GOLF


H


art Common Golf Course is situated in Westhoughton, Bolton and is privately-owned by Peter Roberts. Since it was first opened in 1995 as an 18-hole


venue, it has been developed into a 27-hole complex with an 18-hole, par 72 6307 yards parkland course, a nine-hole 694 yards Academy course, three full-sized practice holes and a fully covered twenty-six bay floodlit driving range.


Hart Common is the first club I joined as a fifteen-year-old, along with my dad and my uncle, as it was a short drive from where I lived with my parents. I have watched this course develop over the years and have always been impressed with the amount of thought and work that Peter and his family have put into improving it year on year. This shows, as they are now in the top ten best courses to play under £20 on the Golfshake. com website.


On a cold and very foggy day, I met up


with Course Manager Richard Roberts, who is also Peter’s son. I have known Richard for several years now. We first met when I worked in sales and, over time, we have grown to become good friends through a shared love of the industry.


Richard and Peter are always looking at new ways to improve the course, whether that be investment in machinery or testing new products on the market. To help sustain this investment, they have always looked at other ways of bringing money into the club so that they don’t depend solely on green fees.


One such method is outside contracting work around the Greater Manchester area, which Richard is responsible for. He does most of the work himself around the daily management of the golf course. “Over time, we have just diversified into other things. Instead of hiring machinery, we have always bought it. We like to carry out our own verti- draining which some people get a contractor


in to do a few times a year on their greens, tees and fairways. We now have the equipment to do this ourselves and, at the same time, we are doing other people’s. This helps pay for the machinery but, additionally, gives us the flexibility to not have to depend on contractors being available.” In the early days, Richard started out by offering to help with the playing surfaces at local sports clubs who he’d played for in the past, or where friends were involved with them, and it has grown from there. “Once clubs know there’s someone who understands their needs and budgets and can tailor work to give them the best value for their money, they soon come to trust and rely on what we offer them.” Over time, the demand for Richard’s services has grown and, subsequently, they have acquired quite a bit of specialist kit. This enables them to cover virtually all sports surfaces, both natural and artificial, from local bowling greens up to stadium


PC April/May 2019


25


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