Club News

From Ollie Young, Golf Operations Manager: We are now one month in to Get Golfing’s tenure and we have seen a very positive transition for the Club. I’m sure things will only continue to progress at this exciting time. 

Inside the clubhouse, things are already beginning to change on the food and beverage front. We have a new beer and drinks supplier in Shepherd Neame and next month will see the installation of a new coffee machine that will serve the award-winning Lost Barn Coffee. In addition, we will have a new food menu later in the summer. 

I hope all members who took up the option of a complimentary round at Mill Green on June 21st had a wonderful time and we able to get a taste of how Get Golfing operates and the investment it has made over there. 

Thank you to everyone who has phoned or come in to renew for the 2021/22 season. This will be a great help in getting everyone onto the new system come July 1st. 

There are still a number of members who have not yet renewed for the season. Please come into the office, Pro Shop or phone 020 8449 0394 to sign up, so that you don’t miss out on being able to book your round of golf when we transfer onto the new booking system on July 1st. 

With government extending restrictions from June 21st to July 19th, rules regarding the Clubhouse will remain the same. There will continue to be restrictions in place regarding wearing of facemasks inside, table service and the rule of six. Social members can continue to use the Clubhouse and Bridge will still be able to take place on Mondays. 

In terms of lifting restrictions on the course, until July 19th everything remains as is stands. As we all know, raking bunkers and repairing pitch marks helps to keep the course in good condition and give a better experience to members and visitors alike. Complimentary rakes and pitch mark repairers can be collected from the Pro Shop, so if you haven’t already picked one up, please do so when you play your next round. Have a great month of golfing. 

Course News

From Jason Hatton, Course Manager: With temperatures increasing a fair amount over the last month, coupled with some very wet days, it’s fair to say the grass has got its summer kick. 

In early June we hired a disc overseeder to concentrate on bare areas on the fairways, tees and rough. We put down around 20 bags of seed and we are just starting to see it germinate. This will really help start to improve the playing surfaces on the course. 

The 7th green has been overseeded and renovated. Again, germination is starting to take place and, once it is all through, we will concentrate on top-dressing the green to create an even surface. 

We have also applied a wetting agent to greens, tees and approaches. This chemical helps hold the water in the grass plant for longer to avoid it drying out over the summer. All ropes, apart from a few, have been brought in. Those still out there are to protect the overseeded areas on the course. 

Unfortunately, the willow at the rear of the 2nd and 4th greens has died and will be taken down shortly. This is the willow that F1 racing driver Graham Hill clipped with his plane and subsequently crashed and caused his death. It’s been a major part of Arkley’s history, and it will be sad to see it go. 

On a personal note, I would like to thank David Saint for the bunker raking that he performs as part of his marshalling duties, it’s been a massive help. 

Staff News

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. 

Captains’ Updates

From Kaz Donald, Club Captain: It was such a shame that our meeting on June 21st could not go ahead. This will be rearranged as soon as we know that restrictions are being lifted. However, there is much golf to report on this month! 

Pro’s Day – take two – was a great success for Kevin and I’m sure that he will be reporting on that later in this newsletter. I’d like to thank him and his team for a really good day. 

Dave Wallace did a brilliant job in winning the Joe Auburn Cup, with a great score of 41 points. Hopefully, the handicap reduction that Dave has been waiting for will now have occurred. Runner-up was Terry Wakeman with a very respectable 37 points. 

The Handicap Shield was well supported and a very close-fought competition. Four players posted nett 70 and Mick Webster won on countback – well done Mick! Mr Wakeman was bridesmaid…again!  

The Capes Cup is our Scratch competition, and it is played over two days. All was to play for after the first day, with some interesting scores posted. The scores for those qualifying for the final day ranged from 81 to 90, so anything could happen with the six gents, who locked horns, on the Sunday.  

Pedro and Matthew Thompson fought hard to hang on to their first-round co-lead but steely determination from James Noble-Brown — and a final round score of 74 — saw him victorious. Well done to James and to all who played. Check out the results noticeboard for full details. 

Our runaway winner of the Winnifred House Cup was Dave Lovell. Dave’s score of 42 points was eight clear of Peter Davey, David Saint, and Neil Stephens. A post-results interview with Mr Lovell revealed that “it was the best round” he had ever played at Arkley! 

The May Bank Holiday Mixed Cha Cha Cha competition was a great battle between the top three teams, with James N-B, David Saint and I beating Chloe, Tanya, and Matt H on countback, with both teams posting scores of 73. Not the massive score of 82 that was previously reported! David Ross, Wendy, and John Living came third with 72 points. It was very well-supported and, again, I thank Chloe and Tanya for such a well-organised event. Tanya will be stepping down from organising the Mixed matches when she becomes Lady Captain, so we are on the look-out for someone to help. Please have a chat to Tanya if you are interested in getting involved.  

Matches

There has also been lots of action in the different team fixtures. The Foxes played The Shire, in the first round of the cup and won. So, the defence of their title begins. There was a tough match at Essendon, which was sadly lost.   

Our Rabbits played Hampstead at the end of May and won 3.5-2.5. The Stags have had a very busy month. They played The Shire, away, and lost 4-2. Things turned around at Mill Hill, where they had a great 5-1 victory. The match v Redbourn resulted in another marvellous win, with a result of 5.5-0.5 and the match at Bush Hill Park, in torrential rain, saw a loss of 4-2. Terry and I beat WGCGC’s A team at Welwyn in the second round of the County Greensomes, and we are now through to the quarterfinals. 

