Tuesday 2nd April HOPEFULLY THE LAST OF THE SNOW UPDATES FOR THE SEASON! All courses at Greetham Valley are open and playing to main greens. Its a beautiful day out there – wall to wall blue sky! Its supposed to be 6 degrees, but factor in that wind chill and wear your thermals! There are still some snow bunkers (not a new permanent feature devised by Adi the Course Manager we hope!) so please treat as GUR. The Golf Shop will advise when Winter Rules no longer apply. Buggy limitations – reviewed on a daily basis, again please ask. Lady Captain Sheila is insistent that a heatwave is just 3 weeks away – roll on summer! Our latest weather forecast is for a balmy nine degrees by Sunday – gosh, we’ll be basking out on the patio…..
Thursday 28th March 2013 2pm ALL COURSES OPEN FOR GOOD FRIDAY! Adi the Course Manager has just reported that he and his team will have the Lakes, the Valley and the Academy courses open for Good Friday. Be aware that there are still lots of pockets of snow, especially in the bunkers, which should be treated as GUR. It’s also likely to be quite slippery on slopes so please take care. Hopefully play will be on all main greens but tomorrow’s early inspection will confirm. Don’t bother with white balls – we sold a good few boxes of yellow balls today for a very good reason! The Easter Pairs competition is on – have fun out there!
Wednesday 27th March 2013 4pm LAKES COURSE OPEN FOR THURSDAY for members and their guests only - NO GREENFEES FOR MEMBERS’ GUESTS ON THURSDAY! Bring your yellow balls as there is still snow lying out there. Play will be to main greens except the 10th which is still embracing its own little Arctic micro climate. Hopefully Lakes and Valley courses will both be fully open to everyone on Friday, subject to the vagaries of these erratic weather systems. Academy course is open to all.
Wednesday 27th March 2013 8am ACADEMY COURSE OPEN - remember to bring yellow balls! Lakes and Valley still closed today but we are very hopeful now that they also will be open tomorrow. Fingers crossed that this thaw continues, it is currently 2 degrees above freezing with a light wind. This morning’s forecast suggests we should miss any localised snow flurries today. The snow which melted from the greens yesterday has drained well, still some depth on the rough and patchy on the fairways but it’s all definitely on the move.
Tuesday 26th March 2013 4pm COURSES CLOSED AND ON WEDNESDAY TOO But Adi says that providing this thaw continues, we will have golf on Thursday!! We have seen 2 inches melt today in the sunshine, which has been fabulous, although it has been almost at zero degrees most of the day so the thaw has not been as quick as we’d hoped. The greens are clearing well although pretty soggy but the wind is quite drying so we are very hopeful indeed for Thursday.
Tuesday 26th March 2013 8am COURSES CLOSED TODAY BUT FINGERS CROSSED FOR TOMORROW! The sun is shining, the snow is melting – Adi the Course Manager is hopeful the greens will be cleared by this afternoon but there’s still some depth in the rough and on some of the fairways. He will inspect again this afternoon and we are keeping fingers crossed for play tomorrow, providing this thaw continues. Watch this space!
Monday 25th March 2013 4pm COURSES STILL CLOSED TODAY BUT THAW HAS SET IN – WOW!
Well we didn’t expect this thaw today – must get my crystal ball re-polished! There’s still some snow out there but that golden orb in the sky has worked it’s magic for two hours this afternoon and just look at the difference! The Course Manager is talking about clearing the greens tomorrow so fingers crossed this continues – we’ll keep you updated as soon as possible.
Monday 25th March 2013 8am THE COURSES ARE CLOSED. There’s a thick layer of snow out there on the golf courses; the roads and driveway are clear but it is icy out there, please take care when coming down for coffee/lunch etc. Looking at the forecast, we think we will be lucky to see any golf at Greetham Valley this side of Good Friday – unless the temp raises a few degrees to start the thaw. We just need that Scandinavian high to shift a bit! Keep an eye on this blog, we’ll update regularly.
Saturday 23rd March 2013 8am AND THE COURSES ARE CLOSED AGAIN. We now have about 4 cm lying on the grass, with a steady light continuous snowfall that hasn’t stopped since about 7pm last night. The lane and driveway is clear – thanks to Robert and his trusty snowplough and we were gritting yesterday in preparation. On a good note, last night’s Race Night raised over £850 for the Captains’ Charity the Peterborough Neonatal Baby Unit – well done to all involved and thank you to all the ‘punters’ who enjoyed the Tote and the whole evening – it was a great atmosphere, great fun! A special mention to John Cox, whose table donated their £100 winnings on their ‘auctioned horse’ straight back to the charity – a very generous gesture.
Friday 22nd March 2013 12 noon LAKES COURSE IS OPEN!! What a difference a few hours can make – unbelievable! The Lakes course is open, as is the Academy course, but no buggies for obvious reasons. OK, fingers and toes crossed everyone that we miraculously avoid any more snow…….(wishful thinking). Just spotted the first intrepid, well wrapped up golfers heading to the tee…. what a hardy bunch we have here today!
