Results for the Bondhay All Sections Open held on Saturday 5th June 2025:

• 1st: W Tidy, C Fletcher, K Thompson, J Hayward | 85 pts
• 2nd: C Bowler, R Smith, A Powell, T Lodge | 81 pts BB9
• 3rd: R Riley, A Blakemore, J Plowecki, B Alberry | 81 pts
• 4th: G Allfree, R Griffiths, A Richards, T Brady | 80 pts
• 5th: G Boot, C Ardron, J Cheetham, R Cheetham | 79 pts

Best visiting team not in prizes: G Siddall, K Booker, M Weaver, M Hewitt | 77 pts

A huge congratulations to all prize winners and thank you to everyone who took part! Prize money will be automatically added as credit to your account in the Pro Shop.

Future opens are available to enter online at https://bondhaygolfclub.com/golf/opens/. For more information or to enter the traditional way, visit our Pro Shop in person, call 01909 723608 or email proshop@bondhaygolfclub.com.

Congratulations to Bondhay's Nottinghamshire Golf Alliance team, who sealed victory for the fourth year in a row, after a well-fought match at Beeston Fields Golf Club. This marked the conclusive final round of 12 matches against formidable Nottinghamshire golf clubs including Coxmoor, Beeston Fields, Worksop, Wollaton Park and twenty more clubs.

Thank you to all members who contributed to this team effort, and thank you to the NAPGA team and the other clubs for their organisation and hospitality.

More information about the Nottinghamshire Amateur & Professional Golfer's Alliance (NAPGA) at www.napga.co.uk.

Pictured from left to right: Barry Hurt, Clive Ardron, Mark Highfield and Steve Cammack

Bondhay's Associate Memberships are finally brought into the digital age with move to the BRS Golf system. Having previously been managed on a paper 'passport' in the Pro Shop, the flexible memberships have been transferred to digital management, allowing easier access for both the member and the Bondhay team.

Associate Membership, otherwise known as a Flex Membership, gives the member a certain number of rounds to use, giving more flexibilility and a greater sense of value to those that may not be able to make the most of the unlimited golf that a standard 5 Day or 7 Day gives. They come in two varities:

Annual Associate Membership

Depending on the category purchased, this consists of 18 or 20 rounds to be used across a one year period from sign-up. When the number of rounds runs out, an early renewal can be taken or the rounds will top up again upon successful renewal at the conclusion of the year. However, if unused rounds remain at the date of renewal, they are lost and cannot be transferred. Annuals are slightly cheaper than Renewables for this reason.

Renewable Associate Membership

This type is available with 24 rounds on all tiers. Renewable Associates work slightly differently in that they do not have an expiry date. They essentially are up for renewal at the point in which they run out of rounds, however long that takes. Renewables are slightly more expensive, but that's because of the huge flexibility they offer across a potentially unlimited timescale.

With the move to the online system, Associate Memberships have become points based. Every time a golfer books the Devonshire Course, a number of points are deducted from a wallet within the BRS account. One point is equivalent to 9 holes, allowing flexible use over 9 or 18 holes. Every membership will start with either 36, 40 or 48 points.

Members that use the BRS Golf App can easily see the amount of points used and remaining on their account, with booking golf just a click away. Anyone wanting to register for the App can do so at https://members.brsgolf.com/bondhay/register (active membership required).

Renewals are easier than ever with easy access to 'top ups' (renewals) directly in the app itself. You can also contact our Membership or Pro Shop team for assistance or to discuss a membership with an increased number of rounds.

Type	Rounds	Fee
7 Day Annual	18	£499
7 Day Renewable	24	£680
7 Day Annual Weekend After 1pm	18	£350
7 Day Renewable Weekend After 1pm	24	£470
5 Day Annual	20	£370
5 Day Renewable	24	£430

Associate Members get many of the same benefits as full members, including 10 day booking rights and subscription to the Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs (YUGC), Yorkshire Ladies County Golf Association (YLCGA) and England Golf. Additional fees may apply to Associates for participation in Opens (but a round is not deducted from the wallet) and may not be entitled to participate in certain team events.

For more information about memberships at Bondhay Golf Club, click here.

After careful consideration and agreement between the management and comittee, and notification at the AGM back in October 2024, Bondhay will be moving to promote Integrated Golf as part of the wider Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) policy. Integrated golf aims to remove much of the gender and age bias from the game of golf, with men and ladies able to compete in competitions together.

