63 par five finish. We tried to get linksinspired greens to fit each individual green site where possible.” The thirteenth hole, as mentioned by Mackenzie, is a fun par three, quite short at 148 yards from the back tee, playing over a diagonal ‘creek’ feature that protects the front and right side of the green; the left side is defended by a deep bunker. The back of the green is raised, offering the possibility that a tee ball hit slightly long might run back down into prime position. If I were caddying at the Inspiration, I should advise my player to take an extra club here! One of my favourite holes on the course was the par-three sixth, which plays just over 150 yards to a long, left-to-right green that slopes significantly away from the player. It would take a pretty bad shot, if the pin was located near the bottom, to leave a ball right at the top, but as a golfer who is perfectly capable of that, I would not fancy the resulting putt one little bit! I also liked the sixteenth, an uphill dogleg right par four of just over 400 yards at the far end of the property. The hole turns almost ninety degrees around a woodland, and there is a significant reward for a tee shot hit right to the corner of the dogleg. Leave the tee ball a little short, and you will have a shot to the green, but it will be over broken ground, and the view will not be that clear: 20 or 30 yards extra on your drive will give a much more appealing approach. The Inspiration’s bunkers are revetted using the EcoBunker method, and built by that firm’s head of construction, Llewelyn Matthews. As is usual for Matthews’s work, they are beautifully done, and will absolutely be one of the defining features of the course. Some are extremely deep and threatening: I stood in one and estimated the height of the revetted wall to be at least five feet. Given the intended market, this is a brave decision on the part of the owner, but it is a deliberate one. Mackenzie says of the bunkers: “Tony was keen to have a controversial and demanding course setup, which the bunkers, we believe, help to achieve.” He’s not wrong. When the Inspiration opens in the summer, it will be priced at around £90 for a weekend round. Given its location, this must be seen as a bargain. Menai-Davis may not be planning to switch careers and become a golf architect but, given his role in the creation of this course, perhaps he should! “ We tried to get links-inspired greens to fit each individual green site where possible” Bunkers are revetted, using the EcoBunker method, as seen at the short par-four tenth Photo: The Inspiration Club
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