Club news

From Luke Welham, Golf Manager: The team at Sherfield Oaks is really happy to welcome everybody back to the Club after an unprecedented beginning to 2021. 

Although we haven’t had any golfers at the Club, we’ve been busier than ever, with the continued refurbishment to the clubhouse, training new staff and integrating new Members.

Introduction to new Members: We are delighted to announce we have signed up more than 130 new Members since the start of lockdown and it is important that they are fully welcomed to the Club. Helping us with this, Guy Wright (2021 Club Captain), Norah Mcphail (2021 Ladies’ Captain), John Taylor (Handicap Secretary), Chris Conquest (Competition Secretary) are working hard to make sure everyone is setup on the system and understand how to enter competitions etc. This team of Members should be thanked by everybody for their efforts to help the Club grow. They are building towards a truly exciting year for everybody involved.

Further information regarding the competitions will be provided soon but, if you want to explore for yourself, you can always log into the membership section in the Intelligent Golf website. This manages all our competitions and is where you will find the upcoming calendar, as well as the entry requirements. The same process is used to enter the weekday competitions and roll-ups but our staff are on hand to help anybody who is struggling.

In addition, if any Members have any queries for the handicap committee, please contact [email protected] and any queries for the competitions committee, please contact [email protected].

We will be paying close attention to the tee sheet to make sure new Members have the opportunity to play with existing Members of the club. The roll-ups are a fantastic way of integrating new Members but we will also run an informal buddy-scheme for existing Members show our new joiners the best way to play the course … or not!

Please email [email protected] if you are interested in getting involved.

Course news 

From Ross Cook, Courses Manager: Thankfully, the weather relented enough to give us a dry end to February and start to March, which has allowed us to get the mowers out and begin shaping the golf courses ready for the return of Members on March 29th.  

The only set back weather-wise was a 4-day period that saw us receive 28mm of rainfall. So, although the mowers have been out, there are a few holes that are still too wet to cut. If, however, our trusty weatherman is correct, we should be able to get these areas cut before we reopen. Should all go to plan, you should find the greens will be playing really well for the time of year. 

You will remember that last month I said we would be performing our greens maintenance earlier this year so that there would be no disruption to golf. You will be pleased to learn that we have carried out the maintenance as planned. Forty tons of sand has been spread over the greens to fill in all the holes we made and fertiliser has been applied to help them recover.  

The only issue we and everyone else in the industry are having is with temperature. It has been unseasonably cold, with air temperature not climbing above 10-12C for most of the month, and the result has been little–to–no growth on the greens. Even with fertiliser the plant needs warmer temperatures to take up the nutrients but I hope that, by the time play restarts, the weather will have settled down and we get more consistent temperatures for good growth, which will result in better surfaces.  

We have changed the golf course setup this year by introducing bigger and wider approaches, with more short grass around the greens. This will make the courses a bit friendlier to good shots that are only slightly offline. The managed rough has been moved further out around the greens as a direct consequence of making the surrounds bigger, which means there is not as much long rough close to greens. I hope these small tweaks will have a big impact not only visually but also from a playability point of view.  

We are working on improving the clubhouse surrounds and driveway too — all the wooden posts have been removed along the driveway/entrance and soil has been added ready for turfing. The lawn where the marquee was last year is being re-turfed and the old practice net area is being renovated, so that we can house the driving range ball dispenser and washer in one place. The woodland and pond area on the driveway will also have some attention, with all tree canopies lifted and brambles removed. 

Happy golfing and we look forward to seeing you all out on the course soon. 

Clubhouse news

We are sure everybody is excited for outside dining to start on April 12th and we have 20 new sets of patio furniture arriving for the busy summer ahead. The clubhouse was scheduled for completion at the end of March but delays in deliveries for the flooring and windows have meant the completion date is now scheduled in early April. Until we can open the clubhouse, please check-in for golf in the changing rooms located near the putting green. 

In addition to the takeaway service provided by the clubhouse staff, we will also be using our drinks buggy to offer refreshments and snacks on the course. We are delighted to announce that we have hired a new drinks buggy attendant, called Georgia. Please introduce yourselves on the course as she has a great golfing pedigree.

We are also looking for a new Head Chef, after Shaun decided during lockdown to move onto pastures new. Once the new person arrives, the emphasis in the kitchen will be on using locally sourced produce when we reopen in the middle of May. This is all part of our plan to become a bigger hub within the community. While we know there are a several nice restaurants in the area, we believe the Club can become a destination for all to enjoy and one that is geared towards helping the community.

Once we are open, Members and visitors will find that the extended bar also features a “deli” counter offering fresh fruit and sandwiches to grab on the go if they are running late for their tee time.

Events news

As you are all aware, the pandemic put a big dent in our efforts to hold social events at the Club but we are pleased to say that we have plans in place for an active social calendar for all to enjoy in 2021 regardless of the COVID restrictions. Where there is a will, there is a way!  

We will post our social calendar on the website: go to the What’s On page on the dropdown on the left hand side of the home page. This calendar will include a summer ball, regular Sunday dinners, sundowners and a variety of evenings to help build a family-friendly environment.

Pro news

The Pros are eager to get back to doing what they love and this year there will be a lot of new Members they can coach. As part of your membership, you have the opportunity to take part in complimentary coaching sessions that are held throughout the week and on the weekend.

The group sessions schedule from April 5th:

• Tuesdays, 11am-12pm: with Paul Tedder
• Saturdays, 12pm-1pm: with Dan Kean
• Sundays, 2pm-3pm: with Van Phillips

There will also be two, one-hour group sessions on a Saturday mornings (9am-10am, 10am-11am) for under-18s with Barney Whytchard.

There will be sign-up sheets posted on the noticeboard so that you can register your name on a weekly basis. Due to the COVID restrictions, the lessons are restricted to a maximum of six people. If you are interested, please register your name on the sheet or email [email protected].

We would like to take this opportunity to advise everybody that our junior memberships are FREE for anybody aged under 18, regardless of whether their parent is a Member as we wish to introduce new blood into the sport.

Feeling rusty after lockdown?

Barney Whytchard will be hosting a FREE individual swing clinic on April 4th to help you get rid of the cobwebs. Please email [email protected] if you are interested.

Developed exclusively for our members, the Get Golfing Pro Shop has a comprehensive range of golf equipment to cater to all your golfing equipment needs – whether you are a scratch golfer or a beginner, we have the right products for your game.

In addition, as a member of a Get Golfing club, you can pay with your Member Club Card to get the best discount. We will then deliver your purchases to your club for free, so there is no waiting around for deliveries at home and a good excuse for a few holes!

Finally, best of all… every penny of profit the shop makes will be invested back into your club!