Chippenham completes bunker renovation

Chippenham Golf Club in Wiltshire, England, has completed a bunker renovation and greens complex remodelling project, alongside bunker firm Durabunker and architect Stuart Rennie, now of Pangaea Golf Architecture. 

The club had already completed three phases of bunker renovation, installing lining and edging from Durabunker, and brought in architect Stuart Rennie to advise on design work for another phase, which would require some adjustment to greens complexes. 

“His vision and ideas resonated strongly with us,” said Chippenham’s course manager Chris Sealey. “We liked his hands-on approach and the synergy with Durabunker. The results have been beyond our expectations.” 

The latest phase has involved the redesign of the green complexes on two par-three holes, the fourth and sixth. 

“There were issues with water retention, mainly due to the landscape surrounding the fourth green,” said Rhydian Lewis, owner at Durabunker. “There was also the added complication of an out-of-bounds fence and hedge coming within eight metres of the left side of the green. With the ground cambering from right to left, it was causing significant issues for golfers, particularly in the summer when the ground is firm and running.” Shots that landed alongside or even on the left of the putting surface were sometimes rolling out of bounds. 

Rennie said: “The project from start to finish worked out as planned. We were able to discuss the issues and work up agreed high-level designs and photomontage visuals, which helped sell the project to the wider membership and allowed for accurate costing. During-construction visits were made, and it was my pleasure to play a small part in the execution of the project.”