Golf
Scrub oaks after being trimmed
The course has a links feel in places
They certainly seem to be appreciated by
the local wildlife, because we saw a kestrel perched calmly in one of them at the side of the 6th fairway, and only twenty yards away from us, until it was unceremoniously chased away by an irate crow. It was certainly a disturbance in what I mistakenly thought would be the correct pecking order. At that moment, we glanced upwards and
were rewarded by the sight of four buzzards, circling high above; a magnificent sight indeed. With the abundance of crows on the fairways indicating a healthy existence of insects and invertebrates, there is obvious evidence of a thriving habitat with its complex inter-relationships being in complete balance. This was all observed at the end of
February, by the way, so in itself is an indication of superb course management by the groundstaff who obviously have a high regard for wildlife issues. I have been very fortunate, as an average
golfer off a 17 handicap, to have played in Ludlow’s four winter open competitions. The weather conditions at times have been horrendous, but I have been astonished at how superbly the course withstood these
challenges. On one particular occasion, following weeks of torrential rain, and then a considerable arrival of snow which shut most courses and led to many entrants on that day not travelling at all, I was amazed to find the course not only open, but actually green! The fairways were still springy and the
greens fast and true as usual. As we played, we found ourselves continually commenting, with amazement, at the condition and quality of the course considering the inclement weather. The course is built on heathland with some links-style approaches to the greens. The fairways have a sand and gravel bed which leads to some astonishing drainage capabilities, enabling a decent fairway shot to be hit from anywhere, whatever the conditions. The vegetation is typically heathland and includes heather, broom, western gorse, bracken and a good showing of silver birch. More substantial size trees are evident in places where they are outside of the racecourse, as is evident on the approach to the 9th green where you cross an unclassified interior road. There are eleven holes the clubhouse side of the B4365, leaving seven holes on the
other. Many courses are split by a road of some designation and Ludlow is no different in this respect. The greens and tee boxes are, however, far enough away from the main road as to eliminate danger; obviously, common sense is required before crossing. The interior access roads are very lightly used and visibility is excellent, enabling safe golf shots to be played by those with even a little intelligence! I was lucky enough to play the course
again at the very end of February with two friends, Alun and Steve, both members at Bridgnorth Golf with handicaps of 14 and 19 respectively. We qualify as a very average group indeed, but hasten to state that Steve is probably just above average, otherwise there’s a possibility that he could shake me warmly by the throat! With the grandstand being adjacent to the
right-hand side of the first fairway, it is an impressive view from the tee. To add a pinch of spice to the tee shot is the obvious barrier of a fence on the right which is an ‘out of bounds’ magnet, especially for those golfers who fade the ball left to right. Of course, if you manage to compensate for the dangers on the right by aiming left,
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