Your browser is not supported. Please update it.

Club news

From Paul Fileman, Golf Operations Manager: This has most definitely not been the start to 2021 that anybody had hoped for — the weather to date has been diabolical and we have had one of the coldest Februarys in living history. Lockdown 3.0 has possibly been the hardest to get through but, at long last, we have had some great news and we can begin to focus on opening on March 29th.

Booking will be available to all Members within their current booking times meaning 7-day and Corporate Members on GG membership can book from March 8th. 

Flexible and 5-day Members can book from March 15th; 25-34 year-old Intermediate Members can book from March 19th and 18-24 year-old Intermediates can book from March 22nd.

If you would like to change your category to receive longer lead booking times please contact us in the office via my email — [email protected] — or Ricci Agnew [email protected]

The steps and dates as set out by the government are as follows:

  • March 29: The golf club reopens for four-balls and takeaway food and drink;
  • April 12th: Outdoor hospitality opens for groups up to six people on the patio and outdoor area;
  • May 17th: The clubhouse opens for indoor hospitality for up to six people, 30-person outdoor hospitality and events can start to take place (with limited numbers);
  • June 21st: All areas open without restrictions and large events can take place with no limitations.

Please note that these dates are based on the government guidelines and may change.

On a personal note, I would like to thank everybody for their continued support and loyalty to the Club through these troubled times. Let’s all hope that we can see some form of normality return in 2021 and I, for one, can not wait to reopen our gates and welcome you all back to the Club.

Lockers update

Would anyone who is in possession of a locker please contact Paul Fileman ([email protected]) with a very brief email stating your locker number.

A few Members with lockers have left the club but have not returned their keys and, as we have had several requests for lockers, it would help us work out which lockers are now available.

Competition news

Sadly we have had to postpone the Captain’s Drive-In, once we are able we will get this rescheduled and let you all know.

We are hoping to get the competitions back up and running as soon as possible and, with this in mind, you all need to be aware of a few changes.

The tee-booking office will no longer be able to enter you as a player because you now have to pay your entry fee when you enter any competition. Last year we could enter players on the day, as there were no entry fees, but this will not be the case this year.

The All-day and All-weekend competitions will have a closing date for entry of 11.30pm, the evening prior, and all players will need to enter and pay before this time to be able to participate. 

Once we have a terminal set up in the golf reception area, we can then set up roll-up competitions, so a player will be able to enter and pay on the day of the competition via the terminal.

To add funds to your Competition account follow this link https://golf.warleyparkgc.co.uk/myeposaccount.php and follow the instructions below

  1. Select top up amount either £10.00, £20.00 or £50.00
  2. Agree to the terms and conditions then click on “Add”
  3. Complete your card details and click on “confirm payment details”

If you do need an assistance just let one of the golf staff know and they will be more than happy to help.

The Race to Le Touquet

This year we will be running our first “The Race to Le Touquet” where the winners of each section (Men’s and Ladies) receive an invite to Le Touquet at the end of September to play in the Singha Champion of Champions Finals. This is for the winners of each club’s order of merit. The format of each club’s qualifying events is:

  • Both Men’s and Ladies’ events are played on the same day.
  • Winners of each event at the Club receive prizes supplied by Singha.
  • Points are allocated based on where each Member finishes in each event. 
  • The number of points rises for each event as the season progresses.
  • There are six events between April and September.
  • The trip to Le Touquet includes travel, hotels (The 5-star Westminster Hotel), three rounds of golf (Le Touquet and Hardelot), an opening cocktail party, and closing presentation banquet.
  • The finalists receive not only the trip but clothing and finalist prizes. The winners of the champions of champions wins an invite to Thailand courtesy of Singha to play golf and entry into an Asia Pro Tour Pro-Am.
  • Both trips include, travel, golf and accommodation courtesy of Get Golfing and Singha.  

Historically, Club competitions take place on weekends so that all the different sections — Mens, Ladies and Seniors as well as our 7-day Members who are still working — can join in the fun. Five-day Members are also welcome to play but will have to pay the price of a Member guest green fee.  

Both the Men’s and Ladies competitions take place on the same day with the tee sheet interwoven. This will be followed by a fun prize giving and some special offerings from the kitchen and bar to help bring the day to a close. We would also  encourage Members to invite their partners, who perhaps don’t play, to come along and join in the post-golf fun.

