Latest News - 1st September 2025
Autumn Tankard Results, Head Greenkeeper Course Update
Autumn Tankard Results
111 men played in the Autumn Tankard on Saturday, with 117 playing yesterday. Congratulations to Patrick Colvin for winning the Autumn Tankard with very impressive scores of nett 63 + 66, an 11-under handicap total of 129. Tom Pockney came second with scores of 69 + 65, a 6-under handicap total of 134. James Bott was in third with scores of 71 + 67, a 2-under handicap total of 138.
Patrick Colvin also wins the Autumn Tankard scratch competition with gross scores of 68 + 71, a 1-under par total of 139. James Maclean came second with scores of 67 + 76, a 3-over par total of 143. Harry Isham came third with scores of 77 + 70, a 7-over par total of 147.
Harry Isham wins the Scratch Tankard, this is awarded to the best 4 scratch scores from the Spring and Autumn Tankards combined. Oli Turnill came one shot back in second with Ryan Maskell one further shot back in third.
James Maclean wins the Len Hodge Scratch, this is awarded to the best 6 scratch scores from the 10 medal trophy competitions throughout the year. Oli Turnill came second, losing out on the best score. Patrick Colvin came in third.
Patrick Colvin wins the Len Hodge Nett, this is awarded to the best 6 nett scores from the 10 medal trophy competitions throughout the year. Billy Rayner came one shot back in second with Clive Harding in third.
The Hollymead Cup final standings are attached with this email. Also attached is a copy of the Hollymead Cup Final details. The Final is taking place on Sunday 14th September. This is a medal competition, but there is a Stableford running on the day for those that haven't qualified for the Final.
The full results for all of the above competitions, as well as the results for each day of the Tankard, are attached with today's latest news email.
Congratulations to Martin Whale for a hole-in-one on the 5th hole yesterday!
Head Greenkeeper's Course Update
Dear Members,
I thought it was time to share an update with you all, as it’s been a little while since my last one. I hope you’ve enjoyed the wonderful weather we’ve had this summer and managed to get plenty of great golf in!
This year marks my 20th year at the club, and I can honestly say it has been one of the most challenging seasons I’ve faced from a turf management perspective. While the summer has been perfect for playing golf, it has been extremely difficult to maintain healthy playing surfaces across the course.
The greens and most tees, which benefit from irrigation, have performed well. However, areas without irrigation have been particularly difficult to manage in these dry conditions. To put this into context, we’ve had just 218mm of rainfall this year (with 120mm of that falling in January & February), alongside an evapotranspiration (ET) rate of 564mm. This has left unirrigated areas with a 346mm water deficit, which is why the fairways and other sections of the course are struggling. Note - these figures were from the middle of last week.
Prior to the storms on Friday, our ponds and ditches were at some of the lowest levels we’ve seen due to the ongoing lack of rainfall. This has also caused cracks in the subsoil, making it difficult to keep soil in the drain runs from the winter drainage work. Despite our best efforts, including regular watering with a trailer mounted water tank (thanks to Rupert Langmead for the loan of this), these areas remain a challenge.
Some members have asked why we don’t simply turf the drain runs. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t solve the problem, as the underlying soil would continue to shift and any turf would likely not survive in these conditions. The best approach is to be patient: we plan to re-level these areas (for the sixth time) over the autumn and winter, when ground conditions are more favourable, to have them ready for next season.
On a positive note, the greens, which we can control more closely, have performed exceptionally well this year. We’ve received fantastic feedback from visitors and guests, which is always great to hear.
Looking ahead, our focus now turns to planning for Maintenance Week (week commencing 22nd September), and I’ll provide further details on this as the time approaches.
Thank you all for your continued support and understanding.
Best regards,
Rob Brown
Head Greenkeeper
111 men played in the Autumn Tankard on Saturday, with 117 playing yesterday. Congratulations to Patrick Colvin for winning the Autumn Tankard with very impressive scores of nett 63 + 66, an 11-under handicap total of 129. Tom Pockney came second with scores of 69 + 65, a 6-under handicap total of 134. James Bott was in third with scores of 71 + 67, a 2-under handicap total of 138.
Patrick Colvin also wins the Autumn Tankard scratch competition with gross scores of 68 + 71, a 1-under par total of 139. James Maclean came second with scores of 67 + 76, a 3-over par total of 143. Harry Isham came third with scores of 77 + 70, a 7-over par total of 147.
Harry Isham wins the Scratch Tankard, this is awarded to the best 4 scratch scores from the Spring and Autumn Tankards combined. Oli Turnill came one shot back in second with Ryan Maskell one further shot back in third.
James Maclean wins the Len Hodge Scratch, this is awarded to the best 6 scratch scores from the 10 medal trophy competitions throughout the year. Oli Turnill came second, losing out on the best score. Patrick Colvin came in third.
Patrick Colvin wins the Len Hodge Nett, this is awarded to the best 6 nett scores from the 10 medal trophy competitions throughout the year. Billy Rayner came one shot back in second with Clive Harding in third.
The Hollymead Cup final standings are attached with this email. Also attached is a copy of the Hollymead Cup Final details. The Final is taking place on Sunday 14th September. This is a medal competition, but there is a Stableford running on the day for those that haven't qualified for the Final.
The full results for all of the above competitions, as well as the results for each day of the Tankard, are attached with today's latest news email.
Congratulations to Martin Whale for a hole-in-one on the 5th hole yesterday!
Head Greenkeeper's Course Update
Dear Members,
I thought it was time to share an update with you all, as it’s been a little while since my last one. I hope you’ve enjoyed the wonderful weather we’ve had this summer and managed to get plenty of great golf in!
This year marks my 20th year at the club, and I can honestly say it has been one of the most challenging seasons I’ve faced from a turf management perspective. While the summer has been perfect for playing golf, it has been extremely difficult to maintain healthy playing surfaces across the course.
The greens and most tees, which benefit from irrigation, have performed well. However, areas without irrigation have been particularly difficult to manage in these dry conditions. To put this into context, we’ve had just 218mm of rainfall this year (with 120mm of that falling in January & February), alongside an evapotranspiration (ET) rate of 564mm. This has left unirrigated areas with a 346mm water deficit, which is why the fairways and other sections of the course are struggling. Note - these figures were from the middle of last week.
Prior to the storms on Friday, our ponds and ditches were at some of the lowest levels we’ve seen due to the ongoing lack of rainfall. This has also caused cracks in the subsoil, making it difficult to keep soil in the drain runs from the winter drainage work. Despite our best efforts, including regular watering with a trailer mounted water tank (thanks to Rupert Langmead for the loan of this), these areas remain a challenge.
Some members have asked why we don’t simply turf the drain runs. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t solve the problem, as the underlying soil would continue to shift and any turf would likely not survive in these conditions. The best approach is to be patient: we plan to re-level these areas (for the sixth time) over the autumn and winter, when ground conditions are more favourable, to have them ready for next season.
On a positive note, the greens, which we can control more closely, have performed exceptionally well this year. We’ve received fantastic feedback from visitors and guests, which is always great to hear.
Looking ahead, our focus now turns to planning for Maintenance Week (week commencing 22nd September), and I’ll provide further details on this as the time approaches.
Thank you all for your continued support and understanding.
Best regards,
Rob Brown
Head Greenkeeper