2021 Summary
As we close out what has been a brilliant year for golf, work continues at Pyrford Lakes. Our course improvements have been extremely successful and have garnered a lot of interest, both from members and visitors, and also other golf clubs. The investment shown has been immensely impressive and you will see a number of small and also significant changes over the winter.
But let’s take a look back at how far we have come:
In September 2020, the remodelling and renovation of each of the 60 bunkers began. Each bunker had the existing sand removed, reshaped and had a new base layer installed. Hydro-seed was then applied to the bunker exteriors and also to a number of new fairway hollows. The hydro-seed is a liquid composite of seed, natural glue and fertiliser. This ensures the seed stays in place throughout the season and grows evenly.
In addition to bunkers, all of our lake banks were reconstructed and re-seeded. We saw speedy growth and it was a pleasure to watch it all take shape.
As we moved into the Spring of 2021, the hydro-seeding programme was in full flow. This followed the rapid execution of the cladding of the banks on our main lake. This project has edged and elevated an already beautiful vista, and I am sure you can agree that it is a significant improvement.
Another project was the Weir on holes 1 and 2. This has improved water flow along the hazard and has normalised levels across the ponds on the front-nine.
As we moved into the Summer you could see the fruits of everyone’s labour. The grass had grown and all the maintenance scars were repaired. A necessary project that began was the relaying of all of our paths. This is a vital part of course infrastructure that outlines the course as a whole and immediately cleans up course aesthetics.
Throughout the last year we undertook a little and often approach to our green maintenance. This was not to be the usual invasive hollow-tining you may have come to expect at other clubs, instead we used a shallower process that resulted in minimal impact to the putting surfaces.
Now in the Winter of 2021, we continue to press on. Our practice nets have received much needed TLC and we have started installing knee-high rails along our path network in order to better direct golfers in the hope of sustained course improvement.
As the new Clubhouse begins to take shape, we will simultaneously start a major scrub clearance programme, especially on the back nine. This will immediately clear up players’ shot lines and shape vistas to what they were originally intended to appear.
It continues to be a very exciting time at Pyrford Lakes and we can’t wait for next season!
15/08/2021
We would firstly like to say thank you to all our members and visitors who have continued to play throughout all the changes being made to the course over the past few months. There has been major disturbances but your patience and encouragement has meant that all the work has been completed on schedule and to a very high standard.
The first phase of major on-course works are now all complete. We now begin the waiting game to allow all the completed work to bed in and mature. All bunkers are in play and the hydro-seeding process was a great success, thanks to the perfect conditions for grass growing – intermittent sun and rain is excellent for the grass, though perhaps not for golfers looking to enjoy the summer.
We have recently started to redo our path network, a vital part of course infrastructure that outlines the course as a whole and immediately cleans up course aesthetics.
We will be undertaking maintenance on our greens in mid-August. This will not be the usual invasive hollow-tining you may have come to expect at other clubs. we are using a shallower process that will hopefully result in much less impact to the putting surfaces.
The club and the course are on a journey and we want you all to continue to be a part of it. We hope you enjoy the rest of the season at Pyrford Lakes.
27/04/21
Since our last update we have been progressing nicely with the works set out in our previous blog entries. Sand is being deposited into all the new bunkers, and whilst the bunkers on the front-nine are currently classed as GUR, the back-nine sand traps are playable under the COVID ‘pick-and-place’ guidelines.
The Hydro-seeding programme is in full flow and members and visitors will have observed a turquoise tinge to our bare areas. As shown in the video below, the process is spraying a liquid composite of seed, natural glue and fertiliser. This ensures the seed stays in place throughout the season and grows evenly.
Hydro-Seeding
Please note that if you find your ball has come to rest in one of these areas, collect your ball with your club if possible and play out to the side. Please do not attempt to collect your ball on foot as it will disturb the seed and will also leave a green smudge on your nice white golf shoes!
Another project that is now complete is the Weir on holes 1 and 2. This will improve water flow along the hazard and normalise levels across the pond on the front-nine.
Weir Project
The lakeside walls along the base of holes 12 and 18 are being clad with mock-slate tile. This will undoubtedly improve the overall aesthetics of the outlook from the current and soon-to-be new terrace. More on this to come in our next blog.
Hole 1
- Green side bunkers, front right removed.. Rear sight bunker reshaped and sand line raised.
- Short cut approach and left side run off shaped to highlight contouring.
- Water extended creating a great visual and hazard.
- Two fairway bunkers positioned at 240 yards and 250 yards.
- Left hand side fairway bunker at 200 yards.
Hole 2
- Front right bunker removed
- Second right-side bunker reshaped, face raised for visual from the tee
- Large left side bunker split into two
- Both left side bunkers moved tighter to the green
- High faces installed to make sand visible from the tee
Hole 3
- First fairway bunker reshape. Steeper face making sand visible from the tee.
- Second fairway bunker removed.
- Three new bunkers positioned at 225, 240 and 255 yards on the left side of the fairway.
- Green side bunker reshaped. Pulled tighter to the green with a higher face
Hole 4
- Two left side fairway bunkers reduced to one.
- Sand line increased to make visible from the tee.
- Slight reduction in size to make more manageable.
- Shallowed to allow a mid range club shot to the second half of the fairway.
- New bunker position to the right side of the fairway.
- Existing bunkers removed.
- Approach reshaped.
- New bunker short right of green.
Hole 5
- Left side fairway bunker removed.
- Approach bunker removed.
- Greenside bunker pulled tighter to the green. Higher sand line.
- Two new bunkers right hand side of the fairway positioned at 235 and 255 yards.
Hole 6
- Sand trap dug lower to create a water hazard.
- Outlet/overflow from existing lake.
- New bunker located right of the green in swale.
- Pampas reduced but remaining.
Hole 7
- Three new fairway bunkers positioned at 200, 225 and 250.
- Three existing green side bunkers removed.
- One bunker positioned mid right of green between swales.
- One new bunker to the left of the green.
Hole 8
- Bunkers to remain in existing locations.
- Front left pulled into play with a higher sand line.
- Right side bunkers pulled into play with higher sand lines.
Hole 9
- Existing right side bunkers removed.
- New bunker located at 250 yards on the right side.
- Existing left side bunker reshaped with a high sand line.
- Increased approach area.
- Increased water hazard.
- Existing bunker split into three strategic bunkers.
- Higher sand lines visible from the fairway.
18/11/20: Our green-keeping team are hard at work making the most of the lockdown! The 14th green side bunkers have been shaped with drainage added and are ready for the next part of the renovation process – they are going to look fantastic!
17/11/20: Our lake bank reconstruction project is coming along well. Massive improvement to our 14th hole with the Hydro-seeding now taking hold. Quite amazing growth for this time of the year.
18/10/20: The Hydro-seeding has started! This amazing mix of seed and fertilizer will get the newly reshaped lake banks looking fantastic in no time!
12/10/2020: Our new fairway and green side bunkers on the 11th are now complete. Hydro-seeding has also been applied to speed up growth in our new fairway hollow and bunker surrounds.
19/09/2020: Our over seeding program will incorporate better grasses in to the fairways and semi rough areas which will create a thicker denser sward once established for quality all year round.
15/09/2020: We have begun the process of remodelling and renovating all of the 60 bunkers on the course. The first hole up is hole 11! Each bunker will have the existing sand removed, reshaped, new base and filled with top quality sand.
- Hole 11 – work commences!
- Hole 11 – lunch break!
- Hole 11 – the result!