The events are as follows:

  • Sunday, April 25th: Bobby Locke Cup
  • Saturday, May 8th: Vize Cup
  • Sunday, May 30th: B51 Trophy
  • Saturday, June 19th: David Moore Trophy
  • Sunday, July 18th: Ford Laidlaw Cup
  • Saturday, July 31st: Raynor Cup
  • Sunday, August 22nd: Freddie Sunderland Trophy
  • Saturday, September 4th: Autumn Cup

Members will also have the opportunity to travel as a team to play at Le Touquet against the other Get Golfing Clubs. We will provide further details of this in due course. 

Subscription news

From Edward Richardson, CEO, Get Golfing: As promised in our email back in January, anyone who has continued to stay with us and pay their membership will receive a credit on their subscription for the period of March 1st to March 28th. 

For a full Member, for example, the way this will work is as follows: When your membership comes up for renewal, you will receive a credit equal to the number of days that we are closed in March. This will be calculated by dividing the annual subscription by 365 days and then multiplying it by the number of days we were closed from March 1st. 

This credit will then be placed on your account when you renew and will be used to reduce your monthly direct debits over the next 12 months.

To help us manage this process, it would be greatly appreciated if Members did not pay their subscription all in advance.

Thank you to everyone who has continued to support the Club, we are doing all we can to ensure you have a wonderful Club and course to come back to and one that continues to improve over the coming years. 

Pro shop

Late last year we said that Get Golfing was developing an online replacement to the traditional, club-based pro shop to give Members access to a truly comprehensive range of golf equipment at very keen prices.

From early April, the Get Golfing Pro Shop will be open for business. As you will see from the spread of logos below, we have secured deals with a terrific range of suppliers. 

Get Golfing shop brands

We will still sell the day-to-day consumables — such as balls, tees and gloves — on site but, in addition, we will now be able to offer you a wider range of products: from golf clubs, bags, shoes and clothing to lasers, logoed apparel and electric trolleys. 

Practically anything you can buy online will be available from our shop.  

The shop is connected to your Club Card, ensuring you receive the appropriate discounts in line with your membership, which are as follows:

Membership Discounts

The prices shown on the website for each item include your relevant discount. Practically all products offered receive a discount but there are some items where margins are so tight that we may not be able to give the full discount. Do not despair, however, as we are also committed to offering a price-match guarantee — so if the product is not shown or is shown at a price higher than you have seen elsewhere, call us and we will do our best to match or better it. 

One of the significant benefits, apart from pricing, of our website is that we do not charge shipping on any product. Orders received by midnight on a Sunday will be at the Club ready for collection by the following Thursday. 

All items purchased are paid for through your Club Card, so all you have to do is make sure you have sufficient credit on your card via our simple online top-up facility (which can be done at the time of purchase).    

As we know, your Club has had a challenging time with Covid and lockdowns, so please try to support us by using this service and we will use the profits from your purchases to invest in the Club.

Clubhouse news

From Jayne Lewin, Clubhouse ManagerWe hope you are all safe and well. Since the lockdown in November, we have been very busy making vast improvements. We are very much looking forward to being able to open and show you all what has been happening since you were last here. 

The foyer now has two entrance doors, one for the Spike Bar and the other for our Weddings and Functions. We now have a fabulous new reception suite located in the old Pro Shop. We are hoping this area will be used not only by weddings but also by yourselves and golf societies. We have some stunning chandeliers, a bespoke bar and soft furnishings that make this area sophisticated and welcoming.

The Lakesview room has had a complete makeover. The old, tired windows that were in the balcony area have now been replaced with clear glass windows, which give fantastic, panoramic views across the whole landscape. It is truly a spectacular view. We have more stunning chandeliers adorning the new recessed ceiling, with mood lighting. The wooden floor has been sanded and stripped making the whole room look much bigger and fresher. We hope you love this new transformation as much as we do, and you all make use of this new function area.

The patio area has now been fitted with a large wooden pergola to make your outside dining or drinking experience even more enjoyable. The pergola has been handcrafted and has bespoke features.

The ladies toilets have had a fun facelift, remember to get your phones out ladies and take those selfies!

