Pike Fold's grass is always greener
Manchester Evening News Article
June 23, 2009
Pike Fold are turning many of the region's clubs green with envy.
And if Ross Fisher had been putting on the verdant, slick surfaces at the Unsworth course he might well have taken fewer strokes he used during the US Open at Bethpage Black!
Course manager Philip Harmon and his staff have overseen the transformation of the greens from the ordinary to the extraordinary over the past few months.
"We have just scarified some on the front nine but the members know that the work has to be done and in the long run it's in all their interests so they don't complain," he said.
Harmon has left alone the expansive greens on the inward half which opened little more than a year ago to stretch the course to a full 18 holes at the centenary club that moved from the lowlands of Blackley in 1999 to the undulating fells near Bury with views to die for.
And they are arguably some of the best in the North West, despite their newness, thanks to them being laid to USGA specification.
Opinion
Club captain John O'Donnell enthused: "We're extremely proud of the greens. I've visited a lot of courses this year and ours come up to the standard of every one I've played. That includes Hesketh, Royal Birkdale and Romiley who have nothing better than what we have here.
"But I have a biased opinion although we had an invitation day recently when we received a lot of praise, as we generally do from visiting parties. And we can play on them all year unless there's a heavy frost."
O'Donnell agreed that greens at most clubs will be in top condition at this time of the year but he rated Pike Fold's right up there with the best.
Harmon, 33, worked in the States and Germany before returning to Crompton and Royton then taking the Pike Fold job three years ago.
"The greens may be all-weather but maintaining them is not an easy job. They need a lot more feed and water than you'd expect. We aerated the new ones at an early stage, which not many people do, but we have adopted a programme to keep them as healthy as we can.
"We don't have any weeds because we keep on top of them. The structure of the front and back nine greens are different but we've managed to get them to play the same pace."
They will be put to the full test during a festival week starting in July 27 when Lancashire play Yorkshire in a Roses mixed age match.
And that's an appropriate and deserved fixture for the child friendly club that has more than 40 juniors including 14-year-old Holly Vizard who was crowned youngest winner of the Bury Women's Championship at the town's club last week.