Club News

From Paul Fileman, Golf Manager: What a month! I am not sure quite what happened to the weather, but I am certain we ordered August and October was delivered by mistake! At least the last few weeks brightened up and we could carry on with the work out on the course on the 8th and 9th tee boxes. 

Regardless of the poor weather, we had a remarkably busy month once again on and off the course. The start of the month the Junior section held the Juniors Secretary’s Trophy, and it was good to see a strong turnout. The winner was one of our younger members, who has only been with us for a short time, so a massive congratulations go to Evan Ross. 

1. Evan Ross (33 h.i), 39 Points  
2. Charlie Wiles (17 h.i), 39 Points 
3. Jack Jones (17 h.i), 37 Points 

The Club Championships took place over the weekend of August 7th-8th and, again, we had a fantastic turn out. The weather was to say the least a tad wet and windy and the conditions were incredibly tough going, so it goes without saying well done to everybody who played and persevered throughout the weekend.  

Congratulations must go to Paul Jackson, our new Club Champion, who shot a total of 159 over the two rounds with an 83 in the first round on the Saturday and 76 on the Sunday beating the runner up Max Penn by three shots. 

Our seventh and penultimate Race to Le Touquet competition, The Freddie Sunderland, was played on August 22nd. Another amazing turn out in Fair conditions. This was won by Ed Brown with 43 points. 

1. Ed Brown – 43  
2. Sam Oakes – 38 
3. Chris Jones – 37 

Edward’s gross 63 on the Childerditch and Warley 10-18 was not only a course record on Intelligent Golf since we started using it 2 years ago but is also a course record at Warley Park since the Course was changed 20 years ago. Well done Ed!

The front runner in the Race to Le Touquet is now Luke Robinson with 39 points, you can find the current standings Here!!! 

Our final Race to Le Touquet will be the Autumn Cup on September 4th. 

Out on the course: Nice to see Tony Bellew out an enjoying the course this month. Tony is an English former professional boxer, who competed from 2007 to 2018. He held the WBC cruiserweight title from 2016 to 2017 and challenged for the undisputed cruiserweight championship in his final fight. At regional level, Bellew held the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles between 2010 and 2014, the European cruiserweight title from 2015 to 2016, and is a three-time ABA heavyweight champion as an amateur. He portrayed antagonist boxer Ricky Conlan in the 2015 Rocky film Creed and has in recent years become an avid golfer. 

Course News

From Dominic Rodgers, Course Manager: Rain, rain and yet more rain was the order of the day for first week of August and the Club Championships.  

Fortunately, the middle third of the month has been drier and enabled us to carry out some essential work to the greens. We have verti-drained all the greens with 12mm tines down to a depth of 11 inches at 2-inch spacings. This has been followed up with a scarification to a depth of 10mm and a vertical cut at a depth of 2mm. Finally, we have top dressed the greens and sarrell-rolled in the dressing. 

All this work has gone on with little or no disruption to play and will ensure the greens stay healthy, firm and true for the remainder of this year and into the next year. 

All the new greens and surrounds have received a second overseeding and an application of organic fertiliser. At the time of writing, all the new surrounds have received at least one cut and it is our intention to lightly roll and cut the new putting surfaces. Once the grass plant becomes established, we will spray the new greens and surrounds with a selective weedkiller, which will then allow the grass to flourish. 

The new tees at the 8th and 9th holes were put on hold due to the inclement weather, but we were scheduled to start construction on August 18th.  

A new knee-high fence is being installed around the new putting green and work on this was due to commence on August 23rd.  

Finally, it has become very apparent after the torrential rain at the beginning of the month, the new drainage system on front 9 is working wonders and ensuring these holes remain playable even in the toughest of conditions. The grass in these new drainage lines is gradually filling in and, if the weather conditions remain favourable over the next few weeks, the drainage lines will become less noticeable aesthetically. Happy golfing! 

Clubhouse News

From Paul Westerman, Clubhouse Manager: This last month has seen us put through the blender in the clubhouse. Some of our suppliers could not deliver the produce we ordered on time and sometimes delivered it a week after we needed it due to stock being unavailable. Because of this we have changed our menu a couple of times. Hopefully, within the next few months, this will calm down and we will be able to serve a consistent menu at reasonable prices. I would like to thank the members for their continued support and please contact me if you have any queries. 

Captains’ Update

Men’s

From Dave Datson, Club Captain:  

Captain v Ladies: We had a fantastic match with the Ladies, led by their wonderful Captain, Liz Brown, on Thursday, August 5th. First tee was at 08.28, then 16 men and 16 ladies played in pairs against each other, using a better ball-Stableford format. The result after eight matches was Men 295 points and Ladies 301 points, so a close match and great win to the Ladies by six points overall.  

We had a drink and food on the patio after the match and all agreed it had been a great day. I, of course, drowned my sorrows with a large glass of Zinfandel rosé. We do have mixed competitions at Warley, and I would encourage everyone to participate, especially if you have never played in a mixed match before. 

