Reciprocal Clubs

Donnington Grove members have always had access to 9 other reciprocal courses to play on for free. This is part of the benefits Donnington Grove offers its members. However we are delighted to announce that Haythrop Park Resort in Oxfordshire will now be added on to our list of reciprocal clubs totalling the number of courses to 10.

Heythrop Park is a beautiful location near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, and offers great facilities to its visitors. The new 7,008 yard par 72 golf course has been designed by renowned golf course architects Mackenzie & Ebert.

The stunning course meanders through ancient woodland, lakes and streams. The course is supported by a sophisticated new clubhouse built beside the original family home. You can view more information on Heythrop Park Resort on their website here.

Reciprocal Golf Courses are just one of the benefits Donnington Grove offers its members. Too see a full list of benefits as well a membership prices please click here.

Father’s Day

Father’s Day is approaching fast and takes place on the 20th June. We at Donnington Grove love to celebrate these special events and just like Mothers Day we have have launched a brand new Fathers Day Menu.

The Menu has been created by our Head Chef Nico Kiel and includes a three course meal for only £20. There is no better way to treat your father then to take him for a one of special meal at the Donnington grove River Restaurant.

The recently opened River Restaurant at Donnington Grove Country Club rests peacefully behind the imposing 18th Century Gothic House. The new development has been sympathetically built to reflect the charm of the estate whilst showcasing the surrounding grounds.

Set among beautiful parkland with the River Lambourn winding through, the River Restaurant encourages members and non-members alike to unwind and enjoy their tranquil surroundings. The large restaurant windows provide the opportunity to capture this glorious vista. On a warm summer’s day, where better to dine then out on the stunning patio overlooking the Donnington Grove estate?

To book a Father’s day table, please call 01635 581000 or complete the Restaurant Booking form here.

Long Backswings Create Shorter Golf Shot

A long backswing is natural for many players to develop. The thought process behind it seems to be that the longer you swing the further you will hit the ball. Unfortunately this simply isn’t true.

Some people will argue that a few pros have long backswings and have no difficulties with distance. If I take John Daly for example he is known for his long backswing. However John can rotate his shoulders back more than 90 degrees. It is because of this rotation that his swing is perceived to be longer.

Some people feel tight and that therefore not capable of rotating their shoulders this far. If you feel tight when you are turning back than this is not a bad thing. The tightness tells you that you have created torque in your swing. Use the imagery of your body being a giant swing, you wind it up tight, then if you were to let go it would want to snap back the other way.

Many people try to avoid this tight feeling by over rotating their hips, by doing this they lose their torque. Tips for next time you are at the range, keep your lower body stable and turn your shoulders back as much as you can, until you feel tight. This tightness tells you that you have created the necessary torque or tight. Also, make sure your wrists are loose enough to allow the club to hinge to at least 90 degrees in your wrists. This will give you maximum power without having to swing back to far.

Top Golf Tips (7)

HOW TO INCREASE DISTANCE

If you are battling with a lack of  distance, one of the first things you should concentrate on is releasing  your hands through the ball correctly. Make sure that your forearms are close together at impact, and after impact, your forearms should form an “X” or be crossed.  This will ensure that you are not blocking the ball, it will help with the slice, and will do wonders for your distance.

Be sure to make a full turn.

Maintain a relaxed body with light grip.

Keep left side firm with left knee bent through
impact.

Swing through the ball, not at it.

Keep arms fully extended through impact.

Fishing at Donnington Grove

Mayfly Madness on the River Lambourn

It is about this time of year that every fly fishermen starts to twitch; the days are getting warmer, the evenings are lighter later and just around the corner is the famous Mayfly period, more commonly known as ‘Duffers Fortnight’. Why ‘Duffers Fortnight’ you may well ask. Well, the answer is that the fishing is said to be so easy that any old duffer will catch a sackful of trout! This is a magical time of year to fish the beautiful River Lambourn that weaves its way through the Donnington Grove Country Club. This is a famous Berkshire chalkstream that is renowned for some of the best dry fly brown trout fishing in southern England. The water is gin-clear, with a good head of wild fish that are supplemented by careful stocking throughout the season.

Over the past four years the Donnington Grove Country Club has embarked on an extensive programme of restoration and conservation to create the perfect river for fly fishing enthusiasts. The banks have been re-aligned, the overhanging trees removed and flow deflectors built in the river to improve the habitat for the trout and grayling. The result is an explosion in the wild trout population and a much better fishing river for the angler. Such is the success of the scheme that Donnington has fishermen who return every year, with regulars making three of four visits in a season.

The fishing is available by the day for one or two fishermen. The beats is over 1000 yards long, double bank the whole way with a great variety of runs, riffles and pools.. For more information or to book on-line click http://www.fishingbreaks.co.uk/chalkstream/lambourn.htm#donnington Our resident Fishing Guide, John Stephens, is available for private or group tuition on request.

Brand New Lake View Rooms are Now Open!

We are delighted to announce that we have just opened 5 more rooms that are certainly comparable to the wonderful rooms in The Summer House. We have had some wonderful feedback from guests staying in the Summer house and we are looking forward to seeing customers great reaction to the Lake View rooms. We started building the rooms in 2009 and are extremely happy they are ready in time for the start of this years Golf season. Having the Lake View rooms means that Donnington Grove can now offer its customers 30 high standard rooms!