During February, Muhib invited our 2021 Captains in for a preview of the work that has been done so far, the response was very positive. Amongst the topics covered, Muhib quashed rumours that he would be erecting a marquee and parking on the 9th hole to accommodate large-scale weddings. The wedding pier remains where it is, nothing has changed regarding our wedding bookings and they will proceed as they have always done. 

On reopening we will be launching our new company logo for our weddings and functions. The traditional Eagle will remain for the golf side of the business, including the Spike Bar.

We appreciate all feedback and we would very much like to hear your comments and suggestions, upon return.  If you have any issues that require urgent attention please either contact myself on [email protected] or Muhib direct on [email protected].

Course news

From Dominic Rodgers, Course Manager: While the latest lockdown has been frustrating, it may be proved to be a blessing in disguise for the golf course. 

Between October and the end January we received more than 500mm of rainfall and a covering of snow for 10 days. To put this into some sort of perspective, the average annual rainfall for our area of Essex is 620mm! 

As you can imagine the course has had periods of being very wet and has limited us to what jobs we can carry out. On your return, you will notice some damage to the pathways but we have plans to rectify these and will be making improvements to the paths throughout the year. 

Unlike other years, the course has not been played on, which has allowed the grass coverage to be retained and so give us better sward leading into the spring season, which, in turn, will improve the course. 

Ahead of golf’s return, it is our intention to take advantage of these conditions and carry out our greens renovations in order to make sure your golf is not interrupted!

Staff news

I am pleased to announce that Ricci Agnew, who many of you will know from his work as a Course Marshal over the past year, is joining our sales yeam. He will be able to assist you with any questions you may have and I am certain that his enthusiasm for the Club will make him a superb addition to the golf team at Warley Park.

Staff needed

As a result, we now have an opportunity for somebody to join our team as a Course Marshal. Benefits include flexible hours, a relaxed working environment and free golf.

Marshal duties include:

  • Respond to golfers’ questions, requests, concerns.
  • Direct golfers around the course if they are unfamiliar with the layout.
  • Inform golfers about course policies, and let a golfer know when he might be in violation of a course policy.
  • If the opportunity arises, help golfers search for lost balls (or gently suggest they give up the search to keep the pace of play going).
  • Try to mediate any disputes that might arise between groups.
  • Look for opportunities to care for the course, maybe by repairing a ball mark or filling a divot.
  • Keep the course clean and tidy.

Most important of all, look for ways to help the pace of play and have a passion for golf.

Drinks buggy operative: We are also be looking to employ someone to operate the drinks buggy. Once again this would suit somebody who has a passion for sales, loves being outdoors (no matter what the weather) and loves golf. This once again has the benefit of flexible hours, although weekend work is a must. Good pay and the chance to earn tips.

Training will be provided for both roles, this is a fantastic opportunity to join our team.

If you or anybody that you may know would suit either of these roles please contact [email protected] 

Club Welfare Officer: In addition, we are actively seeking a volunteer to take on the role of Welfare Officer here at Warley Park.

The main aim of the role is to safeguard the welfare of children at the Club. The person has primary responsibility for managing and reporting concerns about children and for putting in place procedures to safeguard children at the Club.

Who makes a good Club Welfare Officer? A good CWO is someone who is:

  • Able to work with a team to ensure that golf is a fun, enjoyable and safe experience for all.
  • Passionate about creating an environment that enables children and young people to thrive at the golf club.
  • Accessible and approachable for children and adults (it is not recommended for the coach or volunteer with direct responsibility for delivering the junior programmes at the Golf Club to undertake this role).

Personal attributes of a good CWO include:

  • Friendly, approachable and enthusiastic.
  • Reliable and committed.
  • An ability to maintain records.
  • Caring and compassionate.
  • A child-focused approach with good communication and listening skills.
  • An understanding of safeguarding, poor practice and abuse.

The roles and responsibilities of a Club Welfare OfficerWhilst everyone is responsible for safeguarding, the Club Welfare Officer is the person within a Golf Club with primary responsibility for managing and reporting concerns about children or adults at risk and for putting in place safeguarding procedures.

Policy and procedures:

  1. To assist the club to put safeguarding policy and procedures in place.
  2. To assist the club to put implementation plans in place for child safeguarding.
  3. To promote awareness of the Codes of Conduct for staff, volunteers, coaches, members (juniors and adults) and parents.
  4. To ensure that safe recruitment procedures for staff and volunteers are followed.
  5. To ensure that all appropriate existing staff or volunteers have an up-to-date DBS Enhanced Disclosure. These should be updated every three years.

