Welcome to the Bondhay Newsletter for June and July. I write this introduction as such much needed rain falls from the sky after weeks of hot and dry weather. The weather has been very kind recently and provided plenty of opportunity for golf across our courses and facilities, but it is fair to say that the grass was in need of a good drink.
As always, a big thank to you to all of our renewing members, to those new members who have chosen to make Bondhay their new home of golf, to all of the societies and groups that have joined us, and all of the parties and weddings who have chosen to celebrate with us.
Opens & Comps
The next two months bring about a number of events in the golfing calendar, with the first of our two All Sections Opens coming up on Saturday 13 June, followed by the first Senior Open on Wednesday 17 June. A further All Sections Open takes place on Saturday 4 July.
The Alan Hardisty Trophy returns on Saturday 20 June for its fourth year, as we honour our previous Managing Director of 25+ years who was diagnosed with dementia and had to give up the reigns. For those who aren’t aware, Bondhay is still owned and operated by Alan’s daughter and grandchildren, so we’re incredibly proud to be continuing his legacy, whilst driving the business into the future. We all hope you will be able to join us for another day of golf and challenges, followed by some grub and an exciting prize table.
The ALFRA Trophy rounded off a busy May as 90+ golfers headed off on a shotgun start competing for an excellent prize table kindly put together once again by long standing member Ian Smith. Congratulations go to Richard Arnold for winning the 2026 edition.
Course Etiquette & Upkeep
Standard golf etiquette is increasingly missing from the golfer’s playbook of late, with the volume of un-raked bunkers and un-repaired pitch marks increasing month on month. This isn’t a problem exclusive to Bondhay, but one that Clubs are increasingly battling with and trying to find a way to address.
All golfers that play either our Devonshire Course or Academy Course are expected as standard to rake any bunkers that they enter and to repair any divots and pitch marks that they make. Above anything else, this is common courtesy to other users of the course to ensure the playing surfaces are as much the same for the next player as they are for you.
Raking bunkers and repairing of pitch marks also contributes to an ever-increasing portion of our greenkeeping team’s workday, taking them away from other vital tasks around the course.
In May, we were joined by a number of students on their work experience, a programme which we gladly participate in each summer. Their contributions alongside Ellis and his team contributed to over 400 hours alone being spent on bunkers in a single week – only to find them full of foot prints come the weekend, and requiring another round of attention straight off the bat.
The lack of pitch marks being repaired and bunkers being raked is not exclusive to visiting golfers and societies, it is found just as much on days made up primarily of members. Although a large quantity of golfers play their part, I’d ask that you keep a keen eye that you are doing what you should and prompt others to do so that may fail to pick up a rake or miss the odd pitch mark.
The Pro Shop team have been instructed to increase their prompts to all golfers around this issue and may ask for pitch repair tools to be presented in order to be permitted to play the course.
Every bunker raked, divot filled and pitch mark repaired contributes to better conditions for all, whether that be the found playing field or the gains made in freeing up our team to conduct business on other areas.
Continued Improvements
As always, we continue to invest in all aspects of the courses and clubhouse, most recently the tearing up of the tired patio area and laying of a brand new and extended patio. This has been paired with a new suite of outdoor furniture to ensure that all of our members and visitors can enjoy refreshments and hospitality in comfort whilst taking in views down the 18th. It also drastically improves the overall appearance of the front of the clubhouse and allows us to potentially repurpose the old beer garden area in the future. The gravelled area in front of the patio is a dedicated space for the storage of trolleys and golf bags while frequenting the bar, but please refrain from parking buggies and cars there.
I am increasingly aware that the internal furniture we purchased for the clubhouse bar last year is showing some faults, so I will be addressing this with the supplier and looking for them to make replacements.
Essential upgrades and maintenance was also conducted in the bar and kitchen over the previous month or two, with a new anti-slip floor and handful of appliances being installed across the departments. Other areas of the Clubhouse also require some immediate attention, such as the beer garden door on the bar and the emergency exits on the back of the function room.
Trespassing
We have had a large increase in non-golfers trespassing on the course over recent weeks and months, either for the purpose of collecting lost golf balls or for walking dogs. I am aware that some members have confronted certain individuals and have been met with hostility. We appreciate everyone that plays a part in trying to reduce this, but please ensure you’re not putting yourself in harm’s way and report anything to the Pro Shop or Office team. Despite likely being torn down as quickly as they go up, we will be reinstating signage on the boundaries and looking to increase patrols on the course where required.
Fishing
It’s likely Bondhay’s worst kept secret, but I’m pleased to announce that our picturesque fishing pond “Bondhay Lake” will finally be available to fish again from 20 June 2026. The space is being managed in partnership with Embryo Angling, who also oversee a number of local venues including Harthill Reservoir. Thank you to the Embryo team for their hard work and dedication over the last couple of years. Due to the exclusivity and size of our lake, tickets will be available on a 24 hour basis.
