By Matthew Beedle
Pontefract and District golf club has been one of the numerous West Yorkshire golf clubs fighting the recent winter downfall across the county.
The course is due to go to back to full playing tees this week, opposed to the temporary ones put in place over the winter.
However, the course still has four holes out of play and just last week new head green keeper Gary Anderson made the decision to switch four other holes to temporary winter greens.
Pontefract will be hoping the course gets back to conditions like these
Malcom Huddlestone, the manager of Pontefract, says that the problems have been on-going for years and it is a problem they are addressing.
He said: “We’ve been in contact with Yorkshire Water and the problems we have been facing are progressively being sorted and we hope to be up to full tees within the next few weeks.”
Even though the course has taken a hit, Huddlestone believes that the club is taking steps in the right direction to make the playing experience better.
He said: “I always remind people that Rome wasn’t built in a day. If we have to take one step back to make two forward then we have to do what is necessary to preserve the course.”
Despite the recent set backs the golf club manager is excited about working alongside new head green keeper Anderson.
APPOINTMENT: We are pleased to announce that Gary Anderson will join as our new head green keeper from Garforth on 7th March, Welcome Gary!
— Pontefract Golf (@PontefractGolf) February 7, 2017
He said: “I walked the course with Gary (Anderson) just the other day and he has some fantastic ideas on how we can push this course forward.”
19-year-old member Dominic Richardson echoed Huddlestone’s words and says he believes that closing the course during the winter will be worth the wait during the summer.
He said: “It can be frustrating not being able to come down and play a few holes during these months but it would be even more frustrating if you were to come during the peak months and the course is closed.”
Pontefract isn’t the only course that has struggled over the recent months. Other courses have also been struggling in the recent months as another local course, Normanton Golf Club, have had their share of bad luck.
Normanton was forced to shut numerous times over the past months and the members and visitors are still having to play off winter mats in the fairways to preserve the course for the summer.
The courses will be looking to be in full swing with the Masters just around the corner and business at golf clubs predicted to be booming.