words is quite difficult, so I hope a few photos will show what we have been doing — from the initial breaking of the ground through to completion. 

The new greens and surrounds are now ready for the next stage of the project. During the coming weeks, the greens and surrounds will be hydro-seeded. This, in simple terms, is pre-germinated seed that is sprayed onto the required areas and allows the plant to establish itself much quicker than conventional seeding. It is, of course, a more expensive process but worth it. 

The drainage lines are being laid with perforated pipe that is filled with 6mm gravel and topped off with topsoil to a depth of approximately three inches. They will then need to be topped up with soil on a regular basis throughout the summer, so if your ball comes to rest on a drainage line you should treat them as GUR and take relief without penalty.  

Whilst the front nine was closed we decided to take advantage of the situation and call in a tree surgeon, who, I am sure you will agree, has made the 18th hole much more attractive. 

Lastly, whilst all this work has been going on, we have still been working hard to maintain and present the course in all its glory and we look forward to seeing you back playing all 27 holes soon. 

Competitions and Prizes

We have two more results from the Race to Le Touquet: 

B 51 Stableford (May 30th): 

• 1st — Paul Scott 41 points 
• 2nd — Peter Moseley 38 points 
• 3rd — Michael Shirvington 35 points 

David Moore Stableford (June 19th): 

• 1st — Rodney Hall 41 points 
• 2nd — Adrian Webster 40 points 
• 3rd — Gary Curtis 37 points 

You can find the current Leader Board Here!!  

Congratulations to the junior Youth Shield team on their victory against Romford Golf Club on June 12th. Despite starting the match 1-0 down thanks to only having four fit and available players, they managed to beat Romford at their course 3-1 (so 3-2 overall). We are super-proud of them all, well done guys and good luck on the next leg against Langdon Hills, which will be played at home. 

Prize news

From Keith Regan, Handicap and Competition Secretary: As promised, here are the details of the prizes for the Men’s and Juniors’ competitions. 

Under R&A rules, it is not permitted to give cash prizes in amateur competitions as it would lead to a player losing their amateur status. So, many of you will remember, we previously gave out vouchers for the Men’s and Juniors’ competition winners that could only be used via the Pro Shop. We are now, however, able to offer a wider choice of where to spend your winnings, including having the money credited to your Club Card. This means you can use your winnings to buy food or drink from the bar or the booking office. You can, of course, still use your Club Card for purchases from the online Get Golfing Pro Shop.  

Winners will be notified of how much their prize is worth and when it will be credited to their Club Card. We will do these credits twice for 2021 and these will likely be in July for winners from April to June and in October for winners from July to September. 

Ladies’ and Seniors’ Competitions will be administered by their respective sections. 

Captains’ Updates

From Dave Datson, Club Captain: While I am very pleased to say I was part of the Seniors’ team this year, I am sad to report that we lost our match away to Burnham on Crouch recently. If there was a bright side, it was that I won my own match 4 and 3, a rare “good” game for me, as I have been struggling for consistency, something I’m sure you have experienced from time to time. I want to thank Doug Carrington for doing such a grand job organising the team. 

I hope you are all as excited as me about the work going on at our Club. The front nine appears to be taking shape very nicely. One advantage of the front nine being closed is that we have had to play the Childerditch. I personally think it’s a lovely nine holes, with some stunning views over London. 

It was my great pleasure to assist Michael Cursons and Junior Captain Luke to present the prizes on Luke’s Junior Captain’s Day. I believe his winning score was 43 points, playing off a handicap of 12 and, people, that was off the white tees! The youngsters have so much talent.  

The Captain-vs-Juniors Day has been organised for the morning of Sunday, August 15th, so if you want to see first-hand what some of these kids are like, then do let me know if you would like to play in my team. 

Finally, I hope to see as many of you as possible on my Captain’s Day on Saturday, July 3rd. Please do enter if you have not done so already. 