Integrated Golf is starting to be adopted by more and more golf clubs nationally, but remains a new concept within the golf community and for clubs. The simple fact is that we are all new to this, so we will continue to take on feedback from the membership and refine where required.

These changes will take effect from April 2025 as the new 'golf season' begins. Here is some information about the changes:

What does the change mean?

From April, there will no longer be be distinct mens and ladies sections in terms of regular club competitions, so all genders can play against each other in weekend and midweek competitions.

Can I still play with who I want?

Yes, of course. You can still play with whoever you want to, by booking through the BRSGolf App or Pro Shop. However, we are looking to introduce some drawn competitions to encourage socialisation.

What's the cost?

All 18 hole competitions will be the same for everyone with a fee of £5, which includes options twos entry.

Divisions for 18 hole competitions

• There woll be winners across each of the divisions in Medal at weekends and midweek.
• Division 1: Handicap up to 12 index
• Division 2: 13 to 24 index
• Division 3: 25 index and above

What is the ED&I policy?

England Golf has committed to all affiliated clubs joining the policy by the end of 2024. This means that each club needs to reflect the policy within their competitions formats (Integrated Golf). A copy of our ED&I policy can be found here.

When will the changes take place?

From April 2025.

Will there be a change to Board Competitions?

Yes, all 'board events' will be open to all sections.

Do I have to take part in the day's competition?

No, you can continue to play casual golf and not take part in the comp.

Will this mean a change to scheduled competitions?

There are no fundamental changes to board competitions. All of the year's fixtures can be found here.

Can 5 Day Members play in weekend competitions?

Yes, but you would have to pay the relevant green fee and comp entry fee as 5 Day membership aren't valid at weekends.

Will this affect any group fiddles?

No.

If you would like any more information about Integrated Golf and what these changes mean for you and the Club, contact our team in the Pro Shop or visit England Golf.

Love them or hate them, it's no secret that Bondhay's Devonshire Course is known for its tree-lined fairways. Trees inevitably have exploratory roots that head out in search of water, nutrients and anchorage. Further to that, the greenkeepers have been working hard on thinning out some of the wooded areas of the course to improve playability and better develop each hole's microclimate with greater airflow and daylight. This sometimes means that tree stumps interfere with play until they are able to be removed.

These roots and stumps can prove an annoyance to golfers of all abilities, not to mention the risk of injury if having to play shots close to these obstructions. Stumps have generally been treated as Ground Under Repair (GUR) and roots have sat without a firm ruling until now.

Following general agreement within the Bondhay Committee and with approval from England Golf, the following rules are now in play on the Devonshire Course with immediate effect:

New Local Rule

All tree stumps are now classed as Abnormal Course Conditions / No Play Zone. Players must:

• Find the nearest point where you no longer have interference from the condition
• Drop within one club-length of that point, no nearer the hole
• Drop the ball straight down from knee height
• The ball must remain within the relief area

Relief From Tree Roots In Or Close To Fairway

Model Local Rule F-9

"If a player's ball lies in the general area and there is interference from exposed tree roots that are in a part of the general area cut to fairway height or less or in the rough within 4 club-lengths from the edge of the area cut to fairway height or less, the tree roots are treated as ground under repair (GUR).

The player may take free relief under Rule 16.1b.

Relief is NOT allowed if the tree roots only interfere with the player's stance.

Rule 16.1b - Relief for Ball in General Area

If a player’s ball is in the general area and there is interference by an abnormal course condition on the course, the player may take free relief by dropping the original ball or another ball in this relief area (see Rule 14.3):

• Reference Point: The nearest point of complete relief in the general area.
• Size of Relief Area Measured from Reference Point: One club-length, but with these limits:
• Limits on Location of Relief Area:
  • Must be in the general area,
  • Must not be nearer the hole than the reference point, and
  • There must be complete relief from all interference by the abnormal course condition.

Work will continue to remove as many tree stumps as possible, whilst continuing to assess and remove additional trees where necessary. If you require any assistance or advice around the Local Rules we have at Bondhay Golf Club, speak to a member of our Pro Shop team who will gladly assist.

For more information around the rules of golf, visit the R&A's site.

Firstly, I want to congratulate Josh (Marketing Director) and his partner Louise on the birth of their daughter, Hallie Eliza, who was born on Friday 27th September. Josh will be on paternity leave for the next couple of weeks at the time of publication.

