Welcome to the Spring edition of our newsletter. I want to start by welcoming all of our new members to the Club. It is always nice to see new faces at the club, whether they be members or visitors. Thank you to all of our current members who have renewed their membership 2024/2025.
We have had a busy start to 2024. We have experienced unprecedented rainfall in the first couple of months of the year. This has been particularly frustrating for the Green’s team who have worked hard throughout the winter to get the course ready for the spring, alongside the maintenance of various equipment.
Buggies
Last week we took delivery of eight new Bondhay buggies, which have changed from the light grey to dark blue in colour with a cream seat and roof. They are powered by lithium-ion batteries which means that they are more efficient than our last fleet. The cost of these vehicles has increased by just over 25% in 4 years. I have taken the tough decision to increase the hire of a buggy to £25 per round for members and visitors. Please take care of when using these buggies and report any faults to the staff in the Pro Shop. Due to the ongoing wet weather, we ask that you continue to keep off the fairways as much as possible and stick to the paths. As soon as this rule can be relaxed, we will do so.
Druids at Bondhay Golf Club
Druids are an on-line golf clothing retailer that prides themselves on high quality golf clothing at much more affordable prices. After several weeks of negotiation, Druids have agreed to allow Bondhay Golf Club to sell their products in our Pro Shop. Little to no other golf clubs stock their products, so we’re very pleased and honoured to be able to do so. We are selling the items for the same price as they are advertised on the Druids web site without the added postage cost. A range of items are available such as golf joggers, t-shirts, caps, jackets and more in a range of colours. Please speak to the shop staff if you require a certain item or size.
Flexible Memberships
Earlier this month, Josh and I had a meeting with a company who were offering flexible memberships. The memberships were based on a point system allowing you to play at home and use your points to play at other courses that were part of the same scheme. I mention this as a couple of our members have approached me to see whether we knew about the scheme and whether we had considered something similar for use at Bondhay. We have considered it and decided that this is not something of interest to us at this time. The scheme means that a large percentage of the membership cost is given to the flexible management company and yet the administration of the process would be managed by Bondhay staff. There are very few courses in this area that are enrolled on this program which means a limited number of places for you to use your points outside of Bondhay Golf Club. We are still offering associate memberships for those who require some flexibility with their membership and the possibility of flexible memberships will remain under review.
Refurbishment and Renovation
We are continuing to refurbish and renovate the Clubhouse and Course in 2024. Please be patient with us as we continue to carry out this work as much is being done by our internal team. I have invested a considerable amount of my own money into the club and will continue to do this to allow us to purchase items such as new directional signage for use on the surrounding roads, signage at the end of the driveway and finally the signage, bins etc that are out on the course, as well as machinery. I would like to be a position to refurbish more significant parts of the Clubhouse later in 2024 making it a more comfortable and welcoming space.
Security & CCTV
We are currently updating our security measures at the club. We currently have CCTV that covers the public areas in the Clubhouse which includes all of the access/exit doors. We also have CCTV that covers the majority of the car park. Our CCTV is there to prevent and detect crime and keep our customers and members safe. The CCTV records 24 hours and a day and is retained should we need to view it at a later date.
I have purchased an additional camera that will now record the details of vehicles as they enter the car park through the barrier. The car park is private land and should only be used/accessed by people who are attending the club and not used for any other reason.
Can I remind everyone that vehicles parked in the car park do so at their own risk. Bondhay Golf Club Ltd will not take any responsibility for any vehicle or its contents if parked in the car park.
Car Park
We are currently looking at ways in which to increase the capacity of our car park. This will take time so in the meantime can I ask that you park your car as sensibly as possible and in a way which will allow us to take full advantage of the space that we have available.
I would like to thank those members and visitors who continue to support the club particularly those that continue to use our facilities such as the Clubhouse, the shop and trackman. We will continue to use the income generated through these facilities to enhance our facilities for the benefit of everyone
Finally, I would like to finish by saying thank you to all of our members and friends at Bondhay who continue to show love, friendship and support for my Dad, Alan. I now live in the caravan adjacent to my Dad, overlooking the 10th fairway. Moving my Dad to the Club was a decision that was made in early 2023. There were many reasons for this but primarily, it allowed him to have some independence and familiarity when he opened his door and allowed us to care for him. His condition (vascular dementia for those who are new to Bondhay) means that he now requires 24-hour support hence my reason for living alongside him. It appears that this has caused upset and someone has taken it upon themselves to report us to the local council. It may be that we are forced to remove the static caravans in the coming weeks. I will leave you to draw your own conclusions on what this could mean for us as a family moving forward.
Lisa Hardisty - Managing Director
My captaincy is almost half way through and the exciting season is about to begin. With this in mind, we need to plan for future as handover time will be on us before we know it. Mark Highfield, my Vice Captain is looking for his replacement as Vice Captain who will then naturally progress to Captain in 2026. Should you wish to fill this position please contact either myself or Mark to express your interest.
Captain vs. Vice Captain
Saturday May 4th will be a shotgun start at 8am. An entry fee of £10 includes coffee and bacon roll on arrival. The format is individual match play, lowest handicapper plays off scratch and the opponent plays off 100% of the difference. The draw will take place to find your opponent and tee position during breakfast. Every member of the winning team will receive a prize and bragging rights for the rest of the year.
Both Mark and Myself will be using bribery and corruption to recruit you into my winning team. Good luck to you all!
Captains Charity Day Supporting Ashgate Hospice
Friday 12th July will be a shotgun start at 09:00. Entry fee £25 members / £45 Visitors and guests (a £10 deposit on entry will be required to secure your place). Coffee and bacon rolls on arrival with a welcome from the Captain and Ashgate Hospice.
