Golf
Alan Shearer tees off ...
The shaper gets to work on the 1st
aid of his foundation which, in 2013, raised over £20,000. In September 2014, he arrived by helicopter, played just one hole - which he birdied - before heading back into the skies and on to his next course. As well as various open competitions
... and flies off! “
throughout the year, this is what makes David’s job so enjoyable. “There’s nothing better than having your work appreciated in this way,” he says. David details ongoing work to the members via newsletters, the club noticeboard and website. Winter projects saw work begin on bunker
He arrived by helicopter, played just one hole - which he birdied - before heading back into the skies and on to his next course
reconstruction last year, with twelve bunkers completed on the 1st, 10th and 11th. Wayne Freeman from Lakeland is employed to do the heavy earth work, with David and the team using their JCB 801.8 mini digger to install drainage lines and complete the more intricate work around the bunkers; “my favourite piece of kit,” he confirms. Work has already begun, this winter, on the bunkers on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 9th, 17th and 18th. “The 17th, in particular, is a massive project. It is being totally revamped. We will be working from drawing supplied by golf course architect, Tom MacKenzie. We aim to get as much work done as the weather will allow.”
The process sees the new bunkers dug out and shaped by Lakeland, followed by drainage, adding a lining, edging the bunkers with blocks of turf, turfing the surrounds and adding sand. “Sounds simple, doesn’t it?” states David, “but it has been a huge undertaking. It has required closing holes whilst the work is being carried out, so we added a timeline and images to the website so that the members could keep up to date with progress. In the main, they understand that the work will improve the course, although we did have one instance where a golfer played a shot off the new turf and then drove his buggy straight across it! No amount of chicken wire and signage can help some people!” “We will also begin a programme of
stripping, levelling and turfing tees but, with the changing weather patterns, we are finding that we are mowing much later into the year, and starting earlier the next, which impacts quite considerably on the time available.” “In fact, summer 2013 was a shocker. It
was so wet through May and June that we struggled to keep the course open at times. Fortunately, the USGA greens coped well and, as you can see from the pictures, the course generally recovered well.”
Edging the bunker with turf blocks 24 I PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015
Bunker work almost complete on the 10th
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