The ladies have also been in action and Mary will be reporting on that later in this newsletter. Well done to everyone who has represented Arkley this month. The rearranged Foxes/Rabbits/Stags match resulted in a win for the Stags, with the Rabbits buying the Port! Congrats to Blair, who won the individual prize with 38 points. 

The Vyse Bowl is in the diary on Sunday, July 11th. This is a pairs competition where the pairs can be, but do not have to be, mixed. The sign-up sheet will be found on the Mixed noticeboard, which will show some allocated tee times. However, this comp can be played at any time on the day.   

Mill Green

Our jolly to Mill Green was supported by many members, and it was good to witness first-hand the changes that have been made since Get Golfing took charge. Thanks go to Ed Richardson for inviting us. 

My Club Captain’s Prize for the Ladies will be played on June 29th and the result will be announced on Captain’s Day.   

Talking of Captain’s Day, as you know the plan was to host a dinner but with the change of date for the lifting of lockdown restrictions, coupled with a clash with the Euro 2020 quarterfinals, a huge spanner was thrown into the works. 

As you know I have advertised a BBQ but this isn’t what I really want to give you for Captain’s Day, so, with a heavy heart, I am cancelling the prize-giving celebrations. The golf will, of course, still take place but the dinner will be held later in the year.   

My raffle board will continue to be displayed in the Pro Shop. Please buy tickets and raise some much-needed funds for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans. The draw will take place at the prize-giving dinner. 

Away Day

Details of my Away Day have been given to West Essex. Thank you to all who have supported me so far.  At the moment, we have 55 golfers signed up and paid up. If you do wish to join me and haven’t yet signed up, please let me know as soon as possible. I do know that some of you are waiting on Boris announcements about travel, but I really do need to know, as it will make a difference to the way we play the comp. The choice of shotgun vs two-tee or single tee start is still outstanding.  

For those of you who may have forgotten there is still a vacancy for Vice-Captain… If you fancy riding shotgun for the next few months, please come and see me for a chat to find out what’s involved. I’m having a great time as Captain — it’s a role I highly recommend — which is why I’m doing it twice! I’m looking forward to a very busy July! 

Ladies

From Mary Vyse, Lady Captain: July has been a busy month with many ladies breaking their handicaps with excellent scores. 

The Macmillan Cup saw Captain Kaz win with 35pts from Wendy Living with 34pts. As far as the ladies were concerned on Pro’s Day, Chloe Wilson came in with an outstanding score of 41pts, closely followed by Paula Rands, with an excellent score of 39pts. Both beat the overall field of mainly men — well done girls! 

The Nicholson Cup was won by Tanya Wilson, with a nett 68 to edge out Captain Kaz’s nett 71. 

Lady Captain’s Day saw a lovely and sunny day and 21 ladies taking part in an 18-hole Stableford, followed by tea at the Arkley Ritz. Many of the social members also attended the tea — some of whom we hadn’t seen for almost 18 months due to Covid. We also welcomed new member Julia to the ladies’ section. Everyone had a great time and club was filled with chatting and laughter. 

Tanya Wilson came first with 35pts, ahead of Max Bourn with 33pts. Max also had an eagle on the 17th, no easy feat on an uphill par 5 — well done Max! Captain Kaz and Chris Smith won nearest the pin and nearest the line. 

The Suffragette Trophy — donated by Trisha French who also supplied us with a most- enjoyable tea and scones afterwards (thank you, Trish) — was won by Max Bourn on 33 pts on count back from Captain Kaz and Sylvia Smith. 

Finally, not wanting to blow my own trumpet but winning player of the year last year, I qualified for the South of England regional finals down in Southampton at Stoneham Golf Club. I arrived in good time, for once I didn’t need my 15 minutes lost time! Many of the ladies had caddies — one even had a professional caddie! There were 68 ladies taking part and, as I was still recovering from my foot operation, I didn’t fancy my chances. I think, however, I did Arkley proud, coming 6th and only three points off the winner. 

We are looking forward to an equally busy July, with many events scheduled, so please look at the noticeboards and sign up to as many as you can.  

Pro News

From Kevin Evans, Director of Golf: As you are all now aware, we have had to make the difficult decision to close the Pro shop as of July 31st July. Sadly, it was no longer viable to keep it going as it was making a loss every month. I do have plenty of items and very good prices, there are some bargains to be had! From August, there will still be items for sale, such as balls, tees, and gloves etc in reception, which will be located inside the clubhouse. There will also be the online portal to buy goods you require. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of the Pro Shop and I will be available for lessons on a full-time basis. 

Coming up this month is The Open Championship at The Royal St. George’s and I’m very much looking forward to seeing that one. I did go down there 10 years ago to watch on a scorching Friday and I am hoping to head down this year if I get a ticket in the ballot for PGA members. I’ve played the course once in very challenging 45mph winds! 

I hope you all enjoyed our Pro’s Day — we had 97 on the tee sheet, which was great. Always hard work to do but very enjoyable to see people out competing on the day. I am sure you have seen the winners and thank you for being part of the day. Captain’s Day will be the next big event on your calendar and I’m sure that will be very successful. Happy golfing. 

Community Outreach Programme

As part of Get Golfing, Arkley 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 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. Pictures of our first event in 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. A picture of our pilot event from Mill Green can been seen 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, Arkley 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. 

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.