Golf


Some parts of the course are 400 feet higher than others, creating microclimates


though the course sustained major bomb damage. Post-war, course and clubhouse were improved and reopened for play in 1951 - the year Bobby Locke and Alf Padgham tore up the course in an exhibition match that witnessed Locke setting a course record 65.


Harris and Colt completely remodelled the


course in the 1930s and today it presents golf all year round, still offering a challenging Par 69 test of the parkland game, requiring accurate shots to high-quality greens to score well. The signature and picturesque 10th (lead image) delivers a delightful start to the back nine. Shooters Hill is hitting the heights of late,


reaching optimum member count and attracting more society days (averaging one a fortnight) as it captures business from courses located on both sides of the Thames “Last year we brought in £107,000 in


green fees at £25-£30 a round,” Craig reveals, “that’s a doubling in recent times.”


“ 32 I PC JUNE/JULY 2017


Independent reviews by online resource Golfshake has helped swell numbers playing the course over the last five years as has social media - they have been Tweeting since 2009, blogging since 2013 and posting on Facebook over the last three or four years. “A total of 19,000 golfers live within five


miles of the club and we are only seven miles from London Bridge, so there are plenty of players to target,” Craig notes. The 700 or so members are top heavy with


seniors though, so the club is introducing packages to attract a more diverse demographic. Under-35s can enjoy reduced membership fees, which rise by £80 annually until they hit full price when the reach their mid-thirties. Packages for twilight golfers - those


playing after 4.00pm - are proving popular and moves are afoot to speed up rounds. “We are looking at a two-ball round completed in three hours,” says Craig, mirroring golfing trends to quicken the pace


of the game to swell course footfall. Craig, 43, arrived fourteen years ago at a club and course “in dire straights, bleeding members, and with greens choked with thatch and disease outbreaks”. “General manager Martin Bond employed me and together we devised a plan to wake up a sleeping club,” Craig recalls. The strategy was to tackle the putting surfaces “year by year” with a fully funded programme of improvements. “With four inches of pure thatch and little


roots to speak of, the greens kept ripping up when we aerated, so we had to start from scratch to improve the roots and degrade the thatch.” Martin left a year later, leaving Craig fully in charge of the masterplan for course recovery. Following “a few discussions” with the


greens committee, he pursued his vision of developing a beneficial fungal/bacteria-rich ecosystem less reliant on chemical applications.


A total of 19,000 golfers live within five miles of the club and we are only seven miles from London Bridge, so there are plenty of players to target


Looking through the trees to the 4th green


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