Added: 1st june 2024
Set in the foothills of the Peak District, Horsley Lodge has been offering challenging and picturesque golf since it was built in 1863 by the Earl of Sitwell – as a wedding present for his son no less! Having been recently acquired by investment group Charjen Capital, the club is undergoing a healthy period of investment, with a £500,000 investment plan already having been undertaken by Derbyshire-based entrepreneur Marc Bough in the months since the acquisition. “We saw an opportunity to own one of Derbyshire’s finest golf courses in a stunning location, and have grand plans to enhance the golf course itself”, said Bough, “as well as upgrade the hotel and venue space in a sensitive and sustainable manner.”
Central to the ambition to improve the course is the development of a long-term drainage strategy, which has been spearheaded by Turfdry. Following a full topographical survey of the entire course, key problem areas that are beset by persistent waterlogging were identified by the club’s management as priorities for improvement. Following numerous site visits to supplement the topographical information provided by the survey with ‘on-the-ground’ understanding of the areas in question, Turfdry developed drainage designs for the 6th & 7th fairways, as well as outlining key improvements to the adjacent ditch network that would be crucial in providing a proper outfall for the collected water.
Though the club opted to carry out the required ditch works in-house, they turned to Turfdry’s 30 years of experience delivering golf course drainage improvements when it came to the installation of the fairway drainage itself. Using the unique Hydraway Sportsdrain for which the firm is known, a network of lateral drains was installed at 4m spacing across both fairways.
In order to maximise the effectiveness of these drains, the fairways were split into sections, with the laterals for each section being angled to optimise their interception of surface water, whilst still preserving a positive flow route to the carrier drains that outfall into the ponds and ditches surrounding the areas in question. This degree of granular specificity in the design is not only the product of Turfdry’s 30 years of experience delivering golf course drainage, but also rooted in the topographical survey information gathered earlier in the project, which supplements ‘on-the-ground’ observation with highly detailed records of the course, allowing for optimal drainage design that maximises the cost-effectiveness of each project.
Click here for more information about the benefits of topographical course surveys, or get in touch with us today.
