Welcome E
aster weekend 2009, and Staffordshire Golfer Staff embarked on a county-wide jaunt to deliver to as many courses as possible the first edition of this magazine. It was a proud moment for all of us especially as the release led to a series of very pleasant surprises.
Editor:
Phil Nicholas “That sunny easter Saturday we were often left in near speechless awe by the quality that is on offer in Staffordshire”
Firstly, we always knew our county had many fine-looking courses, but just looking at web-sites didn’t do them enough justice. That sunny Easter Saturday we were often left in near speechless awe by the quality that is on offer in Staffordshire, I won’t mention any names but we can’t wait to play them all! The reaction to the first edition exceeded our expectations too, some clubs ran out of magazines, competition entries were huge, word of mouth spread outside of the county so quickly that we were able to do our first Holiday review section in North Wales one month ahead of schedule.
Most surprising perhaps though was the effect it had on our golf games. When we were in the magazine planning stage we did wonder how our games would stand up to the extra scrutiny that being the golf reviewers in town would inevitably lead to. There was no doubt that the quality of courses to be played and the high expectations of us caused a bit of initial consternation but we did OK in the end, as we all know , self-confidence goes a long way in this game. This month also sees the launch of our website, Staffordshiregolf.co.uk, more room for reviews, news and feedback and all things golf in the county and beyond. So with lots of reviews, news, instruction and opinions , we hope you enjoy reading issue 2, please don’t hesitate in giving us your news and views and have a successful golfing June.
Jane Stubbs
Business Development Director jane@staffordshiregolfer.co.uk
Phillip Nicholas
Managing Editor editor@staffordshiregolfer.co.uk
Alexander Baras
Art Director design@staffordshiregolfer.co.uk
Bill Eagles
Competition and Marketing manager competitions@staffordshiregolfer.co.uk
Staffordshire Golfer St James House Webberley Lane Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire ST3 1RJ t:01782597000
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June-July • 2009
Welcome
Wakey`s World
Simon Wakefield 35, hails from Newcastle-Under-Lyme and has been a regular member of the full European tour for 10 years. In this column we ask Simon a few questions and find out about this season so far.
Staffs Golfer: So Simon what has been the highlight of your career so far? Simon: “Finishing second to Ernie Els at the China Open 2005, but especially the Open at Birkdale last year, finishing tied 19th and shooting a best of the day 70 in wet and wild conditions on the Saturday” SG: What is your favourite tournament venue? Simon: “Loch Lomond, home of the Scottish Open, not only a great course and stunning venue but it also gives me a chance to indulge in my favourite hobby, flying aeroplanes.” SG: Who would be your ideal playing partners? Simon: “Currently it would be friends like Ian Pyman and Chris Wood but if i had to pick from an all-time list it would have to be Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus, that would be very special” SG: Where is your favourite tour destination? Simon: “Australia, the Middle East but best of all i think would be Dubai for the fantastic hospitality” SG: One for our readers, what’s your favourite Staffordshire course? Simon: “I haven’t played all of them but out of the ones i have i’d say Whittington (Lichfield), Calderfields (Walsall) and Beau Desert (Cannock)”. SG: So tell us about your season so far and what awaits you in the coming months Simon: “A busy month on tour coming up but a time of year i really enjoy as we are in the middle of a spell of home tournaments. There’s nothing like understanding the lingo and the cooking and being closer to home, from Wentworth via the London Club to Celtic Manor for the Welsh Open, one of my favourite venues, the hospitality there is amongst the best around. Hopefully these events will spark an upturn in my form, its been a disappointing season so far although there’s time to put things right. After a chat with my manager Chubby Chandler we felt change was needed so i have a new coach, Jamie Gough, early days yet but the fresh impetus and new ideas seem to be paying off, we’ve worked on a couple of weak points at the top of my backswing, sometimes its just the little tweaks that make all the difference. Hopefully it will all come together in time for the 36 holes at Sunningdale on June 8th for Open Qualifying. Its one of my favourite venues and especially after Birkdale last year i’m itching to get another chance to play in the best championship in the world in July. So next issue, fingers crossed i can be writing all about my preparations for Turnberry 2009, i hope you all have a successful golfing June”. www. simonwakefield@hotmail.com
Staffordshire Golfer
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THE PRO of the Month DARTMOUTH BOWL The Dartmouth Bowl is one of the longest running competitions in club golf. Held yearly on a home and away basis between two of our most prestigious clubs, South Staffs and Brocton Hall. The event dates back to 1894 when The Earl of Dartmouth who was president of both clubs presented the Bowl as a trophy to the first winner of a tournament which for its early years of existence was an individual medal competition. In 1938 the format was changed to a club team match played off handicap and featuring as many players as possible from each location. This years bowl, held early May contained 40 players from each club and as is often the case, home advantage was crucial, South Staffs recording a comfortable victory.
