Golf
HART of the matter
It’s a family affair at Hart Common Golf Course, where Peter Roberts’ dream of creating one of the best pay and play courses in the north- west of England is finally coming to fruition with the help of his wife, son and two daughters
“When some of the last remaining coal mines were closed, it meant that many of the underground water pumping systems were turned off, resulting in the water table rising”
Richard Roberts, Hart Common Golf Club
locally known as the West Houghton Golf Centre. The course, situated just outside Bolton, is owned, managed and maintained by Peter, his wife and three children, Richard, Claire and Catherine. They all work on the course on a daily basis, undertaking all the usual greenkeeping jobs. Catherine is a keen golfer, currently playing for Lancashire and making a name for herself on the golfing circuit. Peter originally bought the land back in the 1980s, and spent a number of years farming it, running a dairy herd. However, in the early 1990s, he realised that he could possibly earn more money if he transformed his land into an 18 hole golf complex.
H So, in 1994, he enlisted the help of Loates
Brothers construction and spent a year transforming the farm into an 18 hole parkland course. Greens and tees were constructed using the existing topsoil, ameliorated with local sand. Greens and tees had a primary drainage system installed. Like many young courses, Hart Common took time to settle down and improve. In the late 1990s there were flooding problems, with areas of the course lying so wet that it would often have to be closed, especially during the winter months. Peter wanted to find a solution and, at the time, investigated the cost of drainage and sand dressing his fairways; it equated to close to one million pounds in materials, money he simply didn’t have. He was also keen to find out why the water tables on his land had risen in recent years, contributing to the flooding problems. Most, if not all the land around West Houghton had been heavily mined for coal and, when some of the last remaining coal mines were closed, it meant that many of the underground water pumping systems were turned off, resulting in the water table rising which, in
art Common Golf Course was officially opened in 1995. The 18 hole parkland course is privately owned by Peter Roberts and is fast becoming one of the best pay and play courses in the north west. It is
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