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Under Threat Golf Course Is Saved

March 16, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Professional golfer Neil Reeves is taking over the operation of Marsden Park Golf Course in Nelson…. Although the course will remain part of Pendle Leisure Trust’s portfolio, Neil, in partnership with Pendle Leisure Trust will take control of the management and up-keep of the course and the clubhouse with some exciting changes and additions planned. […]

Scotscraig Proudly Unveils Milestone Bicentenary Project

March 16, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

One of Scotland’s most respected heritage golf clubs has proudly unveiled a comprehensive renovation project that has reinstated many original features of the famous links and heathlands layout. Celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2017, Scotscraig Golf Club is the 13tholdest golf club in the world boasting an 18-hole championship course originally laid out under the […]

Under Threat Golf Course Is Saved

March 16, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Scotscraig Proudly Unveils Milestone Bicentenary Project

March 16, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Under Threat Golf Course Is Saved

March 16, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Professional golfer Neil Reeves is taking over the operation of Marsden Park Golf Course in Nelson….

Although the course will remain part of Pendle Leisure Trust’s portfolio, Neil, in partnership with Pendle Leisure Trust will take control of the management and up-keep of the course and the clubhouse with some exciting changes and additions planned.

The Nelson golf course was under threat last year due to the reduction in Government funding to Pendle Council and consequently to Pendle Leisure Trust. But it was saved at the 11th hour. It was under the same threat again this year, so Neil has stepped in and saved it from potential closure.

Neil is excited at the prospect of sustaining and developing the facilities for the people of Pendle. He will be taking charge of whole of the course, including the clubhouse bar and catering, as well as memberships.

He said: “It is a great honour and a privilege to be given the chance to work with Pendle Leisure Trust and keep the game of golf in the community.

“Marsden Park is a great course to play and is at a standard to match some of the top ranking courses in the county, with wonderful, breath-taking views.

“It is open to everyone and I want to bring some new life to it. I want to build up the social side and already have plans to host events and introduce new competitions, including a North of England PGA Pro-Am, as well as numerous open events for men, ladies, seniors and juniors.

“The clubhouse will be open when the course is open, midweek as well as weekends, in a bid to re-awaken the social side and offer visitors all the facilities they want, as well as for non-golfers and the local community to use for private functions.

Alison Goode, Chief Executive of Pendle Leisure Trust, added: “We are delighted to be going into this long term partnership with Neil, who is well-respected in the golfing world and hopefully will bring lots of new people to the course.

“This is a positive step to make sure the course – and the game of golf – is kept alive for the people of Pendle and we will support him in every way we can to make sure it is a success.”

Jason Whittaker, the Trust’s Finance Manager, added: “Neil joined Marsden Park Golf Course last year as Head Professional and in the short time he has been with us, he has developed lots of ideas, including setting up a Golf Academy to offer the very best tuition for all ages and abilities.

“He was also instrumental in the introduction of the course’s state-of-the-art Indoor Swing Studio, which features golf swing analysis equipment to offer the very best coaching experience all year round.”

To read the original article, click here

Scotscraig Proudly Unveils Milestone Bicentenary Project

March 16, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Founded in 1817, Scotscraig is located 15 minutes from St Andrews and just 10 mins from Dundee airport. It features a championship course in a traditional loop that has undergone an extensive development programme which has returned all of the green-side and fairway bunkers to their original size and removed and controlled extensive areas of gorse.

There have also been a number of significant on-course changes, most notably on the fourth, 12th and 16th holes, which have collectively resulted in one of the most important development plans completed in the club’s 200-year history.

“With changes happening on the course and a full diary of events planned for the 200th, this is an exciting year for the club,” said John Rankin, Scotscraig’s captain. “The bicentenary project has taken more than two years to plan and deliver and is the most extensive ever to be undertaken at Scotscraig. It illustrates the club’s commitment to continually improving our golf offering and re-establishing many of the features that made the course special in the first place.”
The first round of improvements were completed last year and involved rebuilding 21 green-side bunkers and a comprehensive redesign, rebuild and expansion of the fourth green and its associated sand trap. The second stage has seen 26 fairway and approach bunkers rebuilt in a more natural form and four new bunkers introduced on the par five 16th. New bunkers were also added at the 11th and 12th holes and two new championship tees will be unveiled on the finishing holes later this year.

It is an impressive change for the six-time former Open Qualifier venue. “We want to bring the course back to a proper heathland and links layout,” explained Brian Gofton, greens convenor at Scotscraig. “We want to bring the course back to the original design ethos followed by Tom Morris and James Braid when Scotscraig was originally conceived. That is what we are striving for.”

He continued: “Any changes that have been made have been sympathetic to the course. We didn’t want to put in a raft of new bunkers or extend the course to a ridiculous yardage just for the sake of it. All the changes implemented have been done so as to enhance the golf course.”

The greenkeeing team at Scotscraig has been at the forefront of the far-reaching project which has been completed in time for the club’s 200th year. “For members who have been here a long time, these are quite dramatic changes,” said Chris Barnard, Scotscraig’s course manager who has planned, managed and implemented over 1,000 man hours of work required to realise the project.

He continued: “The fairway bunkers have all changed – we have taken away all the revetting by hand. The new bunkers are all contoured and rough-edged, and are now more visually appealing. We’re also going to plant heather and marram grasses around some of the bunker faces so they don’t look manmade. They have just evolved – that’s the look we’re going for.”

Changes to the course layout, the new-look bunkers and the gorse management programme at Scotscraig are the most obvious consequences of the bicentenary project, but as Barnard explained, significant changes are also being made to how the course is set up.
“The fairways were cut at the same width from start to finish, so there was no real shape to them,” he revealed. “Where we can, we’ve made them wider in the first 150 yards. This means higher handicap golfers will find the course fairer because they will be more likely to hit the fairways with their tee shots. Equally, after the drivable bunkers, some of the fairways are dramatically narrower so lower handicap golfers will have to think before they bomb their drives as they will have a smaller target to hit.”

This considered approach concerning the preparation of the course was prompted by limited opportunities to add length – not an uncommon issue facing heritage clubs like Scotscraig. As part of this thought-out plan, however, two double fairways have also been created between the 4th and the 8th holes and the 9th and 10th. As a result, the total area of cut grass will not change dramatically but the character of the course will be enhanced.

Scotscraig is currently putting the finishes touches to a series of events planned for its bicentennial festivities in 2017. These range from special tournaments and open days to Grand Matches and opportunities to play the course. The events have been recently linked to Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.

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Under Threat Golf Course Is Saved

Scotscraig Proudly Unveils Milestone Bicentenary Project

Under Threat Golf Course Is Saved

Scotscraig Proudly Unveils Milestone Bicentenary Project

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Under Threat Golf Course Is Saved

Scotscraig Proudly Unveils Milestone Bicentenary Project

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