Golf Committee Chairman’s Update
Following my last report in October last year I am happy to welcome Douglas Millar to the Committee who replaced Brian McDermott after his much-appreciated years of commitment and invaluable contribution to the Golf Committee. Brian was elected to serve on the Golf Committee back in 2015. Douglas brings extensive experience from his time serving as Chairman of the Senior section, which he incidentally continues to perform. We also have the pleasure of welcoming our new Lady and Men’s captains, Patricia Morgan and Paul Taylor, who take over on the Committee from their predecessors, Angela Atkins and Gerry Dennigan. I thank Angela and Gerry dearly for their time and contributions to the Committee and to golf at Roehampton Club in general.
Course condition
I am happy to report that the course suffered limited damage following the storms we experienced in the city last week, although some additional pruning and some limited tree removal will need to happen as a result. Overall, I continue to be impressed with the condition of the course and hope most of you share this sentiment. Peter Bradburn, newly promoted Head Greenkeeper David Howe and the extended team do a fantastic job presenting and maintaining the course, particularly during the winter months, when the weather is traditionally unpredictable and uncollaborative. The greens have been more than playable and the rough seems to have lost some of the excessive density we had to endure for most of the second half of last year. Long may it last.
Please be aware that fairways, approaches, tees and carry areas will be top dressed in the coming weeks of February and into March which will help smooth contours and prepare the areas for play. The annual application of top dressing has benefited in creating a sand dominated profile in the fairways over the last seven years, significantly aiding in surface drainage, which will remain a challenge through predicted periods of heavy rainfall for the foreseeable future. The team have also been carrying out greens’ maintenance over the last week to aid more sand penetration including a heavy sand top dress followed by Vertidrain with solid tines to 8 inches in depth and Procore with solid tines to 3 inches. These works are necessary to take place three times during the season and are vital in order to help produce excellent putting services going forward.
I would like to thank the Club and particularly the Course Marshalls for taking the initiative to provide free pitch forks for Members on the first tee, as we continue with our push to inform and educate everyone on the need to constantly repair pitch marks, and not necessarily only your own. In fact, in order to continue to address the significance of pitch mark repair, the Committee has discussed a proposal where each Member will be informed of the responsibility to repair a specific green that they ‘own’, so that whenever we play, we of course repair each and every one of our pitch marks throughout our round, but will additionally be asked to take care of unrepaired pitch marks on a specific green we have each been assigned. This model has worked well at other clubs, so we are planning on starting a similar initiative at Roehampton Club soon. Stay tuned.
10th Hole and Priory Lane Netting
You will have undoubtedly noticed the commencement of the reconstruction of the 10th tee which is expected to be completed by April. As previously mentioned, this new design, under the guidance of the course architect and the Club’s Health and Safety contractors, will crucially maintain the hole as a par 5 at the length currently on the card and will still allow Peter and his team with full access of the utility road to the right of it. I also believe it will make the hole more difficult with the three bunkers on the right becoming much more of a consideration for the bigger hitters amongst us. Most importantly though, the redesign will accomplish its primary objective of eliminating the likelihood of balls leaving the boundary of the course into Priory Lane. To completely ensure this, the Club has regrettably concluded that there is a need for a 20m high net to run angled and alongside the right of the new tee. I have personally never been properly convinced of this necessity, but the Club’s philosophy is that it’s better to be safe than sorry. The Committee agreed and the general view is that as a city-based golf course we need to become accustomed to playing holes protected by boundary netting. This concept will also extend to other holes, where subject to planning permission from Wandsworth Borough Council, you should expect to start seeing new netting erected alongside Priory Lane by the tee on 11 and behind the 12th green in the very near future.
You may also have noticed that the big bush between the ninth and 10th fairways has now been removed in preparation of the installation of a further 30m of mounding (ca. 1.5m in height) in the next few months which is meant to clearly differentiate the two distinct fairways to golfers on both sets of tees.
Golf Practice Area and Sports Shop
The Club is actively sourcing quotes from contractors for the construction and fit out of the new Indoor Golf Centre, which is still expected to be completed in a little more than a year’s time. As previously mentioned, we have amended our design to extend the Indoor Golf Centre by attaching the outdoor ‘Hi-Net’ golf pod to the back of it. This is being discussed at a pre-planning meeting with the Council in the coming weeks. The golf sub-Committee assigned to this project will reconvene shortly to receive an update from the Club on these developments as well as the design proposals for the new adjacent short game area and putting green extension. I will be sure to keep you posted on further updates as and when I receive them.
Marc Newey also recently informed me that the intention remains for the redesign and build out of a new two storey Sports Shop, in its current location, to commence after the completion of the Indoor Golf Centre, in 2024.
Both of these projects remain subject to the approval of the Board with regards to timing and budget.
Drainage
Continuation of the drainage projects planned for this year is ongoing with meetings with consultants and contractors completed in the past few weeks. Survey and design work is in progress to refine the plan for the target areas, and work is expected to commence sometime this summer. There is a particular necessity to enhance the drainage on the 13th and 14th holes given the amount of field drainage water which has entered the ditch system next to the 14th fairway following the redesign of the playing fields at Ibstock School. More drainage will be needed to remove water from this area to prevent it from being a permanently wet corner of the course in the future.
Drainage piping will also be installed underground in front of the 10th green to siphon off excess water that accumulates there following heavy rain fall. A proposal for a permanent lake in front of the 10th green was considered, but rejected, given that it will be difficult to retain sufficient water within it throughout the summer months.
Final thoughts
I can confirm that planning permission has been granted for the Air Hall 2 Project which will cover tennis courts 7-10 (next to the putting green). Still subject to Board approval, this temporary air hall will be operational between October and March each year, similar to Air Hall 1 next to the Health Club. Despite the proximity to the first tee, I have been assured that the new Air Hall 2 will not become a noise nuisance to golfers in the area.
I also wanted to thank the Club for its initiative on the importance of etiquette (beyond repairing pitch-marks). Replacing divots, understanding the Rules and particularly maintaining pace of play are instrumental to ensuring the enjoyment of the game for others, so please keep educating yourselves on all of these, via the Club’s blogs, emails and noticeboards or through any other means you can.
Finally, I encourage you all to come and support the top lady professionals and amateurs as they compete in the Roehampton Ladies’ Open Gold Challenge Cup on Saturday 9th April. And as always, please do to keep up to date with further golf related developments by reading the minutes of the Golf Committee which are available on the Club website under ‘The Club – Committees and Minutes’ and of course feel free to email me with any thoughts or concerns you may have.