Ufford Park Blog
The Buzz has subsided to a gentle Hummmmmm…………….
The Ufford Park bees are now enjoying a well earned rest. With summer starting as early as March last year the girls had a very long season. That coupled with their move from Eyke to Ufford, 2011 was a very exciting year for them.
The bees have been treated against mites called Varroa with Thymovar. This consists of cellulose strips each containing 15g of Thymol, a phenol naturally found in thyme essential oil, widely used as food flavouring and in cosmetics. They have also been given some delicious Ambrosia syrup to store, to help them through the winter months reducing the risk of starvation.
During the winter, the bees will form a cluster to keep warm. Any bees that leave the cluster run the risk of being exposed to cold air in the hive which could result in death. Therefore the only possible movement for the bees is on masse, moving as a ball through the hive, generally upwards towards the winter store of food.
Roll on the spring……………………….
Sandy Sutch
Apiarist
Ufford Park Hotel
Michelle Baker
As a beauty therapist, I have seen a change in the last year from what
we call in the business 'normal manicures' to Gel manicures. This is a
trend that all my colleagues are seeing too. I guess this is mainly to
do with the ease for the client, because with Gel nails the 'varnish'
is dry the second they leave the salon, meaning no smudgy
accidents. In my opinion, Gel nails are a happy medium between a
natural manicure which can be easily damaged and acrylic nails which
can look very fake and damage the actual nail bed.
There are quite a few brands of Gel nails available such as OPI and
Shellac but I like to use the Jessica range called Geleration. This is partly
because I like the Jessica brand, as it is a specific nail care brand
that focuses on nail care, but also because with Jessica I see an instant
result from treatments. Even the most neglected hands and feet can go
home looking like new!
What's lovely about Geleration is that it is very hard wearing and
can last for 2-3 weeks. I really like the durability and I personally
think it makes it really good value for money - especially as it is
really quick to do with a manicure taking as little as half an hour.
To make sure nails are impossible to smudge each layer of varnish is
put under the LED Lamp - this is such a brilliant advancement to
manicuring and I think that regular manicures will go out of the
window because gel nails look so natural - its a great way for those
who bite their nails too as it will protect the nail from teeth and
allow the nail to grow. As the popularity of Gel nails grows, so does
the selection of colours. Jessica does everything from the traditional
French and pinks to electric blues and blacks – there really is a colour to
suit everyone.
The downside with gel nails would be that they have to be soaked off
BUT it does not damage the nail and it does not require excessive
filling. Also you can buy a kit to remove the nails at home saving
money and time as you don't have to come in to have them taken off -
which to me is a bonus!
Becky Stammers
Head Beauty Therapist at Best Western Ufford Park Hotel, Golf & Spa
Gel Nail Manicure - 1 hour £30
Gel Nail Re-shape & Paint - 30 minutes £20
To book please call 01394 386449
Michelle Baker
Hole 1
A gentle opener with room down the right. Longer hitters may go for the green in two, while the more conservative will lay up short or left of middle bunker, relying on a pitch and a putt for their birdie chance.
Hole 2
An accurate tee shot to the fairway will be rewarded with a shot to the green, beware of the trees to the left and reservoir coming into play on the right. Green tilts from front to back, can be difficult to hold during the summer months.
Hole 3
An innocuous, short par three with lots of trouble around the green. The ideal line is slightly right as balls tend to bounce left on landing. A double level green makes 2 putting for a par a little more challenging. Make a careful note of wind direction as the tee can be sheltered.
Hole 4
Only a long straight tee shot allows the chance to be on in two, much easier to play as a short par five. Second shot likely to be played from uneven lie to a green that is almost surrounded by sand. Green slopes from back to front so be firm if you have finished short of the flag but very gentle from the back.
Hole 5
Downhill par 4 with generous fairway. Tee shots level or past oak tree will give good opportunity to be on green in two. Bunker is deceptively short of green but any ball landing over it will find its way onto the green. Very little room behind green as it falls away sharply into a pond.
Hole 6
Only the longest hitters will reach this in three. Tee shot played to a sloping fairway where many balls finish in left hand bunker. After second shot if you go for green be aware of depth of front bunker, a lay up past tree but short of bunkers will give a straight forward pitch and putt for a par – will feel like a birdie on this hole. Green slopes from back to front.
Hole 7
Nothing hidden from the tee, carry over oak tree if you can or play to the left as fairway can slope to the right towards the bunkers. Approach shot is better being slightly short as will usually run on. If you go long or left here it will leave a very tricky up and down.
Hole 8
A good tee shot will start at the middle tree and curve to the right avoiding the Out of Bounds. Second shot will be over a pond to a double level green which slopes severely from back to front. May be worth laying up if not in great shape after tee shot as double bogeys can be quite common here.
