Dear Members, As you know the course has suffered from heat stress and drought that we endured this summer. Rain finally returned in late August and recovery has been gradual in the areas most severely impacted. We need to manage golfer expectations and encourage patience especially when we compare our courses recovery with others. Such comparisons rarely account for difference in soil type, micro-climate, course architecture or maintenance budgets. From Saturday, you will notice some burnt out areas around greens and bunkers have been overseeded and top dressed. They are marked as GUR and may be roped off. Please avoid these vulnerable areas as we reduce wear, we want growth to start before the winter sets in. Disc seeding has been applied to many areas of the golf course, you may well see thin lines of new grass coming through, most early morning golfers will see it. With the wetter months approaching we are very grateful to Members for taking Divot Bags out on the course, the greens team continually move the collection points around the golf course. This certainly helps the fairway recovery during the growing season. Repairing of pitch marks at this time of the year really helps with the trueness of our playing surfaces. I always try and repair my pitch mark and at least one other. The team are continually looking at bunkers, they rake them regularly, top them up and take out sand at various times of the year. Recently, Paul Law our Head Greenkeeper showed me how to rake a bunker • He insisted I place both my hands on the rake pole • Rake the sand towards you, push it back, smoothing it as you go. • Put the rake back on the stand Now I know the correct way to rake the bunkers, I get this sense of joy every time I leave it better than I found it. Best wishes and happy golfing. Gareth Anthony, Club Manager