Wentworth reconstructs West Course greens
Wentworth is to modernise all the greens on the West Course to a USGA standard, after the BMW PGA Championship in 2009 and before the 2010 Championship.
Following on from the modernisation and refinements under guidance of Ernie Els in 2006, Wentworth now has the opportunity to reconstruct and modernise all the greens on the West Course to a USGA specification replacing the current poa greens with colonial bent grass. This is the next stage of the journey that we started in 2006 so as to ensure the classic West Course remains an exceptional challenge to both today’s amateur and professional golfer.In making this announcement, Wentworth can provide the following quotations:“As soon as we had the opportunity we immediately went into consultation with our partners in the European Tour and experts in the industry to commence the project. By May 2010 we will have, in my opinion, the best greens in Great Britain. Professional golf tournaments have played a huge part in the history of Wentworth and with these changes we know we will be able to present a fitting test in the future whilst providing our members year-round access to one of the finest inland golf courses in the world.”“The BMW PGA Championship is deservedly recognised as the Players’ Flagship event on The European Tour International Schedule. We are proud that Wentworth Club and the classic West Course have been its home for each of the last 25 years. The project to seriously upgrade the greens reflects the commitment of Richard Caring to further build on the inspirational course changes suggested by Ernie Els and already implemented by Julian Small, Chris Kennedy and all the team at Wentworth Club. Now we look forward to The European Tour’s long and close partnership with Wentworth Club further developing the BMW PGA Championship and all our players being proud to compete in this prestigious event.”“When Richard Caring first gave us the green light to modernise and refine the West Course, I think it’s fair to say we all felt that constructing new greens was high on the menu, so to speak. In the end it came down to timing – you know, having the right window of opportunity to carry out these major works. Now we’ve got a chance to bring the greens up to the standard of the rest of the golf course - and by that, I mean world class. It’s exciting to be a part of these ongoing improvements to the West Course. Ever since I first started coming here, I’ve always felt this is one of the best golf courses in the world – now it’ll have some of the best greens, too.”“When embarking upon our sponsorship of the PGA Championship in 2005, we recognised the important role Wentworth Club played in the heritage of the tournament. In conjunction with our partners from the European Tour and Wentworth, our aim has been to consistently improve the quality and experience for all participants. Back in February 2006 Wentworth and Ernie Els completed the course refinements to enhance the bunkering and extend some of the holes on the West and we are delighted that, the Club has now taken the decision to modernise and upgrade the greens. We believe this clearly demonstrates their commitment to the future of the BMW PGA Championship.”“The West course has been and always will be very special to the members. The management have given a great deal of thought to this project. Overall I believe the members will see the wholesale upgrading of the greens as another illustration of Richard Caring's long-term commitment to the Club and a way of ensuring that it maintains the status as one of the finest golf & country clubs in the world.”“This is something we’ve wanted to do for some time and I’m very pleased that the opportunity has now arisen. We recognise that the Harry Colt greens constructed in 1926 do not perform as well as new USGA specification greens.Now that we have the chance to address the issue the objective is to produce a consistent surface of the highest quality on every green on the West Course. When embarking on this project we have worked together with top agronomists from the Sports Turf Research Institute and the European Tour. We chose colonial bent grass for the greens, not just for tournament play but for general play all year round. Working closely with Ernie Els we will also review each green so as to ensure that they become a fitting test for the modern day golfer whilst staying true to Harry Colt’s original vision. Whilst the course is closed we will also be carrying out further work on the fairways, tees, bunkers on the West so as to ensure we have taken every opportunity to improve all possible aspects.”“We always aim to have exceptional standards of quality here at Wentworth and the West Course is clearly one of our major assets. We’ve selected the time to do this work very carefully so as to ensure that we can hold the BMW PGA Championship here in 2009. We will then start the work, carrying it out at the right time of year so as to be as quick and efficient as possible and minimise disruption to our members.We aim to open the course solely for member and guest play in the latter part of 2009 and we are confident that we will be in a position to have the West Course greens in excellent condition for the 2010 BMW PGA Championship. During the period of closure we will not have any visitor or group play on any of our 3 courses so as to offer exclusive access to our members at all times.”
