Captain's Welcome
To all members from Robin Allen, Club Captain 2024
Welcome to all members and guests to Cumberwell Park Golf Club.
I am delighted to be the Captain of the Club for 2024. My aim is to build on the work of my predecessors in ensuring the continuing development of the members’ connection to their club and the camaraderie of members amongst and across all the sections. The Club has been a big part of my life, and that of my family, for the past 28 years. Personally, I enjoy the challenge of competitive golf as well as the relaxation and banter of social golf. Whatever your motivation, I’m looking forward to meeting you over the coming year.
Cumberwell Park has 45 holes over 5 courses, together with the Par Three course. The newest addition, the White course, was opened to much acclaim in the Summer of 2023. The Pro-Shop team of PGA professionals, led by Head Professional John Jacobs, provide exceptional advice and lessons. The short game practice area is a gem and together with the driving range and practice putting greens, Cumberwell comprises the best and most wide-ranging facility in the region at which any golfer can enjoy and develop their game.
As well as the thriving Ladies and Seniors sections led by their own Captains, Cumberwell Park is keen to provide the opportunity for younger golfers to be introduced to the game through the Junior Academy and to encourage their development on the course under the tutelage of our PGA professionals. My own children benefitted from this, and I am proud that our Club continues to see this as a priority.
Each vice-captain has the benefit of seeing the Committee at work for a year before becoming Captain. Being a Proprietors’ Club, the Captain and the Committee have less to do with the running of the Club’s facilities and can focus more on the aim of ensuring that the members can enjoy their golf. The Committee devote a significant amount of time and energy towards achieving that aim.
Congratulations to Andy Lucas, our outgoing 2023 Captain. Under Andy’s leadership, the committee calmly navigated tricky waters following the introduction of the World Handicap System, as well as the day-to-day management of competitions, handicaps, section funding and, alongside the Management Board, the course set-up. He, and the Committee, deserve the grateful thanks of the members for whom much of this work goes unseen. In addition, the Club raised almost £22k for Wiltshire Alzheimers Support through events organised by Andy and the outgoing Ladies Captain, Judith Groves and Seniors Captain, Andy Christie.
The Captains’ Charity for the year is Bath Cancer Unit Support Group. This will be a joint fund raising effort across the Club and the Ladies’ and Seniors’ sections. The charity is local and raises funds for the Cancer Unit at the Royal United Hospital in Bath. Many of us will be touched in some way by the impact of cancer and will have little hesitation in supporting this cause. The Charity has a track record, established over nearly 40 years, in funding the provision of equipment, facilities and resources that the NHS is otherwise unable to provide. Steve Roberts, the Seniors’ Captain, has provided further detail below.
Gail Love, Steve Roberts and myself are looking forward to seeing you at our fund raising events through the year where we will provide every opportunity to contribute to this fantastic local charity.
My thanks to Brian Aspin for being prepared to accept and run with the baton as vice-captain. I look forward to working with him.
Please do not hesitate to contact me or the other captains with any issues or ideas you may have. You can contact us on captain@cumberwellpark.com.
Robin Allen
Captain
Cumberwell Park
Lady Captain's Welcome
Hello, and warm welcome to all members, new and old, and visitors alike, to the Ladies Section of Cumberwell Park Golf Club.
I feel very honoured to be Captain and I have some pretty big shoes to fill. Thank you to Judith Groves for giving me the privilege, she will be a hard act to follow with her boundless energy and enthusiasm.
Thank you also to Jops Melrose for agreeing to be my Vice Captain, I know she will be an amazing support to me this year, alongside my hard-working committee. I wish them all a wonderfully successful year ahead, I’m looking forward to having a fun together.
I’m a proud Scot who started my golfing journey aged 10 at Greenock GC, on the beautiful Firth of Clyde. Aged 21 I took a 32 year golf sabbatical until I rekindled my love of the game (as I always promised myself) by visiting Cumberwell Park GC occasionally in late 2019, before being “locked down” in Wiltshire in March 2020. I joined Cumberwell Park GC later that year, amazed by fabulous variety of courses, enjoying the scenery and wildlife on the course, and the facilities on offer.
Please do not be daunted by our large section, currently numbering some 200 members, as we all have wide-ranging abilities. Inclusivity, diversity, fun and friendship are all key to our section, and we have a robust calendar of events in an effort to continue to build a strong progressive section. Consideration will be given to all ideas and suggestions from everyone and, will endeavour to make changes, whether large or small, where appropriate.
Our wide ranging (mainly) Monday golf encourages everyone to get on the course either for 9 or 18 holes, whether in our “roll-ups” for those who may be less competitive members, or to play in monthly medals, for those golfers who embrace a more competitive edge. A typical month of Mondays will include a medal, a stableford, perhaps a trophy comp, and 2 “fun” comps, always with the alternative option for a fun 9 holes.
