Saint Philip of Piltdown

It was very kind of Céline to put together last week's email, especially the part where she implied I was always on holiday....... what she failed to tell you was the first long weekend consisted of me taking my 87-year-old mother to a wedding in the Lake District, before coming back for a few days, and then having a long weekend in Spain....... where we took my 87-year-old mother-in-law...... which was great fun in 35 degree heat!

I'm sure I will get my reward one day......

Thanks to Céline and the rest of the team for holding the fort, and thanks to those of you who have responded quickly to the subscription invoices. For the rest of you - please remember that subs are due by the 1st July. If you have any problems meeting that date, please get in touch as quickly as you can.

Piltdown Summer Fête

As previously advertised, we are holding our Summer Fête on the driving range field on the afternoon of Saturday July 19th. There is so much going on including a bucking bronco, a tug of war, giant inflatables, a cake competition, a BBQ, a bar and much more.

Families, friends and guests welcome.

Book Here

Quarter-final here we come!

Massive congratulations to our Martlets division team for winning their group by beating Horsham, Hill Barn, Lindfield and Sweetwoods and qualifying for the quarter-final. This will take place on 17 July at Ham Manor. Good luck ladies!

Super Subs for Piltdown!

The Piltdown team were successful in the Dyke Challenge Bowl this week. The team is meant to be the Professional, the Captain, The Lady Captain & The Secretary.

However neither Robin nor I could play, so we drafted in the "super subs" of Tsol Keoshgerian and John Turzynski. They made up the team with Jason & Carol (who had to leave before the photo). The team scored 88 points and were the clear winners.

Jason also did well - his 36 points was 3rd in the Pro Individual event.

72 holes in one day

On 29 June, member James Dawson will be combining his passions for running and golf by participating in the Prostate Cancer Big Golf Race and raising money for this fantastic cause. He will be covering a marathon distance around the course (first tee time 5am) while trying to maintain a semi respectable score and avoid bogeys/blisters. If you would like to support him, you can high-five him if you spot him on the course and donate by clicking on the button below.

Donate here

Lady Margaret Hamilton Russell

A recent visitor from Minchinhampton GC was very excited to see a photo of Lady Hamilton Russell in the clubhouse, as they have the very first depiction of women's golf in England in their clubhouse, with Lady Margaret Scott, as she was then known, in the centre of it. He proceeded to send us a photo of the print (below) and more information about this remarkable golfer and her involvement with Piltdown.

The Minchinhampton clubhouse print (1894)

Though best known for her early triumphs as the first-ever winner of the Ladies’ British Open, Lady Margaret Scott’s later involvement with Piltdown is equally remarkable.

After her competitive career had seemingly drawn to a close following her marriage in 1897, Lady Margaret—by then Lady Margaret Hamilton Russell—found a new golfing home at Piltdown. She joined the club in 1907, aged 33, bringing with her a formidable reputation and a deep love of the game. Her close friendship with Lady Muriel Hay, who had convinced her husband, Count Alexander Munster, to found Piltdown GC in 1905, likely drew her to the area. Both women shared similar upbringings in golfing households and had likely played together at Royal Ashdown Forest.

Piltdown was a progressive club for its time, granting women members a vote, and Margaret’s presence helped establish its status in the golfing world. When the Munsters left for Germany at the outbreak of the First World War, it was Lady Margaret who stepped in and gave the club her personal financial support to ensure its survival during an era when many others were lost. Her commitment helped secure Piltdown’s future, leaving a quiet but powerful legacy.

Lady Margaret died in 1938 at the age of 63, but her contribution to Piltdown lives on—as one of the club’s true guiding figures during its most precarious years.

Congratulations James & Heather

Congratulations to our assistant Professional James Doswell. Tomorrow he will marry his fiancée - the appropriately named "Heather" Appropriately named because he spends most of his time in the heather whenever he plays golf! They have a daughter Sophie who is probably almost as excited as they are for the big day.

We wish them all future happiness in the years to come.

Course news

It’s been a scorcher of a week, and the irrigation system is certainly earning its keep at the moment. That said, it’s a real pleasure to enjoy a prolonged spell of sunshine – long overdue, one might say.

To help the course through this dry spell, the team has been busy hand-watering during the day to supplement the overnight irrigation. The recent irrigation work is due to be completed today, with Lakes & Greens on site to finish off the final touches.

This week’s routine maintenance has continued as usual. We’ve Verti-cut the tees to tackle some of the extended growth, and we’ve carried out some of the spraying mentioned in last week’s update. However, due to the intensity of the heat, we’ve had to adapt a few elements of our original plan.

You may have noticed the new flags and pins on the putting and chipping greens – they’ve been on order for a while, so it’s great to finally see them in place.

The Grillo mower is still proving temperamental. (This is the machine to cut the weeds in the heather) Our specialist engineer attended on Monday but was unable to get it going without a few key parts. He’s due back today, and we’re hopeful it’ll be up and running before the day is out.

Work continues on shaping and tidying the areas around the 17th and 18th holes, and we expect this to be completed by the end of next week.

The robot mowers will be swapped over today, and a smaller version of the model previously used on the course will now be operating on the driving range.

And finally, just a gentle reminder – the water fountains each have a tap on the side, so do remember to take a water bottle out with you to stay hydrated in this heat.

Thanks, Matt

Return to list of newsletters

Created by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.