When Carl Crocher joined Caldy Golf Club as Course Manager in 2003, he brought over twenty years experience to the club, having previously worked on new builds in Germany, the construction of a new course in Yorkshire and the restoration of a heathland course in Essex.
Laurence Gale MSc caught up with him recently on this Links and Heathland course to find out about this Gingerbread Man’s maintenance regimes.
C
aldy Golf Club is located on a 48 hectare site, overlooking the Dee Estuary, part of the Wirral
peninsula. With fine natural turf and undulating terrain the original nine holes were laid out in 1907, following advice from the Royal Liverpool Golf Club (Hoylake) professional, John (Jack) Morris, a descendant of Old Tom! This was part of the Caldy Manor Estate, with the entire course nestling atop the cliffs, west of the old railway line, now known as the Wirral Way.
In 1930 the course was expanded to 18 holes to a James Braid layout. In the intervening years modifications, improvements and extensions have produced the present course, a demanding layout of 6,707 yards, par 72 for men and 5,798 yards, par 74 for ladies that now straddles the Wirral Way. Set mainly upon heavy topsoil with distinct sand layers at varying depths and patches of sandier soil, particularly on the coastal side of the Wirral Way, Caldy provides the golfer with a course renowned for its excellent playing surfaces. Undulating fairways, established woodlands and links/heathland characteristics, all contribute to a golf course of outstanding quality. Eight holes (3-10) are laid in a cliff top links setting and provide an interesting comparison to the remaining heathland holes on the course.
Since then, the course has undergone considerable investment to build new tees and greens along with the placement of new bunker traps. The whole course was redrained in 2000 in order to maximise playing conditions, whatever the weather. 48
Keeping PENINSU SHARP.
A Gingerbread man on the Wirral
Caldy has been the venue for many important events. It has been a qualifying course for the European Open and has co-hosted the Seniors Open Championship with The Royal Liverpool Golf Club. In 2007 Caldy was the chosen course for The Seniors Home Internationals Championship. Ladies golf has always been part of the scene at Caldy. The Caldy Classic played a significant role in the development of the LPGA European Tour with winners Dale Reid and Laura Davies going on to
enjoy future successes.
One of Carls first jobs when he arrived at Caldy was to review the condition of the course and its resources. What he found was a club that spent a fortune on chemical applications but only replaced its machinery when the current machine had conked out!
A fan of sustainable golf, and one of the happy band of greenkeepers that collectively call themselves the Gingerbread Men, Carl explained to the committee how such an important site
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