Introduction

Dear Members,

I wanted to start the latest members update in a positive manner. As many members will know, our Head Professional has recently been off on sick leave. I am pleased to advise that from Monday 1st November Andrew began a phased return to work.

Over this period, the team have made every effort to ensure the disruption to members has been limited, from the Green staff assisting with the collection of range balls to the Handicap Committee administrating member competitions in a different fashion to normal, ably supported by the Bar and Catering team. My gratitude should also go to those members who helped and volunteered with the operations throughout.

My thanks must go to everyone for their help, support and understanding during this challenging period.

Below, members can enjoy an insight into various areas of the club and recent developments. 

THE CLUBHOUSE AND SURROUNDING AREAS

To ensure the safety and well-being of our team, we will be making it mandatory to wear a face-covering when entering the administration office. This decision has been made due to the size of the office and the limited ventilation within. As previously asked, I would encourage members to pre-arrange any visits to the office by contacting a member of the team either by email or telephone in advance.

Throughout the summer, we have continued to manage / regulate the number of times the snooker tables have been taken down / put back up. Between now and the end of the year we have numerous occasions where the tables would need to be taken down. Following guidance from BSC (Blackpool Snooker Company), we have decided that the tables will not be erected until the end of January.

I know that the above decision will be disappointing to many, but we must follow the advice and guidance from BSC to protect and prolong the life of the tables. The Board are currently exploring suitable locations for the snooker tables.

As the winter weather approaches, we are seeing an increase in the number of golf bags being taken on the patio area, mainly for shelter. Please can I remind everyone that no golf equipment is permitted on the patio area even when trying to find shelter from inclement weather. We are also seeing an inevitable increase in the amount of dirt being collected in the shoe cleaning area. Whilst the team will try and keep on top of this, I would also ask members to assist with this by cleaning any debris after using the facility. 

The Golf Course

In the past few weeks, our team have worked tirelessly as our winter maintenance programme got underway. The greens were hollow-cored, dressed and over-seeded and we are already seeing the benefits of this with early germination visible on many of the greens. This germination demonstrates that when this process is carried out with warm weather somewhat guaranteed, the results are fantastic and the disruption and scarring created by the work is reduced. Next year, the team are exploring the possibility of moving this process into September to guarantee warmer weather whilst minimising disruption to members.

Work has also started on the rebuilding of bunkers around the course and the early improvements can already be seen. The research conducted into sourcing revetting turf from on-site has so far proved to be a success and is very cost-effective.

For those members who may have missed it, the winter maintenance program can be viewed here.

Over the past year, the team have worked incredibly hard to ensure playing surfaces have remained in as good a condition as possible, for as long as possible. Back in March, we saw areas where there was limited grass coverage. This was as a result of standing water on some of the greens, namely the 3rd and 15th. To ensure the quality of the playing surfaces is retained, temporary greens may be experienced at times to protect vulnerable areas and to ensure the impact of standing water is limited, the team will be carrying out regular assessments and manually removing such water.  Investigation into potential long-term solutions to improve these areas has already started.

Fairway Protection

As the playing surfaces soften, we would begin to encourage members to use fairway mats or to move their ball to the semi-rough if or when conditions dictate. Mats are be available in the  Professional shop for those wishing to use one.

The Position of  Club Starter

Friday 1st October, the club saw Billy Fallon carry out his starters duties for the final time. My thanks must go to all members who made Billy’s final few days and weeks as Starter at the club memorable for him, it truly meant a lot to him. 

The service provided by a Starter is certainly something that the club wishes to retain in order to keep a first-class member and guest experience. The Starter role can be shared between a number of members on a part-time flexible basis e.g. mornings/afternoon, 2 days a week each etc.  We wish to encourage members to put their names forwards for the position. Those members wishing to express interest can do so by contacting me directly:

(manager@fairhavengolfclub.co.uk).

Food & Beverage 

The Food and Beverage Team continue to work hard to deliver a first-class service to members. Throughout August and September, the team successfully delivered 40 events and did so with their renowned friendly approach.

