Do i renew or not

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Parky24

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Im at Milford and have just reached renewal time. They want £1650 with direct debit. The course has really suffered with the weather with most tees just sand and greens beginning to burn off.

im really torn as members are good bunch but the course leaves alot to be desired.

Obviously with so many courses requiring a joining fee and long waiting list my options are not extensive.

i have 3 other courses to chose from if i leave and would value peoples opinion of them.

Guildford
Clandon Regis
Chobham

or stay put.
 
Are there any course in the South of England that have not suffered with the weather this year?

I know of one course many years ago in another drought year that had to leave the greens about half an inch to one in long because they were in danger of losing them and at the same time on a nearby course the only places green on the entire course were tees and greens.

Have you actually visited any of the other courses to see what condition they are in? Guildford for example is on common land so I would expect you to be free to roam but I would expect any course to let you have a wander around if you are considering membership there.

Where I play we have to be very careful with our watering as we get it from a well and only have a licence for a limited quantity of water. In the last very hot year we were within a few gallons of our limit. Luckily where we are located there has been just enough occasional rain showers to help.
 
I’ve not played on ours for a week and a bit now. But so expect it to be pretty much dead when I get back on at the weekend. We stopped watering the tees other then briefly in the mornings a while ago, I suspect that has stopped now. The greens are being left quite long so are a bit slower and bumpy compared to what they should be. Even so some of the more exposed areas are burnt.

Our ponds are dry, the reservoir we use to water the course is almost dry and we are about to spend £15k on a borehole to refill it. Then maybe a whole lot more £££££ to extend it.

I suspect these are conditions we will have to get used to.

If it rains it will be a mud bath.
 
Don't get me wro g i understand fairways without sprinklers will be devoid of any green stuff but tees should always be kept to some sort of standard. The tees at Milford are nlt even flat. They have to be seen to be believed
 
Our course near Leeds is as good as I've ever seen it.

We've not had that much rain, but we've had enough and the greenkeepers seem to have made the right calls at the right time with regards to letting the greens grow a little to protect them etc.

End of the day, if you think there is better value to be had elsewhere, then give it a go, and if you don't like it then you an always go back to Milford.
 
As Batchworth members, and therefore part of Crown, we often play at Milford as part of the open play scheme.

I like Milford, as it's a completely different challenge to what I'm used to - being a smaller more tighter course. Always found them to be very welcoming there, and do enjoy going, but even we noticed that on the last visit there seemed to be a lack of investment from Crown. I assume you know what's been going on at Batchworth - I suspect that Crown will probably want the same from Milford (sell on asap)
 
Crown do not invest in most of their courses, I’m very local to a three course complex of crowns and it’s been forsale unofficially for years. I left there around 2010 as they went on a money saving programme buy filling in 50% of the bunkers.

If you want investment I doubt crown is the right place for you.
 
Oddsocks said:
Crown do not invest in most of their courses, I’m very local to a three course complex of crowns and it’s been forsale unofficially for years. I left there around 2010 as they went on a money saving programme buy filling in 50% of the bunkers.

If you want investment I doubt crown is the right place for you.
Click to expand...

Which courses are those ?.Chelsfield lakes ?
 
batchworth said:
As Batchworth members, and therefore part of Crown, we often play at Milford as part of the open play scheme.

I like Milford, as it's a completely different challenge to what I'm used to - being a smaller more tighter course. Always found them to be very welcoming there, and do enjoy going, but even we noticed that on the last visit there seemed to be a lack of investment from Crown. I assume you know what's been going on at Batchworth - I suspect that Crown will probably want the same from Milford (sell on asap)
Click to expand...
Whats been happening at Batchworth ?
 
In answer to your original question, it depends on what you want. Milford is never going to be as well maintained as some of the old private courses in the area. It might be less formal and cheaper, if that's important or some of the others gooduns might be full. There's West Surrey across the railway line, that's a serious Club. (no idea of cost or vacancies though)
 
Im the same with Brampton grange. lovely course, always seems friendly, but you just cant get a round... online members booking always full, same names almost daily. seem to have it booked months in advance. So i guess its not for me.. i love playing at Pytchley, its got a 7 year waiting list tho. and unfortunately with no starter hut and the 1st tee 100 yeards away out of sight. has been victim to people sneaking on.
 
trevor said:
Do you know what's wrong with the wasps? Are they dying? Could you get a vet or insect expert out to check them over.
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I think the problem is likely to be a common one in older courses with more traditional wasps. Apparently when bright young things take the committee and start allowing more flesh to be exposed than is decourous and people wear short socks with shorts or round necked tee shirts the more traditional wasps get upset and start stinging people.
 
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