Course Audit

The background

Every decade the Committee has commissioned a noted golf architect to conduct a survey of the course and make recommendations for improvement or simply preservation. In 1999, Donald Steel made a number of recommendations, notably the removal of trees which were encroaching on the growth of heather and grass. Several of his more ambitious proposals, including changes to the 5th, 14th and 15th, were not adopted.

The 2005/6 Committee, captained by Gordon Musk, invited Tom Mackenzie of the firm of international golf architects Mackenzie and Ebert, to conduct an audit of the course.

Mackenzie’s first job after taking a degree in Landscape Architecture, was working for Donald Steel. He is a former university golfer with a category one handicap. He caddied for a full season on the European Tour, including in the Open Championship at St. Andrews. He worked as a greenkeeper at Royal Dornoch and has served as Committee Member and Chairman of the Green Committee at a previous club. He plays at West Sussex and Royal Dornoch and is a member of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects.

The firm is currently advising Turnberry and Royal St. George’s, Royal Copenhagen, Noordwijk in Holland, Royal Burgess, Musselburgh Old Course, Fairhaven and in Ireland Tralee, County Louth, Royal Portrush and Killarney. It has new projects underway in England, Ireland, Grenada, Portugal and Brazil. No shortage of experience ……

Mackenzie reported back to the Committee before the AGM in November last year, setting out an ambitious portfolio of proposals which are set out in an illustrated folder available for inspection in the foyer of the Clubhouse. This year’s Captain, Keith Maplesden, invited new Committee member Ralph Carver both to chair the Green Committee and to set up a special Sub-Committee to examine the Mackenzie proposals and to consult with the membership.

The consultation

In January, members were invited to study the Mackenzie proposals and submit their views to Ralph Carver’s Audit Sub-Committee. Ralph reports here on the reactions, particularly to the more ambitious proposals.

View of 8th from 7th green	11th green

There are few enthusiasts for combining the 7th and 8th, particularly if this means creating a new short 5th over the road which would result in three short holes in the first five, all of them odds.

Opinion was more evenly divided, but there was still a majority against, combining the 10th and 11th. This would be hard to sell to members who accept that the 10th is a poor hole but rate the 11th very highly.

Making the 15th into a short hole with a new dog-leg at the top of the hill intrigued many of you and is the most acceptable of the major proposals made by Mackenzie. However, we would then need to lose a hole somewhere and it could be considered change for change’s sake.

We need a slight lengthening of the men’s card to get our SSS to 70. We need some tiger tees to create extra challenge for the Pearson Trophy, the Club Championship, County events &c This would make us more attractive for low handicappers whilst remaining a members’ course with no intention of becoming a championship course.

We need to tighten the course in places, particularly where good players have no difficulty in carrying the hazards. We are satisfied with the challenge the course presents to the ladies.

The Sub-Committee decided to recommend changes to some holes that could be implemented over the next 3-5 years and would raise the SSS to 70. This was without prejudice to any of the more ambitious proposals in the Mackenzie Course Design Audit.

Recommendations

The Audit Sub-Committee has examined a number of the Mackenzie proposals and discussed them with the Committee. The favoured recommendations are:

Creating tiger tees on the 4th, 12th and 18th, for use at major events including the Pearson Trophy and the Club Championship.

Creating a new tee back to the left of the 6th to make this hole a par 5 of some 515yds.

A number of fine adjustments to tee positions and size on 1st, 5th (south of Forest Mere drive), 10th (naturalising the tee), 11th (lengthen tee by 10 yards), 13th (possible re-alignment), 17th (one big central tee).

Other adjustments to greens and fairways including 8th (new men’s tee on left of 7th green, tighten heather on left of fairway, extend green back to include pin placements in hollow), 9th (tidy up trees by boggy ditch) 12th (tidy woodland behind green), 13th (possible removal of copse providing direct line to green), 16th (introduce trolley path through quarry), 18th (re-shape front of green to allow pin positions, possible trolley path through woods).

Next steps

The Audit Sub-Committee has now completed its work and its work is now the responsibility of the Green Committee. Hopefully, it will by now be clear that the General Committee is proceeding cautiously on three fronts. In terms of the possible changes to be made, they have first to be costed and carefully planned against the available work force; so that disruption to players is minimised; it would be spread across a number of years. Then the members will be provided with the full facts and figures. Finally, any work to be done has to be balanced against the money set aside in the Five Year Plan.