By: Paula Benn - GolfMonthly
R&A announces course changes at Turnberry 22nd April 2009 Preparation for the 2009 Open means Turnberry gets tweaked In advance of the 2009 Open Championship, Turnberry’s Ailsa Course has undergone a number of adjustments designed to ensure that, as one of Britain’s finest links, it continues to challenge modern professionals. The most extensive changes are on the 10th, 16th and 17th holes, though most have been enhanced in some way. “Today’s professionals are bigger, stronger, fitter, have more technology at their command, and it’s very important that we keep our great links courses relevant to the modern-day professional,” explained The R&A’s chief executive, Peter Dawson. “We’ve been doing that at every Open venue, with Turnberry having had a considerable number of changes since the 1994 Open Championship.” The 10th has been redesigned to bring the coastline into play and now requires at least a 200-yard carry over the rocks from a tee perched on an outcrop by the lighthouse. The fairway has been moved closer to the beach to tempt longer players to cut off more of the corner, and three new fairway bunkers force a decision to be made between safer tee-shot with a longer approach or a riskier, braver and more aggressive drive. Significant changes have also taken place at the 16th and 17th. The shape of the 16th has been radically altered and it now dog-legs right from a re-positioned tee around newly-created dunes and hollows. 45 yards have been added along with a new bunker on the left of the fairway. The bunker, which used to guard the left side of the old fairway, now protects the right edge of the new one. The realignment of the 16th has allowed a new back tee to be constructed on the 17th, extending the hole by 61 yards. A newly-constructed approach bunker, along with another to the front and left of the putting surface, adds difficulty to the second shot. Including those on the 10th and 16th, a total of 23 bunkers have been added on holes 1, 3, 5, 8, 14 and 18, with two removed at the 3rd and 14th, making players think more about their course management strategy. Though many Open Championship courses have upwards of 120 bunkers, Turnberry still only has 65, testament to the natural test that the landscape provides. New tees have also been introduced at holes 3, 5, 7, 8, 14, and 18, extending the course to 7204 yards, 247 yards or 3.5% longer than when The Open was last played at Turnberry in 1994. Click here to download a PDF of the changes from the Mackenzie & Ebert website (4Mb). The Open Championship takes place from 16-19 July 2009. From: GolfBusinessNews
This week we welcome Kyle Cruickshank to the Top 100 Clubhouse. Kyle's a fascinating individual who's worked all over the world from Royal Melbourne to Muirfield, and is now the course manager at the fantastic North Berwick. We discuss his career journey so far, the current renovations taking place at North Berwick, and his Top 5 Favourite Courses. Previous Episode - Don't Miss Out! In the previous episode of The Clubhouse, our CEO (Simon Holt) is in New Zealand for a golf trip. He checks in with Jim Rohrstaff, the managing director at Te Arai links, to chat about the incredible visitor experience, their favourite holes and much more. What Are The Top 100 Clubhouse Podcasts About? Top 100 Clubhouse is the ultimate podcast for golf enthusiasts! Join us as we delve deep into the minds of fascinating individuals from every corner of the golfing world. From players to course designers, caddies to golf historians, we'll leave no stone unturned in our quest to share unique insights and experiences with the Top100 Community. Together we'll explore the stunning courses and breathtaking landscapes, enjoying the unforgettable stories that bring the game of golf to life. How Do I Listen To The Latest Top 100 Clubhouse Podcast? You can download and listen on the following links. Listen now, wherever you download your podcast! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcast Podtail We Need Your Feedback? The Next Podcast Interview? Top 100 members can share their views on who should join the next Top 100 Clubhouse podcast show? If you have an idea who you would like to hear, why not drop our Top 100 Clubhouse host James Henderson an email on james@top100golfcourses.com Happy Listening!