Please note that all bookings are handled directly through the Embryo Angling website at www.embryoangling.org/venue/bondhay-lake. Bookings for fishing cannot be taken on site at Bondhay.
Par 3 Group
Every Wednesday and Sunday, a group of fellow Academy Course members meet to play the 9 hole par 3 course, followed by lunch and coffee in the bar. The group are inviting new participants to join, whether they be members or pay-and-play golfers.
Josh Clarke - Operations Director
A massive thank you to all members and visiting golfers who have supported the raffles held in aid of The Tom Henson Charity. Thanks to your generosity, we have raised £1,800.00 so far. This includes a generous donation of £350.00 from Ronnie Hunt. Thank you to all those that have donated raffle prizes the charity and I are profoundly grateful for your continued support.
Congratulations to all the board winners so far this year, plenty more to play for.
Here are some key dates to add to your diaries:
Unfortunately, the Taskers team got knocked out of the competition away at Lees Hall, the 6-18 team have made a great start to the season, and the Scratch Team continue to grind out results. Feel free to come along and watch any of the teams or if you would like to get involved, please ask in the Pro Shop.
The senior section continues to grow anyone wishing to join check out their board in the corridor for a list of events.
Happy golfing!
Shane Turner - Club Captain
The 2026 golf season is fully under way with 2 Majors down and just the US open held at the tough Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in June and The British open that’s being played at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in July.
We are now fully stocked with our three leading brands in the market: TaylorMade, Ping and Callaway. We currently have drivers, fairway woods and rescue clubs. We do have demo clubs for you to book in a free fitting with either myself or Tom. We now have TaylorMade, Ping and Odyssey putters in stock so feel free to pop in and try one.
Our golf ball range remains the same with the new addition of Callaway balls.
Our new clothing ranges from Puma Golf, Adidas Golf and Under Armour are now in stock and are already proving incredibly popular. Please enquire if you don’t see your size, it doesn’t take long to order in.
We have just had our Ping demo day which was fully booked and very successful. Keep an eye out for the next demo dayss from TaylorMade and Callaway coming soon.
Myself and Tom are available for lessons throughout the golfing season either on our Trackman Range or on-course tuition. As an extra perk you can now use Pro Shop credit to purchase lessons so feel free to get in touch with us.
We still are offering a free Loft & Lie check along with advice on your grip conditions to help your golf for the 2026 golfing season.
Trackman has been a great addition to your golf club, so look out for weekly and monthly competitions we are running on Trackman through out the season and see if you can beat the scores set by one of the pro-shop team for bragging rights and a special prize. Also I’ve set up a 9 hole stableford competition to play the back 9 at Bondhay along with other courses to so let’s see if you can top the leaderboard.
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Majors Sweep, congratulations to all the prize winners from the Masters and US PGA, we have the US Open and British open coming soon.
The Summer Singles and Doubles Knockouts are now in progress and congratulations to all 1st round winners. Please keep an eye on when your match has to be played by as we have a very busy golfing calendar this season.
Board Events are now in full flow and I can confirm as of today we have 11 different players already qualified for the champion of champion in mid-September.
Midweek Medals and Stablefords need more support. We’re averaging about 15-20 golfers, when we have over 80 different members playing throughout the week. Remember it is a requirement from England Golf and Bondhay to have played at least 6 competitive rounds (with card submissions) to be eligible to enter other clubs Opens and our Board events.
Our Opens seem to be very popular and are filling up nicely. We do have some spaces still so contact the Pro Shop to get booked in to avoid disappointment. Please see dates below.
Upcoming Events
“Golfer Non Golfer’ on the Par 3 - 24th of July
Once again myself, Tom, Clive and Tony would also like to thank every member that has supported the Pro Shop over the last year. Long may it continue and wish every member a successful golfing summer.
Barry Hurt - Head PGA Pro
Firstly thank you to the members who contributed their thoughts and ideas to our recent committee meeting in May. The Captain and myself will be liaising with Bondhay directors to discuss some of points hopefully through to fruition. These points included winter tees, Golf Genius functionality and stump removal. The Committee Meeting minutes are up on the notice board so please have a read if you get chance.
Competition Entry Fee
The £5.00 entry fee for internal club competitions will stay as now. The breakdown is a follows:
The £1.00 members contribution go towards: Honours Boards, Trophies, Sheffield Union Fees, Notts Alliance Fees and catering regarding team matches.
Team Performance
6-18 League: A fantastic start to this year’s campaign with the team sitting top of division 2. The squad has played mainly home games to date so a lot of hard work left to keep the momentum going.
Scratch League: A steady start in division 5 with the team holding their own sitting comfortably in mid table after 4 games. Who knows this could be Bondhay’s year!
Notts Alliance: As we approach the final game in the 12 match series the team are sitting in a great position to have one final drive to win the league. The Notts club order of merit will be decided at Norwood so good luck to all involved.
Enjoy the summer golf.
