Golf
Parkstone Golf Club occupies an SSSI between Poole and Bournemouth. The new man charged with maintaining this ecologically sensitive site is Steve Richardson and, as our editor discovers, he has, in just a few months, already made an impression on the course and the members
Presenting Parkstone Steve Richardson G
olf clubs often form an oasis of green within an urban sprawl. One such club is Parkstone Golf Club, a stunning, mature heathland course set just a few minutes’ drive from the town centres of Poole and Bournemouth in Dorset. Its setting preserves a tiny pocket of what was once an extensive heath covering much of this area of the county. Today, only pockets of the original heath remain, protected by various conservation bodies from the demands for housing and industrial sites. Founded in 1909 by Lord Wimborne as the Parkstone and Canford Cliffs Golf
20 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Around the blooming heather!
Links, the original course was designed by two times Open champion, Willie Park Junior.
In 1927, it was discovered that Lord Wimborne wanted to sell the land for building development, but he agreed to give the members first refusal. Six local businessmen formed a company to run Parkstone as a proprietary club, but were unable to raise the total amount of £2,000. T. W. Simpson, whose house at Compton Acres overlooked the course, saved the day with a low interest loan and, in doing so, preserved his views over the course to Poole Harbour. Sadly, for Mr Simpson, his house fell foul to
developers, but Compton Acres Garden remains as a tourist attraction! In 1937, the course was substantially enlarged and redesigned by James Braid, the famous golf course architect and five times Open Champion. Additional acreage was obtained by buying bogland from Lord Arlington, and reclaiming it to form the current 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th holes.
The club continued in this form until 1960 when, after many years of deliberation and uncertainty, the shareholders finally agreed to sell and, equally importantly, the members agreed to buy the club. The price was a very
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