GOLF


manage it. By the end of that night, we had shaken hands, and that was the deal done. The next day, it was officially confirmed and I handed my notice in at Brancepeth.” “We started work on the Prince Bishop course in 1994. I was responsible for the whole project from choosing the architect - Jonathan Gaunt at Gaunt Golf Design - the contracting team which included two project managers, Ian Martin was responsible for the construction/build and Bob Hornegold for the finishing works. Then Craig and I, along with our previous head greenkeeper Harry Lees, worked with them through construction to the final prep of the course.”


I asked Craig when he first joined up with Roger. “I was encouraged into the job by Roger and started at Brancepeth in 1988 as an apprentice, eventually working my way up to assistant greenkeeper. After six years, I left to join Roger at Ramside as Deputy Head greenkeeper in the first year of construction. I was initially involved in doing a lot of ‘muck shifting’. As soon as we started seeding and the grass began to germinate, I switched over to the growing-in phase, essentially going back to being a greenkeeper. I was


promoted to Head Greenkeeper four years ago when Harry retired.”


Construction of all twenty-seven- holes, each with USGA spec greens, was completed in an astonishing six months. Roger explains to me how this was possible. “We had the perfect summer, except for getting washed out once in August where we had to recultivate and overseed. To take advantage of the conditions, we were all working thirteen-hour days, seven days a week. That said, it went like clockwork; it felt quite easy building that course, compared to the new eighteen-hole Cathedral course.” “Craig will remember the fairway and semi- rough from tee to green on the nineteenth hole, which was a par three and was the last thing to be finished off. The project manager said we would have to come back and finish that in the spring. I was adamant the course was going to be finished, so I got a local farmer in with a Suzuki jeep with a Vicon spreader attached to it. Craig and I stood at either end of the fairway with flags and, with his one headlight turned on, we managed to get the seeding done so that night we were finished. The next day, it tanked it down and


I was potentially looking for a development to get stuck into and suggested that I


could build his golf course and stay on and manage it


30


PC April/May 2020


“


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