An Exciting New Chapter in Goswick's Ongoing Story

Assuming all goes as anticipated, most of the components of the improvement plan -- approved by the membership in 2022 -- should be in place and open for play by spring 2027. More time might be required to build the new 9th hole, pending resolution of the land required for the new tees.

Goswick's Board engaged the services of the renowned golf course design firm of Mackenzie & Ebert to review and suggest ways that the club could improve its front 9. A plan of action was presented and approved by the membership at a Special General Meeting in June 2022. Tom Mackenzie, in particular, has played a hands-on role in guiding the project as it has evolved in the years since, working in close partnership with Goswick General Manager Keith Martin, Course Manager Ryan McCulloch and the club's greenkeeping team.

Yes! During the removal of the old 9th hole and construction of the new 7th hole we have created a temporary par 3 that plays from the current 17th hole green tee to a temporary green. This in turn has led to the use of temporary tees on the 17th hole and playing it as a par 4. We anticipate that the new 7th hole will be ready for play in April, ending the need for this temporary configuration.

Assuming a fairly normal weather pattern, the new hole will be ready in April. Fortunately, we had the turf on the old 9^th green and surrounds at our disposal to help jumpstart the new green. I would especially like to thank members of the staff, beyond those on the greenkeeping team, who literally got their hands dirty to make that happen. Once the shapers had resculpted the new green site, the team applied sand for drainage and 1.5 feet of root soil before the thick-cut turf was put in place one segment at a time. As such, I am confident the transplanted turf will take hold and — with regular rolling and light top dressing over the next few months — the new green will be ready for play very quickly.

By the way, this process was a bit different from when we reshaped the 4^th green. In that instance, we needed to retain the centre portion of old green to ensure we had at least one good pin position for use during Regional Qualifying the following June. We also had to source outside fescue turf to fill in the balance of the green and surround, leading to a difference in appearance between the old and the new. That issue will continue to resolve itself over time. By contrast, the green and surrounds of the new 7^th uses turf that is completely native to Goswick and will result in a uniform surface, both in how it looks and how it plays.

We will determine exact yardages, and produce a new scorecard, in the coming months. But from the tees behind the 6^th green, the length of the hole will be in the neighbourhood of 130 yards. From the tee off the back of the 5^th hole, it will play roughly 155 yards. Those numbers are a bit deceptive as, on most days, the hole will play into the wind. And the OB and bunkers on the right will be very much in play when the pin is placed on the righthand side of the green.

Mackenzie & Ebert envision it as an alternative to the tees behind the 6^th green rather than a back tee or simply a winter relief tee. Their design incorporates a spine that runs across roughly the centre of the green. When playing from the righthand tee, this spine will define the left and right sides of the green. When playing from the tee on the left, it will define the front and back of the green. So, it’s almost like we are getting two holes for the price of one.

Tom Mackenzie, in particular, was very hands-on during the process. He has made two site visits thus far, one to verify that the shaping aligned with the design and another to inspect the site after turfing. FYI, during the shaping, we used GPS to map out the site to within inches of the design. He is very pleased with the progress to date.

Like the new 7^th hole, they will be ready to go by April.

These lengths will be measured by the end of January. But what I can say is that any length lost between the old 9^th hole and the new 7^th hole will be made up by additional length created by these new tees on the 8^th.

Work on the short game area will start mid-October. The 1^st hole improvements will begin in November. At that time, we will likely need to make use of a temporary tee on the 1^st until we remove the trees, though it’s possible that the current green/red tee on the 1^st could still be an option during some of the construction.

That is still to be determined. A bit like the land required for the new 7^th hole and new 8^th tees, we need to clarify ownership of the land required for the new 9^th hole tees (to the right of the current 7^th hole green). That process has begun. The good news is that, unlike with the new 7^th, a change of use authorisation will not be required. It’s possible that the new 9^th hole will be done in two stages, starting with the tees and then creating the new green at a later date. The focus now is on resolving any issues related to the land required for the tees.

The overall course will be longer. We will not know a precise yardage until all the work is completed. Yes, the new 7^th hole is shorter than the old 9^th. But we have added length to the 4^th, 5^th, 6^th and 8^th holes. It’s important to remember that Mackenzie & Ebert’s remit was not to make the course longer but to make it better. We are well on our way to achieving that objective.

We recommend that you bookmark this page to stay up to date on the progress of the front 9 improvement plan going forward. If you have specific questions, please direct them to Marketing Manager Dan Miller at dan@goswickgolfclub.com.