Nevil Bland, Head Professional at Brocton Hall Golf Club is not just your average run-of-the-mill club pro. Not only does he perform the normal duties, lessons, tips and advice etc but has developed his own workshop above the club shop that offers an all round club making and fitting service. Complete with a Vector and a launch pro machine, Nevil is able to go into minute detail to judge and advise his customers
on their equipment , suggest alternatives and custom fit onsite. He was recently voted in the top 100 golf club makers in the world. Nevil also looks after Brocton’s members by writing a weekly news-letter about club matters, and somehow finds the time to play a bit of Midlands tour golf too! A well deserving first Staffordshire Golfer, ‘Pro of the Month’.
If there is a highly regarded professional at your club you feel is deserving of the status ‘Pro of the Month’ please nominate him/her by emailing editor@staffordshiregolfer.co.uk .
COMPETITION WINNERS Our first competition winners securing themselves a trip to play and stay at Celtic Manor are Val and Colin Shaw from Endon near Stoke-on-Trent. Both members at Westwood GC they also enjoy a fair few short golfing breaks so this trip to a location they’ve visited before but never played came as a very pleasant surprise. Val is pictured here receiving her prize from news and competition editor Bill (Happy Billmore) Eagles.
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June-July • 2009
news
PGA Raise the Temperature at The Invitational T
he Invitational at The South Staffordshire Golf Club has become the richest Order of Merit event on the PGA Midland region calendar after securing ambitious new sponsors Plumbing Trade Supplies. The tournament, won last year by PGA Midland captain Paul Wesselingh, has received a massive boost which will provide a £17,000 prize fund which is likely to draw the very best competitors from throughout the region. And, the event will be screened on Sky television further raising the profile of an already significant tournament. The deal was announced on 9th February by PTS Managing Director Alan Ball and Jon Sewell, the PGA Midland secretary, at a cold and wintry South Staffordshire. Mr Ball, himself a keen golfer, said: “The golfing fraternity is very strong within the plumbing industry and we thought it would be good to put something back into the game. “This is not necessarily about raising our profile, although, from a regional point of view, it makes a lot of sense because we are based in the Midlands. “But we want to help raise the profile of the pros and the club - hence the TV cameras. It is good to support sport in this way.”
ROBERT ROCK Staffordshire Golfer
be joined by a host of other pros including former Ryder Cup players Peter Baker and David Gilford, and others with experience of the Tour such as Paul Streeter, Mathew Morris, Brian Rimmer, Darren Prosser and Cameron Clark – runner up in 2008 Order of Merit and vice-captain of the region this year.
The PTS Invitational will unfold over three days in June and will include three rounds - two pro-am rounds and the final coming after a cut to just 30 players. There will also be a corporate event for guests of PTS. Jon Sewell said: “We are grateful to PTS for the superb sponsorship they have offered. It makes it one of the most significant tournaments for Midland pros across the regions and we expect a very strong field. “This sort of tournament is just what the region needs and it takes us to a new level.” PTS, part of the BSS Group based in Leicestershire, already sponsors South Staffordshire pro Steve Carter, who finished three shots off the lead behind veteran Wesselingh, of Kedleston Park, and Simon Lilly, of Kettering, who went on to win the Order of Merit title. All three are sure to be among those pushing for honours again and they will The recent Irish Open, played in true windswept links conditions at Baltray GC made all the headlines thanks to amateur local winner Shane Lowry. But it was the achievements of the runner-up that had Staffordshire Golfer buzzing. Fresh from a second place finish in the Italian Open 32 yr old Robert Rock made it two on the trot, agonisingly missing out in a playoff in Ireland in front of a partisan home
“It just seemed a natural progression to increase our involvement in the game. In the past we had sponsored Pro-Ams but this is an exciting new departure for us,” added Mr Ball who plays his golf at Olton GC and Loch Lomond. It is the fourth time South Staffs has hosted this prestigious tournament and officials at the club anticipate a large field of talented golfers. Previous scores have suggested the track offers a stern test of golf and they are confident that the course will continue to provide the players with a stiff challenge. Peter Baker, the former Ryder Cup star and Ian Woosnam’s victorious vice-captain in 2006, is director of golf at South Staffs and he and club vice-captain Phil Jennings are looking forward to seeing some outstanding golf on their own track. “We have been established for a long time as a venue for Order of Merit events but this really puts us on the map,” said Jennings. “It is a fantastic opportunity for the players, the club, sponsors and spectators.” crowd. Nevertheless Robert’s efforts in the two week period banked him a healthy 596,000 euros, a figure boosted by Lowry’s amateur status which meant our man banked the winner’s cheque! At the time of going to press Robert sits a proud 7th in The European Tour Race to Dubai and surely a first European tour win can’t be far away.
