Hello members,
I hope you’ve all been enjoying the glorious weather we’ve had over the past few weeks. It’s certainly been a pleasure for the staff and me to be out working in the sun. That said, week 23 told a different story — with winds reaching 26m out on the course, the greens took a bit of a hit. But as the saying goes, we weathered the storm.
The tee boxes on the 4th have now been re-turfed, and we’re currently waiting for the turf to knit and root properly into the ground. We’re not sure when they’ll be ready to open, but I’ll make the call as soon as I feel they’re fit for play. It’s hugely important we don’t open them prematurely, or they’ll quickly fall back into poor condition.
Ness’s most famous bunker on the 9th hole has now been redesigned, reshaped, and is officially open for play — hopefully nobody takes 17 shots to get out this time! 😊
The tee boxes on holes 2, 7, and 9 have come a long way. The 7th tee box is now open. As for the 2nd, I’ll be opening and closing it depending on upcoming events — I’m sure many of you have noticed it’s still not in its best shape. On the 9th we’ve moved the 44 tees back to their normal position, while the 49s will remain where they are for a little longer. Personally, I really like where the tee is currently on the 9th — it changes the look of the hole and gives it a more traditional golf-hole feel
We’re currently working on smoothing out the 1st fairway and I’m really happy with the results so far. It’s time-consuming work, but the difference is already noticeable, and I hope to extend these improvements to other fairways around the course.
We’ve also begun repairing the area around the 7th tee box, which was damaged during the storm. The surface has been scraped off, and it will soon be dressed with sand and re-turfed.
Hopefully, you’re starting to see and feel the improvements across the course — I know I’ve seen positive changes in the greens recently.
We’ve also spent time improving the appearance around the clubhouse, including deep-cleaning the pathways using the power washer. I’d love to go further and introduce some flowers and plants in the area. If anyone is interested in volunteering to help with buying, planting, or looking after flowers around the clubhouse, please get in touch with me or the club — any help would be greatly appreciated!
Lastly, I want to thank all of you — the members — for doing a great job of looking after the course. Your efforts are truly appreciated. Unfortunately, we’ve been experiencing some damage during late evenings and early mornings. If you’re out and about, please keep an eye out. We’ve seen divots on the greens, broken flags, and people using tee boxes as practice areas — even hitting hundreds of balls into the ocean. If you see anything suspicious, don’t hesitate to question it.
Happy golfing,
Stuart