5 minute read
Transforming Burnham & Berrow’s Church hole
The heavenly changes at Burnham’s CHURCH HOLE
The scale of renovation can often seem daunting for many clubs. Faced with a course full of troublesome bunkers, or a masterplan that could mean a new mortgage, the temptation in these difficult days can be to leave well alone.
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But architectural projects need not be all encompassing, expensive
and require the graft of contractors and greenkeepers for many years. They can be piecemeal and yet still have a significant impact on the experience of your members and visitors.
Burnham & Berrow have been working with internationally renowned architect Martin Ebert for a number of years.
In the past, he’s helped the club enlarge their 16th green and rework the putting surface at the 6th.
Now the current attention of the Somerset club, a fixture of top 100 England and GB&I lists and led by GCMA South West regional manager Karen Drake, has fallen on just one hole.
“The members and the board felt that the 12th was an architecturally weak hole and
Renovations don’t have to be course wide. At Burnham & Berrow, they’re transforming just one hole. But clubs chief reckon it will have a big impact
didn’t play particularly well,” explained Burnham & Berrow’s course director Andy Birkett. Known as ‘Church’ it was constructed four decades ago when the club had to replace an original hole that played right up to the historic 13th century building. A par 4, it spans 402 yards off the tips and doglegs slightly to the right. The problem, though, was the fairway, which cambered in the opposite direction.
“That took balls away from the left hand side to a very open area of rough, which was also relatively featureless,” Birkett added.
“And although the hole had been completed in its current state approximately 40 years ago, the right hand side had never been particularly well finished.
“That is all humps, hollows and rough. It doesn’t look all that good and is quite unappealing. That will be adjusted as well.”
Ebert was brought in to take a look and the designer behind the critically acclaimed transformation of Turnberry and Royal Portrush produced an outline that will see the fairway re-shaped and profiled. A large pile of infill, currently sitting on the left hand side of the hole, will be moulded to create quite an imposing artificial dune all along that stretch, while a new elevated tee should also give it far more profile for players and make the experience all the more inspiring.
While the green will remain intact, the changes should prevent golfers having to play a blind approach to a putting surface that was guarded by a steep slope at the front.
Although it’s a project small in its overall scale – the club aren’t taking on redesigns all over the course at this stage – Birkett still estimated it was a task with a total lifespan of around 18 months to two years. He explained: “We’re very much looking forward to the finish and trying to get the fairway open for the autumn/winter of this year, with the creation of the dune and the remainder of the work will happen behind the dune that’s been created. “Having dug out all our sand, and we have vast amounts of sand, the infill will make approximately two thirds of the artificial dune all the way back to the tee and then we will top it with our own material and marram sprig it so it will look very much a natural feature.” Clubs are often looking for solutions with renovations – changes that either recreate what’s been before or ‘correct’ perceived abnormalities that have come into focus through the life of a course. Birkett is cautious when asked whether the redesign of the 12th will solve the playing issues – noting that when the hole was originally constructed it would have been seen in a similar light. “I don’t think you ever get anything finally as you would want,” he explained. “Golf fashions change but we should have a better slight dogleg playing up and just turning left slightly. Players will play more from the right and have a better approach than they currently have.
“It will improve that back nine and it certainly should add to the course.”
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