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
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