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Old English
Ingestre Park, once home to the Earl of Shrewsbury occupies an enviable spot right in the heart of Staffordshire countryside six miles outside the capital. It has an English splendour type feel to it as you drive up to the club and catch a glimpse of the old hall between tall conifers and oak trees. The golf club is privately run by its members, very self-contained and professional, no stone seems to be left unturned in its quest to maintain club and courses high standards. Visitors are made to feel very welcome but do require handicap certificates.
Charm Ingestre Park Golf Club 8
June-July • 2009
Ingestre Park Golf CLUB Review Ingestre Golf club has only resided on its current site for 35 years but the course itself already has a mature look about it and is a highly attractive looking one, nicely designed, scenic and the lush fairways are complimented by a resident team of pheasants meandering around the course pecking away obliviously while we pitch away around them. On the face of it Ingestre seems to be a generous course. Although of a decent length there are not many water hazards, bunkers are rarely too steep and the greens are superbly maintained and true-running. However, ingenious course design has ensured some testing defences nonetheless which will prove to be thought provoking and challenge any golfer to produce his/her best here. Notable examples are the elevated greens that feature throughout the heart of the course. Correct club selection becomes vital; missing these greens in two can lead to bogeys. Ingestre also boasts many trees, the well established towering oaks and pines present here for hundreds of years have been joined more recently by all sorts of different saplings, conifers and bushes while which altogether paint a very pretty picture obviously demand a high level of accuracy if they are to remain things of beauty rather than hazards to park your ball behind. Especially true on the 5th, 16th and 17th holes that feature sloping fairways towards the trees that will ask questions on whether to use driver or not. So to summarise, due to its undulating and tree-lined fairways, elevated greens and out-of-bounds on the right side threatening a number of holes Ingestre may be a very pleasurable place to play your golf but it does demand skill and correct tee-shot placement. Hard to pick out a favourite hole yet the 18th edges it for us. A long 500yd, par 5, it’s a straight ahead tree lined path back to the clubhouse, straight hitting will lead to a birdie opportunity on a fine green underneath the watching gazes of the members sitting on the balcony.
Staffordshire Golfer
5 Facts you may not know about Ingestre 1. The club has only resided at Ingestre since 1978, but its roots stretch back as far as the early 20th century when it was known as Kingston Hill Golf Club in central Stafford. 2. Club Pro Danny Scullion joined the club as a 14 year old at Kingston Hill in 1967, moved with the club to Ingestre, became pro in 1978 and is still there now. 3. Staffordshire tour pro, Robert Rock and ex Ladies PGA tour player, Suzanne Strudwick both learnt their golf at Ingestre. 4. Nearby St. Marys Church is a Sir Christopher Wren inspired design, circa 1676. 5. Ingestre’s independent status was assured in 1991 when members took advantage of the then economic downturn and bought the club for a mere £200,000!
Facilities Ingestre is certainly one of the finer clubs to spend a bit of extra time at. A well stocked pro-shop is situated by its large practice ground and by the side of the clubhouse there is a seriously large and undulating putting green which is well worth 15 minutes of your time. Locker rooms are modern and recently updated. Upstairs the club room is impressively grand and more than big enough to host large functions. Food and drink are of high quality and with Ingestre’s busy social calendar it’s a must visit 19th hole
location at the end of your round. The club offers 5 and 7 day membership as well as society and corporate golf days. In our opinion this isn’t one of those places you just turn up play and go home again, the course is impressive enough, but Ingestre has much more to it than that. The care and attention spent on all parts of this club by its members coupled with its fine surroundings make it a relaxing visitor experience at a true English gem.
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Spotlight W
e have been searching the county for top class golf facilities, a sign that Staffordshire was doing the right things to take the game forward. Suddenly our search brought us to one of our favourite courses, St Thomas Priory Golf Club, but this time not for the club house or the course. This is the home of the BODY matters golf training academy and the training centre of the European golf performance institute (EGPI). Now we are all aware that golf has changed dramatically over the last fifteen years and with the emergence of a new era of professionals on tour who work on so much more than hitting balls on the range, it is now a must for any golf enthusiast to consider their physical and mental side of the game to be just as important as the ball striking part.