This year will be a 4 man team event Stableford, All 4 scores to count on par 3s, best 3 scores to count on par 4s and best 2 scores to count on the par 5s and nearest the pin prizes. Meal and prize giving after the golf. Should you wish to enter and do not have a 4 man team please still enter as we can pair you with like-minded golfers.
As this is a charity event, I will be asking for your generosity to donate a raffle prize and continue the Bondhay tradition and make this a fantastic fundraiser.
Due to the unprecedented amount of rain we have seen this winter, a phased approach has been implemented during April to bring the course back into full play. Your patience is appreciated. May I also ask for your assistance during this difficult time for our green keeping staff to replace divots and rake your disturbance in bunkers and dispose of your rubbish in one of the bins provided, so the green keeping staff can concentrate on the huge job in hand. Thank you in advance.
I hope you enjoy the summer golfing season. May your strokes be few and your points be many Please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to raise anything I can help with, and if I can’t then I know someone who can.
Roy Cullis
As we approach the start of the new season, the Committee have been working hard to make sure we are in good order regarding the breath of competitions at Bondhay and team events, both home and away. Special thanks to Phil Bonewell, our Handicap Secretary, working his way through the latest changes from England Golf!
The Trophies are all engraved but, unfortunately, we have had an issue with the Honours Boards as our supplier has gone into liquidation. We are working towards rectifying the problem and will sort as quickly as we can.
Looking forward, we are keen to establish a succession plan for future Club Captains and Vice-Captains. I believe it’s a great honour to Captain our Club and if you have the time, energy and commitment perhaps it would be of interest to you.
To this end the Committee would like to appoint next year’s Vice Captain as soon as possible. So, if interested, please contact The Club Captain, Barry Hurt (Head Pro), Phil Bonewell or Mark Highfield for more information.
Mark Highfield
As you well known if you’ve even looked out of the window of late, we’re experiencing rainfall like I’ve never known before. This is making the upkeep and maintenance of the course a tough undertaking and quite often prolonging tasks over a greater period of time. Thank you for your patience as the team work as hard as possible to keep the course in as good a condition as is possible under the circumstances.
With the wet conditions not easing, unfortunately this means an extension to us asking for buggies to remain on the paths across the whole course. We have had a number of people causing damage to grassed areas recently by driving on fairways and making shortcuts. I am sure that you agree this is not fair to other golfers and adds extra pressure to the upkeep of the course when compensating for these instances. As soon as it is possible to do so, we will lift any temporary restrictions.
As the golf season proper kicks in, bunkers are now back in play across the course. The Greens Team will maintain them across the season, but please ensure that you are raking them after play for the benefit of everyone. I will also ask and remind everyone to repair divots and carry a pitch repairer whenever playing (they are for sale in the Pro Shop if you need one). Also, trolleys should not be taken on tees or greens, whether proper or temporary greens.
Other than that, I hope you all have a fantastic golfing season and look forward to seeing you out on the course in the near future!
Ellis Wilson
I hate to bring up the weather, but what an incredibly wet couple of months yet again! All our fingers and toes are crossed for some drier days as we head into spring. That being said, we’ve managed to maintain a good rate of greens in play against all odds. This has meant more good playing days for our members and an uptake on visitors coming to the Club – thank you to all who have promoted Bondhay and made others welcome. And also a thank you for our fantastic teams across all departments for their hard work as always.
The prime golf season gets underway with the publishing of this newsletter and with it a number of fantastic events for you to get involved with. The full Fixture schedule is available on our website, but some dates to note include the Men’s Opens on 15th June and 17th August; Proper Golf Series on 24th May; the All Sections Open on 6th July; and the US Masters Texas Scramble on 4th July (your chance to win a trip to the Masters).
Following much consideration, the decision was made in March to change the pricing structure of the Trackman Driving Range. Unlimited balls is no more and it will now operate on a set number of balls with a maximum session time, with the price being reduced significantly. Booking is available online, in the Pro Shop or pay and play on the day.
Our Spring and Summer Special golf offers are now available to visiting groups and socities with a combination of golf, food and refreshments available across three different packages. The Spring Special starts at just £35 per player and includes breakfast, 18 holes of golf and a Bondhay Bunker Burger. Available from 1st April to 31st May. The Summer Special will be available from 1st June with a two packages to suit the warmer and longer days. Find out more on our website or call us.
A fresh Junior Coaching programme started earlier in the year and will run every Thursday evening until 25th April, after which a new programme and events will be launched. The current sessions start at 6.30pm and are just £5 a player with all abilities welcome. Information will be published as soon as possible.
A new food menu is now available in the Clubhouse bar and restaurant with an expansion of common favourites, plus a handful of new items. I am currently exploring and looking to implement online ordering so that you can purchase food and refreshments from the course for collection at halfway, or by QR code from inside and outside tables at the Clubhouse.
As Lisa and Mark have touched on in their contributions, the refreshing of internal and external signage and honours boards is high on our agenda. Following the liquidation of a previous supplier and scheduling issues with a new one, I’m speaking with a new supplier to quote for the works. This will continue our efforts to improve the general visual identity of the Club and present a greater impression to all manner of member and customer. As with any investment, we’re working on making sure we work with the right company at a reasonable cost.
Events company Milestone Entertainment will be bringing international clairvoyant Joanne Gregory to Bondhay on Thursday 27th June 2024, following sell out popular shows across the surrounding counties. Tickets are just £14.00 per person and available directly from www.milestone-entertainment.co.uk.
A handful of November and December dates remain for anyone looking for a venue for their organisation’s Christmas celebrations. The Function Suite can hold up to 250 people, with private bar and a variety of catering options. Get in touch to find out more.
As always, if you have any ideas or comments, don’t hesitate to contact me through the usual Club channels. I hope that you have a fantastic golf season!
