Mackenzie & Ebert raised the fairway, green and surrounds to avoid damage from high water table and promote better playing conditions
By Kasturi Datta |
Royal St David’s Golf Club in Harlech, Wales, has reopened its fifteenth hole following work to address consistent damage from waterlogging relating to the high water table. The club worked with design firm Mackenzie & Ebert to elevate the fairway, green and surrounds to deliver a firmer playing surface.
“As a links course we are trying to promote firm, fast surfaces and this was proving impossible with the hole being in the water table,” said Rhys Butler, links manager at Royal St David’s. “During extreme conditions the hole could be closed for weeks at a time.”
As part of the project, Royal St David’s worked with Natural Resources Wales to gain permission to work in a Site of Special Scientific Interest, to remove an area of scrub from the hole, which was then filled with 3,000 cubic metres of sand. A wetland area was also created, with shaping work completed by contractor Shapewright.
The club sought advice from ecologist Bob Taylor on potential ecological impacts of the project and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation provided advice on potential sand lizard habitats, which ultimately were found not to be present, due to the density of the scrub.
“It was a big task with firstly the stripping of the scrub on the dunes, burial of the material and then the creation of the wetlands,” said Butler.
Mackenzie & Ebert also oversaw the addition of subtle contouring to the hole to maintain visual cohesion across the course.
The new fifteenth fairway at Royal St David’s (Photo: Royal St David’s)
“The fifteenth hole now matches up to the rest of the golf course in terms of firmness and playability,” said Butler.
County Turf supplied a bent-fescue turf mix for the fairway and green surrounds, in addition to ryegrass on new walkways. Irrigation technician Jason Baker has installed additional irrigation to the fairway and the new walkways surrounding the newly reopened fifteenth hole as extra safeguarding measures against future water damage.
New walkways and chestnut fencing add character (Photo: Royal St David’s)
This project on the fifteenth hole is the latest of a series of changes that Mackenzie & Ebert has overseen at Royal St David’s in recent years. Perhaps most noticeable is the work done to naturalise and improve visibility of bunkering and add sandy waste areas. “When you look at the old pictures from the 1940s, many of the bunkers were of this style but the club lost its direction and reverted to almost parkland style bunkering,” said Butler. Mackenzie & Ebert has also overseen the replacement of astroturf and shell paths with real turf and the club has invested in a new irrigation system to enhance turf conditions.
Several bunkers across the course have been filled in and replaced with run-offs to combat damage issues relating to the high water table.
“The run-offs offer a lot more interest and shot variety as well as providing greater room for traffic around greensides,” said Butler.