Golf
Hotels in 1999. The hotel opened in October 2007, following an investment of more than £60 million and a painstaking restoration programme. Waiting in the grand entrance, where I was to meet Head Greenkeeper, Avon Bridges, and Head Gardener, Keith Hersey, it was impossible not to marvel at the grandeur of the place, with its sweeping staircase, fine paintings and period furniture. Not quite sure what the weather held in
store, Avon and I agreed that, as rain was forecast later, we would tour the golf course first and meet up with Keith later in the morning. Avon commandeered one of the many
E-Z-Go golf buggies and we headed off to see the course, which is set in over 1,000
acres of Bedfordshire countryside. The house is set on top of a hill and the grounds fall away on all four sides. The whole topography of the site was influenced by the work of Capability Brown, who designed the gardens back in the mid 1700s, and he included a sixty acre lake which forms one of the main features of the estate.
The sheer size and scale of the estate was one of the attractions for Elite Hotels who could see its potential, especially if they were able to get permission to build an 18 hole golf course. This they duly accomplished, but it came with restrictions as they were not allowed to build any bunkers on the parkland or have ‘unsightly’ golf furniture visible from the house.
The course was designed by Mike Smith who styled the course in 300 acres around the established mature trees that had been historically planted around the mansion house. Avon became head greenkeeper seven years ago when they were growing in the course. He had previously worked at Finchley Golf Club for ten years and always had a long association with the profession as his father is also a practising greenkeeper. Having completed NVQ levels 2 and 3 at Oaklands College, and gaining PA 1, 2 and 6 spraying certificates, he also achieved a diploma in
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