Club Championship: Saturday, August 7th started very wet, which meant a bit of a delay, but despite that there were some very good scores. First and second in the clubhouse after Day 1 were Robin Coote and Doug Barrett, both with a score of net 65. However, after the dust settled on Sunday, the new Club Champion was Paul Jackson. Congratulations Paul and well played. I would encourage all new members to try to play in our competitions as it’s a great way of testing your swing under a bit of pressure and getting to meet people at our great Club! Unfortunately, an 11 on the par five 13th hole ended any misguided hopes I had of threatening the leaderboard. Oh well never mind, I drowned my sorrows with a large glass of wine on the patio, Zinfandel rosé, of course! 

Barham Cup: Lady Captain Liz and I played our semi-final against Ian and Selma on Friday, August 13th. It was a very close match and was all square going down the last. Fortunately, we were able to par the hole and secure the win. Looking forward to the final against Doug and Christine and, hopefully, I will be able to report the outcome in the next newsletter. May the best team win! 

Captain v Juniors 

Sunday, 15th August saw the annual thrashing of the adults by the kids, otherwise known as “Captain v Adults” where we get to be humiliated by ten to 15 year olds who all seem to hit it 50 yards past us. Unbelievably this year there was a twist to the plot because the adults actually won by 3 Stableford points overall.  We have some great kids at Warley Park, it was a pleasure playing with these young gentlemen and good golfers. In addition, I had great pleasure in presenting £200 I had raised in fines on our recent Past Captains away day to the Juniors Section and Mike Cursons who has done such a good job with these young golfers! Needless to say, and you may well have guessed, but I celebrated our fine win with a large Zinfandel Rose! 

New Members 

If you are new to Warley Park and want to meet other players, be introduced to a friendly Swindle to play with on a Saturday or Sunday, or just find out a bit more about our competitions then please do contact me on 07966-205662 or have a word with me when you see me at the Club. I can usually be found after golf on the patio. You will recognise me as the man sitting there in an orange shirt with a large glass of Zinfandel Rose! 

Ladies

From Liz Brown, Ladies’ Captain: This month I would like to highlight a very special lady who is an amazing role model and exemplar of how ones age is just a number. If playing golf regularly means you look like Brenda Chisholm then keep it up girls. 

She won the very difficult Bogey Competition this year with a +3 score, won the Ping with Kim, came a very close 2nd at our away-day and as she herself says has hit a purple patch but has been playing golf long enough to know it won’t last! Also, I will point out I played one of the fastest 18 holes of competition golf with Brenda not that long ago. 

However, she is not the only golden girl, many of our ladies are in the autumn of their years but you would never know it. You are all wonderful exponents of the fact that a regular game of golf keeps you fit and active and looking amazing. 

The ladies section continues to be very busy with club competitions and lots of us having great days out at various ladies opens: Orsett, Upminster, Abridge etc.  

The away-day at Braintree went very well and we mainly managed to avoid the biblical rain on the course, not on the way home though. 

Kim and I took part in the Captains vs. Colts which was thoroughly enjoyable. We were invited to the seniors captains day which was a lovely occasion, thank you Steve. 

On 22nd we are in the quarter finals of the Silver Trophy at The Burstead against The Warren, supporters are welcome. 

Seniors

From Steve Abbott, Seniors’ Captain: Another busy month, with matches, competitions and swindles. 9 of the 10 golfers of the year competitions have now been played, and Greg Burnham has a clear lead, to the extent that only two players can catch him: Brian Wilkins and Graham Robson. In matches we have maintained our 100% winning record in home matches, but after obtaining a draw against Stableford Abbotts, we recorded our first away of the season, beating Boyce Hill 4.5 – 3.5. 

My Captain’s Day was on Monday 16th August, and we were blessed with pleasant weather. I am gratified for the support I received, with 49 players taking part. Congratulations to the winners, Stan Tillett, Liz Brown and Brian Wright.  Thanks to everyone’s generosity, particularly Richard Stephenson we raised £200 fir my charity, Brentwood Theatre Trust.

Q&A Summary

On August 5th, Get Golfing CEO Ed Richardson hosted an evening Q&A session, which was very well attended, with at least 70 members joining in and enjoying a complimentary drink on arrival. A small selection of the many topics that discussed are listed below: 

• Menu and food prices, popular items that are no longer available 
• Better communication over course and clubhouse plans 
• Provision for lefties on temporary tees  
• Car parking and signage and members-only parking 
• Locker pricing 
• Ladies wanting a revamp of the changing rooms 
• County cards 
• Provision for members when we have a closure due to a large corporate or charity golf days 
• Thornton Cup etc for next year 
• Future plans for course development 
• Coffee beans 
• Sending rules and regs to societies as a welcome email 

The overall feedback from the evening was very positive and I feel that Ed’s responses were received well. 

