Conservation & Ecology Case study - Royal Dornoch


Royal Dornoch, a course well known for its hillsides of gorse, has decided to change the lay‐out of its seventh hole whose present fairway runs between two ramparts of common gorse that hide what could be a glorious view of the Dornoch Firth.


Eoin Riddell, the course manager, told FineGolf that the plan is, over the next four years, to move the much praised green complex, with its angular front swale, and exactly replicate it on to the point of the escarpment, with the gorse eradicated on the seaward side of the hole.


The hidden issue, which is the most important thing to achieve, is not only to grub out all the gorse roots but to also make sure none of the present soil around


Coppicing gorse ‐ a prickly subject


herbivores and does not cause the same threat to the sustainability of heathland or acid grassland as common and western gorse.


The two more common plants (European and Western) form a significant threat to heath and infertile grassland. A major management programme is necessary in order to safeguard such habitats. Once this is complete, it will be necessary to control future regeneration before it establishes and forms a seed source.


From an agronomic perspective, gorse can have a damaging effect as it fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere and transfers it into


the soil, creating an ecosystem that is more favourable to the broadleaf weed grasses such as Yorkshire fog and rye grass and hinders the fine grasses. This provides a seed source that will spread to adjoining areas and, as the areas of gorse themselves enlarge, the weed grass invasion proliferates.


Gorse needs to be contained in order to protect the agronomics and ecology of any golf course.


Coppicing gorse


Control in itself is labour intensive as, to manage gorse correctly, it should be


the gorse roots is left, since it will be high in nitrogen and, therefore, not supportive of a fescue grassed fairway which, of course, is the desired objective.


Work started this winter and Eoin Riddell, the Course Manager, says all of the gorse mulch will be removed plus some of the layer beneath. The area will then be sand capped before the healthy rootzone for the new fairway is put down prior to seeding or turfing.


This will be the first major change to the feel of this historic course, that has recently been climbing the world rankings, since holes seven to eleven were created after the Second World War ‐ they were designed by Aberdeenshire’s 1920 Open Champion George Duncan.


The change to the seventh hole will also allow the drive on the eighth hole to be changed with the objective that, rather than playing the majority of approach shots to the green from below, they will in future be played from the top of the escarpment down to the bowl‐shaped green. These are clever design changes by Mackenzie Ebert, whilst the in‐house team who are doing the work are confident the new fairways will be of fine, running fescues.


132 I PC APRIL/MAY 2018


Removing gorse from recently established heather at Aldeburgh Golf Club


FineGolf comments on other courses tackling gorse


Aldeburgh is famous for both its extensive gorse with tunnelled fairways as well as its fescue dominant greens. There has been a major programme of cutting back the gorse in recent years, just as there has been at Gailes Links (previously called Glasgow Gailes), Delamere Forest, Royal Porthcawl, Ganton, Notts/Hollinwell and North Hants; all seven of these running‐golf courses have been much improved with this opening‐up.


Nevertheless, at other courses, for example at Powfoot (redesigned by James Braid in the 1920s) and near the wonderful, running, fescue dominant course at Southerness ‐ both on the northern side of the Solway Firth and looking across at exquisite Silloth ‐ some of the finest holes are the ones surrounded by gorse in the middle of the course, giving it its defining character, although the extensive gorse does eat golf balls, particularly in the wind!


Northamptonshire County, a 1909 Harry


Colt classically designed heathland course, lies today at the boundary between being heathland or parkland, with its parkland style refurbished bunkers and with many self‐seeded deciduous trees.


It went through a period, some twenty‐five years ago, when extra gorse was added to increase its heathland character. After a more recent period of management stagnation, the course is now under new management with an objective of returning to a fully running heathland.


The gorse that had been allowed to get woody is being managed, some trees are being removed, two infinity greens have been created, run‐offs from greens are being firmed up and an overseeding with fine grasses programme started, all as part of this new heathland style approach. Their reward is the hosting of regional Open Championship Qualifying from 2018, awarded by The R&A.


Gorse planting at Northamptonshire County near iconic ironstone clubhouse


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