ON
The EGPI are leaders in providing training courses, player assessment and development programmes that are available to professionals, golfers at all levels and others interested in golf education and training. The team are by far and away the best we have come across and have worked with leading golfers all over the world turning them into European tour winners, Ryder cup players and Walker cup players as well as working with stars of the future on the Euro Pro and challenge tours. Now at this point I know what you may well be thinking, it’s all set up for the pros! Wrong! The team have worked with high handicappers and beginners and have had some outstanding results. With all these fantastic facilities and the experience of the team this really is the place to be if you want to improve your game. Over the coming months we will be looking at the academy and putting it to the test so watch this space to see what results they produce. If you are interested or want to know more about EGPI or BODY matters contact them on 01889 580000 or log on to www.egpi.eu.
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June-July • 2009
Body matters
The BODY matters golf academy offers the most forward thinking establishment in the UK with facilities that include:
• Practise range with short game and putting areas • Fully equipped exercise and conditioning suite • Treatment rooms • Indoor golf development area with video analysis • Indoor scientific putting lab • Launch monitor and club fitting department • Balance technology with centre of gravity analysis • Psychology consultation room Staffordshire Golfer
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Harry Vardons Hidden Treasure Harry Vardon is possibly Britain’s most successful turn of the 20th century golfer, Winner of six British Opens and one US Open amongst other tournament successes, his achievements in the game are legendary. Later in life, Vardon turned his hand to course design and counts Hexham, Little Aston and Abersoch among his more wellknown creations, yet hidden in the heart of our county is a lesser known gem of his, Brocton Hall, featuring a grade-one listed building as a clubhouse and true traditional English splendour and values throughout. The club started life in 1894 as the Staffordshire Golf Club, based in Stafford, became the Cannock Chase Club in 1899 and moved to its present location in 1923 when the then committee purchased the hall and estate. According to the history books, Vardon didn’t do too much to the land around Brocton Hall when designing the course. The natural terrain, undulations and surroundings were deemed ideal and allowed him to simply sculpture the course around the impressive estate.
Course Golfers can easily be misled when viewing the scorecard for the first time, at only just over 6000 yards off the back tees it’s not one of the longer Staffordshire lay-outs and with not even one par 5 on the card you may be forgiven for thinking you’ve in for a comfortable time. However, it’s not long before realising that Brocton possesses some formidable defences, easy looking tee shots are frequently compromised by the elements, with raised tees catching stiff breezes in all directions. The course will tempt the longer hitter with some driveable looking par 4s but danger lurks all around to entrap a wayward shot or two.
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June-July • 2009
Brocton hall Golf Club Review The natural contours and undulations of the course are used to full effect. Many greens and landing areas are raised and some slope away to find undeserved hazards, bunkers are plentiful yet perfectly placed and contoured thus enhancing the glorious look to the course. From beginning to end it is the sheer beauty of Brocton that really stands out. Every hole is scenic at worst, spectacular at best, gravelled pathways between tees and artistically mowed green approaches add to the appeal. However, among all the impressive sights on offer one hole truly stands out, the ninth hole, 180 yards, par 3, presents such a daunting sight from the tee that the first reaction of many less than confident players may well be to reach deep into the bag for their worst ball. Brocton’s fishing lake dominates the left hand side and an attractive but deadly brook runs all the way around front and right side. With bushes, reeds and bunkers as added hazards there’s no hiding place apart from the green which is predictably shaped to run a fast running ball towards a watery grave. A bit of a breeze on the tee and this is as hard as it gets but a more stunning looking par 3 we have yet to find in Staffordshire.
Facilities Perfectly manicured lawns and water features add to the look of the drive up to the hall/clubhouse at Brocton. Imperious throughout, this historic building’s rooms make a grand setting for after round drinks and meals. The downstairs locker rooms have had a recent face lift and are very impressive. There is a practice putting green outside the hall and a chipping area in its own walled off area by the old courtyard. The club is a regular match host, members travel far and wide to take on other clubs and there is a healthy social side to proceedings too including “Fun and Food Fridays”, a popular husband and wife pair’s event. Brocton Hall’s members are a tight knit bunch, subscriptions and membership are pricey, which reflects the high standards of ther course. The members are rightly proud of their course and club However, even places like this aren’t immune from the current climate and Brocton is looking at ways of opening its exclusive doors just a little wider to increase revenue. It’s proud traditions and history need to be preserved as well as it’s future being secured, we wish Harry Vardon’s hidden gem luck for it is not just a fabulous place to play golf but a piece of old English Heritage that has to be admired in this day and age.
