Our February 2023 Update
We hope the year has continued to be fantastic so far for you all. Here’s our update for everything that’s happened at the club during February and a look ahead to March.
From The Captain
Dear Members
This is my final Captain’s add to the newsletter. It has been an honour, pleasure and at times challenging to have been St Mellons Golf Club Captain.
I would like to thank everyone at St Mellons Golf Club for all your help and support throughout my year as Captain and the 2022 golf season.
The Directorship is sailing in the right direction with some great changes happening at the moment at StMellons Golf Club. We will see the benefits this year, I am sure.
The AGM takes place on Wednesday 15th March 2023 7pm look forward to seeing you there.
Kind Regards
Brian Konten
St Mellons Club Captain
Update From The Board
Working Together
Through the Club newsletter and members comments via feedback@stmelonsgolfclub.co.uk the Clubs management have received helpful suggestions from you the members. One common observation has been the untidiness of the carpark and the Greens keepers compound. Whilst James our HGK has made a great effort and pulled out all the stops to clear the machinery compound of scrap and folliage we the members should ensure the car park and surrounding areas are kept tidy as these areas are the first impression a visitor gets of the club. Once the works to the Sand and storage bays are completed James will remove the sand and greens dressings leaving more space for members parking. Arrangements have been made to remove the unwanted fridges and freezers and the containers will be better located and area tidied up.
A recent health and safety review has highlighted the dangers of members entering the Greens keepers compound as this is a working area where 50 tonne lorries make deliveries and staff operate dangerous machinery. You will note there is now a no go zone just outside the boundary of the electrical buggy storage shed.
Works are ongoing and you will be updated in the next newsletter. Just watch for the changes.
Updates From The Pro Shop
New Arrivals
To kick off Spring and as we head towards the start of the season we are excited to announce some new products on offer from many of the leading brands in golf.
Our Callaway Paradym delivery last week is the last of the hardware to land at St Mellons Pro Shop. We are now fully stocked on Callaway Paradym, Taylormade Stealth 2, Ping G430 and Titleist TSR. Some members have already taken up the opportunity to get custom fitted and now is the perfect time to get your hands on new golf clubs, which may help you achieve your goals with the handicap competitions just a month away.
We have new apparel from brands such as Galvin Green, FootJoy, Under Armour, Ping & Oscar Jacobson as well as new shoe lines from FootJoy, Ecco and Under Armour which are all at competitive prices.
As you drop into the shop over the next month you will see regular changes and new products landing throughout the Spring. Remember if there are any golf products you need that we don’t have in stock, ask one of your PGA Professionals and we’ll do all we can to supply it for you.
Tailormade Custom Fitting
As seen in the latest weekly newsletter sent out from our new GM Russell, we are holding a Taylormade Demo Day on Wednesday 8th March. We now only have 2 slots left so if you would like to try out the latest Stealth 2 products please get in touch and we’ll be delighted to get you booked in with Taylormade’s full time custom fitter.
Saturday Competitions
With just 4 events left in our Pro Shop Winter Series, the second Order of Merit is starting to get interesting. The top 3 players in each division will win vouchers and the player with the most appearances will also win a prize. We had a fantastic 109 players enter the event last Saturday and I would like to thank all of those who have supported the competitions. There will be nearest the pin prizes on selected Saturdays in March for those who are participating in the competitions as well as prize vouchers for the top 2 players in each division every Saturday.
All results are posted on the Club V1 app and are also available in the Pro Shop.
Course Update From The Head Green Keeper
February has been an extremely productive month for the greenstaff. This break from the wet and frosty weather has enabled us to complete a vast amount of work that hasn’t been possible with the previous poor weather. The area behind the car park has now been cleared of vegetation, debris and scrap metal and all plastic ground reinforcements have been moved from the greenkeeper’s yard. A considerable amount of housekeeping and improvements has been carried out to the maintenance facility this month with all vegetation surrounding the yard removed and the existing concrete bays have been extended to utilise all space available to us and improve the look of the entrance.
Further vegetation removal and tree work has been undertaken throughout February with our tractor mounted flail now back in operation. The 13th ditch has also been opened up and cleared of vegetation to improve aesthetics and increase airflow.
Our drainage ditches have also been a priority this month with all ditches now dug out and free from debris and all hazard markers have been replaced/repositioned in preparation for the 2023 season.
The greens continue to be in good health following the aeration work we carried out at the start of the month with the surfaces maintaining firmness, coverage and colour. Although the raise in temperature has been welcomed it has caused pathogenic pressure to increase with some signs of microdocium (fusarium) disease present on the greens. The greens have been sprayed with liquid calcium, phosphite and humic acid to strengthen the plants immune system and fight off the disease. Tees and approaches have also been cut and sprayed with ammonium sulphate and iron to maintain health and strengthen the plant against disease. A large amount of work is scheduled for march, this includes aeration of greens, tees, approaches and worn areas followed by seeding, top dressing and fertilizing. All bunkers will be edged, and sand levels replenished. Pathways will also be checked and replenished with stone dust if required.
Update From The Kitchen
At The Clubhouse
Book Now for Mother’s Day Lunch
Sunday 19th March 2023 – served from 12pm to 4pm
“Lif do’t co wi a ma. It co wi a mor” Happy Mother’s Day
TRADITIONAL SUNDAY LUNCH
Traditional Sunday Roast is served from 12pm to 4pm every Sunday now. Bring your friends and family along and enjoy our Eagle Nest with soothing music and Chef’s special dishes.
Also available for Take-away & Delivery
Booking now open: Call at 01633 680408 (Ext 3 or 5) WhatsApp on 07913345681
Update from the General Manager
Getting Up-to-Speed
I have completed my first month here and it’s gone by in a flash. February is a very busy time for the administration of the Club with much of my time dealing with three specific tasks: –
- The AGM – This year I produced a booklet so all the documents are available in one place – hopefully it makes referencing the important issues easier. I did this in my previous clubs and it proved popular.
- I have also been coordinating the annual subscription invoices which may have just been sent out by time of publication. It’s not easy picking this up “cold” so please double-check yours and if there are any discrepancies or you have any questions, just let me know.
- Thirdly, I have been looking at the “controls” within the Club. That can mean working closely with our Finance Director and Office team around all aspects of income and expenditure and how they are accounted for. It has also meant working with our Health & Safety consultant and Insurance company about compliance. More widely, I have been with the Board Members and the staff team working on a whole manner of items (some of which are mentioned above).
- In addition, I have been producing a weekly newsletter which gives more details about the “here and now” aspects of the Club which I hope you also find useful.
With all the above, it means I haven’t had chance to meet the vast majority of members yet but hopefully that can be rectified soon with the Spring / Summer months on the horizon. Finally, I am happy to have made the move to St Mellons and look forward to having a positive impact on Club life here.
Thanks
Russell
Thank you
That’s all for this month’s update. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and thank you to all who have left feedback. If you wish to leave feedback, then you can do so using the form below.
