11 The Garden at The Wisley was designed to connect to the club’s original, 30-year-old drainage infrastructure. However, raised river discharge levels, silt and tree root ingress meant that a lot of the system had to be replaced in advance of MJ Abbott starting work. Meanwhile, the site at La Grande Mare, which was extended onto adjoining land, had to be cleared. Again, silt and old buried structures presented some challenges and had to be removed prior to golf course construction starting. Both courses received new fairway drainage systems with The Wisley also benefiting from sand slitting and sand dressing while La Grande Mare now has sandcapped approaches and runoff areas. Automatic irrigation systems at both sites were also installed, providing fairways, surrounds and greens with full coverage. Rain Bird was selected for The Wisley, and Toro for La Grande Mare. In late summer and autumn, MJ Abbott rebuilt the second green complex at Rowlands Castle in Hampshire and returned to Royal Wimbledon in London to complete the final phase of the six-year redevelopment project. This included the reconstruction of the last six holes as well as installing primary drainage on four holes, secondary drainage on six holes and irrigation on 12 holes. There was no let-up in work as the end of the year approached. The third phase of bunker work at Hankley Common in Surrey started in November, and final touches were completed at Ingestre Park in Staffordshire, where the course has been reconfigured – and 12 new holes built – as a result of plans for the HS2 high-speed railway line. For more on MJ Abbott, turn to page 46, or visit www.mjabbott.co.uk At Ingestre Park, final touches were completed on a major reconfiguration project Photo: Jon Hunt
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