L


ocated in the heart of the Scottish Borders and considered the 'gateway to Scottish Golf', the Roxburghe Golf Club or, to give it its full


title, The Roxburghe Hotel and Golf Course which includes The Roxburghe Golf Club, is set within a 50,000 acre estate owned by the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe.


A charming Jacobean mansion doubles up as a clubhouse and a stylish hotel. Within the grounds, some three miles away, lies the Duke and Duchess’s home, Floors Castle, the largest inhabited castle in Scotland. It’s truly an exquisite setting. The Duke, himself a keen golfer, commissioned former Ryder Cup player, Dave Thomas, to design the course and it opened for play following an exhibition match between Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie in 1997. The course bears Thomas’s hallmarks, large, well-shaped greens and deep bunkers. The Roxburghe is certainly one of his best designs, sitting nicely alongside The Belfry and San Roque in Andalucia. There are four tee positions, ranging


from 7,111 yards at the back, to a more leisurely 5,660 yards from the forward tees. The course makes good use of the


natural features of the land, including the various elevation changes and the salmon rich River Teviot. The signature hole is, undoubtedly, the 14th, a stunning par five, aptly named, ‘Viaduct’. The river runs along the left hand side and a steep bank run along the right, guarding the full length of the hole, whilst the imposing viaduct watches silently on. It’s a serious challenge, which belies its stroke index of 15.


The course employs six full time


greenkeeping staff, with Craig Pollock heading up the team in the role of Course Manager, a position he came to eighteen months ago. Ross Ovens is the Deputy Course Manager, Ross Glendinning is First Assistant, with Greenkeeper, James Nairn, and apprentice greenkeeper, Jack Fairbairn, completing the on course team. Mick Ponton is employed as course mechanic. Seasonal staff are greenkeepers Ray Leach and Robert Mckinley, with Tam Rae and Charles Raeburn, who covers bunker maintenance during the high season. Craig is no stranger to managing demanding courses, having spent the previous seventeen years learning his art, firstly at Anstruther Golf Club, with a further seven years working on the


New Golf Course at St. Andrews Links Trust. This was followed by spells at Cleveland GC, Wynyard GC and The Glen at North Berwick, which all added to the greater experience of both links and inland golf course management. Craig is very proud of his course and, as he showed me round, he pointed out all the work that had been undertaken in his time. The site is enormous and, as well as the course features, there are a wide range of grassland and ecological areas that need appropriate maintenance. The Duke retains a very keen interest in golf and has quite a say in the running of the course, keeping in regular contact with Craig and his staff. Presenting the course in the best light, and ensuring the course plays well, are the key objectives of the greenkeepers. Cutting regimes are designed to achieve these goals and to ensure the grass remains in good health. The Roxburghe has found that being


a 'key account' holder with Fairways GM has enabled the down time in machines to be, at most, one day, thanks to the onsite expertise of Fairways local technician Simon Forsyth and Representative Euan Thomson. This partnership has been a real two way


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