The Links course upgrade at La Hacienda Alcaidesa Links Golf Resort nears completion It’s not often we get a chance to closely inspect a course that’s closed during serious renovation work – indeed the last time was probably with architect Martin Ebert when the Ailsa at Turnberry underwent a total makeover in 2015 – so we were pleased to be invited a few weeks ago to have a look at a nearly completed major refurbishment project overseen by American architect Kurtis Bowman atLa Hacienda Alcaidesa Links Golf Resortin San Roque. Before branching out on his own in 2016, Kurtis was twenty years with Nicklaus Design, where he worked mainly with senior architect Jim Lipe in the United States of America and Mexico on courses such as Mayacama in California, May River in South Carolina and Cabol del Sol on the Baja California peninsula. All told, he was involved in almost 50 courses while with the Golden Bear’s design company. In 2020, when Kurtis was on site in the Dominican Republic, he was introduced to Javier Illán, president of Millennium Hospitality, which owns La Hacienda Links Golf Resort, and they hit it off immediately. Javier’s company specializes in the luxury hotel sector in Spain and Portugal and its aim is to put the San Roque property on the map with a multi-million euro investment which will hopefully propel the resort into the realms of the top 36-hole destinations in southern Europe. Already, a new contemporary clubhouse and driving range have opened as part of the initial transformation. Plans are also in place to revitalise the Heathland course but for now the focus is on the Links, with local contractor Acttua given the task of translating Kurtis’s plans into reality on the ground. The firm has worked on similar major golf infrastructure projects in recent times at places like nearby Las Brisas, Real Sotogrande and Real Valderrama so it’s a company that’s well experienced in top-end golf construction. You just know the finished product is going to be something special – especially when there’s a substantial budget in place! We saw just how well Paco, Acttua’s man on the ground, interacted with Kurt as they showed us around the property and it’s obvious the success of the new Links layout is largely down to the close collaboration of designer and construction manager. The course is an early 1990s Peter Alliss/Clive Clarke co-design which originally started and finished alongside the beach but the initial opening and closing holes are now the 10th and 11th, with the first four holes now playing down to the coast and the last four holes rising back up to the clubhouse – that means holes 5 to 14 occupy a prime location overlooking the Playa Alcaidesa, next to the Punta Carbonera lighthouse. The main ground works were carried out between April and October last year, but there are still lots of little things to be done like lining water features and building small bridges. The grow in period has gone well generally but it’ll take a few months of continual summer heat to allow the fairway grasses to flourish. The TifEagle Bermuda greens – most of which allow a running approach – looked in great shape at the end of April and quite a number of bunkers were in the process of having new sand added following a Better Billy Bunker upgrade. The par five 5th hole (pictured above) is the “signature hole” on the layout, played from a high vantage point looking along the beach towards the Rock of Gibraltar, twelve kilometres away. On a clear day, you’ll also see the coast of Morocco in the distance. Quite a bit of earth was moved to soften the downhill slope of the fairway which then crosses a creek before turning slightly left to a new putting surface that’s been pushed back towards the coastline, forming a double green with the par four 13th. As Kurtis says, “this green is now incredibly dramatic and will be sure to get people talking and burn a hole in golfers’ memories.” Hole 7 (pictured above), hole 8 and hole 9 (pictured below) cross back and forwards over another intimidating barranca, with the last of these holes improved immeasurably from its previous incarnation. It was the architect’s least favourite and perhaps weakest hole on the layout so he shifted a lot of soil to drastically improve it, cutting on the right and filling on the left, along with moving the green further to the left in the process. Now, when compared to a photograph taken before the work was carried out, it’s an infinitely better hole visually. The par three 12th also plays across the same water course, forming an impressive cluster of adjacent holes which get maximum value from this aquatic feature. There are plenty of other interesting putting surface-related features to note on the new layout, including the really funky, wildly contoured green on the short par four 4th; the lovely benched green on the right doglegging, uphill par four 14th; and the enormous boomerang-shaped green on the home hole, with a huge bunker at the front separating alternative pin placement areas. It’s certainly a talking point as you head for the clubhouse but it might not be the only thing you’ll want to discuss over a refreshment or two – such as the World War II concrete pillbox located close to the clubhouse behind the 1st tee! The last words belong to architect Kurt Bowman as he pretty much sums up how we felt after visiting the reimagined Links course at La Hacienda Links Golf Resort : “There are lots of great golf courses in the Costa del Sol. One thing it was missing was a great oceanfront links golf course. Now this has been added to the mix – along with the five-star hotel, real estate, clubhouse, practice facilities, beach club and halfway house – and elevated the entire development. As great as the other venues nearby are, none of them are set in a location even close to La Hacienda… the Alcaidesa Links will definitely be in the conversation for one of the best courses in Spain and added to the list of must-plays for players touring the Costa del Sol.” Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
