BROCTON HALL GOLF CLUB

Three off the Tee - 29 April 2025 Newsletter

Hello there

Firstly, a huge shout out to Marcus for being an amazing team member in the Pro Shop. Always with a friendly smile and happy to help. While we will still see him on the course and in the clubhouse, we will certainly miss him in the Pro Shop. Read more about his next chapter below. 

If any member is being charged a monthly amount for their IG app, please go to your appstore and cancel the subscription. The club pays for IG and you do not need to! 

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry faltered in their bid to win back-to-back Zurich Classic of New Orleans titles as American pair Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin claimed their first PGA Tour win. Starting the alternate-shot final round five shots off the lead, McIlroy and Lowry shot two-under 34 on the front nine, but stumbled with bogeys at 13, 15 and 17 after play resumed following a 90-minute weather delay. It happens to us all, and he has the green jacket 🙂

Congratulations to all of our Liverpool supporters, but tonight, I hope you will all be supporting the red that counts - Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semi final. Sing after me ''North London Forever, Whatever the weather... '' 🙂

Par for the Course

I am sure you have all been enjoying the stunning weather and hopefully some stunning shots (golf, not tequila - that's for the Turkey trips). This morning the greens were cut, spiked and a light layer of top dressing added. 

A beautiful time of day to be out on the course! 

Competitions

Thurs, 24th Apr - All Member Mid Week Stableford

• 1st  Ashley Clifford with 41 points
• 2nd Nigel Coghill with 39 points
• 3rd Richard Law with 39 points

Clubhouse

Quiz Night

Join us next Thursday, 8th May for a fun-filled Quiz Night in support of Katharine House Hospice! Everyone’s welcome, members, non-members, young and old, so gather your team of up to six, and get ready for a night of laughs and friendly competition. Spaces are limited so add your team name to the foyer table plan to secure your spot.

Pre-book your meal online—options include a jumbo hotdog (£9), mini fish and chips (£10), or a vegetarian/vegan dish (£10).

Don’t miss this great night for a great cause!

Pitch, Putt & Prosecco

We had such a fantastic time last year, and it's time to do it all over again – an afternoon filled with new friends, a little golf, and plenty of laughs over prosecco.

Why not share the the joy of golf with your wife, partner, sister, or friend? Invite them to join our Pitch, Putt & Prosecco afternoon for a laid-back, enjoyable experience! It's the perfect chance to for them to try golf, meet new people, and enjoy a glass of prosecco together.

All equipment (and prosecco!) will be provided.

Jazz night with Ben Holder & Friends

Get ready for an incredible evening of jazz and swing! Join us for a night of timeless tunes and toe-tapping rhythms featuring the music of legends like Benny Goodman, George Gershwin, Errol Garner and more. Whether you're a jazz enthusiast or just love great live music, this is a night you won’t want to miss!

Wednesday 25th June (Tickets £16 pp booked through benandsophsjazz@yahoo.com or www.ticketsource.co.uk/bsjazz or 07515 275655)

Optional pre-show meal (meals must be pre-ordered online)
• Confit 5 spiced duck leg, Chinese style vegetable noodles and a plum sauce – £12.00
• Mushroom stroganoff and basmati rice - £9.95

Bookings - What's On 

Notices

All of us at Brocton Hall wish our many members with a birthday this week a very Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to Peter bright, Will James, Carol Webster, Nigel Quinn, Christine Davies, Andrew Edwards, Ben Porter, Roy Bennett, Lacey Allsopp, Andrew Moss, Ian Gibson, Richard Seager and Dane Evans

Wishing you the biggest slice of happy today! 

Do you know any ladies who would be keen to join our Ladies’ Academy Programme – with expert coaching, friendly group sessions, and plenty of laughs along the way, it's the perfect start to a lifetime of loving golf.  We host regular social events and casual rounds to help them feel part of the club from day one. For more info, click here http://www.broctonhall.com/ladies_golf

Pro Shop

Today is Marcus Smith’s last day working with us in the Pro Shop (officially Thursday but I’m taking him to play in a pro-am).  On behalf of our team, but especially from Katie and I, we want to thank Marcus for being such a great member of the gang and bringing an air of positivity and passion to the workplace that will undoubtably stand him in good stead wherever the future takes him.

Whilst he waited to be accepted into the police force training programme, he asked if he could work for us through the summer of ’24.  After an inordinate amount of medicals, physical tests, form filling and phone calls he finally had a date to start with he Police, only to come across a new Labour Government that decided to halt all new enrolments for the force.  Marcus was understandably devastated when in October he was told he had to wait until May, but even so, he threw himself back into the role at the club and I always had the impression that he was as invested in the position here as if he had chosen golf as his career path - it was strange at times to realise that he was just here for the short term.  Hid handicap has improves also int his time, going from 8.1 down to 2.9.

So, May has come around and we’ll be signing off with a staff night out at Nishad’s with all 9 of us there and we wish him well.  The good news is that my hitting net in the studio will get a rest from him pounding drivers on his lunch break and the golf balls will last quite a bit longer!

He’ll be passing the baton on (no police force pun intended) to Tom Houston who has started with us this week.  Tom comes from Whittington Heath, plays off 2.7 and is looking forward to progressing through the PGA training programme along with Joe from this Autumn.  He’s a very keen golfer and full of energy so please come and say hello when you’re next along.

Members Question

You are invited to send any questions in that you would like one of the Management Committee members to answer. Often a committee member is approached on the putting green with a question that might not relate to their area of knowledge. This is a way for you to ask those questions.

Hole in One

Rory McIlroy enjoyed a fruitful eight years with JP Fitzgerald before teaming up with his best friend Harry Diamond in 2017. It was thought to be a short-term alliance at first, but Harry  has largely been with him ever since.

• Rory McIlroy & Harry Diamond met when they were both children playing at the Holywood Golf Club in Northern Ireland
• Harry was Rory’s best man when he married Erica Stoll in County Meath in 2017.
• Harry has been Rory’s Caddie since 2017 with the exception of 2 weeks when he was away for the births of his children
• Harry is a great golfer as well and represented Ireland over a decade ago. At one point, he had a handicap of +2.5
• The pair, have enjoyed 14 PGA Tour victories (and counting) together as well as two FedEx Cup triumphs in 2019 in 2022.
• Briefly explaining the pair's dynamic, McIlroy said: "I was an only child and Harry was a big brother. We’re very close. I love having him on the bag. I’m a different person. And I’m never going to give him s*** even if something goes wrong. It would not be worth it.”

Happy golfing everyone,

Karen