Staffordshire Golfer
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Staffordshire’s Best Kept
Secret
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June-July • 2009
Manor Golf Club Review
T
he headline to this review is no understatement. In amongst woods, country lanes and hidden away between miles of rolling farmland sits the Manor Golf Club, maybe a little tricky to find it, but a pleasure it proved to visit and play it. On the rural outskirts of Uttoxeter the Manor (also known as Kingstone) is a fairly new club, ex-farmland, originally designed as a nine-holer in 1991 and extended to 18 three years later. Further changes since, have improved the course and lengthened it to a challenging 6206 yards. A decent sized chunk of that is made up by two monster 570yd par 5s that may look menacing on your scorecard but in reality are just mouthwatering grip-it-and-rip-it affairs, nice wide fairways to encourage a full swing with your favourite club. In fact the Manor is a club that may ask some questions about your driver and your confidence with it. Low handicappers will relish the opportunity to take on 5 of its par fours, all which are short enough to be driveable but will need skill and nerve in abundance, and two especially, 8 and 14, both dog legs will also demand a good fader of a ball. Overdo it and the River Blythe will catch you out, classic risk and reward, these holes provide an exciting challenge and if played right can provide some good birdie opportunities. The river winds it way attractively around the courses heart making it vital to get approach shots correct, some greens feature banks at the back that slope away to a watery grave for overhit shots, there’s the odd hidden sand trap around and some penal patches of rough also. Our favourite hole would have to be the aforementioned 14th. A raised tee looks towards a very narrow fairway with river left and trees to the right. At only 290 yards it may be worth having a dash at but you’ll need to be a good fader and precise in the extreme to gain success, the Blythe runs all the way around this hole. The green has bushes to the left and bunkers right, whichever way you play it accuracy is crucial if a birdie possibility is to be created. The Par Threes here look promising too for some good scoring but despite their lack of length they do feature some hazardous places you’d be well advised to avoid. The undulations on the course mean some of these may well be hidden away from view off the tees, notably at the very short 16th, downhill all the way from the tee it’s a mouthwateringly easy looking tee shot but trouble is inevitable for a wrong club selection. The greens here are consistently good, smooth, even running and very well looked after; putting from the fringes is also advised although there are some tricky contours out there in places. So to sum up I guess it is fair to say the Manor has a bit of everything, big driving holes, cute small ones and some real brain and skill testers, ones that will leave you beaming with pride, cursing your luck or maybe your bad shot selection. It’s a thinking golfer’s course, one that we relished and thoroughly enjoyed the longer our round went on. Fairly undulating in places yet never too lung-bursting and always picturesque especially its middle part. The course has a putting green and practice ground, the clubhouse is nicely set up, extremely friendly and societies are warmly welcomed. The Manor also operates both 2-fore-1 and Greenfree 2 for 1 voucher schemes making a visitor round in the summer time incredible value in our opinion at just £10.50 per round with voucher. It is only the remote location that possibly prevents the club from being higher profile than it is. The nice atmosphere and courses mixture of promise and devilment make the Manor a destination richly deserving of a visit from golfers of all handicaps, we hope that more players do find their way to this neck of the woods, and Staffordshire’s best kept secret won’t be for much longer.
Staffordshire Golfer
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Westwood Golf Club is situated on a prime bit of land on the outskirts of the moorlands market town of Leek, expertly designed to make the most of its natural surroundings, the River Churnet meanders through its heart and the Staffordshire way marks its western borders.
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June-July • 2009
Westwood Golf Club Review The club was formed in 1899 and until the late 1980s was just 9 holes, the last 20 years however has seen another 9 added and recent improvements to the clubhouse and pro shop give Westwood a modern and impressive look enhanced by some attractive landscape gardening.
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ractice facilities are on hand close to the 1st tee, PGA professional Greg Rogula teaches on site and holds Young Masters Golf courses at the weekends for the juniors. Westwood caters for societies, welcomes visitors and is a green fee 2-for-1 voucher venue.
the spectacular views of Leek and the moorlands offering a welcome distraction. These holes without being overly long are hazard packed, correct shot selection is vital to protect your score but it’s a whole lot of fun too and always there is the knowledge that what goes up must come down!
tricky challenge softened slightly though by the bank that runs up to the green on the right hand side, pitching the ball off there will in all likelihood send the ball towards the green the safe way. With plants, bushes and trees garnishing the fairway this is also a scenic gem of a par 4.
