18th pond before, and main picture, after
Something Old, Something New
VALE ROYAL Abbey Golf Course is located just outside Winsford in Cheshire and has to have one of the most impressive clubhouses in the country. Once the stately home of Lord Delamere, the 16th Century property is an architectural delight.
Originally on the site was England’s
largest Cistercian Abbey, which was pulled down after the Reformation and replaced by the existing building. Under the guidance of English Heritage the current building has been impressively restored to its former glory. Equally impressive is the ongoing work to the golf course. In the last year major improvements to the tees, pathways and ponds have been undertaken under the guidance of original Course Manager, Stuart Haley, who retired in April this year, and subsequently the new Course Manager, John Betts.
The work was contracted out to D Crane Sportsturf and phase one, the pathways, began in December 2005, but the major work, phase two, was the construction of two new tees on the 11th and 18th holes and the extensions to ten further tees. Work commenced on phase two early in January with a deadline of 1st May to be ready for use. Contracts manager, Iain Watson,
explained that the early start was essential, “Both tees were 500m2 plus, and with the uncertainty about the weather at that time of year we wanted to give the maximum time possible for plant and root development.” “We put in new drainage systems, followed by a stone carpet and a 80/20 rootzone. Again to give us time to get the tees in the best condition before the deadline we
laid new turf rather than seeding.” At the same time the contractors were adding extensions to ten other tees, varying in size from 50m2
to 200m2 . The
purpose of this work was to increase the surface area of the tees to allow all year round play on grass, instead of playing from mats. “In many respects, this work was more difficult and time consuming than constructing the new tees,” said Iain. “We had to be very careful to match tee levels and turf type.”
Thanks to the good weather all the tees were completed by mid February, however, when work was stopped by the occasional rain, the team moved on to the pathways. An earlier start had been made on this work in December but there had been clear instructions from Stuart that nothing was to be left undone over the two week Christmas period. Altogether 1303 metres of new pathways were installed with 4 x 1 boards to contain them, MOT type 1 for the base material and a red stone of 6mm to dust to a depth of 25mm to finished them off. Nearly 1000 metres of existing pathways were refurbished to the same specifications as the new ones.
New path to the first tee prior to red gritting
This will now allow full buggy access to the course, which will also help the greenstaff in their maintenance. Phase three was work to two ponds on the course, cleaning and increasing their size. “It was always our intention to dig out the ponds in March when the weather was drier,” said Iain. “As it turned out March was wetter than both January and February, and we had to pick our days. We caused a little more disruption than we would have liked, but under the conditions Stuart was happy. Fortunately the course is mostly sand based and would dry extremely quickly after heavy rain.”
The pond on the 18th hole was cleaned of bull rushes, increased in size and had the bank in front skimmed off, to make it visible from the tee and also to narrow the landing area for tee shots. On the 14th hole the pond by the
green was extended around the front to narrow the entrance. The hole is a short par 4 and is reachable from the tee for some of the big hitters. It’s not quite as easy now! To those who play Vale Royal Abbey it is difficult to believe that it is only eight years since the course was opened. With mature woodland and meadows, ponds and lakes it is regarded as a hidden gem and a fair test of golf. The course is constructed to modern USGA standards, but the mansion and the facilities are of an opulent bygone age. Managing to make such a new course
Extension work being carried out to the first tee with the impressive clubhouse watching over
complement the magnificence of a historic mansion is quite a challenge, but the greenstaff at the VRA are making a very good job of it.
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