Golf Course Architecture - Issue 59, January 2020

61 Central to that vision was placing trust in experts. Both Phillips and superintendent Niall Richardson – who previously worked on four new builds over two decades, including Carton House in Ireland and The Dutch – emphasise how beneficial it has been to work with an owner who valued their judgement and provided support when needed. For Richardson this included investments in his greenkeeping equipment and compound – and seeking his input on where it should be located to provide easy access to all areas of the course. For Phillips, it was the willingness to purchase various additional land. “There were several small parcels of land that Robert was able to pick up, which gave Niall a great spot for the maintenance building, allowed for a much better clubhouse entry experience and helped me optimise the routing,” says Phillips. Construction began with a sophisticated soil transplant operation. Once the corn was cleared, the upper layer of dark sand, a result of the intensive farming of the previous years, was switched with lighter and better-draining sand that lay beneath. Earth was also excavated to create a cluster of lakes in the centre of the property and shaped into Phillips’ vision of a historic Dutch landscape. “This pure sand growing median and the climatic conditions support the creeping red and chewings fescue grasses selected, allowing for one- third less water and pesticide-free management,” says Richardson. “With legislation governing the use of pesticides moving towards a process of managed reduction, or eventual total ban, we looked at all practical options to promote a future maintenance program that still allowed the delivery of quality playing surfaces on an environmentally sustainable platform.” In addition to the selection of disease-resistant and drought-tolerant fescue, a modified rootzone was engineered to maximise air and water porosity. Profile Products Ceramics has been added to the soil, resulting in a percolation rate that delivers optimum performance in all seasons. The restored landscape feels completely authentic and works wonderfully for golf. There’s still not a lot of elevation change – rightly so, that would have been completely at odds with the surrounding area – but enough contour for varied and memorable individual holes. “We’ve been able to create landforms that look believable in the landscape, “Throughout the course, greens have pin placement options that can significantly impact the strategy of the hole”