This month we say goodbye to Lewis and Alan on our Greens team and Jayden from the bar team. We wish them all well for the future.

I want to welcome Archie Wilson and Jake West to the Greens. Archie has been working for us for the last 12 months and will move from the Kitchen team. Archie will start his apprenticeship in October 2024 and Jake will be working a couple of days a week while he attends college.

Travellers

I am sure that many of you are aware that we were visited by a group of travellers in September. A couple of days before this, we had been made aware that a group of travellers complete with cars and caravans had descended onto the car park of Rother Valley Golf Club. The same travellers left Rother Valley and arrived at Bondhay around 4pm on the Saturday afternoon. It happened to be a busy day on the course and the range.

We contacted the Police who attended on site. The spokesperson(s) for the group refused to speak to me due to my gender but spoke to my husband. He demanded £10,000 to leave the car park and were intimidating and threatening. We were forced to close down the Clubhouse and the Trackman Range to prevent any further unruly behaviour, the safety of our staff, and in order to protect our property.

The Police were powerless to act. They were aware of the demand for money but suggested that it would take them around 28 days to be in a position to move them on. A Bailiff who had been at Rother Valley, attended on site and suggested that we pay them to move on before they caused any damage to our property. After much negotiating, we begrudgingly paid them £6250 to leave the premises. The travellers remained on site for just over 2 hours before leaving.

Our priority is and always will be the safety of our staff and customers. This was at the forefront of our mind when agreeing to pay for them to leave.

Since this event we have tightened up our security measures on site. We will now be closing and padlocking our gates when the last member of staff leaves in an evening. The gates are situated at the top of the drive, the access road to the green shed, and the gate which allows access to the lane off the car park.

A telescopic security bollard has been installed on the driveway leading down to the 9th green and Halfway House. Two telescopic security bollards have been placed in the entrance to the greenshed.
A height barrier has been commissioned and will be installed at the top of the driveway. This will prevent larger vehicles and caravans from accessing the premises. Staff will have a key to open the barrier. I appreciate that this may inconvenience some of our members and visitors however the safety of the course and clubhouse is paramount.

Christmas & New Year Golf

We have opened up the diary for members to book their Christmas and New Year golf. We will be opening up the diary for visitors and societies from Tuesday 8th October. We are asking for all bookings to be reserved with a deposit payment of £10 per person. You can cancel your tee time and receive a refund of your £10 any time up to the 15th December. You will get your £10 refunded if you play your attend on your tee time.

I am aware that a number of members are unhappy with this arrangement. Last year we opened our Christmas diary to our members before booking any visitors or societies onto the course. A number of members cancelled their tee time at short notice. This means that we are left with prime tee times that could have been booked by visitors or societies which, in short, means a loss of revenue for the Club.

We have had a similar problem with the cancellation of Alliances/Charity/Memorial cup days. We will no longer be taking bookings for these types of events unless they are secured with a non-refundable deposit and all bookings will be managed through the office. This will be reviewed along with the fixtures for 2025. A short notice cancellation results in a day of lost business for the Club. The only way that we can hope to claw any of this money back is to advertise a much cheaper green fee. I have heard members complaining that a reduced green fee offer undervalues the membership fees. I would rather offer a reduced green fee to bring in some revenue, than lose a day altogether. Little or no thought is given to the loss of revenue and custom for the club and neither option is ideal, given that this is a privately owned golf club. Looking a bit wider, losing this income reduces the amount we can continue to invest in the course and facilities for you as members.

Booking Tee Times

The above brings me nicely onto the booking of multiple tee times. Members are reminded that the booking of block tee times is allowed however they MUST contain the name of all of the golfers who are due to play otherwise they risk being deleted from the system.

Lake Balls

I am sure that many of you will have lost balls in one of our lakes on the Devonshire Course. Our lakes are cleared of balls, 2 or 3 times a year. The balls are cleaned, returned to the club and then sold in the Pro Shop.

I have noticed that a handful of people are coming onto the course with the sole intention of fishing balls out of the lakes. This is a potential health and safety issue and is not allowed. You risk being asked to leave the course by a member of staff.

And finally… We have had our planning application for our two caravans refused by Bolsover Council. We have now submitted an appeal to the council. We hope that our appeal will succeed as this will allow us to continue to care for my Dad on site. Our only other option would be for him to go into care. I would prefer to make this decision for myself based on the needs of my Dad and not be forced into this decision by the council.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the AGM.

