GOLF
Durabunker strengthened edges
Grand National of horse racing – the bridged ditch at the bottom of the valley was used as a jump.
My father was a tradesman and I’d given one up. They thought you had to
have a trade. Saying that, I’ve never looked back.
I’ve enjoyed every single one of the forty-four years I’ve been here
The stanchions from what was once the grandstand are still visible when the summer plant growth around the River Usk has died off.
And down at the far end of the course, across the other side of the low point from the clubhouse, is the greenkeepers’ unusual shed. It is an ex-aircraft hangar, which was used for glider storage in wartime by the Air Training Corps. David and the club’s General Manager, Clare Sobik, work out a budget, which tends to be a smooth process because she has also been at the club for a long time – around twenty-five years.
The greens staff is four-strong, plus a part-time gardener: “My staff are very good. It’s a strong team. We share seventy years’ service here between three of us. They know the lie of the land and climate.”
“Kyle Holmes is my assistant; eighteen- year stint. Neil Morris has been here for twelve years, after arriving from Celtic Manor Resort.”
“We’ve also just taken on Matt Winfield from Celtic Manor to replace a departing groundsperson and a gardener, Alwynne Watkins from St. David’s Golf Club in Pembrokeshire.”
“The course is on about 100 acres – some people call it 110 – and most of that is managed. We have a lot of trees here, which we’ve been working to cut back to increase semi-rough sizes.” “We mostly put the forestry out to contractors now, and a lot of how we decide on which trees to remove or trim is based on health and safety legislation.” “Whilst we do oil and filter changes ourselves, none of us are mechanics, and we contract the major servicing work out to the local Toro dealership.” “We work exclusively with Toro machinery, because the land is undulating. It’s become clear over the years that the Toro machinery, well-built and able to cope with hills, is a good fit for the course.” “Also, with that ability to drive well comes an ability to cope with damp conditions and the heavy wild plant growth we have here. There isn’t much of the year when we’re closed, so we need both.”
It would seem that, for reasons which may well be complex, people who work for Monmouthshire GC tend not to leave in a hurry.
One factor in this, however, could be the location. The eastern edge of the Welsh valleys is sweeping and picturesque, and this is even more emphatic on the course than unmanaged land.
Left to right: David Winter, Matt Winfield, Neil Morris and Kyle Holmes 38 PC August/September 2018
Some of the holes are high and open to the valley winds, with mountain vistas looming above, whilst some are short, tucked away in low-hanging treelines, and feel rather more American than Welsh. It’s an exclusively parkland course: “It contains two variations of parkland. The front part is very flat, running around the river, and the back is undulating along a
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