Friday 22nd March 2013 8am COURSES ARE CLOSED FOR GOLF. And this image shows why. We are on the fringe at the moment with snow settling on the grass but not the roads and driveway to us. The greenkeepers are out gritting to keep them clear. The forecast is for continuous light snow here throughout most of the day, then to deteriorate further overnight and tomorrow. Oh the joys of Spring. And only a week to the start of British Summertime……
Friday 15th February 2013 9am ALL THREE COURSES ARE OPEN AND PLAYING ON MAIN GREENS!! ENJOY!!
Thursday 14th February 2013 8am LAKES COURSE AND ACADEMY COURSE OPEN, ALL ON MAIN GREENS Valley course is closed today as it’s a bit too soggy in places to make play enjoyable! Forecast for today is for no more rain from 9am and then the next few days is set to really fine up – excellent! Temperature showing on my car on the school run at 7.40am was 5 degrees, high of 9 is forecast for noon today.
Wednesday 13th February 2013 noon MAIN COURSES OPEN, ON MAIN GREENS! Sorry for the delay in posting this update – we have had no internet connection all morning until 5 minutes ago – very annoying! Not as annoying as the snow was of course but all three courses are now open and playing on main greens – yippee! Pretty nippy out there so don’t forget your thermals, see you soon.
Tuesday 12th February 2013 8am MAIN COURSES CLOSED, ACADEMY COURSE GREENS CLEARING The temperature drop last night means that the snow is still lying over most of the Lakes and the Valley courses and we don’t expect a sufficient thaw this morning to open them. However, the greenkeepers are busy working on the tees and greens of the Academy course and it is playable for everyone for a good old practice round. As soon as Adi the course manager informs us that the main courses are playable, we’ll let you know! He does anticipate that they will be open tomorrow. Roads, driveway and car parks are completely clear for access to Greetham Valley for today’s conferences and luncheon groups et al.
Monday 11th February 2013 8am AAARRRRRGGGHH!! IT’S BACK! The courses are closed at the moment due to a thin blanket of snow but the greenkeepers are currently working on getting some temporary greens sorted out so please try phoning us this afternoon for an update on that if you are desperate for a game. The Seniors’ booking for this morning has of course been cancelled. Robert strapped on the snowplough at 6am to ensure accessibility to Greetham Valley for all the conferences and lunches we have booked in today, so no worries there.
Monday 28th January 2013 8am GREETHAM VALLEY’S GOLF COURSES ARE OPEN AND PLAYING ON MAIN GREENS! Yippee! The Seniors are pouring onto the Lakes course with glee – there is ice on the 3rd green which the greenkeepers are working on so that is the only hole not playing to the main green on that course. On the Valley, holes 9 to 13 are still closed due to waterlogging – it’s the only part of Greetham Valley with clumps of underlying blue clay, hindering drainage. Apart from that – enjoy, folks!
Sunday 27th January 2013 9am ACADEMY COURSE AND DRIVING RANGE ARE OPEN, LAKES AND VALLEY STILL CLOSED. Well, it’s a start! Who would have thought that the overnight rain would have cleared so much snow away so quickly? Friday’s snow meant that yesterday morning it was lying a good 8 inches deep all over Greetham Valley, then the heavens opened and it all started disappearing. Looking forward to a busy Sunday lunchtime – ask for a window table to enjoy all the greenery out there - not a lot of snow left except on northfacing slopes but now the greenkeepers need to ensure all the meltwater drains as there is a lot of standing water about. WE DO BELIEVE THE LAKES AND THE VALLEY COURSES WILL BE OPEN TOMORROW – WATCH THIS SPACE AND KEEP FINGERS CROSSED!
Friday 25th January 2013 noon COURSES ARE CLOSED FOR GOLF. And it registered minus 7 last night so no chance of a thaw starting. Quite a few people here already today – lunches, coffees etc. We also have a wedding here today – congratulations Becky and Mark! More snow is threatened for late afternoon/evening but Robert is to hand with the snow plough and will keep Greetham Valley accessible. Guests coming to the Robbie Williams Tribute Night tomorrow night will have no issues with access to us so don’t fret! We also have a special accommodation offer on if you decide to stay the night instead of heading home at midnight. WINTER LEAGUE: the competition on Sunday 27th January has been postponed – Dennis will re-schedule asap.
Wednesday 23rd January 2013 noon COURSES ARE CLOSED FOR GOLF. No more snow overnight but temperatures not lifting above freezing, so no thaw. Forecast for next two days pretty similar, but we may get some form of precipitation on Friday – no bets being taken for Rutland re snowflakes or raindrops. Temperatures are set to rise for the weekend and into early next week but threat of precipitation continues. Good to see golf club members here yesterday and today enjoying their games of bridge, lunches and coffees! Local access to Greetham Valley fine – again just please take care.
