Introduction

Our club vision states, “The best-conditioned 27-hole member-owned golf club in the United Kingdom” and we are constantly searching for ways to improve.

Our search led us to question how we manage play through the winter and if the club stands to benefit from longer closures in late winter/early spring. The list of high-profile clubs using longer winter closures is sizable (Wentworth west, Queenwood, Adare Manor, Pine Valley etc). If we could accommodate the lower levels of play at this time of year on eighteen holes only, rest the spare course, channel greater labour resources into completing winter work tasks, would the members see a benefit in return? There’s only one way to find out and that’s to try it.

For 2025 we will be replacing the current 3 x 5-day course closures in winter/spring with closing each of our courses for a three-week maintenance period, including weekends, on a rotating basis starting in mid-January and finishing mid-March. This will be a trial to assess the potential benefits on the quality of playing surfaces and winter work efficiency as we enter the spring season.

We are confident it will not negatively impact the member experience over the winter, as eighteen holes will always remain open. With the Garden course closure during the refurbishment project last year, all daily levels of play could be accommodated within the confines of eighteen holes during winter.

The primary potential benefits of these closures are:

• Resting the golf courses during the time of maximum winter damage and minimum recovery.
• Improving labour efficiency by shifting daily course setup tasks to project work on the closed course.
• Reducing disruption on the two open courses by transferring labour to the closed course after morning setup.
• Enabling more efficient completion of winter projects and tasks than would otherwise be possible.
• Avoiding the direct aftereffects of greens hollow coring work for players.

As an example, we will be changing all the greenside bunker sand on the Church course to the new type that’s performing so well compared with the old type. A big uplift in aesthetics and playing performance. If we did it with the course open and in play, with morning course preparation for play still needed, it would take approximately double the time to do so and require temporary greens and cause disruption. With the course closed however, the sand would be changed efficiently at maximum pace and without disruption to members.

Work Summary (subject to weather)

• Perform spring hollow coring maintenance
• RTJ Bruce Charlton project iconic landscape recommendations, phase two
• Bunker sand replacement – Church greenside to new type
• Raise sunken irrigation sprinkler heads
• Drainage installation on church/mill approaches
• Repair any damaged areas of the course (turf or seed)
• Deep aerate the entire golf course
• Refurbish all course furniture
• Harvest lake weed
• Install new course paths (M1 tee/M9 green 2025)
• Drainage system maintenance: pressure washing, CCTV etc
• Restore course sleeper bridges (very tired, Church only)
• Deep clean the burn feature

2025 Maintenance At a Glance

A short summary of the annual number, length and timing of course closures in 2025. The extended spring closures won’t reduce the number or length of closures later in the year.

• Winter/Spring = three, three-week closures per course
• Summer = three, five-day closures per course (no change)
• Autumn = three, five-day closures per course (no change)

The management team are constantly questioning the way the courses are managed with the goals of achieving the club vision and improving quality and member satisfaction. Using the peak winter months in this new way, we are very confident it will enable better resource use efficiency in the off-season and put the courses in a much stronger position as they move into spring.