I’m delighted our section has enjoyed recent county success, both individually and in team golf. Opportunities are available for all to play team golf in Wiltshire Golf Ladies League and in our friendly match program.
My fellow captains, Robin Allen and Steve Roberts, and myself, are collaborating to supporting a very worthy cause in the coming year, raising funds for Bath Cancer Unit Support Group (BCUSP). This is a small local charity, run entirely by volunteers, which supports the work of cancer facilities at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.
If you have any questions or want to discover more about the ladies section, I would love to hear from you. To all our current lady members, please communicate with me or any of the committee – only by your comments, ideas and input can we ensure you enjoy your experience at Cumberwell to the full.
If you would like any further information about Cumberwell Park and the Ladies Section, please don't hesitate to contact me at ladycaptain@cumberwellpark.com
We are very lucky to be able to enjoy golf, the health benefits of a long walk on a regular basis, fresh air, a laugh with friends, putting the world to rights, and a few hours of calm in our busy lives is priceless. To anyone reading this who isn’t quite sure whether to dip your toes in, my advice would be a resounding YES! I wish all our members good golfing in the forthcoming year, both in competitive and social golf.
Warm wishes
Gail Love
Lady Captain
Cumberwell Park
Welcome to the Senior's Section
My name is Steve Roberts and it is my honour, privilege and pleasure to be the Captain of the Cumberwell Park Golf Club Senior Section for 2023/24. I have been playing at Cumberwell Park since the very early days of its opening in 1994 but was only able to join the club in 1997 when my wife and I moved back to the area where she was born and raised. My involvement with the Senior’s Section started when I joined in 2015 but only took hold following my retirement in 2021.
As a Section we are extremely fortunate to have a very competent and experienced committee who organise and drive the various events throughout the year. Their dedication to the cause is to be fully applauded and they all have my complete confidence and grateful thanks.
The Section is now over 270 strong with the majority being active in either our Tuesday Competitions, Informal Sub-Groups who play on various other days of the week and our Inter-Club Friendly matches. The Tuesday Competition day events are always available for entry on the Intelligent Golf (IG) system and comprise of Individual and Pairs Trophy competitions, Individual Medal and Stableford competitions plus various team events throughout the calendar year. I would commend all of these means of taking part to all Senior Members. For all new section participants there is a New Seniors Group who play on Thursdays and offer a great opportunity to meet other new and existing members. The Section has a very active Friendly match fixture list which runs from March to October and encompasses up to 32 matches, both home and away, and give squad members the chance of visiting some very interesting and challenging partner clubs. I would, however, ask anyone taking part in the friendlies to balance choosing home matches with any away matches as this helps our match secretary to choose teams judiciously. Should any Senior member be interested in the more competitive aspects of golf at Cumberwell, the Section has a Winter League team which can assist in this regard.
We arrange Spring and Autumn away days which are good fun and which we try to arrange within easy travelling distance for all taking part. These event typically attract entries of between 40 and 70 seniors depending on location and time of year.
Information on all aspects of the Section can be found on Cumberwell Park’s IG Website under the New, Information and Competition Tabs of the Site menu.
My chosen charity for the year is the Bath Cancer Unit Support Group (BCUSG) which exists to procure Equipment and Support Services for the Bath Royal United Hospital Oncology, Haematology and Radiology Departments (together making up the Cancer Unit) which are beyond the resources of the NHS at this time. BCUSG are an entirely volunteer run charity who ensure that 95% of funds raised go to the cause. The Group are currently raising funds to meet the 2023 target of £500,000 and a selection of the projects for which the money will be utilised can be found at the BCUSG Website; 2024 will see a new target set and new projects identified.
I am pleased to say that, as with last year, both the Club Captain and the Ladies Captain will be joining me in working together to raise funds for this very worth cause.
If you have any further questions regarding any aspect of the Seniors Section, please do not hesitate to contact me at seniorscaptain@cumberwellpark.com.
What is the Junior Academy?
The junior academy is a thriving learning environment for up and coming juniors that are serious about progressing and improving their golf. The academy is a relaxed learning environment that is split up into 2 different sessions based on age.
Each session will focus on a specific skill within long game, short game and on the course, and a game-based activity will follow the coaching element.
The academy is run by 3 PGA professionals ensuring all the children get excellent coaching and all the adequate help they need. Throughout the year there are many competitions for the juniors including eclectic on course scores and most improved players.
The sessions run in conjunction with term time and are run after school on a Monday starting in March and running through to October.
The academy is a step up from the Junior Roll up sessions and is a great stepping stone into Junior Membership.
We host roll ups each weekend on Saturdays and Sundays FOR £5 (equipment provided).
Please contact us for enquiries about joining Cumberwell, the academy and half term fun days