Donnington Grove is delighted to announce that we have added another reciprocal golf course on to our ever growing list. Members of Donnington Grove have always had access to many reciprocal courses and The Springs golf Course is the latest to be added to our list making a grand total of 11 reciprocal courses.

Flanking the River Thames, the course at The Springs is situated in 133 acres of magnificent parkland that are designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty. Mature trees, 3 lakes, strategic use of bunkers and wetlands make it both picturesque and challenging. Measuring 6,470 yards at its fullest length, the course was laid out by noted professional and former Ryder Cup player, Brian Huggett, MBE.

The course is a successful blend of both traditional British and American styles of architecture and includes the use of sleepers around the edges of the bunkers and lakes. On the front nine there are lots of interesting features like a double green shared by the 1st and 6th holes; the long par four 4th with out of bounds to the right; while the striking par-3 8th, is the signature hole that has the green surrounded by water and bunkers.

On the back nine the 10th is a testing and beautiful par-3, protected by water and sand, that runs adjacent to The Ridgeway Path, possibly the oldest green road in the country. The long par five 15th, is the highlight of the back nine as it runs along the pristine banks of the River Thames, where you can enjoy the sight of majestic swans and other wildlife as you play. The short par four 17th is a classic risk reward shot that offers longer hitters a chance to drive the green, protected by water and wetlands if they fail. While the 18th offers a spectacular, dogleg finish framed by mature oaks, there is a listed copse of trees that splits the fairway.

The course is kept in top condition all year round and unlike most courses challenges you to use every club in the bag. By the end of your round, you will be impressed with the beauty and layout of the course. At the same time you will wonder where the shots ebbed away and will be eager to go back out again and find ways to play the course better. When you do, you will find that like a fine wine, each round at The Springs provides you with a different experience.

To compliment your day the charming clubhouse blends harmoniously with the Tudor styling of The Springs Hotel, and welcomes golfers warmly upon completion of their round with an excellent selection of fresh local food and beverages.
To view our other reciprocal Golf Courses as well as other benefits our members receive then please click here.

The area is designed so that Golfers can see all the hole plans and information such as distance and par before they play on the course. The plan also includes several top tips for each hole to help you with your game. The course guides include a bird’s eye plan of the hole and its layout, as well as a photo of the course from the tee looking towards the flag. Golfers should be able to use this to plan their shots as well as seeing where they have gone wrong in the past.

Donnington Grove is also offering businesses the chance to sponsor one of its 18 holes. Donnington Grove Country club has one of the best courses in the area; a historic hotel; a great clubhouse, with a friendly environment; and really good practice facilities. Theses, together with its thriving membership, make it one of the busiest corporate and society gold venues in the area attracting over 15,000 visitors each year.

We would like to offer you the opportunity to promote your company to this wider market by inviting you to join the Donnington Grove Business Executive Club. This will entitle your company to 8, 12 or 16 rounds of golf each month, A full colour advertisement on each golf buggy’s GPS system, a hyperlink to your website from ours and discounts on buggy hire, corporate golf days, hotel accommodation, functions & conferences.

If you would like to know more information about how to sponsor one of our holes then please click here. Alternatively you can contact Dave Alan by email or by phone on 01635 581000

Here are their prices for their most popular transfers:

To London Heathrow        £69    From London Heathrow    £74

To London Gatwick           £105   From London Gatwick       £109

Take a look at their website at www.ginandtonic.biz.

We continue to look to add to the Benefits of membership for members. For a full list, click here.

We have all been in the situation where we hit a great shot straight down the fairway only to find our ball lying in a divot, making the next shot somewhat tricky. Frustrating, isn’t it!  Our divot repair system let’s you, the golfer, help us keep the course in tip top condition throughout the year.

Divot repair bags filled with a soil/sand/seed mix may now be taken from a rail on a mobile trailer – see photo. The contents of the bag are sprinkled into divots as they are found when playing a particular hole. At the end of the hole, the bags are dropped into a box on the next tee. The trailer will be moved from hole to hole by the green keepers as and when required.

If you are keen on golf, are over 21 and under 27 and find golf club membership expensive, then look no further than Donnington Grove Country Club, where we have one of the best courses in the area; a great clubhouse, with a friendly environment; and really good practice facilities.

Graduate Membership for only £580

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new Graduate membership for the younger golfer who is just starting out on their career.  Many younger golfers find the move from Junior or Colt to full membership a huge financial leap. This often leads to them giving up the game or playing only occasionally as a visitor. Here at Donnington Grove we have the answer with our Graduate Membership for those over 21 and under 27 years of age.

Annual Graduate membership is £700 and there is no joining fee. If you join in June, you will only have to pay £580 for as much golf as you like until 31st March 2011 when memberships are renewed; and we will give you £50 to spend at the Club.

Apart from a membership that offers exceptional value, you will find there are many other benefits of joining us at Donnington Grove. For example, we have reciprocal arrangements with 9 other clubs where you can play free.

If you want to find out more about our Graduate Membership visit our membership page or alternatively contact Dave Allen.

There is nothing worse than when you are playing a smooth round of golf and then all of a sudden you find yourself stuck in the sand! Countless times have I been on a winning streak and then held back by one bad turn in the pit. This tip is to help with that situation by playing the sand instead of the ball. Ironically the best way to get out of the sand is by ignoring the ball.

