Posted:

Dec

20

2017

New features for the New Course

Last month saw our greenkeeping team undertake the main construction project in this year’s busy winter maintenance programme. Following on from last year where we screened the TV compound from view on holes 15 and 16 on the Jubilee Course (read our blog on this here), we turned our attention to the compound’s border on 15 of the New Course.

When the TV compound was created three years ago to accommodate the 2015 Open Championship and future events, the area became clearly visible when playing the 14th and 15th holes on the New. It’s very prominent on the 15th tee as you can see from the picture below.

The main stages in creating a more aesthetically pleasing view from the 15th tee were:

  • Developing three open sand/wetland areas on the course which provided us with natural links dune sand for the next stage of construction.
  • Use of the sand to shape the dunes designed to block the TV compound from view.

Golf course construction specialists, SOL Golf, were to carry out the project alongside our greenkeeping team, both following detailed plans designed by golf course architect, Martin Ebert.

Initially, some of the turf in the marked area of construction was lifted and transported to the storage area (below) to be reused on the completed dunes.

The excavation and creation of open sand/wetland areas provided a huge quantity of good sand required to create the new dunes; also an important aspect of ensuring the correct vegetation grows.


The new dunes being expertly shaped and finished off by replacing the turf blocks

Below are the two new open sand/wetland areas created between the 7th and 14th holes on the New Course. This is our second year of creating these types of areas here at the Links. These exposed features not only assist with the management of our gorse population, but are ecologically beneficial and add diversity to the available habitats on the Links.


New open sand area created on the right hand side of 4 on the New Course


The finished dunes alongside 15 on the New Course

The newly completed dunes look very natural and as well as screening all views of the TV compound it adds character and individuality to the holes they border.

We hope you enjoy these features when next playing the New and Jubilee courses and from all of us at the greenkeeping department here at the Links, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Golfing New Year!

Words by Gavin Neill, Deputy Course Manager – New and Jubilee courses

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