Each room has a welcoming feel about it and it’s own patio area outside where our guests can sit and enjoy the wonderful views of the lake. However don’t just take our word for it, have a look at some of the photos below or better yet why not book a visit.

Donnington Grove Testimonials

Over the past few weeks we have received some fantastic positive feedback from happy customers. Below are but a few comments customers have left us and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for using Donnington Grove and we hope to see them all again very soon.

Angela Carroll stayed in our recently opened Summer House.
Just wanted to contact you to comment on our stay this weekend, we thought the room in the summer house was wonderful and we didn’t want to come home!! It was so peaceful sitting and taking in the wonderful view.  Your staff were all really friendly and we will definitely recommend you to our friends. We shall be back again!
Thank-you for a lovely weekend.
Angela Carroll

Mr Velotta also stayed in our Summer House.
I really enjoyed my stay at Donnington Grove. The summer house was perfect and I really enjoyed the golf course, I found the staff very friendly and more importantly the food was excellent..
I hope to be able to stay again in the future.
Joe Velotta

Mr Gillespie held a hospitality event at Donnington Grove to raise money for Asthma UK.
I just wanted to thank you very much for helping organise a wonderful day of golf last Friday. Everything went off perfectly. We managed to raise £510 for Asthma UK. The golf course was in excellent condition and received rave reviews from the group. Please pass on my thanks to Gareth and his team. I would also like you to pass on my thanks to the bar staff and catering staff. The food was first class. I have been to a lot of courses all over the country and had some pretty awful food. I must say Friday was a delight. Really good food and excellent service from breakfast onwards. All in all it was a tremendous day at a tremendous golf course. I would recommend a day out there to anyone without hesitation.
Thanks for your help and I look forward to playing there again soon.
John Gillespie

Top Golf Tips (2)

Golf Tip 2: How to make solid contact using your irons.

Your Drive is killer, you swing to die for, but you can’t seem to make solid contact with your irons? If this sounds like you, then this tip can help. The problem you are facing is that your swing is to ‘up-and-down’ which causes you to deliver either a fat shot or a wide slice. This is how to solve this problem.

A too-steep backswing creates two problems: 1) The resulting steep downswing will force you to stick the club in the ground before impact (fat), and 2) When you take the club back too high, your forearms tend to rotate down, cupping your left wrist and opening the clubface (slice). To swing the club properly around your body, think about keeping your elbows level at the top.

A good way to practise this is to take the club and find your position at the top of the swing. Then have a friend or a caddie grab another club from your bag and try and balance it between your arms. The club should rest across the insides of your elbows; if the club isn’t flat then you elbows aren’t straight. Use this technique to practise until you have the correct position at all time.
Tip 3 will be on How to Stop Slices & Hooks

Two Day Short Game & Mental Training Course with Matt Woods

Matthew Woods Director of Instruction at the Jonathan Yarwood Golf Academy and Sports Psychologist Jon Adler of Golf is a Mind Game, will be running a two day short game and mental training course, based at the stunning Donnington Grove Country Club.

Improve your skills
During the 2 days you will be shown how to improve your chipping, pitching, bunker play and putting, each of these areas will be videoed and shown to you, and the subsequent improvements, this will then be burnt to a take home DVD that you can use for future reference.
 
Performance Coaching
You will also benefit from Jon Adler’s Performance Coaching which is designed to develop your concentration skills and the ability to overcome anxiety and inconsistency. Practical exercises on the range and practice greens make this the only Mental Coaching of its type in the UK.

The Two Day Course Will Include

Tuition with Matt – Chipping, Pitching, Bunker Play and Putting
 
Tuition with Jon – Concentration and focus exercises while swinging a club, develop trust and feel in your stroke. Overcoming mental interference.
 
9 holes of golf – to put what you have learned into practice
 
Lunch on both days. Dinner and overnight accommodation in the beautiful Donnington Grove Hotel.
 
The cost for this exclusive two day package is normally £399.00 per person, as an introductory offer this package will be available for the cost of £299.00 per person with numbers limited to 8 people per course.

 
The Dates Avaliable:
March 11th & 12th
For more information and to book your place please contact. . .

Matt woods  mw@golfjy.com  07776100210
Jon Alder  jon@golfisamindgame.com  07850299722

Donnington Grove welcomes our new furry member

Donnington Grove made the news last week as golfer Steve Gridley and his friends discovered a fury creature admiring their game! Steve was walking back from the 18th tee towards the club house when he saw a rare otter sitting on the wooden bridge. Mr Gridley said ‘As soon as it saw us it ran to the far side of the bridge, slid down the bank and into the water and disappeared. We just stood there in amazement.’ There have been attempts at re-colonising in the Hungerford area but a spokesman for the Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust said “This must be the first recorded otter in this area for many years.” Otters are solitary, nomadic creatures and very territorial. During the daytime they lie in secure resting sites, usually amongst tree roots or dense scrub. Otters can breed at any time of the year although most cubs are born in winter. Environment Agency spokesman Duncan Revell said: ‘This is fantastic news. The presence of otters is a very good indicator of the environmental health of a river. “It reflects good water quality, habitat and food supply.’

Donnington Grove is very proud to have an environment at such a high standard to cater for these rare mammals. Having these creatures around is a representation of how clean and well maintained our grounds are. If you are lucky enough to spot an otter on our grounds please let us know as we would love to hear of anymore sightings, even better send a photo in for us to post on the blog!

A full article regarding the re-colonising of otters in the Hungerford area is available on the Newbury Today website along with footage of the otter in action.