One among England’s most prestigious golf venues now presents a shocking new problem after finishing a £1.5m course refurbishment.
The enhancements at North Hants Golf Membership, house membership of former world #1 and 2025 Masters runner-up Justin Rose, plus host venue of the Hampshire Hog, the Hampshire Rose and Open Championship Qualifying, will improve its standing nonetheless additional amongst England’s high 100 golf golf equipment.
Probably the most notable change is to the bunkering, with each single hazard on North Hants’ traditional 18-hole heathland course now upgraded following a masterplan drawn up by worldwide golf course architects Mackenzie & Ebert.
FEATURE HOLE
The format’s strategic problem has been improved with some new bunkers and others both repositioned or eliminated all through the golf course, with a powerful new characteristic bunker created on the tenth which is ready to make it considered one of Hampshire’s most talked-about golf holes.
A number of green-side bunkers have been transformed into finely-maintained grass runoff areas, with the intention of offering golfers at North Hants with considered one of England’s highest-quality quick sport challenges.
In complete the course now has 55 bunkers, a discount of 21 from the earlier format. The membership’s Basic Supervisor, Rob Climas, stated: “Now we have decreased our complete sand space by 18%, however there are seven brand-new bunkers on the market which is able to enhance the strategic problem.
“Utilizing state-of-the-art building processes, we are able to now be assured of top quality and consistency throughout all bunkers which might be introduced in concord with our conventional heathland golf course.”
IRRIGATION SYSTEM
Past bunkering, a complete computer-controlled irrigation system now displays moisture ranges all through your entire 18 holes, enabling the membership to deploy water exactly wherever wanted.
As befits a golf membership which has received a number of sustainability awards, the brand new irrigation system is extra environment friendly and is ready to considerably minimise water wastage while bettering taking part in surfaces together with the brand new runoff areas.
To place the of entirety to its upgraded golf course, the membership might be putting in all-new course signage together with newly designed tee markers all through the property.
MASTER GREENKEEPER
The membership’s Golf Course Supervisor Sam Evans is considered one of solely 15 Grasp Greenkeepers working in English golf as we speak, and considered one of solely 90 on the planet.
“Sam has been with us since 2020 and is a key member of our senior workforce, managing our course and our 11 full-time greenkeepers” stated Climas. “Nonetheless, with these main courseworks now full, 2025 might be Sam’s most essential yr but as he and the workforce put together to current our new-look golf course to the world.”
“I’m so excited that we are able to now take our golf course to a better degree” stated 36 year-old Evans. “With our outdated bunkers, each time we had 5-10mm of rain we have been shedding 40 man-hours getting our bunkers playable once more.
That’s 40 hours not rolling greens, slicing fairways, approaches and tees, and in the end not sustaining the remainder of the ability to the requirements we would like.
“Rain occasions of that degree occurred 24 occasions final yr at North Hants, in order that’s practically 1,000 man-hours misplaced merely to get the bunkers again in play.
“The brand new rubber crumb base we now have in all of bunkers goes to be a whole game-changer, releasing up time to finish different duties.
The greens might be even higher to putt on, and all taking part in surfaces across the greens might be dramatically improved.”
ARCHITECT CHALLENGES
Course architect Tom Mackenzie stated: “In re-bunkering North Hants we sought to stiffen the problem for elite gamers: it’s now a much better event course than earlier than.
On the identical time now we have given the membership’s members and visiting golfers who don’t hit it so far as the professionals a fairer crack of the whip.
“By changing some greenside bunkers into grass runoff areas, now we have added some doubt to the minds of the higher golfers, whereas higher-handicappers might be delighted that they haven’t ended up within the sand!
“North Hants now packs a a lot greater punch than its size would recommend” Mackenzie continued. “The golf membership has completed some extraordinary work to carry the golf course again to the place it ought to be, and it might probably now be thought-about as one of many nice heathland programs of southern England as soon as once more.”
“Our 580 members can’t wait to expertise the rejuvenated golf course, which Sam and the workforce have managed so expertly” stated Jeff Wollen, who was Membership Captain in 2024 when the refurbishment programme started.
“The top of the coursework additionally signifies that we are able to lastly have the golf course re-rated, as like many trendy golf golf equipment now we have now moved away from having gender-specific tees.
“As a substitute, 5 newly colour-coded units of tees now give individuals the choice to play North Hants at quite a lot of yardages, from full-length tees appropriate for nationwide tournaments, to our shortest format at simply over 5,000 yards. Within the course of now we have created seven new ahead tees for this function.”
Wollen completed: “Our members have performed a significant half on this mission; not solely by supplying funding, but in addition by displaying such persistence as we carried out the courseworks in a six month interval over the winter. Their reward might be a much-improved taking part in expertise.”
“This massive scale funding will assist North Hants to grasp its true standing amongst England’s high 100 golf programs” stated Rob Climas.
“The mixture of the brand new irrigation system and the upgraded bunkers has taken an English traditional golf course to the subsequent degree.
“Our improved taking part in surfaces and revised strategic problem will, we hope, encourage many to return and re-visit us, or maybe to return and check out North Hants for the primary time!”
