Welcome to this week's newsletter bringing you all the latest news from the club, course and pro shop.

Enjoy the read.

5th hole update

Last year’s hot summer has caused a national shortage of turf at the moment. This caused a delay but Nick managed to source turf from an alternative supplier and thankfully it arrived on Wednesday. So Nick, Justin and the lads have been busy laying the new turf at the 5th, and Nick commented that the turf used is exceptionally good.

What a difference the turf makes; as you can see from the photos this really transforms the appearance of the newly renovated greenside bunkers and they look superb. Note the care with which the lads avoid walking on the newly laid turf and how they always use boards to spread the weight when accessing the most turf covered areas.

And this is the bit you can see, a large proportion of the work was fitting the new drainage beneath which will improve the playability of the bunkers, especially after a deluge of rain when previously they would be filled with water. If you look closely you can see where the drains have been excavated, but I must say it’s a very tidy job and the slight scarring will disappear with time.

The turf still has several weeks to settle before the start of the season and I’m sure you can’t wait to get back on there and test the different playability of the hole. I particularly like the shape that has been formed just short right of the green where the front right greenside bunker used to be. There is now a gap so you could play a running shot into the right of the green, but this area has not been left flat, but has been contoured into a slight mound and run off area to the right which will make the approach more interesting. This area is being turfed as I write this, so by the time you next see it I am sure you will appreciate the contours I am referring to.

Yet another major project which has needed doing for a number of years is drawing to a successful conclusion. I would like to congratulate Nick, Justin, Ken Moodie and all else concerned who have contributed to this success.

Feedback from visitors

It has been a little quiet recently due to the weather, but what feedback we have received has been exceptionally good. When visitors sign in we do try to find out a little bit about them such as where they are from and if they have played at Reddish Vale before – it does help if they know where they’re going!

After their round I often ask visitors what they thought of the course and thank them for coming here. Nearly every person of late has commented upon how fast the greens are, and how they exceeded all levels of expectation.

One Fourball even said they would join if they lived a bit closer; it was suggested they could move house. Not likely coming from Liverpool but they said they would definitely be back in the summer and would also like to bring a society so that’s good.

Winter time

I like to keep in touch with the other 1000 or so Foremost Golf Pro’s through our online means and see what they are up to; many good ideas are exchanged this way. The Pro’s who don’t have an indoor studio are pretty quiet in the winter to say the least, and I remember what it was like before we had ours.

I think many club Pro’s must lock up and go home when it’s like this, but this has never been my way of thinking – I see the time as an opportunity to do more work if it’s anything from marketing to repairs. And you don’t want to miss that phone call for a large society or group of visitors, many of which book at this time of the year.

These days and for the last four winters now The Swing Studio keeps us busy all year round and is a Godsend in winter. The warm/dry studio has been fully booked many times and has kept us open for business as usual.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support my investment of the Swing Studio. My aim was to increase the level of service I can offer to Reddish Vale, to attract new golfers and create new members.

And of course to take my business onto another level and this certainly does that.

Junior Coaching

Despite snow on the ground on Sunday, we still went ahead with the Junior Coaching.
Our Intermediate group enjoyed learning in the swing studio, where they were able to see their club head speed, ball speed and how far they actually hit their clubs, to finish the session we played a nearest the pin competition on The Postage Stamp at Royal Troon.

The beginner class took place in the restaurant as we cleared all the tables and chairs to create our own indoor practice area. We learnt the importance of accuracy when chipping with games that included chipping into nets and knocking down cans, followed by an exciting and competitive game of dominoes (Putting).

All juniors are showing great progress and it is great to see them still enthusiastic despite the recent weather. To join our programmes please contact us in the Pro Shop for more lesson information.

Callaway Glove Special

The Callaway gloves have been a new addition to our Glove display and are proving very popular.

Dawn Patrol is a premium leather glove - £11.99 or 2 for £19.99

Syn Tech is a synthetic glove better for all weather - £9.99 or 2 for £17.99

New Stock

More new stock for 2019 is flooding in this week:

Callaway Epic Flash Drivers
Titleist Pro V’s
Winter Mitts
Winter Hats
FootJoy Shoes

Wednesday’s Pro’s Stableford

1st – Mike Radcliffe – 41 points
2nd – Ross Birch – 38 points (CPO)
3rd – Colin Barr – 38 points
4th – Mike Thompson – 36 points

Two’s = £11.00 each.

Click here to see the full results.