Ken Moodie leads work at central England club, which has included raising greens, tree removal, rebunkering and reintroducing fescue
Lincoln Golf Club in the small English village of Torksey is midway through a eight-year course renovation programme by Ken Moodie of Creative Golf Design.
The project began in 2021 and covers all 18 holes, with completion expected in 2029. Ten holes have been renovated to date. The most significant phase – the reconstruction of the ninth and tenth greens – was carried out in autumn 2025.
The idea for the development of the masterplan came after a challenging summer for the course.
“Like many courses, we were struggling with the non-irrigated areas during the hotter weather,” said Louis Booth, general manager at Lincoln Golf Club. “We lost the fairways completely during the summer of 2018. It was about planning how we moved forward as a club with the changes to the climate, the advancements in equipment – with several of the bunkers no longer being in play – and to future-proof the course.”
Head greenkeeper Adrian Kitchinson developed the initial brief alongside greens chairman Rob Mellors. “The plan would ensure that as a club we had unity in where we were heading, and that even with role changes there would be no deviation from the plan for the next five to ten years,” said Kitchinson.
Following a tender process and visiting nine golf courses, the club hired Moodie in October 2018, and he submitted his proposals in February 2019. It received near-unanimous endorsement from members at a forum that April.
Before construction began, the club first addressed its most pressing agronomic problem. Working with Arden Lead and KAR, a new fairway irrigation system was installed, drawing water from a newly dug lagoon behind the driving range.
“We realised we were sitting on an aquifer, being near the River Trent,” said Booth. “The system was designed so we could abstract in a sustainable way and use the environment’s own water.”
Moodie’s plan was designed to complement the irrigation system from the outset, with all new bunkers positioned to fall within the irrigated zones.
Construction started with holes seven and fourteen in autumn 2021, funded entirely from club reserves as a proof of concept. “The first two holes were well received by members, so we continued,” said Booth.
An annual members’ levy, voted on each year, has funded every subsequent phase. The opening three holes were renovated in 2022; holes four and five in 2023; and nine, ten and eighteen in 2024. Bunker work has been carried out largely in-house, with Wayne Freeman of Fineturf/Lakeland undertaking shaping. And, at each stage, Moodie has also overseen selective tree removal to open up the course.
The first hole was renovated in 2022 (Photo: Ken Moodie)
A 1948 aerial photograph shows a layout almost entirely devoid of trees, giving the course a links-like character. Decades of planting since 1947 had changed that character, hiding natural mounds and hollows, shading playing surfaces and enriching the soil to the detriment of fine fescue grasses. Restoring the course to a state closer to its original design is a central aim of the works.
“A key aspect has been reintroducing fescue grass on the faces of bunkers and allowing the more out-of-play areas to naturalise,” said Kitchinson.
The most recent work has focused on holes nine (pictured) and ten (Photo: Stuart Collins Photography)
The reconstruction of greens nine and ten by Premier Golf, in conjunction with John Greasley Ltd, represented the most extensive phase of work to date. Both greens sat in low-lying positions close to the water table and had required temporary putting surfaces virtually every winter. “During 2023 and 2024, it became obvious the holes were being adversely affected by waterlogged greens every year,” said Booth. “We felt it was important to address this before proceeding with more holes.”
Each green was raised by between 0.5 and 0.75 metres, with new drainage installed both through and around the complexes. Subtle contouring and improved surrounds were also incorporated. The project made use of on-site materials throughout – the club’s own sand formed the subsoil, the existing rootzone was reused, and the original greens turf was re-laid.
“Having had the soils tested by Mansfield Sand, we were able to mix a new rootzone into the existing material,” said Kitchinson. “We didn’t want the new complexes to need managing differently in terms of treatments, or to play and respond differently to the other surfaces.”
The greens were completed in February 2026 and brought into play at the end of April.
“They have settled so well that many players say it’s as though they have been there all along,” said Booth “They are months ahead of where we imagined they would be. The changes have taken two of the weakest holes on the course to arguably two of the best.”
The tenth green has been raised, has new drainage and features new contouring (Photo: Stuart Collins Photography)
Moodie described the rebunkering and green reconstruction on the third hole as the biggest change so far. “The bunkers, which were in poor shape, were repositioned and reconstructed to provide a more interesting playing strategy and a more attractive visual feature of the golf course,” he said. “Trees have been removed to offer more options from the tee and to reinstate the heathland character of the course.”
With a planned clubhouse refurbishment in 2026 prompting a pause in major earthworks, the schedule for the remaining holes will include: holes eleven, twelve and thirteen in 2027; holes fifteen, sixteen and seventeen in 2028; and holes six and eight in 2029 to complete the project.