The course is 6105 yards long and the golf on offer presents two nine holes of as extreme a contrast as it is possible to find anywhere in Staffordshire.
The very different challenge of the flat parkland back nine will appeal to the longer hitters although plentiful water hazards will place a regular emphasis on accuracy too. Nearly 600 yards longer than the outward half it does however give plenty of opportunities for good scoring if you can keep your ball dry.
Overall this is an exciting and varied challenge of a golf course, certainly not easy, especially early doors but a good score is there to be had for the patient golfer who knows how to plot his way round a course.
One glance at the scorecard even before you’ve teed it up on the first hole will give you more than a strong hint of what awaits on the first half of Westwood. Hole names like Alps, Crater, Donga and Valley give a fair indication of what is to follow. Alps sends you up a mountain side, Crater is a huge hilly par 5 with a sideways sloping fairway, Donga is a short par 3 across a ravine with only a small green as a safe landing zone and Valley features an extremely narrow fairway with trouble on either side although it does run downhill and an accurate hit can roll forever towards the green.
That task is at its hardest on the par 4, tenth hole. The Churnet features full length, on the right from the tee then it crosses the fairway ending up on the left of the green, a
The well designed combination of moorland adventure and parkland tranquillity gives Westwood all round appeal and for us, a return to the Alps, Crater and the Valley can’t come soon enough!
So if you like your golf on the adventurous side the top end of Westwood, holes 3 to 8 will be most appealing not to mention
Staffordshire Golfer
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a north wales
classic
D
uring the two hour trip to Conwy we took that sunny morning, I spent most of it regaling my two links rookie playing partners with tales of windy occasions past on seaside tracks where no two holes are ever alike in terms of velocity and direction and how their games were to face one heck of a testing time at this most exposed example of North Wales links.
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Standing on the still first tee they thought I had been winding them up when 3 tee shots flew straight as a die off the clubface and parked themselves straight in a line mid-fairway. As they scoffed I muttered that it may get a bit blowy the closer we got to the sea, that soon became the under-statement of the century as our gentle start turned into a wild sinewstretching, energy sapping, gale-force round of a lifetime, welcome to links golf boys, and what a wonderful time we had!
June-July • 2009
Conwy Golf Club Review However, I digress for a moment; Conwy (Caernarvonshire) Golf Club is located along the North Wales coast in the shadow of Conwy Mountain and boasts spectacular views across the estuary to Llandudno and the Great Orme. It has a long history stretching back to 1875 and the course has hosted many prestigious events including an Open Qualifier and Pro Senior opens. Despite its lofty status the club welcomes visitors of all abilities and has an extremely friendly feel to it. On site practice facilities, clubhouse and hospitality are all spot on. Back at the course it proved difficult to pick a highlight or spot a weakness. A reasonably calm and steady first 5 holes then the wind really picked up closer to the sea for the par three sixth, took a real hold on the spectacular beach hugging long par 4 7th, then swirled menacingly around the longest stretch of the course between 8 and 14 where all of the par fives reside. It is a very lengthy stretch of holes and just when you think it will ease for a
nice shorter closing trio at the end, think again. Shorter they may be but on 16, 17 and 18 the fairways seem to halve in width and the pretty yellow gorse which features throughout the course is especially populous and threatens every shot. So it’s a challenge, no doubt about that, but an exceptionally fun one too and even if the windy conditions, tight fairways and gorse threaten to tear your scorecard up, salvation is always at hand on the putting surfaces. Conwy’s greens are not typical links creations, quite small in size and not too undulating either. They are however in superb condition, true and fast running meaning plenty of decent opportunities to save the odd hole or two from disaster. Bunkers though are typical links and a different kettle of fish, to be avoided at all costs, not that easy on holes such as the short par 3, 15th, whose tight green is guarded by five steep lipped terrors. It looks pretty as a picture from the tee but if the wind is against you this is one scary hole.
Make no mistake if this were an exam in the art of links prowess a pass mark here would be the equivalent of a degree in advanced rocket science. You have to be a pretty good golfer to tame this track on a blustery day. But the beauty of it is even if it is too much for your average skills and it blows you around from pillar to post, if your ball (or balls) becomes a gorsey magnet, if you’ve not brought your bunker ‘A’ game with you, well it doesn’t really matter that much. For Conwy is a true treat, a classic example of what links golf is all about, bumps and hollows, wispy rough, fast greens all superbly maintained. It will demand brains and creativity, will occasionally bemuse but will never fail to enchant and the sheer pleasure of being there playing it on a sunny summers day outweighs any deficiencies in your game that it may well cruelly expose. Admittedly after a promising start it exposed ours, but it was a memorable experience at a great course which we can’t wait to return to.
