County Events

It has been fabulous to see members out on the course playing golf this week. It's been a tough start to 2026, but seeing you all out enjoying yourselves has been a great boost. I am especially conscious of how little weekend golf has been available so far in 2026, so we are delighted that barring something catastrophic happening later today, we will have the full course open for the weekend, and Pro League being played tomorrow morning. Thanks for your patience.

The draw was done earlier in the week for all the Men's County Knock-Out events. We have the following:

Wellesley Scratch Knockout - A bye in round 1, and then Brighton & Hove away in round 2 on Saturday 16th May. Team Manager is Peter Barrett.

Handicap Knockout - (Handicaps 5.5 up to 20.4) Away to Sweetwoods in Round 1 on Saturday 25th April, and then away to Cooden if we win on Saturday 16th May. A tough draw! Team Manager is Anthony Beard.

Cyril Blake Over 55s - Home to Holtye in Round 1 on Monday 27th April, and then home to Lindfield if we win for Round 2 on Monday 18th May. Team Manager is Peter Keith-Lucas.

What happened here?

A) Someone did an air shot and left their driver and their ball in disgust on the 13th tee

B) A member drove her first ball into the tree on the right of the first fairway, where it remained stuck, so her husband thought it'd be a great idea to throw her driver up the tree to dislodge the ball, but the driver then got stuck up the tree along with the ball, which prompted the couple to call the office asking for help before carrying on with their round, after which the office called the Assistant course manager, who whizzed to the tree with a long pole to dislodge the driver and the ball, which he then delivered to the 13th tee as the couple were on the 3rd fairway and playing the Inner 9.

Answers on a postcard please......

Piers and Julia Heagerty - you aren't allowed to enter........

England Golf Awards

We were very proud that Piltdown was selected as one of three finalists in the Women in Golf Charter Club category at the 2026 England Golf Awards, recognising all the work that has gone into encouraging more women and girls to take up the game over the past few years.

Sadly we didn’t take home the trophy on the night, but being shortlisted alongside two outstanding clubs from across the country is a tremendous achievement in itself and a real endorsement of the progress we have made.

What makes it particularly special is that this recognition reflects the collective effort of many people at the club: our professional team, volunteers, organisers and, of course, the women and girls who have embraced the opportunities on offer and helped create such a welcoming and supportive atmosphere.

A sincere thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible. The recognition from England Golf shows that the work being done here is not only valued within the club, but also noticed nationally, and we look forward to continuing that journey in the years ahead.

Course Care: Let’s Help the Green Staff

After what has felt like an endless spell of rain, it has been a real pleasure to see the course fully open again and members back out enjoying 18 holes. Several members have been in touch to say how good it feels to be playing proper golf again after such a wet winter.

One email in particular summed things up rather nicely. The member commented on how incredible the course looked and how the greens were running fast and true, which is quite an achievement considering the months of rain we’ve had to contend with. He said that it’s a testament to the tireless work of our greenkeeping team, who have spent a long winter battling the elements to present the course in such fine condition.

However, the same email also raised a point that is worth sharing: while the greens were in excellent condition, there were a noticeable number of unrepaired pitch marks.

As we all know, repairing a pitch mark takes only a few seconds, but it makes a huge difference. If each of us repairs our own, and ideally one more nearby, it helps the greens recover quickly and ensures they continue to run as well as they did this week.

A simple habit: repair your pitch mark (and one more if you see it).

On a similar topic - we mentioned in a recent newsletter that the ropes around the course are not there as an obstacle course for members to jump over, but as a way of us trying to direct you safely around the course. Sadly this message isn't getting through, and a number of you are still ignoring the ropes and just stepping over them. I think the mentality might be "It's only me so it doesn't matter" Unfortunately - it's not "only you" so it does matter!

Our greenkeepers work incredibly hard to present the course at its very best, particularly after such challenging weather. Let’s do our bit to support them and keep the course in the condition you all deserve.

Small actions from all of us make a big difference. And if the weather finally behaves itself, we’ll have a wonderful stretch of golf ahead to enjoy it.

Knockouts

Don't forget to sign up for our Summer knockouts. The deadlines are looming:

Hawes Rose Bowl - Men's Scratch KO from the White Tees

Hanmer Bowl - Men's Handicap Knockout from the White Tees - Max H'cap 28.0

Prince Cup - Men's Foursomes KO from the White Tees - Max H'cap - 28.0

Hamilton Russell - Ladies' Singles KO from the Red Tees - Max H'cap - 31.0

Sumer Foursomes - Ladies's Foursomes KO from the Red Tees

We also have the qualifier for the Henry Longhurst KO, played on Sunday 29th March. Mixed foursomes, 18 holes stableford. Men can play from Yellow or Red tees, Ladies can play from Red or Blue Tees.

Course update

With some much-needed dry weather finally arriving, it has been a positive and productive week for the greenkeeping team, who have been able to make good progress across the course.

The week began with the tees and approaches being cut using the rotary mower, which allowed the team to switch back to the cylinder mowers by the end of the week, giving those areas a much finer finish.

The greens have been cut every day, and the team has also run the iron over them to produce a smooth, consistent roll. As many of you will have noticed, they are now running very nicely and should continue to improve as the weather settles.

We have also solid-tined the tees, greens and approaches this week. This important work relieves compaction and improves air movement through the turf. These areas will now be top dressed next week to help maintain smooth and healthy playing surfaces as we move into the season.

Away from the mowing and turf work, there has also been some course presentation and drainage work taking place. Matt has been busy clearing the ditch on the 5th hole, improving both its appearance and function. In addition, some trees to the left of the 12th green have been removed, opening up that area nicely and improving both light and airflow around the green.

Our thanks, as always, go to the greenkeeping team for their hard work in what has been a challenging winter. With a run of kinder weather (current persistent drizzle excepted!), the course should continue to go from strength to strength in the coming weeks.

Return to list of newsletters

Created by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.