Proshop News

We also have a member buy–back scheme in aid of the charity Mumba Children’s Project. Get Golfing sites are running a member buy–back scheme on all branded golf clothes — and not just your specific club, from anywhere! We are also accepting clubs, balls and bags. These can then be part–exchanged for new logoed apparel with our new club logos. You will shortly receive an email detailing the work this charity does and how you can help us help them. Check out the poster below to see when we are at Warley Park:

Mumba @ Warley Park

Pro News

From Russell Killington, PGA Professional: Just a reminder the next Men’s free group lesson for members is on Monday, September 6th at 2pm and the ladies’ group will be the same time the following Monday and will continue to alternate weekly. You can either sign up in the golf office or contact me directly on 07919186499.  

The winners of this month’s free lesson with myself are Ann Peppercorn and Jack Kennedy, which was randomly drawn by our Golf Manager Paul Fileman. Please contact me to arrange. Happy golfing. 

To contact Russell, please email: [email protected]; or phone: 07813822842. 

From Wayne Selley, PGA Professional: Hi everyone hope you are all well and enjoying your golf. Many congratulations to Warley Park’s Colts, who reached the semi-finals of the Essex golf union Youth Shield team competition but, unfortunately, came up against a very strong Thorpe Hall team, who progressed to the final. Well done guys, keep working hard on your games and make it all the way next year. 

While our last junior summer coaching day was on August 31st, fear not they will be back on in the October half-term holidays. For any further information please call on 01277 224891. 

Finally, in September I am offering 3-for-2 on all short game lessons, if you would like to book then please contact me on 07813822842. 

Community Outreach

From Stuart Williams, Community Development Officer (Education, SEND and Communities), Get Golfing: Hola from a busy Community Events coordinator. 

Work on our Community HUB programme starts this month, which will see us aim to offer a variety of activities at our sites for our local communities and non-traditional visitors.  

We will be using art, music, sport, drama, walking, running, film nights and a host of activities to offer more for both members and visitors and so create some great social interactions in this disconnected age. 

Our NHS Blood & Transplant awareness and recruitment campaign is growing with every visit (see more below from Hampton court). Next stop is Arkley Golf Club on October 3rd when we will also run a great pairs scramble competition that is open to members, guests and visitors. After that it is the turn of Ansty in Coventry on October 30th.  

The NHS desperately needs more donors. Please don’t be put off if you offer and they give you an appointment in a few months. They have to manage demand peaks, blood types and are still under-strength themselves as they return from Covid. You really will be doing something amazing and thanks to those members who already donate. 

Hampton Court gives blood: Our national partners NHS Blood & Transplant had a great recruitment day at our stunning Hampton Court site. They recruited more than 45 new donors, enlightened lots of people as to their blood type and spoke to a host of amazing people who already donate to help people they will never meet. Thanks to David and the team at Hampton Court for their support of this event. 

Community Partners: We are now taking nominations for local community groups that could do with help and we are also selecting our partner primary and special schools. Please do get in touch if you would like to suggest a small local charity or community group or school that we could help in 2022. 

Memory walks: We are hosting a series of Memory Walks for the Alzheimer’s Society around our beautiful sites and it would be great if you are free to join us at The Club at Mill Green, near Welwyn Garden City, on September 18th at 4pm, or at Redlibbets in Kent on September 19th at 3pm. 

You can find your nearest event at alzheimers.org.uk/memory-walk or you can set up your own. We are looking to raise funds to beat this horrible disease but also to create a lovely social event for people to chat and enjoy our sites. Everyone is welcome and we ask for a £5 donation for adults but nothing from children and dogs. We will have a 5km and 2.5 km route that will start and finish at the clubhouses. 

Exemplar local partnership: The Club at Mill Green is supporting Music 24, which does amazing work through music to bring smiles to dementia sufferers plus their carers, and creates amazing social interactions for those of us who are lonely. To find our more visit https://www.music24.org.uk. 

All this amazing group needed was a space to meet on a Monday afternoon every two weeks to bring sunshine and smiles to those suffering from dementia. We are happy to give them it free of charge. 

If you know of any local groups that need a free space to use, help expanding their provision or raising awareness of their work, we would be happy to help. Please contact [email protected]. 

Also, in September, we will be launching our Adopt a School programme, where we identify a local special school and primary school to help unlock their students’ potential. We will host a series of golfing, music, art and drama opportunities at our sites to allow their students to shine. 

Walking the Dog: Hopefully by now you are aware that all our venues are dog friendly and that you are keeping an eye out for when a great social walk around our sites is taking place at your club. 

Our dog of the month is Ted from Mill Green. Ted likes sitting down, sniffing, and listening to loud music. If you email me a picture of your dog at the golf course or on one of our walks, they could be famous. We look forward to next month’s nominations. 

Ideas please: Finally, I would love to hear from you, so please do contact me with any ideas you have for using our sites to do some good. Our venues and staff are our greatest assets, and we want to use them to have a positive impact on our local communities. Please do remember to say “thank you” to your clubhouse team, chefs, green keepers and golf ops as they are doing an amazing job in tricky conditions.  

I look forward to meeting more and more of you on my visits and please do come up and say hello if you see me in your clubhouse. Contact me at [email protected].

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