The natural defences of this great links course will test any level of golfer and it will take a brave person to take on the pins. Staffordshire Golfer
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Welsh
Splendour On The
Dee Estuary
Our first venture into North Wales took us to the stunning Pennant Park golf course overlooking the Dee estuary. Situated on the outskirts of Holywell the course is set in the beautiful countryside of Flintshire, the site sits in tranquil surroundings which offer a perfect holiday break as well as a good golf offering.
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June-July • 2009
Pennant Park Golf Review
The course itself is a fairly new layout first established in 1998 and has made the most of the natural elements that were already in place , with the addition of water, bridges and well placed bunkers this track already has the feel of a much older one.
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Staffordshire Golfer
ow on to the club and as you drive up the long meandering driveway you really don’t expect the stunning and modern looking clubhouse that awaits you. The facilities are very good and a fully stocked shop and bar enhance your visit. We felt that the warm friendly environment from members that we received would mean that visitors and societies would feel at ease early on during their visits here.
After negotiating the front nine those less than confident golfers who are not fond of teeing off in front of others will feel very nervous on the 10th which is placed right in front of the car park and clubhouse. The back nine is 2676 yards long and offers some really good scoring opportunities but be warned, with stunning views of the estuary and from time to time blustery conditions there are plenty of distractions that can damage your score.
After a few practice putts we headed to the first tee, a mere 493yard par 5 just to ease us in! One thing became apparent very quickly here was the fine quality of the fairways and rough, nothing in the way of bare patches to contend with. The front nine was a real pleasure to play , at 3077 its 400 yards longer than the back nine and a good score early on will set you up nicely for the closing stretch. There are some great holes early doors but by far and away the best has to be the par 3 6th, featuring water in front and a bridged walkway that Augusta would be proud of. The green will require an accurate shot in otherwise you may well find yourself in a hollow around the putting surface with a very difficult chip on your hands.
All in all this golf course offers not just a real golfing test but a hugely enjoyable one too. From the moment you arrive to the moment you leave its hard not to be left anything other than impressed by the challenge and the facilities that await you. We believe that this course will continue to develop and become one of the must play venues in the area, we look forward to coming back next year to see what fresh challenges lie in store for us.
01745 563000
www.pennant-park.co.uk
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Tour Banter
The playing staff at Staffordshire Golfer take their roles very seriously; each club and course that kindly accommodates us is respected, reviewed and covered in much detail to give the readers our most honest opinions on its qualities, playability and atmosphere. Having said all that, and I’m sure most readers will concur with this, we’re also three or four blokes in a car travelling around Staffordshire and beyond, spending much time together on and off the course. Therefore, much banter, mickeytaking and general silliness is inevitable and we thought it amiss of us if we didn’t report also on the quirkier side of nomadic golfing life. North Wales was the focus this month and proved to be a fine example of the above, we were baffled by tom-tom, surprised by sunburn and left bunker frustrated for all the wrong reasons.
“I PITTY THE BUNKER FOOL”
We’ll talk more about our relationship with Tom-tom in later issues but the daft highlight of this trip began over an early morning Conwy fry-up. Credit must go to the delightful Clemence restaurant, town centre, for it was the only one open at that time after an exhaustive search. It was decided during our delicious breakfast that to add some fun and spice to our links day we should hold a little competition ultimately ridicule the player who visited the sand traps more than the others during our 36 holes. Thus was born the legend that is “Bunker Fool”. The winner of “Bunker Fool” was to be presented with the trophy, a plastic bucket and spade and his sorry humiliated face and trophy to festoon this very page. However, as you can see there is no such picture, and why? Well here’s the frustrating part, after 35½ holes there were we, level on 5 bunkers each, heading down Maesdu’s closing hole. An 18th which promisingly features many sand traps all around the green, surely one of us would find one of them? Under pressure though Mr “Gaffer” Stubbs and Mr “Wedge King” Nicholas
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found the green with ease leaving Mr “Happy Billmore” Eagles with a nasty looking little chip from a fluffy lie with a potentially sandy grave directly in front of him. His normally supportive playing partners watching closely and muttering away about the pitfalls of the shot and both clearly hoping for disaster “Happy” performed the shot with admirable skill and the ball joined the other safely on the green. So that was that, 3G holes and hundreds of hazards later, no-one was crowned “Bunker Fool”, but this will be decided on a later date. Next month this column will feature “wet blanket”, an award to be
