We're back!
Both courses open from tomorrow!
It’s been a long but positive week for all golf courses and clubs all over the country - the weather has helped and the vast majority of golfers have adhered to the Play Safe, Stay Safe rules. The 2-ball format has been fantastic in keeping everything relaxed and 3 hour rounds are proving popular!
It has been great to see so many happy golfers at Orton Meadows from Wednesday and tomorrow Thorpe Wood re-opens with some last preparations going on this morning.
We had no irrigation at Thorpe Wood for 7 weeks through lockdown and the greens suffered. Philip Wright (Courses Manager) has worked tirelessly and persisted to get it working again with contractors fitting a compete new pump house. We were not happy to let people play it to play last week, it just needed the extra few days to recover. It’s still not as good as we would like but people will hopefully appreciate the conditions knowing the lockdown regulations and constraints.
There will be some alterations for play tomorrow but we look forward to seeing many of you playing golf safely in the coming weeks. In particular there will be a one-way system to get in and out of the golf course. Please follow the signs and listen to the course staff for guidance, it’s in all of our interests.
We’re back!
MEMBERSHIPS
I appreciate the different approach I took with memberships has raised a couple of questions on re-opening - mainly revolving around priority of play or overpaying in green fees if they were now to play everyday as they would normally. However, I have reminded the people I have spoken to that we are the only Club in the area that suspended payments so that members would not be paying for however long lockdown lasted. To me this was the fair thing to do. We then needed time to restart all the Direct Debits and get the staff back into work to do this. We will have everything in place for 1st June restart and run a 10-month year, anyone that paid in full will have the 2-months as a credit for next season. I am open to conversations at any time and have made myself available all week at Orton and will do the same this week at both courses. On the whole I have been lifted by the support and goodwill from members for the financial approach and by the sentiments of work for the greenkeepers who maintained the courses while many were off on furlough.
I hope to see many of you that are able to play this week - anybody who is still self-isolating and needs any assistance please send me an email and we will assist with anything we can.
Simon Fitton
It has been great to see so many happy golfers at Orton Meadows from Wednesday and tomorrow Thorpe Wood re-opens with some last preparations going on this morning.
We had no irrigation at Thorpe Wood for 7 weeks through lockdown and the greens suffered. Philip Wright (Courses Manager) has worked tirelessly and persisted to get it working again with contractors fitting a compete new pump house. We were not happy to let people play it to play last week, it just needed the extra few days to recover. It’s still not as good as we would like but people will hopefully appreciate the conditions knowing the lockdown regulations and constraints.
There will be some alterations for play tomorrow but we look forward to seeing many of you playing golf safely in the coming weeks. In particular there will be a one-way system to get in and out of the golf course. Please follow the signs and listen to the course staff for guidance, it’s in all of our interests.
We’re back!
MEMBERSHIPS
I appreciate the different approach I took with memberships has raised a couple of questions on re-opening - mainly revolving around priority of play or overpaying in green fees if they were now to play everyday as they would normally. However, I have reminded the people I have spoken to that we are the only Club in the area that suspended payments so that members would not be paying for however long lockdown lasted. To me this was the fair thing to do. We then needed time to restart all the Direct Debits and get the staff back into work to do this. We will have everything in place for 1st June restart and run a 10-month year, anyone that paid in full will have the 2-months as a credit for next season. I am open to conversations at any time and have made myself available all week at Orton and will do the same this week at both courses. On the whole I have been lifted by the support and goodwill from members for the financial approach and by the sentiments of work for the greenkeepers who maintained the courses while many were off on furlough.
I hope to see many of you that are able to play this week - anybody who is still self-isolating and needs any assistance please send me an email and we will assist with anything we can.
Simon Fitton