COURSES Kingarrock Hickory Golf near St Andrews Links in Scotland, steadfastly champions the principles of golf course management dating back nearly a century
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PHOTOS: OWEN BROWNE AND KINGARROCK HICKORY GOLF
J
ust 10 miles down the road from the famed St Andrews Links resides an equally unique piece of golfing real estate. Nestled between the centuries-old villages of Ceres and Craigrothie, resides Hill of Tarvit, a property managed by the National Trust for Scotland. The mansion home and gardens are just one of many stunning historical properties dotted throughout the Scotland countryside, but this one has something that sets it apart from most others – a golf course. The course – Kingarrock – was originally laid out in the early 1900s by then-Hill of Tarvit owner Frederick Sharp, a wealthy financier and jute manufacturer from nearby Dundee. Both Frederick and his son Hugh were particularly keen golfers and both were members of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club, also serving on the Rules Committee. The area of parkland in front of the mansion house was chosen and, having been formally planted as a designed landscape with fewer than 40 trees, was perfectly suited for golf. It was renamed Golf Park and good use was made of the established trees such as sessile oak, ash, beech, sycamore, lime and horse chestnut. Locals were allowed on for free after 2pm and the course was often used for practice by competitors at St Andrews, including an Open champion. Unfortunately, like many courses of its time, it was commandeered for farming use to support the war effort during World War II and not resurrected until an approach was made to the current owners, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), in 2004. This came about after NTS staff discovered a map of the original course dating back to 1924 as well as a set of Sharp’s hickory golf clubs. Enthused by the discovery, a planning application was submitted and a new design was drawn up. While the original map showed two holes sharing the same green (holes 1 and 6 and 2 and 8), when the course was redesigned by former Walker Cup player Peter McEvoy the shared greens and crossover holes were replaced with nine individual holes stretching over 2022 yards. And so was born Kingarrock Hickory Golf.
The course was eventually reopened in 2008 and it is believed to be the sole hickoryonly golf course in Europe. No modern clubs are allowed and all players are furnished with a set of hickory clubs for their round. This throwback to golf of yesteryear also carries over into the maintenance of the course and to this day it is intended that the course be maintained following the greenkeeping methods used and materials available in the 1920s.
A NEW HOME My journey to Scotland – and ultimately Kingarrock – was one I never envisaged taking when I first left Melbourne in the mid-1990s. I initially headed to St Andrews expecting to stay a year or so, never for one moment thinking that 25 years later I’d still be here. My wife Sandra is born and bred in St Andrews and together we manage Fairways
AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 21.3
Guest House, the closest guest house to the Old Course. The Home of Golf has become our home and as a greenkeeper and someone who has a passion for golf course management, I could think of no place better to reside. It is definitely a world away from where I grew up in the northern Melbourne suburb of Oak Park. I initially undertook an apprenticeship in horticulture (gardening) with the City of Coburg, but with an interest in sport, especially cricket and golf, I joined the staff at Northcote Municipal Golf Course. I ended up taking on the role of ‘employeein-charge’ (superintendent), spending five years there during which time I completed an Advanced Certificate in Parks Management and undertook an Advanced Certificate in Sports Turf Management. A turning point for me came when attending an interview for the assistant