Her Deg ar Hen Dir ...
AN HONEST CHALLENGE
meaning an “honest challenge on ancient land”. With a population of just under 70,000 and a total area of only 275 square miles it is, perhaps, surprising that Anglesey supports seven golf courses. However, with its heritage coastline and ferry terminal to Ireland it does attract visitors all year round.
The course is unusual in that it has changed very little since its inception, with the natural topography resisting any urge to lengthen it. There are enough natural hazards, along with a smattering of small bunkers, to catch out any wayward golfer.
It is classed as a heathland, cliff top course with a heavy, yet shallow, soil, lying over granite rock with a fine turf top. There are areas of the course where the granite breaks through the surface, adding to the spectacular look and also ready to assist a wayward golf ball further seaward!
The Head Greenkeeper is Andy Peel, who came to the club in 1994 having previously worked at the Ellesmere Golf Club for four years and, before that, the
William Wroe Golf Course, a municipal course on the Mersey flood plane. David Golding, now of the GTC, was Course Manager when Andy worked at William Wroe. Andy also spent three years at Reaseheath College under the tutorage of Dennis Motram who he describes as “a great guy, so enthusiastic and told it how it is - that greenkeeping is a simple job.” Andy has carried on Dennis’s theme of
keeping it simple, and classes himself has a traditional greenkeeper aiming to maintain the course with low inputs and promoting natural surfaces. He knew, when he joined Bull Bay, that his staffing and machinery budgets would be minimal, and says one of the main reasons he took on the job was for the challenge that scenario offered. With just two staff under him Andy has to be a hands-on greenkeeper. Maintaining the course has to be his main priority; “Office work can wait for the bad weather or the long nights” he says.
His two assistants are James Radcliffe, a local lad with thirty years service, and Bill Ashurst, twenty-five years. Both enjoy
their idyllic, island lifestyle, and both have embraced Andy’s work ethic. “One of the reasons so much is achieved is the fact that we are a very experienced team and work well together” says Andy. “Over the years each of us has developed his own work ethic. They are a very easy pair to manage as they instinctively know what is required.”
Bill is over retirement age but stays on because he enjoys his work so much. “Who knows what I’ll do when he eventually decides to retire?” remarks Andy.
“Being such a small team we have to prioritise what we do,” says Andy. “If something is left over from the previous week it will be our number one priority on Monday morning. ”
“Our maintenance budget is limited, so we just get on and do what we can. The club has, at present, just over 400 members (having peaked at 600) so that situation is unlikely to change. In the summer months the
greenkeeping staff work a forty hour week, starting at 7.00am and finishing at
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