BROCTON HALL GOLF CLUB

Three off the Tee - 25th February 2025 Newsletter

Hello there

On Saturday, join us as the Pro Shop will be hosting a Pros Fiddle - Better Ball Stableford, non handicap qualifying, which is open to men and ladies. There is a £5 per person entry fee including 2’s sweep. There is also a Mixed American Greensome on Sunday, so a great weekend for golf. The weatherman is promising a dry one!

It was great to watch England hold onto the win on Saturday, even with the South African disguised as Scottish getting over the try line in the dying moments of the game. Arsenal broke my heart over the weekend (but along with my fellow Gooners we are used to that). And for some strange reason we watched Happy Gilmore. And then realised why we had never watched it before 🙂 Rory McIlroy plays the prominent role in the third season of Netflix's Full Swing docu-series which has just dropped on the streaming service. I might give that a go. 

Member Photos

The different shades on Brocton Hall. The first and fourth photo was sent in by Dan Wills as the gents were about to aim for, no, not the pond or the bunker! The second captured by Neil Lehane caught Richard Hocknall looking for his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow yesterday and the third was taken by Kevin Mellor after a cloud burst earlier this month. This was the sun bathing the ninth green/10th fairway. 

Par for the Course

It's maintenance week and the weather gods haven't been playing the game with the rain. But the team have managed to go some hollow coring. Hollow coring, also called hollow tining or aeration, is a key part of keeping our course healthy. It works by removing small plugs of turf, which helps loosen compacted soil, improve drainage, and break down thatch. Plus, it keeps the surface drier which reduces the risk of disease. 

Competitions

Men's

Sunday 23rd - Yellow Ball Competition

• 1st  Sam Beech, Sam Lycett & Matthew Hewett with 83
• 2nd Mark Newman, Harvey Hall & Anthony Matthews with 80
• 3rd David Parkes, Craig Nesbitt & William Hall with 78

Clubhouse

The Pro Shop are having a Clearance event from 11:30 till 5pm on Saturday in the Clubhouse.  In this unique event they will be selling off items in readiness for their new arrivals.  On offer will be shoes, clothing, bags, grips, ex demo clubs, rangefinders and more. You can use your pro shop credit and they can also take cash and card payments.

This Mother’s Day, treat the most important woman in your life to a delightful lunch she’ll never forget!

Handcrafted with love, our chefs have created a special menu just for mom! From fresh, flavourful salads to delicious mains and indulgent desserts, there's something to make every bite as special as she is.

To book contact 01785 661 901 option 3 or email barandcatering@broctonhall.com

Notices

All of us at Brocton Hall wish our many members with a birthday this week a very Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to Alan Blower, PA Sandy, James Perry, Ethan Evans, Trish Franklin, Dave Moore, Keith Bradley, Steve Lucas, Hannah Golding, David Cowan, Mark Dolman, Craig Nesbitt and Roy Douglas. 

Have an amazing Birthday everyone. "In other words, live vicariously, beautifully, and excitedly, discover, love, dare, and act as there is nothing to lose." Andy Hertz. 

Pro Shop

Oh my word! Look at these beauties from Footjoy that the Pro Shop have just got in! Golf shoes designed to deliver tour-approved performance, comfort, stability, and style.

Members Question

You are invited to send any questions in that you would like one of the Management Committee members to answer. Often a committee member is approached on the putting green with a question that might not relate to their area of knowledge. This is a way for you to ask those questions.

Q. Thank you to Roger Prenter-Jones and the team for all the work that goes into making our course playable during these winter months. I just have a couple questions and if you have any narrative around them I would love to hear back.  

1. I just wondered if there was a plan for 14th/15th where we have excessive water gathering and not naturally draining away into the streams. Obvious railway sleepers are one of the most water resistant things you can line a hazard stream with as water will not seep through. Is there any plans into drilling into the sleepers and installing perforated pipe & a number of chambers / soakaways out into the fairways around rough to try and increase the flow in which water can drain into the hazard.
2. Bunkers - A lot of hard work has gone into installing the new lining, sand and surrounds. Unfortunately there are now huge areas of exposure to the new lining and the yellow tags installed to tie the lining down. How can we as a golf club ensure that further damage to these newly installed bunkers does not occur?
3. Cups. Out on the course we have the plastic rim / cuff installed flush to the level of the green. Doing some research and looking into this I believe this is causing the ever apparent crowning issues as the rims should be some 25mm from the level of the green. Is there a reason as to why we do not do this? Following from this, in the summer will these be removed to allow for painting the top inch with white spray?

A. In next weeks newsletter

Hole in One

While we may have deer and the occasional rather angry stag, there are many golf courses around the world are home to a variety of wildlife, including leopards, elephants, hippos, and more. 

• Skukuza Golf Course, South Africa: Unfenced course in Kruger National Park that's home to lions, leopards, hippos, and more 
• Leopard Creek Country Club, South Africa: Home to elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and water bucks 
• Vipingo Ridge, Kenya: PGA-accredited course where giraffes, deer, and alligators roam the fairways 
• Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club, US: Home to bears 
• TPC Louisiana, US: Home to a three-legged alligator 🙂 Not the one eyed alligator in Happy Gilmore 
• Okeeheelee Golf Course, South Florida: Home to iguanas 

At least I now have some idea why some people believe that lions roam the street of Johannesburg 🙂

Happy golfing everyone,

Karen