Practice tee at The Grove benefits from careful upgrade

Completed at the Hertfordshire venue in late spring 2012 to design specifications prepared by original golf course arcitect Kyle Phillips, the new all-weather practice tee measures 60m long by 1.8m wide and replaces driving range mats that were beginning to show their age, according to golf course manager, Phillip Chiverton.

“The replacement of individual mats with a full-length synthetic practice tee will help ensure that the facility can be used successfully and kept clean and looking pristine all-year-round,” he said. Alongside the tee improvement, MJ Abbott was commissioned to replace a short wood-chip access path with a hard-wearing synthetic pathway spanning the full length of the practice tee.

Measuring 2m wide, the new pathway provides ample passing space for golfers and trolleys moving in opposite directions while contributing to a first-class overall end result from a practice, maintenance and aesthetic viewpoint.

Having worked with Kyle Phillips on the construction of The Grove’s 18-hole championship golf course from summer 2000 through to the summer of 2002, MJ Abbott was delighted to secure the contract for improvements to the driving range.

To help better direct practice shots towards the target greens positioned on the 275 metre range, Kyle Phillips’ design angled slightly inwards the tee’s two outermost ends to produce a shallow crescent shape when viewed from above. User visibility and enjoyment have been boosted further by careful adjustments to the outfield targets and bunkers carried out by Phillip Chiverton and his staff working alongside a shaper provided by Kyle Phillips, while the new tee and pathway were being installed by MJ Abbott.

For the surfaces of the tee and the pathway, the decision was taken to use products from Huxley Golf’s premier all-weather turf range, material that had been used successfully by MJ Abbott previously within a similar project at the Roehampton Club.

The practice tee was created using Huxley’s Premier Tee Turf 2, a non-filled all-weather turf capable of accepting a full tee peg, while the pathway employs Huxley’s Premier Leisure Turf, a durable, silica-filled material that provides a superb colour contrast alongside the tee.

“In just two weeks, the entire practice area was transformed and is now drawing highly positive comments from all who know it and use it,” commented Phillip Chiverton. “I am happy to report also that the project was carried out on time, within budget and to the high standards of care and professionalism that The Grove has come to expect from MJ Abbott during an association that has now exceeded 12 years.”

Golf at The Grove:  http://www.thegrove.co.uk/golf/