During this time, we had a visit from the Food Standards Agency. I am proud to say that despite the challenges faced this year the team retained a five-star food hygiene rating.

Over the coming weeks, the team will be gearing up for an active festive period, further information for which can be found in the up and coming functions and events section.

In the meantime, please can I take this opportunity to remind members of the revised opening times over the winter period, starting from the 1st November:

Opening and Closing Hours

As October approaches, so does an adjustment to the opening and closing hours of the clubhouse, bar, and catering facilities.

The core hours as stated above may be amended either way subject to demand within the permitted hours at the discretion of the Board or General Manager if they consider:

a) no members, guests or visitors are in the Clubhouse and there is no likelihood of anyone coming in, or

b) members, guests or visitors are in the Clubhouse and using the bar facilities the hours may be extended up to the Club's 'permitted hours', i.e. Club events, snooker matches. 

Entertainments: Up and coming functions and events...

Throughout November and December, the club have some very exciting events lined up.

For further information on any of the below events, please contact a member of the team who will be delighted to assist:

Saturday 13th November 2021 | The Autumn Ball

We are excited to announce our upcoming Autumn Ball 2021, taking place this coming Saturday. Entertainment for the evening will be The Coustics who will be playing 3 sets during the course of the evening. Tickets are £45 per person and guests are asked to arrive at 7pm, for 7.30pm seating. 

There are a limited number of spaces still available for the Autumn Ball and as such we are now opening up tickets to guests of members.

Sunday 28th November 2021 | Traditional Sunday Carvery

Following on from the success of our carvery last Sunday, Members are invited to join us for our November Carvery which will take place on Sunday 28th November.

 Whilst further information will be provided in due course, the price will remain the same with just two courses from £14.95 (children under the age of 12 can eat for just £7.50).

Christmas will provide members with the opportunity to enjoy the club’s facilities with family and friends. Our team has once again put together a fabulous menu which will be available from Wednesday 1st December to Thursday 23rd December.

To view a copy of the menu, please click here. 

For this period only, we will be allowing members to pre-reserve tee times when booking a Christmas lunch for four or more members. This will be done in line with previous years to allow members to enjoy Christmas Celebrations together after golf. In order to facilitate this, terms and conditions will be used for festive bookings, these can be viewed below:

Over the Festive Season, the Club will once again see a variety of club events taking place for members to enjoy:

If members wish to obtain further information on any of the above events, please do not hesitate to ask a member of the team who will be delighted to assist.

We look forward to welcoming you to the club throughout this exciting period.

On the 19th November, members will once again be welcome to volunteer their time in assisting with decorating the club ready for the festive celebrations. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. For members who are able to give up their time, please contact the Lady Captain, Pat Francis, in advance of the day.

The Board and Membership Working Group

The Membership Working Group has been collecting data from both BRS and Intelligent Golf software which has been valuable in understanding course usage.  The information covered many areas of course use including a profile of the membership to identify where pressures are arising, the average tee time usage and also the number of bookings per category on BRS.

1. Average Tee time usage:

2. Number of Bookings based on category:

The next steps will be an in-depth analysis of the data and recommendations. Members will continue to be updated on an ongoing basis and will be invited to submit comments at a future point.

The Board

This year, the Board vacancies which will become available are the Director of Membership and the Director of Maintenance. Michael Muschamp has also signalled that this could be his final year as Treasurer although he would consider standing for one further year if the needs of the club dictate. 

Should any member be interested in any of the vacancies above and wish to discuss the roles with me, then I would be happy to arrange a convenient time to meet and discuss what the roles involve.

The Board are delighted to announce their nominations for Vice Captain and Lady Vice Captain for 2022 / 23:

Vice Captain 2022 / 23 – Mr Andy Cunningham | Lady Vice Captain 2022 / 23 – Mrs Sharon Slack

Best regards,

Mark Duncalf

General Manager