90 REPORT Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, is home to La Moye Golf Club, a links course that has seen designers George Boomer, James Braid and Henry Cotton leave their mark. Now it’s the turn of Tom Mackenzie and Mike Howard of Mackenzie & Ebert (M&E), who are working with contractor MJ Abbott on a series of changes as part of a long-term masterplan. “One of the main drivers was that the front nine is crammed into an area half the size of the back nine – we’re trying to loosen up its compact nature,” says Howard. “The back nine was extended in the 1970s and went into some amazing duneland, so we are also aiming to make better use of that.” The first phase has included rerouting the second half of the thirteenth hole into dunes to the right and building a new short par-four fourteenth to replace the original par three. “The off-site landscape they’ve got is amazing,” says Howard. “To build two new holes within some of this land, the club had to go beyond its boundary fences, do a lot of mitigation, and then improve and restore the duneland outside their boundary to offset some of the changes they’ve done on their own land.” Heather Moran, general manager at La Moye GC, says: “Environmental stewardship was central to the project given the many protected species on our site. Local ecological consultants ensured the land, and its biodiversity, were protected at every step, and expert guidance from the R&A agronomy team helped us ensure the highest agronomic standards were met.” MJ Abbott was on site between September 2024 and March 2025, by which time all playing surfaces were seeded. The holes are growing in before reopening in June 2026. Howard believes the two redesigned holes offer something a little different for the club. “There’s an amazing view at the top of the plateau on thirteen,” he says. “Looking down this valley, you see the fourteenth green sitting behind the thirteenth green and in the distance, there is the fifteenth green sitting out on the promontory and then the seventeenth green is beyond that. I can’t think of anywhere that has that type of view. “The aim for fourteen was to create a hole that plays over a huge valley to an angled fairway, so it is a real riskreward par four. The back tee is set up A new direction Image: Mackenzie & Ebert Mackenzie & Ebert’s masterplan aims to address the up-and-down nature of La Moye’s routing and introduce more variety in hole length and direction La Moye takes first step to balance nines, add variety and make the most of its duneland site. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 12
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