Golf
morning to hand water one of the eight greens without irrigation
Ant Foulds out early in the
“
qualifications at Reaseheath College,” Ant continues.
In 1994, the club purchased another
thirty-three acres of land and brought in a golf course constructor to change the existing nine holes into an eighteen hole golf course. This involved a complete reshaping of the nine hole layout, indeed, only the first and second remain from the original Ted Anderson design. In 1999, the club acquired another
sixteen acres of adjacent land and built three brand new holes - a par 3, 4 and 5 - and got rid of three par 3s. This took the par of the course up to a more respectable 71 and also brought in the new regime of USGA greens, built by Ant and his staff in- house, and got rid of three poorly constructed ones.
My father-iin-llaw asked me if I would like to help run the course. It seemed like a good idea at the time but, looking back now, I probably should have kicked him in the shins and run off!
In 2003, another USGA green was
constructed on top of what was by far the most unfair green on the course - the infamous 3rd; a wickedly sloping green that was hard to keep the ball on. In 2008, another three USGA greens were
constructed to replace the 1st, 7th and 9th, the original greens having been poorly constructed using materials from the ponds that were dug out. New, larger tees are constantly being
constructed in order to keep up with the popularity of the course. Currently standing at 6,215 yards from the white tees, the course has now settled into a design that tests all levels of golfer. “The land here is clay based,” explains
Ant, “and, right back at the beginning, used to dry out and cracks would show up all
over the place. However, after a rigorous verti-drain programme, the course usually stands up to a good drought now.” “When I started here, just twelve months
after opening, it was a nine hole course with three ‘constructed’ greens, with the rest just ‘mown out of the ground’. The tees were just mounds of soil with a flattened top. We now have eighteen holes with twelve greens constructed to USGA specification, with another two to be completed this winter. Every new tee has also been constructed by the greenstaff,” confirms Ant proudly. “As you can imagine, having a combination of push-up greens and USGA spec greens means two different programmes throughout the year. Both types have their advantages and
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