Lisa Hardisty - Managing Director

Vice Captain's Update

I hope you have all enjoyed a competitive and fun season of golf at Bondhay, but also wherever golf has taken you! As we approach the winter we still have several events on the calendar for you and your families.

The Christmas Dinner Dance and presentation evening will be Friday 6th December. I think it’s only fitting that teams and honours boards winners are recognised for their achievements in 2024. I would also like to introduce your Team Captains for the 2025 season.

Christmas dinner with all the trimmings will be served followed by mince pies! The committee will be paying for the disco, so the price per ticket will be a fantastic £13 per person, including food. I really hope you can put this event in your diaries now so get those taxis booked! The previous years have proven to be a super night for members, families and friends alike so hopefully this year will be even better.

The AGM will be 6pm Tuesday 15th October. Please come along with your questions to put to the management and committee. This is a great opportunity to have your say and help shape the club.
Shortly we will be pulling together the fixture calendar for 2025. It would advantageous to listen to the membership ideas and thoughts before the work begins. The suggestion box is there for all members so please utilise.

Mark Highfield - Vice Captain & Secretary

Course Manager’s Update

As the summer season has now ended, a number of changes are in place for golfers. If you play during the first few weeks of October, you will see the greenkeepers conducting a number of course maintenance tasks such as hollow coring and much more, as we work to treat disease, improve the surfaces and ensure the course is in top condition to see us through winter and come out strongly in the spring season. The drops in temperature, increase in rainfall, possible frosts (and dare I say snow) may see the introduction of temporary greens to protect and preserve the main greens – that I must say have been in fantastic condition over the summer. Greens will always be reviewed first thing in a morning and kept under review throughout each day. Updates will be provided by the Pro Shop and on Facebook each morning.

From 1st October, the Lift, Clean and Place rule will be in place on closely mown playing surfaces. Depending on how the weather is through the winter, England Golf could bring in, change or extend the Winter Rules, so please look on the notice boards and in the Pro Shop for changes.

Take relief from Winter/Temporary greens. No chipping. Take relief from white posts and blue rope. Two club lengths and no nearer the hole.

Anyone using using a buggy/ride on either hired or privately owned MUST check for the daily rules in the Pro Shop before play. Wet or adverse weather may see varying rulings to protect the playing surfaces such as ‘the 90 degree rule’ or for buggies to stick to the paths only. In the most extreme of circumstances, buggies and ride-ons may be restricted, but this is very very rare.

Please keep trolleys off tees and greens surrounds.

Please repair pitch marks. The mowers or greens irons don’t repair a pitch mark – you do. A pitch mark not repaired properly, especially in winter, will just leave a hole for you to putt over next time you play. Bunkers should be raked at all times. It is only fair for the golfers following you.

Course length will be dependent on weather and conditions. For now we will leave the White Tees in play.

Ellis Wilson - Course Manager

Marketing Director's Update

As we come to the end of the main golf season, I’ve been reflecting on a busy five or six months packed full of competitions, events and some consistently decent weather. I don’t like to jinx anything, but let’s hope that continues and we don’t find ourselves a six month wash-out like last year. October, November and December are prepped to host some fantastic golf and social events. Captain’s Charity Day is being held on Saturday 19th October as a shotgun start at 08:30, and the Christmas Mixed Open is taking place on 1st December.

A huge congratulations to everyone who placed or won a Club Competition or Open this year. A special shout out to Mark Highfield for being crowned the Champion of Champions earlier in September.

Our partnership with Milestone Entertainment continues with the ABBA Tribute night on Friday 11th October, which includes a three course meal, tribute act entertainment and disco until midnight for a killer price of just £34.95 per person. A good ol’ whodunnit visits us in November with Milestone’s Murder Mystery Night on Friday 8th November. Again at £34.95 per person, which includes meal and the evening’s interactive entertainment. If you’re looking ahead to Christmas, Dancing Through The Decades is the perfect festive celebration. Choose from events on 7th or 21st December with the price including three course festive meal and entertainment until midnight. Tickets for all events are available from Bondhay’s or Milestone’s website for both events.