Seniors

From Steve Abbott, Seniors Captain: June has been a busy month for the Seniors with four home matches against Boyce Hill, The Warren, Top Meadow and Orsett, all won despite my own indifferent form. Our next four matches are away and likely to produce different results! We have also had several competitions and yesterday a very enjoyable away day at Cranham , in which 20 of us took part. I am looking forward to my Guest Day on 5th July which has been very well supported with at the moment a field of 76, hopefully the weather holds. 

Ladies

From Liz Brown, Ladies Captain: The ladies’ section has been very busy over the last month or so, we have had plenty of county matches in the bronze, silver and Harris leagues, unfortunately our bronze team, although valiant, will not be progressing to the quarterfinals. We still have matches to play in the other leagues, so best of luck to the teams. 

I had a wonderful lady captains day on 5th June, thanks to all who took part, I’ve got loads of photos and great memories. 

Our regular competitions are all going well. Congratulations to winners: Delray, Wendy, Angie, Barbara and Tina. 

The ladder league is still running, so there is lots of golf still to be played. 

On 14th July we’ve got a fun team event especially aimed at mixing and meeting new faces, so please join in. 

Finally, isn’t the work on the course looking so exciting, I can’t wait to play the new 8th!  

Staff News

We have said a fond farewell to Jayne Lewin, who has decided to take some time out from Warley Park. She will be missed by everybody who knows her, below is a short message from Jayne. 

Hello everyone, 

All good things must come to an end and, unfortunately, that was my time at Warley Park. It has been a privilege to be part of the team for the past eight years.   

I am very grateful for the opportunity I have had over this time to go from part-time bar staff to wedding co-ordinator and then on to be the Clubhouse Manager. Great friends and great memories have been made along the way. 

There are way too many people to thank individually, but I would like to thank the Ladies’ section for their generosity and for the many functions that I had fun working on with you all. The Seniors’ section, who always showed their appreciation and support. The amazing Men’s Captains, it has been a delight to work with you all on events over the years. Lastly, our Colts’ section, who over the years have gone from young shy members to grow into very tall, confident young people. It amazed me how they grew so quickly!  

Finally, I would like to say a massive thank you to my amazing team. We have all grown together and been there for each other over the years. Each and every one of you will hold a special place in my heart.   

The generosity I have been shown by everyone is above and beyond. I feel very humbled by the gifts and kind words. I will miss you all very much, but I will be back to see you all and see the transformations that are being made to the course and clubhouse.  

Take care, lots of love. 

Jayne. 

New faces: Separately, we have welcomed some new faces to the Golf team, with Daniel Seymour and Ryan Holloway, who will be working on the front desk alongside Ed Brown while he is back from university. 

Staff development: At Get Golfing, we have a passion for high quality course conditioning. We invest a lot in machinery and materials to make our golf courses better places to play. We also invest heavily in our staff, with regular on-the-job training and a dedicated head-office manager to support each site’s course manager. 

As part of our commitment to the game of golf, we are also passionate about the career development of our greens staff. We see it as our duty to provide a nursery for great greenkeepers, who can go on to bigger and bigger roles in the industry, thanks in part to their Get Golfing training.  

This month (July 25th) sees the deadline for nominations for Get Golfing’s international green-keeping internship programme. Four greens staff from across the group’s sites will further their careers with work experience at one of Florida’s most prestigious resorts — Pelican’s Nest (www.nestgolf.com).  

Starting in January 2022, the internship programme is not only a way to escape our winter weather but a fantastic opportunity to gain work experience outside of the UK. Get Golfing will be paying for flights, wages, accommodation and additional spending money while our interns are at Pelican’s Nest.  

In addition to these placements, Get Golfing is also organising a series of seminars and opportunities to work at tournaments for the rest of its green-keeping teams to help them increase their professional expertise. 

Community Outreach Programme

As part of Get Golfing, Warley Park is committed to becoming a positive force in the local community to improve the image of golf, and the facilities we operate, amongst the wider public.  

We are, therefore, preparing to roll out a range of activities aimed at offering local people, who do not perhaps play golf, the opportunity to use our facilities to improve their health and well-being. 

