Club Day Beckons

Tomorrow starts a busy run with our Club Day. 156 players lined up and ready to go, it's sure to be a super occasion.

I've just played a game tonight and the course is in excellent condition for all competitors. Considering the extended dry spell we have endured, Matt has done an excellent job in presenting the course as well as he has.

We then have the Sussex Professional Golf Union here on Monday, and then a busy week leading into Club Championship next weekend.

Hopefully most of you have now paid your subs, but if you haven't please remember you are now late, and you must pay before playing your next round.

President's Prize

Congratulations to Bob Adams for winning the President's Prize, while Hilary Humphry-Baker was the best lady on the day.

Well done Guy!

Congratulations to Guy Keeling, who had a superb hole in one on the 10th during his Prince Cup match. This must have sweetened the bitter pill of defeat...

Tuesday Boys Next Week - Frank Wood Tankards

Frank Wood was the founder of the Tuesday Boys, and each year there is a 27 hole competition in his memory. This will take place next week on 8th July. There is lunch after 18 holes, and tea and cake after 27. Thanks to those of you who have signed up to play on the noticeboard. Anyone else - if you want to play in the 27 hole event please reply to this email to secure your spot.

For all other Tuesday Boys - if you just want to do 18 holes - please turn up as normal for the 9am draw.

Pace of play

We've had lots of complaints regarding pace of play in competitions lately, (both men and ladies) and this is a problem we've been struggling to get a handle on. We've tried increasing tee time intervals, putting buffers in the middle of the field, using a starter to make sure groups tee off at the right time, to no avail.

The pace of play graph below offers a telling story of how a golf competition can begin briskly and gradually descend into a bit of a trudge.

The blue line charts how long each group takes from their tee time to recording their first score on the touchscreen. The dotted green line represents the average time (just over 4 hours and 15 minutes), which several groups later in the competition exceed.

In the opening half-hour or so, players are moving swiftly — times hover below 4 hours, dipping close to 3 hours 45 minutes. As time goes on (moving left to right), we see a general upward trend in the time taken — meaning pace of play is slowing down.

The early groups set a good pace, but as the morning rolls on, the field slows up. By the halfway point of the competition, things have bogged down a bit. It's that classic "domino effect" — one slow group causes a queue, and from there it's impossible to recover. We can see from this which groups start to slow down play and while we don't want to name and shame repeat offenders, we may need to take action if this carries on.

This is a good illustration of the effect slow groups have on an entire field. Once a group slows down, the entire field slows down. To help alleviate this, please try and follow these simple rules:

Don't take too many practice swings - they all add up to a significant amount of time over a whole round.
Be ready to play - when you reach the next green, make sure one player tees off immediately while others mark their cards
Put your bag on the right side of the green - so that you don't have to walk back
Don't spend longer than 3 minutes looking for a ball - it is essential to use a timer on your watch or your phone

Course update

As we reach the final stretch in our preparations for Club Day, it's been a particularly busy week for the team. Everyone has put in a tremendous effort, and I suspect a well-earned lie-in will be warmly welcomed once the dust settles.

Due to the ongoing drought conditions, we’ve had to reduce mowing frequencies on the rough, fairways, and semi-rough. That said, areas where irrigation is possible continue to receive the usual attention, maintaining standards as best we can.

The recent spell of very hot weather has presented challenges, particularly with irrigation. To apply sufficient water across the course overnight, we’ve had to start our watering cycles earlier than our usual 10pm start. My apologies if this has caused any inconvenience to late players or evening walkers.

Our irrigation system plays a vital role during these dry periods, helping us apply water in a controlled and efficient manner. The aim is to maintain moisture levels in the root zone to prevent the turf from wilting. We monitor this closely by measuring soil moisture levels and factoring in water loss through evaporation and transpiration. This informs how much water we need to apply each night.

In addition to this, we also carry out targeted hosepipe watering in localised dry areas—typically those with high foot traffic, shallow rooting, or compaction issues. When using hoses, we attach a bowl with a wetting agent tablet. This helps the water break the surface tension, allowing it to penetrate more effectively and bind to soil particles, making it available to the plant.

Throughout the year—approximately ten months—we also apply a premium wetting agent to greens, tees, and approaches. This helps to prevent dry patch and encourages healthy moisture movement through the soil profile.

On the machinery front, the Grillo continues to test our patience and is currently awaiting a new clutch. I’m hopeful this will be resolved soon, so we can tackle the remaining heather areas with renewed focus.

I’m also pleased to share some positive news: the Club has kindly approved an additional member of staff to join our ranks. Will Best, formerly of Lingfield Park Golf Club, will be joining the team in early August. With Will on board, and the continued efforts of the excellent team already in place, I’m confident we’re heading in the right direction. We’re all very aware of the areas where the course isn’t quite meeting the high standards we set, and rest assured—we're working diligently to put that right.

Lastly, a gentle reminder about pitch marks: please do repair them when you make one—or even if you spot one. A quick fix means faster healing and smoother greens for everyone.

Thank you for your continued support.

Matt.

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