Hole 9
A tee shot aimed to far bunker is ideal and will give a sight of the green around the end fir tree as anything left can be blocked out. Green slopes from right to left and can be tricky to hold when the conditions run faster.
Hole 10
Distance control is key to hit a very narrow green with bunker behind and pond in front. Green slopes from back to front particularly on left hand side with many short iron shots spinning back off green towards the pond. Make three here and run to the next tee.
Hole 11
Dogleg to left with ditch running down left hand side and across the fairway which slopes to the right, makes for a difficult tee shot. Ideal line is between the two sets of terraced houses to leave a short iron uphill to a double level green.
Hole 12
Long par three with large bunker to left. Green slopes from left to right and from back to front. A tee shot finishing short and right will have a good chance of a pitch and putt for a par.
Hole 13
Almost driveable par four but lots of trouble left and OOB to the right mean an iron may be a safer tee shot. Approach shot to a raised green will need to be well struck to avoid running through the back.
Hole 14
Downhill par 4 with fairway sloping to right and a pond in front of green. Often and iron or fairway wood will be enough to set up a short iron approach. Green is flanked by bunkers and slopes from back to front. An approach too bold will leave a tough pitch from behind the green.
Hole 15
Classic risk and reward hole. Driveable par 4 but needs to carry 200+ yards onto the green over a pond. Sensible tee shot is over the tree to the right with mid iron to leave a short iron in. Need to be accurate with pitch as sloping green can cause balls to spin back towards pond. Putts are very quick from of green toward pond.
Hole 16
No real option on this but to hit the green as ponds, sand and trees await your ball. If you find the green be aware that it slopes severely from back to front so a three is not a formality here.
Hole 17
This plays as a par 5 to all but the longest of hitters. Tee shot needs to be kept close to left hand bunker as fairway slopes to right. Second shot is played uphill either to the two mounds for the average hitters or between them for the longer players. The largest green on the course means that even if you have found it in two it could take three more before you finish.
Hole 18
A straight, downhill long par 5 with a wide fairway. Second shot will be played into a bowl area. Approaches need to be accurate to avoid ponds that are short, long and to the right with a stream to the left to catch anything too safe. Sometimes better to lay up with third and try your luck with chip and putt. 3 tier green is long sloped from back to front.
Stuart Robertson
Head PGA Golf Professional
Michelle Baker
In sport, as with other aspects of life and business, the leaders may react to external factors but will be driven by an internal desire to be better than your competition.
Are you or your business constantly ‘reacting’ to the ever changing environment or do you drive your business forward, comfortable in the knowledge that you have a good product or service that can benefit other individuals or companies.
To become the top in any sport will require the athlete to dedicate themselves to the process of constant improvement in all areas, driven by an internal need to be better than the rest.
This will see them actively researching any aspect that may help them to perform at their best, be that – diet and nutrition, practice techniques and drills, psychological help as well as developing their body to be more physically astute to move at its most efficient.
Are you doing the same with your business?
Do you – keep yourself up to date with the latest innovations within your industry, set regular S.M.A.R.T. goals, review and reflect on all of your procedures on a regular basis, constantly strive to improve what you offer to your customers?
If the answer is YES, then you are driving yourself and your business forward. If NO, then you may be “firefighting” from one challenge to the next without really taking full advantage of your own Unique Selling Points.
Although it is tough in the market place at the moment, those that are driven by an internal desire to succeed, will and those that don’t, won’t.
Plan your work and work your plan!
The recent victory by the relatively unknown Louis Oostheizen in The Open Golf Championship, highlighted for me the importance of having a game plan and seeing it through. This resulted in a very comfortable victory over the best opposition in the world.
There is a lot we can all learn by adapting his approach within our own businesses. Although we need to be aware of all opportunities, how often are we sidetracked into moving down a different path to that which we started on? It is wise to look into new ways of operating; reducing costs; maximising profit; training staff, as long as it does not take you away from your businesses core beliefs.
The golfer has to be aware of wind strength and direction, firmness of the ground conditions to determine how far the ball will run, whether the shot is up or downhill, the proximity and severity of any hazards and the likelihood of achieving a successful outcome - even before he attempts the shot.
In a similar way, the successful business operator will look into all the outside factors that may affect the business, but will maintain the systems that have proven to be successful – from continuing regular communication with its client base to development of new products to suit the current market trends.
It is no surprise that many successful business owners become successful golfers – with many wishing that they could create more time for their chosen pastime! I have also seen that there are many successful golfers that become successful business owners in their own right by “planning their work and working their plan!”
Stuart Robertson
Head PGA Golf Professional
Michelle Baker