When you’re in a greenside bunker the club should never touch the ball. You want your wedge to toss the sand beneath and behind the ball onto the green. The ball will float out on a wave of sand right onto the green.

You must convince yourself that the ball is an afterthought on these shots. To practice this, stand in the flat of a practice bunker and place two tees opposite your left instep.

YOU DO NOT NEED A BALL! Hinge your wrists quickly on the backswing to create an upright path, then swing down and let your sand wedge hit about two inches behind the tees. Make a full follow-through, finishing with your hands at shoulder height. You’ll see that the tess have flown up and toward the hole along with the sand you sprayed. Repeat this several times and see how high and far you can make the tees fly! Then drop a ball down and repeat the swing. Hopefully this drill will make escaping the bunkers an easy stress free shot.

Next tip is how to use pool cues to improve your Driving!

1.    Brush Your Chip Shots To Hit Them Close To The Pin

Many people have difficulty hitting crisp shots that stop close enough for realistic one-putts! Hopefully this tip and technique can help you. Hitting the ball puts too much grass between it and the clubface however picking it cleanly produces a lower trajectory off the bottom edge of your wedge with little or no backspin.

This is called the ‘brush the grass’ drill and is something you should practice next time you get the chance. Before you hit your first shot, make at least 20 pitch swings without a ball and look at your divot after every one. Make sure your wedge hits the ground on each attempt but doesn’t dig into it. Think about ‘brushing’ the grass and you should be able to feel the club gently bump the bottom of the ground. Your divot should look like the grass has been brushed flat but no dirt has left the ground.  When you have perfected this drill you should be able to see a crisp ball contact on or about, the third or fourth groove up the face of your wedge, a nice amount of backspin and makeable putts!

When you put this into practise on the course think about the image of the brushed grass. Make sure your grip is light and relaxed. If you are having problems with the leading edge of your wedge making dirt divots, open the face a little more. When you’ve successfully ‘brushed’ the grass two consecutive times without a divot, move in and immediately pitch the ball onto the green with the same swing.

Tomorrows tip includes the best way to use your irons!

To celebrate the beginning of the golf season we are bringing you a series of special promotions and blog posts to help honour the April blue skies. The Donnington Golf course is in magnificent condition and there is no better time like the present, to brush up on your golf skills for the new season. There is only one place to be this April and that’s Donnington Grove Country club.

We are kicking this month off with a blog series, ‘Top 20 Golfing Tips’. This will be running throughout the month of April, so make sure you regularly visit the site to read the latest tips. There will also be posts regarding special April offers, promotions, competitions as well as Golf Club News. There will be one Blog post updated every day as well as content being added to our Blue Skies webpage.

We will also be launching a Donnington review section on the Blue Skies webpage. This is a place where people can read other customers reviews and experiences of Donnington Grove. If you have a stories or reviews on Donnington Grove we would love to hear from you! Send a quick enquiry here and we will post your comments.

Have a fantastic April, enjoy the sun and we hope to see you on the Golf Course.

-    Members Worldwide Personal Liability Insurance.
As heralded in Christopher Strong’s March 2010 letter to all members, an application has been made for members 3rd party liability cover whilst playing golf to take effect from 1st April 2010.

-    GolfGuard LTD.
Summary of cover provided for insured members whilst they are playing golf at any golf club in the UK and up to 120 days abroad.
-    Liability.
1. Unlimited in respect of any one occurrence for bodily injury in respect of UK Road Traffic Act Liability arising out of the use of golf buggies whilst playing golf on a recognised course.
2. Up to £5,000,000 in respect of legal liability for bodily injury they cause to a third party.

-    Membership Renewals.
There are still a number of members who have not yet paid their subscription for 2010/11. If you have not yet paid, please remember that your subscription is due by Thursday, 1st April. Payment may be made in cash, by debit or credit card. If you want to pay by BACS transfer, contact Dave Allen to obtain the clubs account details. Those paying by direct debit need take no action as collections will continue uninterrupted.

-    Club Diaries & Bag Tag Stickers.
Club diaries & Bag Tag Stickers for 2010/11 will be sent out once subscriptions have been received. These will be processed in batches and sent out by post.

Throughout the season we host several ‘opens’ that fall under the categories; men, ladies, seniors (55+) and mixed. Competition is played in accordance with R&A rules of Golf and Local Rules. Men will play from white tees with a maximum handicap of 24, Ladies from red tees with a maximum handicap of 34 and seniors from yellow tees with a maximum handicap of 36. The Mixed Competition will see the men play from yellow tees and the women from red with the maximum handicaps at the same as gender specific competitions.

Like all opens there will be a trophy for both gross and net winners as well as prizes for 1st to 3rd positions. There will be an additional prize for the longest drive nearest the pin.

To register yourself for these competitions you will have to visit our website and download an application form, these are available both as word documents and PDF’s. You will then need to complete the form and post it back to us. The closing dates are as follows:
Men – Friday 28th May 2010,
Ladies – Tuesday 15th June 2010,
Seniors (55+) – Friday 13th August 2010,
Mixed – Sunday 27th August 2010.

Get your applications in before the deadline and make sure that you get plenty of practice in beforehand. We look forward to seeing you on the green.

Competition application forms.