Golf
Presentation plan provided by Jonathan Gaunt
“ 38 I PC APRIL/MAY 2014
The club are keen to retain and enhance the MacKenzie layout that used the contours of the terrain to great effect, the small, undulating greens, the sloping fairways and the imaginative positioning of tees
member of the club for several years. Jonathan, in his professional capacity, is able to support and provide advice on golf course design related matters, especially based on his wide experience of working on other Alister MacKenzie-designed courses. The club’s Board of Directors, in October 2013, appointed a Greens Committee which meets regularly with the greenkeeping staff to discuss the maintenance and upkeep of the course. With the club celebrating its centenary in 2025, the board and greens committee are mindful that the members would like to undertake some much needed course improvements to enhance it for this significant event. The club are keen to retain their MacKenzie heritage but, at the same time, take the opportunity to improve the aesthetics and playing challenges, bringing the course, in playability terms, into the 21st century. So, after several meetings and detailed site inspections - which, of course, has involved playing the course - a new redevelopment strategy has been drawn up, in the form of a detailed masterplan to improve most parts of the course. The improvements, as shown on the
presentation plan, will be in the form of clearing areas of shrub and undergrowth to improve sight lines, the redesign/remodelling of all course bunkers and grassy hollows, improvements to greens surrounds, new tee complexes, clearing of water features and extensive drainage work. The club are keen to retain and enhance the MacKenzie layout that used the contours of the terrain to great effect, the small, undulating greens (a MacKenzie favourite), the sloping fairways and the imaginative positioning of tees. Throw in bunkers, out of bounds, rough close to greens and the unpredictable Derbyshire weather, and it is little wonder the course is such a challenge. A prime example is the 4th hole, a par-3 of
122 yards. The green nestles in a gorge, surrounded by bunkers and water. It is approached from an elevated tee where the wind, they say, seldom drops below force 5. Good golfers would be tempted to take a wedge or a 9 iron - which would often be the wrong choice. It is a card wrecker of a hole! However, this hole is one of the earmarked
Tillers turf was used to line the new grass hollow
refurbishments and the first of many planned improvements - in effect, Phase 1 of the Centenary Course Development Programme. Jonathan, along with the rest of the Greens Committee and Board of Directors were enthusiastic to get things started and, after a number of meetings and finding a sponsor, he was able to agree and start work on this hole. In fact, it may have been initiated by a discussion I had with Simon Morley of JCB who was keen to look at ways of promoting the JCB brand into the golf market. It appears that, after some fruitful meetings with Jonathan, the club have managed to secure a unique deal whereby JCB have donated the use of a small excavator and dumper truck, and also secured the services of an experienced shaper - Jason Kelly from
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