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MJ Abbott complete next phase of renovation at Royal Blackheath
Golf construction specialists MJ Abbott have completed the penultimate phase of a five-year plan developed by architect Ken Moodie of Creative Golf Design to renovate the golf course at Royal Blackheath Golf Club in London.
Renovation work in progress at Royal Blackheath Golf Club
The course was designed by Tom Dunn in 1892 and redesigned by James Braid in 1926. “The course owes more to James Braid than Tom Dunn, so we used his design style as inspiration for the new and remodelled features,” said Moodie.
Moodie completed a course review in 2014 to look at the history of the course, the way the layout had been developed, the balance of yardage and par, and a hole-by-hole analysis with proposals for improvement.
John Nicholson, of John Nicholson Associates, prepared a Woodland Management Plan in conjunction with Moodie’s review in order to re-establish the parkland character of the landscape following years of unsuitable planting and lack of management.
A construction and tree thinning/felling programme commenced later in 2014, starting with a pilot project on holes two, seventeen and eighteen, and then developing into a five-year programme of course improvements by MJ Abbott.
“The work involves the building or remodelling of 77 bunkers, the construction of two new greens, the extension of five putting surfaces, and the building of four new tees,” said Moodie.
“There have been plenty of changes during the course of the project thus far, including the new green on the first to extend the hole to a par five, new diagonal drive bunkers on the second hole offering different lengths of carry from the tee, the new ditch feature on the sixth to replace a line of leylandii, the reshaping of the eighth to make it a better par three with a more visible green for a greater variety of pin positions, the new green on the sixteenth hole is to provide a better range of pin positions and a more visually striking final par three.
“To create definition in the fairways, fine fescue rough is being cultivated via a cut and collect policy to lower the nutrient levels and this is helping to give the course an older and more rustic character in keeping with the origins of the club on the heath,” said Moodie.
MJ Abbott completed the fourth phase of construction work in August 2018, with one more phase next August to complete the programme. The course has remained open during the work with two to three holes, or parts of holes, closed at a time to allow the contractors to work unhindered.