I’m pleased to say that Ladies Coaching is returning for a six week program following a well-received session hosted by guest PGA Pro Natalie Haywood back in September. The sessions will take place out on the Trackman Range and be limited to six people to ensure everyone gets focused time with Natalie. Book now for just £12.50 a session including hot drink, or book all six at once for £10 per session (first session will have taken place at time of publication). Find out more and secure your place via the Events section of our website.

I am finally starting to make some further progress with the renovation of the Clubhouse bar and restaurant. You may well have noticed by now that we have introduced the ‘Bondhay Blue’ colour scheme and started adding some feature panelling. Work will continue as soon as I’m back from paternity leave! Once the decorating is complete, we hope to introduce some well-needed new furniture for greater comfort and aesthetics.

I finally got back out on both courses over the last couple of months and must commend the Greens team on the excellent work that they have done in providing us all with a stunning facility and backdrop on which to play. It does however lead me to touch on some housekeeping. Most of my rounds were interrupted by continuously having to repair others’ pitch marks, replace divots and rake bunker after bunker. Some of the pitch marks found on the 11th and 18th were particularly severe. I ask that you take the time to ensure you are repairing all pitch marks and replacing divots where you can. A correctly-repaired pitch mark will recover in 24 hours, while an unrepaired one left for two hours will take up to two months to recover. Raking the bunkers ensures all players get an equal and fair chance at playing their shot without worrying about unpredictable conditions or obstructions. Please ensure that you have a pitch repair tool in your bag. They are available to purchase in the Pro Shop if you require one, or if you find yourself without one on the course, a tee can be used to great effect.

Please take your litter home or put it in the bins provided around the clubhouse and courses. The time that our teams spend collecting waste could be better spent on other essential tasks, not to mention the damage that litter can do to some of the machinery. Where you can, please take away any broken tees from the tee boxes.

All visitors – of both courses – should report to the Pro Shop before play to check in for your round. This allows our team to account for everyone that is on-site in the interests of safety and course management.

As the seasons change, new ranges of Druids clothing are available in the Pro Shop. A selection of midlayers, rain jackets and golf hooded jumpers are now in stock, alongside some classic polo shirts.

The Academy Course has been exceptionally busy over the summer and got a further mini flourish mid-September with a spell of warmer weather. This did bring to our attention the amount of people that take their chance at not paying to play. With pay and play in operation and large flow of people at peak times, I will be looking to reintroduce tickets/receipts for the Academy Course that will allow our team to check who has paid the correct fee during spot checks. We will also need to re-look at bag tags or ID cards for members.

After a long, eager wait, I’m excited to say that the digital render of Bondhay’s Devonshire Course is now live and available to play out on the Trackman Driving Range! The quality is fantastic and gives anyone the change to play the course from the comfort of the range, whether you’re testing the water, or looking to improve certain areas of your game across the course. I have uploaded the digital flyover videos to our YouTube channel if you fancy a preview. Search ‘Bondhay Golf Club’ on YouTube and they should pop up.

As always, if you have any suggestions, queries or comments, please reach out to me via the usual channels. I look forward to seeing some of your at the AGM on 15th October. And finally, a huge thank you to everyone who has sent their wishes and kind words for the birth of my daughter. I’m looking forward to having some time with her before getting back to the important work to be done in pushing this great golf club forward. See you on the other side…

Josh Clarke - Marketing Director

Summer is well and truly here — and so too is our fantastic Summer Special deal to take you right through until 31st August 2023!

Perfect for visiting groups and societies, this offer brings together a fantastic 27 holes of golf across our two course with a pit-stop for lunch in between the two.

1. Start the day by pitching yourself on our par 3 Academy Course. Nine holes of leisurly, but still challeging, golf with the rest of your group to get everyone warmed up and the competition started.
2. Head to the Clubhouse's restaurant for a well-earned break and to fuel up before picking up the clubs again. Choose from a southern fried chicken or halloumi wrap, both served with our famous hand-cut chips. The best part? The cold and refreshing bottle of beer (or non-alcoholic choice if you'd prefer).
3. Grab the clubs again and head out on to our challenging Devonshire Course for 18 holes of picturesque golf. Watch out for our Juice Buggy serving refreshments and snacks on busy days and weekends!

Monday to Wednesday	Thursday to Friday	Weekends & Bank Holidays	Buggies
£40 per player	£50 per player	£55 per player	From £14

Bookings are now being taken for this exciting day out! Call us on 01909 723608 or email enquiries@bondhaygolfclub.com to enquire.