given to the player who gets his ball wet on the most occasions at the Brabazon course at the belfry no less. And finally the footnote consumed and distracted as we were, with reviewing courses and attempting to avoid bunkers in North Wales we failed to notice the onset of the suns rays on our pasty faces until it was way too late in the day. So when three tired golfers turned up for a well deserved pint at Llandudno’s finest hostelry, the sniggering glances of regulars and bar staff alike made us realise that the North Wales jaunt had left us not just trophy less but well and truly tango’ed! June-July • 2009
A
pologies in advance for the slightly auto-biographical feel to this month’s 19th hole. The recent 36 hole jaunt we made to Conwy and Maesdu on a windswept early May Monday evoked personal memories of my early golf career, especially the bits by the seaside thus prompting this piece paying tribute to the infinite joys of links golf. When Dad announced he was to upsticks and move from leafy Cheshire to a previously unheard of barren land by the name of the Isle of Mull in Scotland
the news was greeted with apathy and despite his solemn promise there was a bit of golf nearby it took a fair while for us to finally venture northbound to see what all the fuss was about. An initial ferry trip from Oban in a howling gale to a fog bound and drizzly destination did little to change my pre-conceptions. However, come the first morning when the mist cleared and the sun broke through one quick trip down the coast road and there it was, neatly positioned on two patches of lush land betwixt highway and sea was nine holes of golfing paradise, my first links, a personal Mecca that transformed me from a mere enthusiast to the golfaholic I am today. On the face of it and speaking from a golf reviewer point of view there wasn’t much in those days to say about Craignure Golf Club. The place was deserted, fairways were bumpy and in desperate need of a trim, the greens similar and during that first week we never saw any ground staff, rumour had it back then, local sheep took care of the fairway cutting! Dad was the treasurer of the club, it turned out all he did for that role was empty the honesty box every couple of days and count up the takings.
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But, you know what? All that didn’t matter one bit once I stood on the tee, safe 5 iron in hand and smelt the salt on the ever-present breeze. The whole aura and magnificence of links golf took a grip and thankfully has never left me since. The family found it near impossible to prize me away from my new spiritual home for the rest of the week. Among the highlights of this very basic but very nicely designed layout were two imposing tee shots over the estuary that separated the two pieces of land, at least one of those shots was always
guaranteed to be horrendously tough, depending on which way the wind blew! But personal favourite was the second which runs alongside the rocky beach and features a tricky blind approach shot over rocks to a tiny green, all of which on a lucky day is witnessed by a small colony of seals basking on the rocks just out to sea, truly magical. Anyway, fast-forward about 25 years and here we are, three of us in a car on the way to an eagerly awaited 36 hole jaunt to North Wales. Now, whilst not professing to be the best golfer out of the three of us, I do hold a significant edge in experience at links golf i.e. the other two had never played it before. I was hoping that like me they would be gripped by the links bug and change their normal safe parkland games in favour of a more adventurous style of play. Normally we never leave home without our lob and gap wedges, a personal tussle often ensues during normal rounds trying to outdo one another with those ever so stylish clubs that when hit right produce the most impressive results. But at Conwy i encouraged the others to leave them be explaining that a different kind of skill was needed here and when faced with those 50-60 yard pitches on
links, the very nature and history of the occasion meant play 7 iron instead and try the old bump and run shot seen so many times on TV. Those small pot-bunkers with the steep lips that you can’t see over the top of really should be avoided, instead they demand to be visited at least once or twice just for the experience , and the huge undulating greens demanded a slightly wayward approach just so we could try one of those enormous length putts across humps and bumps, counties and possibly even time zones!
In the end such a good time was had by all the scorecards didn’t matter and Mr Stubbs and Mr Eagles came away from our gruelling 36 just as hooked as I was 25 or so years earlier and 300 miles further North. Once the sand had been emptied from the shoes the return journey was spent planning the next trip. To satisfy our readers thirst for holiday golf we will be visiting the West Coast of Scotland soon for another links special. Unlikely though that the golf widows will allow us to venture as far North as the Isle of Mull. But if you are in the vicinity, I implore you to take a trip down the old coast road and visit the wild and wonderful Craignure links if only to see if those seals are still there and that their golfing viewing platform has survived the scourge of global warming, i do hope it has, it might not be quite the same place without them. Phil Nicholas Ps. Incidentally it’s only fair to point out that Mull has two courses and the second one, perched on top of a high hill above the capital, Tobermory, is an adventurous nine holer with unbelieveable views, on a clear day you can apparently see 4 countries! June-July • 2009