Summer projects on the Royal Westmoreland golf course

Although the estate can often seem a little quieter in the summer months, behind the scenes it's a hive of activity as several renovation and upgrading projects have been taking place on and off the golf course.

Tee renovations
Several tees have been added or renovated during the summer. On the 3rd hole, two new upper tees have been added. These new tees will not only present a new challenge but also help to spread wear more evenly.

The 7th blue tee has also been extended to help spread the effects of play, and has moved back slightly, extending the hole by a few yards.

The blue teeing area on the 15th hole has also been renovated to not only extend playing coverage but also level out the playing surface as tees can move and subside over the years. Some of the tees didn’t warrant a complete rebuild but simply needed to be graded to level out the playing surface. This was the case on the 5th and 7th gold tees where the turf was stripped before the tees were levelled and the turf replaced.

The advent of modern technology has had a tremendous impact on how far and straight a club golfer can drive a golf ball. This can make some of the original design spec of a course become redundant. Luckily Westmoreland has withstood the Titanium revolution quite well, so only a couple of new tees will need to be constructed to bring some of the original features of the course back into play. One such hole is the 8th. A new gold tee is being constructed to bring the bunkers back into play. All other tees will then move a teeing ground back, i.e. reds to the old white tee and so forth. Other tees that have undergone reconstruction include the ladies tee on the 6th and also the gents blue tee on the 15th.

General course maintenance
The wonderfully manicured fairways and greens that we all enjoy playing on don’t happen by accident! Unfortunately no golf course can ever be in perfect condition for 365 days of year, as essential maintenance projects have to be undertaken to ensure the greens and fairways stay free of disease. Coring and top dressing is one of the practices which keeps the greens in tip top shape.

Cart paths
Several areas of cart path were dug out and replaced during the summer. Cracks and bumps are often caused by advancing tree roots, which can get under and buckle the paths. A new path has been added to give access to the south end of the range, including an area to park carts.

Around the Clubhouse
In early summer the lake on the 9th was dragged to alleviate the algae and pondweed that builds up over a period of time. The lake has also being fitted with a fountain.

A new 'starters box' has been installed beside the putting green. This will enable us to better control the tee times and importantly the pace of play.

A new fleet of 70 golf carts are now in operation. The new carts are from Club Car and offer superior ride and comfort over the old carts.

To make way for the extra new carts we have also had to build a new bagstore unit. The new storage housing gives us the ability to hold more bags in a safer environment.