**UPDATE FROM THE PRO SHOP AND COURSE MANAGER**
Dear Abbey Golf Club Members,
We greatly appreciate your continued support and loyalty as valued members of our club. Despite facing challenging conditions, including the wettest 6 months on record, we are thankful for your commitment.
Making the difficult decision to close the course is never easy, and we do understand the disappointment it brings to our members. The weather has also severely impacted our business, resulting in significant financial losses from cancelled hotel golf break, visitor, society and buggy hire bookings, especially over the last couple of weeks. So I’m sure you can appreciate that closing is always a last resort.
Looking ahead, it’s great to see much better weather forecast and we’re expecting the course to be fully open again by tomorrow (Friday) & onwards, with trolleys back on. General course maintenance has been extremely difficult but I know Craig and the team have been doing all they can under the conditions. Fairways and rough are still a lot longer than we’d like for the time of year, but please be assured cutting will be prioritised after a few consecutive dry days and the course will quickly start taking shape.
Just to make you aware, Andy Boardman’s Captain’s Drive-In event has been rescheduled for Saturday May 4th, thank you to everyone who has entered so far. There are a few spaces left and it’s available to book on BRS. 5 Day members are welcome to play with no additional green fee payable. The format is a pairs scramble, but we can easily pair up single entries. If the remaining spots fill quickly we’ll look to add a couple of additional times so as many as possible can support and enjoy Andy’s first event as Captain.
We sincerely appreciate your understanding and patience, and we look forward to the better weather ahead that will allow us all to enjoy the golf course to its fullest.
Message from Course Manager – Craig Tidmarsh.
We have successfully added approximately 78 tons of new white sand to 10 greenside bunkers, with only 4 remaining to be completed once the weather permits. The remaining 4 bunkers have been prepared and are awaiting new sand, except for the 13th bunker.
Fairway bunkers have been trimmed, and we are currently in the process of weeding them. Additionally, we have done some turfing around worn areas near the greenside bunkers using turf off-cuts from bunker work and approximately 400 rolls of turf for reshaping the bunkers.
Due to the wet conditions, our work has been limited as it has often been too wet to use machinery. Despite this challenge, we have managed to stay on top of greens mowing, even resorting to hand-pushing mowers on occasions where it has been excessively wet, especially on the 12th hole.
The tees and their surroundings have been maintained using a hand mower, a process that typically takes a week to complete and would usually be done in a day with a ride-on mower. We have also dedicated time to strimming ditches, tee banks, furniture, and bunkers.
Last week, we invested another £2,000 in additional sand, new flags for the course, and new putting green flags in preparation for the upcoming season. Fertilizer for greens and tees is on order and is expected to be applied next week. The markers have been painted and are ready to be placed out on the course as soon as possible.
Finally I am being asked about when buggies will be back available to use. We can’t specify a date but as soon as our machinery is able to get around without signs of wear on the course we will also allow the use of buggies again. The golf shop team will update the website to notify you when this is the case.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to maintain and improve the course for your enjoyment.
Rob, Craig & The Abbey Golf Team