If you feel that this would be something that you would like to get involved with please get in touch with [email protected] full training and support will be given along with other benefits.

Staff news extra

Get Golfing Apprenticeships: Despite the day-to-day challenges thrown up by Covid and the lockdowns over the past 12 months, you may be interested to learn that Get Golfing has been working to put together a personal development programme for staff. 

This includes engaging with the government’s Kickstart programme to help individuals aged between 18 and 25 to get a foot on the career ladder. 

We will be looking to hire between three to five staff on a six-month contract through this programme to help us on the course and in the clubhouse. 

The goal is to help some of these individuals find long-term jobs and careers within the golf and food and beverage industry and to that end we will also be introducing apprenticeships towards the end of the year. Hopefully some of the Kickstart candidates from earlier in the year will progress onto these apprenticeships.

Get Golfing Internships: Finally, the condition of our golf courses is paramount to benchmarking Get Golfing’s progress and critical to our delivery of that goal is the motivation, education and professionalism of our green staff. 

To encourage their career development, we have launched an internship programme with Pelican’s Nest Golf Club, near Tampa in Florida. Four staff from across our group will benefit from a three-month training and life experience programme with the highly experienced management of this 36-hole, Fazio-designed private Members’ club. Get Golfing will pay all their travel, accommodation and wages during their internship. Applications from staff will be assessed during the third quarter of this year and we will let you know who the lucky beneficiaries are in due course.

Pro news

From Wayne Selley, PGA ProfessionalThere has been some great golf on the TV over the last few weeks with wins for Tyrell Hatton, Paul Casey and Dustin Johnson on the European Tour and for Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger on the PGA Tour.

With some great golf on TV, I’m sure many of you have had the putter out on the living room carpet wishing you were out on the golf course, so below are a few helpful hints and tips that will help you get ready for the greens.

Drill 1One of the best ways to practice putting at home is simply working on your control of the putter face. Set up a golf tee upside down and, starting three feet away, putt a ball to the tee trying to knock it over. Then move back to four feet, five feet and so on. Try to work you way back to 20 feet away and still be able to knock the tee over. You’ll gain a great feel of your putter’s face and know when you’ve closed or opened it during the putting stroke since you’re hitting to a super small target.

Drill 2Grab a playing card and lay it on the the floor several feet away from you. Try to putt the ball with enough speed that it stops on top of the playing card. This is a challenging putting drill that will improve your putting distance control before you know it. Using a playing card helps simulate a golf hole since it’s small and you’ll also work on your putting accuracy by making sure you’re aligned to the target properly.

Put these couple of drills into practice and I’m sure they will help sharpen up your putting skills

On a different sporting subject I just have one more thing to say “COME ON YOU IRONS!”

From Russell Killington, PGA ProfessionalHaving almost completed another couple of months of homeschooling, I for one am very very much looking forward to returning back to Warley Park Golf Club!

I’m sure many of you may be a bit rusty on your return and this may provide a perfect opportunity for a tune up or a little help with any any other aspects of your game . 

Please feel free to contact me on my mobile number 07919 186499 or you can book direct online on my booking page www.russellkillingtonpga.setmore.com.

Win a Golfbreaks.com break!

Get Golfing partner Golfbreaks.com has teamed up with Mizuno Pairs Tour to provide the chance to win some truly unbelievable prizes when you enter a Golfbreaks UK Pairs Tour event or the Golfbreaks Match Play this summer. 

European Tour, Solheim Cup, Open Qualifier and PGA venues across the UK feature in the schedule at great value prices. 

You and your playing partner are guaranteed a very warm welcome from the Golfbreaks team, a fun day out on the fairways and the opportunity to win a trip at one of the world’s finest golf destinations should you finish top of the leaderboard!

Every winning prize destination across the schedule is of the highest quality. Trips to Dubai, Dominican Republic, Portugal, France & Spain are all up for grabs with PGA TOUR, European Tour and Ryder Cup host courses part of the experience. Golfbreaks says it has gone all out with more than £30,000 worth of prizes to play for across the year and the top five pairs at every event taking home a prize!

Take your pick at Golf Breaks’ great value events below and enter here: