Donaghadee Drives On

1899 saw the birth of golf at Donaghadee on the coast of County Down in Northern Ireland with the most wonderful views over Belfast Lough, the Irish Sea and over to the Isle of Man and Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland.

The Old Course saw the beginning of its renovation when Aaron Small arrived from nearby Clandeboye as Course Manager and Swan Golf Designs were commissioned as golf course architects to the Club. Howard Swan and his team undertook an appraisal of the course and after an exhaustive analysis of its design, its layout, its safety, its strategy, its length and balance gave the Club a variety of options and recommendations for the development of the course.

This was three years ago and by 2009 some five holes have been upgraded, mainly revising the rather outdated and redundant bunker strategy. The effect has been remarkable and combined with a great improvement in course presentation, the course is being transformed and the Club is attracting increased numbers of members and visitors alike

The most recently adopted project, and the Club’s most ambitious to date, will see the redevelopment of their practice facilities on the course, accommodated presently on an old fairway and rather rudimentary in what they provided to professional Gordon Drew and members alike. Swan has redesigned the area to include a six hole golf course on the outfield of the practice ground, which will double up as a range. Adjacent to this will be built a Golf Academy, for chipping and bunker practice and tuition. This will include three holes so adding the other six to allow a nine or eighteen hole short course round for beginners and juniors.

Jim Cullen, General Manager, at the Club added “We have long needed to improve our practice facilities and the help we are receiving from Sport Northern Ireland is a wonderful boost to our efforts to bring in the young and add to our junior membership. We have around 100 juniors and we aim to double that. We already work with local schools using TriGolf and GolfXtreme equipment and the innovative design we have from our golf course architects has allowed us to take great advantage of the limited area which we have available.”

Works will commence in October and are expected to be completed by spring 2010.