GOLF Course history
The current clubhouse is on the site of a former castle which was built in the early 1700s. There is still speculation that, a Wenvoe Castle known to exist in the mid-1500s, was its predecessor and reputed to have been burned down by Owain Glyndwr, a potent Welsh nationalist who led the rebellion against the occupying English forces at that time. The buildings and land forming the golf course were owned by the Thomas family who accumulated wealth and significant influence as they gradually passed from affluence to extravagance fuelled by a desire to be both Members of Parliament and landscapers on a grand scale. It is possible that, at that time, the early seeds of a golf course were beginning to emerge with records showing the area of the front nine holes was known as ‘The Gathers’ and the back nine aptly called ‘The Lawns’.
it this year, with a turf hardener leading up to winter, but it’s something I need to speak to Ray more about. At the moment, it’s just a matter of switching the greens every morning.” With more and more
fungicides being removed from the market, Lucy would like to incorporate more bent grasses into the greens. “The greens are 60% bent, 30% poa annua and the other 10% is a bit of everything. You can just see the poa knocking off now and I just think it would be good to fill those gaps a little bit more, especially with the way it’s going with pesticides. We are going to have to get a bit more
protection through species rather than relying on chemicals.”
Lucy is currently using up a stockpile of fertiliser that she inherited from the previous head greenkeeper and, once this has been used, she will look to put a fertiliser programme together. “I have just bought a winter tonic of SeaAction Liquid Seaweed and Turf Hardener for the greens and I’m just waiting for a spray window. In the next month or two, I will sit down and look at the brochures in the office to see what the best options are available before making my decisions based around price, products, reliability and
The Thomas family eventually paid the price for their extravagant lifestyle and, in 1774, were forced to sell land and property and Wenvoe Castle passed into the hands of Peter Birt who made his personal fortune from coal and canals in Yorkshire. Mr Birt immediately set about dismantling the buildings on the site, rebuilding in its place a mansion house with castellated battlements with the front of the new ‘castle’ measuring some 374 feet long. This was the only mansion house built in Wales that was designed by Robert Adams. The Birt family married into the Jenner family, who later became involved in the creation of the golf course.
However, in 1910 there was a severe fire which destroyed almost all of the Birt-built Wenvoe Castle, with only the East Pavilion, the Stables and Archway Tower remaining intact. These remaining buildings are still enough to provide the elegance and grace of a Country Mansion House and enjoy protection as a Grade II Listed Building.
The buildings took on a new lease of life as a clubhouse when the golf course was opened in July 1936 by the Rev. Hugh Jenner, the club’s first president and benefactor over many years.
The outbreak of World War II had a dramatic effect on the golf course. The top floor of the clubhouse was requisitioned, and the back nine holes were ploughed up and commanded to produce cereals. By early 1941, club meetings were cancelled because of air raids and blackouts and this fear was not without justification as bombs actually fell on the fifth fairway causing considerable damage. After the war, it took some considerable time to regain the land for golfing purposes, and it was not until 1956 that the full 18 holes finally came back into play and, by 1958, a water supply had been installed to every green.
Over the years, improvements to the course have been carefully planned and implemented. A demanding layout has been developed through the planting of significant numbers of trees, particularly on the back nine holes. Additional bunkers were strategically placed to supplement the natural hazards such as the lakes. The result demands good course management by the player and a stern but fair and enjoyable test of golf. Adjustment of the tees has enabled the length of the course to be maximised, and the course has now been extended to championship standard of 6544 yards from the back tees.
Tree carving from 1944 PC February/March 2019 25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