These include: 

• A partnership with the NHS Blood & Transplant service in 2021 — trialled here at Mill Green recently — to help recruit new and returning blood donors via a fun awareness campaign. We will also be offering our facilities as donor centres in the future. 
• Joining with This Girl Can in 2022 to launch This Girl Can Get Golfing, with the goal of introducing golf to girls and ladies in a fun and free environment. Events will be held throughout the year in a bid to boost female participation in the game. A video from our first event at Mill Green can be seen below:

• Rolling out a Get Golfing TAP — Targeted Activity Programme — at the club in 2021. This is a project that gives selected school students an opportunity to access golf and healthy food at our sites through a series of events and camps. Students will be drawn from those who are, for instance, eligible for free school meals, the pupil premium or are young carers, have special educational needs or are eligible for an education healthcare plan. You can see a picture from our pilot event at Mill Green below:

• Further to the above, we will be rolling out an Education and Special Educational Needs programme in September through school sports partnerships, school games organisers and school sports coordinators, PE coordinators, headteacher forums, the Local Education Authority and Council Sports Development Officers. 
• Becoming a place that the local community can use to improve individual and community well-being at no impact to our core activity of golf. We will look to make our facilities available to non-traditional users, such as charities and local interest groups, at times when there is low usage by golfers. As a Community Hub, Warley Park will help to combat loneliness and inactivity in all age groups via golf, music, the arts and other sports activities. 
• Creating free social gatherings for members, visitors and local people, such as organised dog or nature walks and bird watching events, that make use of our beautiful landscape and help to bring people together. 

Pro News

From Wayne Selley, PGA Pro: Hi everyone, I hope you have been enjoying the hot weather recently and have been working on those sun tans. As you would have noticed we have some major construction work going on at Warley Park and I am very excited for the future of the golf course. The construction team have been flat out creating a new putting green, tee boxes, new greens and plenty of drainage. They have done a first-class job and I can’t wait to get out there and see how they play. 

Congratulations goes out to Jon Rahm for winning the US Open. He really kept his nerve down the stretch, finishing birdie, birdie and holding a couple of tricky breaking putts. If you are struggling with your putting, try these couple of simple tips: 

• Practice with one hand. If you can putt well with one hand, it’s going to get you in the correct set-up position, if you don’t putt well one-handed then you’re not in the proper set-up spot. You might struggle at first, but, as you keep practicing, your body is going to naturally move itself into the right spot. 
• Pick a spot at the back of the hole. This will help you stay committed to the stroke and get the ball to the hole rather than leaving it short.  

If you want to sharpen up that short game, I am offering 3 for 2 on all short-game lessons in the July. Enjoy your golf and hope to see you all out on the golf course. 

From Russell Killington, PGA Pro: I hope everyone is well and enjoying their golf. I will be giving away a free, individual lesson each month from now on exclusively for our members, one will be for our ladies and one for the men. The draw will be done each month by our Golf Manager Paul Fileman and the July winners will be announced in our August newsletter. The winners can then book their lesson directly with myself on 07919 186499. 

Proshop News

We have three great promotions this month from the Pro Shop. Remember all profits go back into your club. 

New equipment: John Rahm’s win at the US Open was EPIC! Keep your eyes posted for the launch of Callaway hardware, bags and accessories on the Get Golfing Pro Shop. Coming soon in July.  

With a surge in interest in golf, we have several beginner’s sets for Men, Ladies and Juniors from Fazer & Benross. 

Demo days: Numbers do not lie! Our first Get Golfing demo days at Redlibbets and Mill Green have been a huge success, with many members seeing vast improvements through the latest technology. Keep your eyes peeled for more dates and contact me at [email protected] or 01474 554960 to book with the top brands coming to your club! 

Top up your card: You can top up your club/levy cards via the Get Golfing Pro Shop without buying anything. Summer is here and beer funds are needed! 

Reviews

We have recently received some fantastic reviews at the club and thought it might be nice for our members to hear what some visitors have said about the club and course over the last few weeks.