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Stoneham Golf Club has been selected as one of three finalists for the Greenkeeping Project of the Year at the BIGGA Awards 2022. These awards recognise that high standards and dedication are vital to the success of any golf course or championship and they are keen to reward BIGGA members who are demonstrating innovation.
This award, which is sponsored by Baroness, recognises those greenkeeping teams who have undertaken a specific project, completed within 2020 and 2021.
The winners will be announced at the BIGGA Welcome Celebration on 22 March, an event to mark the start of the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) which will run from 22-24 March.
Stoneham Golf Club enlisted the services of TJ Transport in 2018 to work in partnership with them to create an enhanced and modern driving range and practice facility – the Stoneham Academy practice facility – at their club in Southampton.
This project, which cost £1.2m, was part of Stoneham’s strategic 5-year plan that they hoped would result in them being recognised as the premier golf course in Hampshire and ranked in the top 50 golf courses in England. The Club’s aspiration to host premier tournaments for Professional and Amateur golfers, such as British Open Qualifying events, could only be realised with an improved practice and teaching facility.
TJ Transport formed the main part of a team that managed the project from start to finish. They were responsible for supplying the materials, transporting them to the site and carrying out the initial shaping, screening and placing work to create the new facilities. TJ staff were on-site daily using their specialist plant including bulldozers, excavators, dumpers and screeners to prepare the ground and to work with specialist contractors for the final shaping, finishing and building of the new practice facility.
The project also saw many other improvements being made at Stoneham including greens drainage, new tees, pathway upgrades, a new halfway hut, the building of wetland areas and a new irrigation system.
Richard Bland, British Masters Champion 2021, who officially opened the Stoneham Academy last year, said: “It’s a privilege to open the academy at Stoneham! Without doubt some of the best practice facilities in the country. Everybody associated with the club should feel proud. I do!”
Key features and successes of the new practice facility include:
TJ Transport’s Commercial Director Steve Grant said: “The project was a resounding success with every phase going as planned. A lot of work went into the project, but now that it is complete, Stoneham has a driving range and practice ground that is second to none. They are an extremely deserving finalist for this award and I wish them every success.”
Stoneham Golf Club, which was established in 1908, is an 18-hole, par 72, private heathland golf course. In 2012, the Club commissioned Ken Moodie of Creative Golf Designs, with input from former European Tour player Ken Brown and arboriculturist John Nicholson, to develop a blueprint for developing and modernising the golf course in order to maximise its potential.
The winners of this award will receive a full course photography session including drone footage from Carefree Golf Photography worth £1,000, a £300 Virgin Experience Days voucher for the team to enjoy and of course, the BIGGA Awards 2022.
Find out more about Stoneham Golf Club or get in touch with TJ to learn more about our work with golf clubs in the southern region.
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