World Class Greens for the West
(-Ernie Els on the reconstruction of Wentworth’s West Course)
When the West Course was originally conceived by the legendary course designer Harry Colt in 1926, his sights were set on creating a masterpiece that would be the envy of the golfing world.
Almost a century later, and very few courses can boast of such a prestigious tournament history like the West Course, from its hosting of the 1953 Ryder Cup, to holding the World Match Play since 1964 and its 25-year-long partnership with the PGA Championship. Following on from the refinements of the course under the guidance of Ernie Els in 2006, Wentworth now has the opportunity to reconstruct all the West Course’s greens and approaches to a USGA specification – the next stage of the journey to bring Harry Colt’s classic piece of work into the 21st century, while remaining faithful to his original vision.
Wentworth Club Chairman Richard Caring says: “As soon as we had the opportunity, we immediately went into consultation with our partners in the European Tour and experts in the industry to commence the project. By May 2010 we will have, in my opinion, the best greens in Great Britain.”
Chris Kennedy, Courses Manager at the Club, adds: “We recognise that the Harry Colt greens constructed in 1926 do not perform as well as new USGA specification greens. Now that we have the chance to address the issue our objective is to produce a consistent surface of the highest quality on every green on the West.” Working closely with Ernie Els, the Club will review each green to ensure the West Course remains a fitting challenge for the modern day golfer. It will replace the current poa greens with colonial bent grass, and there will be further work on the fairways, tees and bunkers in order to improve every possible aspect of the course.
Work will start on the West Course after it has played host to the 2009 BMW PGA Championship early next summer. “We’ve selected the time to do this work very carefully,” says Wentworth’s Chief Executive Julian Small. “It will be carried out at the right time of year so as to be as quick and efficient as possible and minimise disruption to our members.”
During the period of closure, there will be no visitor or group play on any of the Club’s three courses, in order to offer exclusive access to members at all times. “We aim to open the course solely for member and guest play in late 2009, and we are confident that we will be in a position to have the West Course greens in excellent condition for the 2010 BMW PGA Championship,” Julian adds.
George O’Grady, Chief Executive of the European Tour says: “Now we look forward to The European Tour’s long and close partnership with Wentworth Club further developing the BMW PGA Championship and all our players being proud to compete in this prestigious event.” Ernie Els, who will not only be playing a crucial role in the West Course reconstruction, but also hopefully in the PGA itself, says: “Now we’ve got a chance to bring the greens up to the standard of the rest of the golf course – and by that, I mean world class. “It’s exciting to be a part of these ongoing improvements to the West Course,” Ernie adds. “Ever since I first started coming here, I’ve always felt this was one of the best golf courses in the world – now it’ll have some of the best greens, too.”
For the latest information on the West Course greens reconstruction project, keep an eye on this web-page.
Please click on the downloadable document below for Frequently Asked Questions on the West Course project.