By Kasturi Datta |
Hockley Golf Club near Winchester, England, has opened its redesigned holes nine and ten, as it continues work on a masterplan created by James Edwards of EDI-Golf.
The course originally opened in 1914 as a nine-hole layout, before being expanded to 18 by James Braid in 1920. Edwards, who has worked on several Braid designs, aims to balance Hockley’s heritage with changes to accommodate advances in golf technology.
“The vision is to restore Hockley as one of England’s premier downland courses by respecting its history, embracing sustainable practices and refining each hole to provide a strategic and enjoyable challenge for golfers of all abilities,” said Ashley Payne, golf operations manager at Hockley Golf Club.
The renovation project began in 2018, with Lakeland Fineturf completing work in phases to limit disruption to play.
“Before the renovation programme began, many of Hockley’s bunkers had reached the point where their condition and consistency no longer reflected the quality of the golf course,” said Payne. “Deteriorating construction, contamination from stones and underlying materials, and increasing maintenance demands highlighted the need for a long-term solution rather than short-term repairs.”
To date, work has been completed on holes one to four, seven to ten, fourteen and eighteen.
“Over time, the philosophy has evolved from simply replacing failing bunkers to considering each hole in its entirety,” said Payne. “The club now reviews how tees, fairway bunkers, approaches and greens work together to create a stronger strategic challenge while improving presentation and long-term sustainability.”
The seventh was part of an early phase of work, with a new fairway bunker added at the 270-yard mark to test longer hitters, while the early part of the fairway was widened to make the hole more playable for shorter hitters.
A new bunker has been built at the eighth, approximately 25 yards left of the green, while the right greenside bunker has been repositioned to play easier.
The most recent phase on holes nine (main photo) and ten was carried out over the past two years.
James Edwards’ concept sketches for the ninth and tenth holes (Image: EDI-Golf)
Payne said: “The fairway bunkers on nine have been moved 30 yards further away from the tee to provide medium-to-long hitters with a significant challenge, whereas the front-right bunker near the tenth’s putting surface has been removed to give shorter hitters a better chance of reaching the green.
“All other bunkers on the tenth have been renovated to maintain consistency with the club’s broader bunker improvement goals – and banking on the right-hand side of the green has been adjusted to create a runoff area.”
Bunkers on the tenth have been renovated and the banking on the right side of the green has been reworked to create a runoff area (Photo: Hockley Golf Club)
The project has adopted a sustainable approach to construction and prioritised environmental stewardship wherever possible.
“Soils and materials generated on site are reused rather than imported, while harvested turf from within the course has been repurposed in selected areas and supplemented with locally sourced turf where required,” said Payne.
Since the course lies within South Downs National Park, the club is working alongside conservation partners to try and re-establish traditional chalk downland habitats to support native flora and wildlife.
Also, 40 per cent of the course sits within a Scheduled Ancient Monuments site, and the club has been working with Historic England and an on-site archaeologist to ensure nationally important features are preserved.
The club has also had its ‘Project Neptune’ approved, an initiative that aims to reduce the club’s use of external resources and become self-sufficient in its water supply by capturing winter rainfall in a new reservoir for irrigation use in the summer.
“Alongside the ongoing renovation programme, the initiative reflects the club’s determination to invest responsibly in both the playing experience and the long-term stewardship of the site,” said Payne.