Destination Golf Global (Summer 2020) | Page 60

project. On the par three 4th we were embellishing what was already there. It’s a stunning hole and when you list the most dramatic par three backdrops in golf I think the 4th is going to be right up there. It will be an incredible sensation for the golfer.” DG: Has everything turned out as you visualised? ME:“Yes, it really did. It was difficult for the members to have faith in what we were saying because we were taking them out to the middle of the 7th fairway and saying: ‘The fairway will dogleg right so you’ve got to imagine that ridge being lowered and the green being where that Buckthorn is now. And there will be a steep bank to the left of the green. So bear with us, have faith in us, because we are confident that it will be a great (8th) hole.’ By and large that hole has turned out exactly how we imagined it and the 9th too. We have created bare sand areas in the carry areas on 8 and 9 and there’s a large bunker up in the dune which came about during construction of the 9th, on the left side of the fairway, so that turned out to be an added feature.” DG:As a golf course architect what was the project’s biggest thrill/result for you? ME: “I think it was just the sheer enjoyment of working with classic links land and ending up with something that I believe the members are delighted with. Hopefully, people will think that all we’ve done is drop the holes on the land so even though we have done a lot of work and moved a lot of earth, it sits really comfortably on the landscape. “I’d also like to say that the club was probably the most welcoming we have been involved with and they really have been a joy to work with.” DG: What environmental considerations were there and how were they dealt with? ME: “We had to look into planning permission that involved the Council’s Ecologist. A rare plant was thought to exist amongst the dunes but the information was very sketchy. At that point the club engaged Bob Taylor, the STRI chief ecologist, who visited, made reports and liaised with the Council Ecologist. The relevant areas were then roped off. But by recycling materials and having worked with Bob over the years, as well as using specialist machinery to lift ecologically sensitive vegetation, we have taken the best care possible. Bob described it as the best rough translocation he had ever seen. That led to course changes looking like they’ve always been there.” DG: Describe how the design changes will affect the 60 Destination Golf .TRAVEL