Tuesday 22nd January 2013 10am COURSES ARE CLOSED FOR GOLF. And last night’s minus 7 temperatures at Greetham Valley didn’t help anything either. At least it didn’t snow – yay, let’s look on the bright side! The Driving Range is currently closed – greenkeepers have been unsuccessfully playing hunt the golf balls – BUT we aim to have the Range open for the weekend. Access to Greetham Valley is clear; again please take care on ungritted roads when heading our way. We’ve had our first burst pipe, luckily in an unused part of the complex so no damage. Someone enjoying the snow is Jazz – she makes brilliant snowballs with her nose then attacks them because they are clearly vicious and need destroying….
Monday 21st January 2013 9am COURSES ARE CLOSED FOR GOLF. Isn’t this just YUK? After a snowy weekend (so much for weather forecasts) we now have six inches covering the golf courses. We are accessible for food and drinks but please take care on ungritted roads on the way to us. Jazz and the girls went sledging on Saturday, its surprising how few slopes out on the courses DON’T have water at the bottom! Found the best one for sledging was the 8th on the Valley, Robert is now considering a ski lift running along the side of the wood there…..If you can’t beat the snow, might as well make the most of it!
Friday 18th January 2013 noon COURSES ARE CLOSED FOR GOLF. Well of course they are, and oh yes I now detect a fine sleet slanting in on the wind. Our Front of House Manager is snowed in at home 45 miles away westwards – not even Robert can help you there Nicola, sorry! Temperature last night was only minus 2 (only?); we aren’t forecast for a blizzard such as they are enduring currently in South Wales but that may well change. The weekend is set to be snow free for Rutland and the Driving Range should be open for anyone having golfing withdrawal symptoms. There are strong suggestions of more snowfall on Monday.
Thursday 17th January 2013 9am COURSES ARE CLOSED FOR GOLF. No more snow last night at Greetham Valley but we recorded a low of minus 10. Brrrr! The snow hasn’t even thought about thawing, no matter how many members turn up for coffee and gaze forlornly out of the window…. Roads etc should all stay clear for easy access to us all day and evening. Robert’s trusty snow plough is parked outside my house ready for him to strap on at a moment’s notice; we are as ready as we can be for the horrific conditions promised tomorrow….
Wednesday 16th January 2013 10am COURSES ARE CLOSED FOR GOLF. No snowfall last night but the temperature was about minus 6 overnight. Freezing fog this morning had me reaching for the thermal vest and fluffy socks. Absolutely no prospects of a thaw today or tomorrow and just don’t talk to Robert about the snow that is forecast for most of England on Friday. Currently all nearby roads to Greetham Valley are clear of snow; conference delegates have arrived safely and the driveway and carparks will remain clear for the Lions function tonight, as well as Greetham Valley’s Club AGM which starts at 7.30pm.
Tuesday 15th January 2013 2pm COURSES ARE CLOSED FOR GOLF. No more snow last night or today, and temperatures were slightly above freezing by noon which kickstarted a slight thaw BUT forecast is for below freezing again tonight so the courses will retain their 2 inch thick white duvet, I’m afraid. Wood Lane, driveway and car parks all clear; today’s conference delegates were able to get here safely and there should be no issues for all of tomorrow’s conferences either. Access to Greetham Valley should also be fine for the Lions function tomorrow evening, Robert will keep Wood Lane free of snow if any falls tomorrow but please drive carefully on ungritted roads.
Monday 14th January 2013 2pm COURSES ARE CLOSED FOR GOLF. After snowing overnight, the white stuff started dripping down again this morning and continued into mid afternoon – we now have 2 inches lying quietly over the courses. The roads nearby, Wood Lane, driveway and carparks are all clear thanks to Robert and his trusty snowplough (who were out from 5.50am) and the greenkeepers have been gritting. Lots of conferences tomorrow so we’re keeping fingers crossed that there’ll be no more snow overnight – otherwise Robert will have to bounce out of bed early again! The temperature is forecast to not go above freezing so little likelihood of melt I’m afraid. Great. Not.
A hole in one on the first day of Greetham Valley’s flag positioning trial!
We have now finished the block paved paths around the putting green and on the 10th hole on the Lakes course and I am sure you will all agree it is a vast improvement . There have been many suggestions as to where we should do next – thank you, members! – and these will be a priority when we continue with the paving in the Autumn (or sooner!).
The maintenance work on the Valley could not have gone better! The weather was as good as it could have been, with the sun shining from Monday morning right through to completion of the work. This allowed us to get all the sand brushed into the hollow tine holes along with the seed, which by the way, germinated within 6 days. You can see the sand mix on the greens on this photo, awaiting brushing in. So all those holes are now filled with sand and new Bent seed which will improve the overall quality of the putting surface. I am now just about back down to the usual cutting of the Valley greens. 
