DWGD have built three 9 hole Par 3 courses, all in North Wales, in the twelve month period between Spring 2002 and Spring 2003. Two of the courses were for the same clients, Fore Golf Limited, who run a successful Driving Range at Sealand Road, on the outskirts of Chester, and it was adjacent to that facility that the third course was built by leading contractors John Greasley Ltd. in Spring 2003.

With the benefit of ideal, dry, sandy soil and taking advantage of the fine early spring weather, the course was completed in less than six weeks. David Williams explains ..”Because of the extremely fast drying nature of the soil, essentially the topsoil was stripped, the land shaped, and the topsoil returned. Greens surfaces were constructed by a sand/soil mix which will give excellent drainage even during the wettest of winters. Play is programmed to commence in Spring 2004.

A few miles away, at Alyn Waters Country Park, near Llay on the outskirts of Wrexham, the same combination of DWGD as designers and John Greasley Limited as constructors built the other 9 hole Par 3 course for the same clients, again on an excellent sandy soil. David Williams continues ..”The benefits of having such excellent sites for these developments are immense. Not only is it possible to create excellent high quality well-shaped undulating greens at minimal cost, also without the requirement for extensive (and therefore expensive) drainage, and with the contractors being able to work during quieter winter periods, it is possible to construct excellent facilities at low cost.

The other 9 hole Par 3 course was a very simple starter layout at Gwynus, near Nefyn on the Lleyn Peninsula, where a very elementary layout was constructed. However, the course is magnificently situated, high in the Snowdonia mountains, and offering almost 360º views north to the Irish Sea, west down the Lleyn Peninsula to Bardsey Island, with southerly views down the Cambrian Coast to Aberystwyth and beyond, and always backed up by magnificent easterly views to the mountains of Snowdonia.

The creation of short Par 3 layouts is a trend David Williams anticipates seeing in the future. “Given the right land, it is possible to create a fine facility at reasonable cost”. He states ..”It is important for the game of golf that new players are introduced, and such facilities are an increasingly important factor in bringing many more thousands to the game.

<< Back to Golf Course Architecture Newsletter (Wales)