furniture, paintings and antiques.
Unfortunately Sharp died in 1932 and his son, Hugh, was killed at the Castlecary rail disaster in 1937. Without an heir to take over the estate the course went unused and was eventually turned over to farmland to help the war effort.
It wasn’t until the 1990s when a group of enthusiasts, working from an original 1924 map, began resurrecting the old nine-hole parkland layout. Aſter a gap of 70 years the course was finally re- opened in 2008 to anyone who wants to experience golf as it was.
Ownership of the house and course was taken over last October by the National Trust who recruited PGA Professional Andrew Bentley to help run it.
The original design and layout has been tweaked slightly, bringing it in line with modern
safety needs. The old course had several holes which crossed each other, which made many a player holler ‘fore!’ and dodge flying balls!
Today’s course has a number of features to test players’ skills, including three bunkers of varying depths and a water feature known as the cundy, or small stream, on hole seven.
Greens and collars are hand-cut, while fairways and tees are carefully mowed using authentic 1920s-style trailed gangs. No fertilisers or artificial irrigation are used anywhere on the course, which provides a more natural, less manicured feel than most other courses.
Visitors to the golf course don’t need to bring any clubs as players are all issued with a set of five original style hickory clubs, including a Spoon, Driving Iron, Mid Mashie, Mashie Niblick and Putter.
Visitors to the golf course don’t need to bring any clubs as players are all issued with a set of five original style hickory clubs, including a Spoon, Driving Iron, Mid Mashie, Mashie Niblick and Puter.
Hickory clubs were state-of-the-art in the Edwardian era. Wooden clubs had been used for years with hickory wood first coming from America during the 1860s. They remained popular until the late 1930s, when steel began to gradually replace them.
Now they’re back in vogue with a number of new manufacturers catering for a resurgence in a more traditional game of golf.
June 2015
87
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