The Inspiration
- Thread starter Orikoru
- Start date
VVega
Assistant Pro
Thought I'd ping this thread. Would be interesting to hear how the course is developing a year on...
Orikoru
Tour Winner
I haven't been back, but heard they still haven't built a clubhouse.
sunshine
Well-known member
Is it still a clay inland links? 
LIG
Q-School Graduate
Been playing a lot since getting back into it last June so I'm not looking in on the forum often.
Anyway. Update.
I renewed this month. Now a fully fledged 7-day member!
From that you can can see that I'm happy with what I've got. It's not all there but...Obviously, everyone has their own opinions on what's an essential at any club, but my top, top, top priority is the course layout. Followed closely by course conditions.
I'm not a big hitter so I "get it" when some big boys sneer at par 4s of 350 yards; but only one of them is without all sorts of peril if you're not precise with your boom off the tee.... and that one is there to offer eagle opportunities.
The course was closed some times during the really wet flash-stormy winter weather, to protect it from damage early in its life, and also on frosty days, with delayed opening whenever necessary.
Many full members weren't happy with that but as a weekday member (and often injured) I didn't notice too much. Apparently, a big period of closure was when I was away in January.
In the winter, lots of maintenance and improvements to drainage were carried out as and when necessary/possible - including finding a blocked channel/pipe at the bottom of the course, which caused excess water higher up on the course.
The fairways and some other areas were verti-cut (I think its called verti-cutting!) to aid drainage and to encourage a stronger sward of grass. Unfortunately, immediatley after this was done the weather didn't cooperate and we had a long dry spell. The recent rain has helped, but there is now a local rule offering relief for a ball coming to rest in a heat crack.
The clubhouse is hopefully going to be approved by the council planning dept. The final date for a decision is 7 July so we may see some action this year and be able to move out of the temp structure before next season! I only noticed the lack of a "proper" clubhouse in the really cold weather as it was bitter!
Visitor/guest fees went up at the start of the season, as is usual at most clubs, but I think its still worth it.
Overall, what makes this place worth the money is the course itself - the greens are superb, certainly the best I've played in the area - and the "links effect" (pun intended), you'll hardly find a flat lie twice in a row and the very best towering shots are as likely to get a bad kick off the slope, as a shonky pull shot is to get a helpful one to the hole side!
I play golf for the challenge (I suspect we all do to a large extent) so even if there's no proper clubhouse and it sometimes shuts early at 5pm, I still prefer to play here than almost anywhere else.
HTH
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
Been playing a lot since getting back into it last June so I'm not looking in on the forum often.
Anyway. Update.
I renewed this month. Now a fully fledged 7-day member!
Obviously, everyone has their own opinions on what's an essential at any club, but my top, top, top priority is the course layout. Followed closely by course conditions.
I'm not a big hitter so I "get it" when some big boys sneer at par 4s of 350 yards; but only one of them is without all sorts of peril if you're not precise with your boom off the tee.... and that one is there to offer eagle opportunities.
The course was closed some times during the really wet flash-stormy winter weather, to protect it from damage early in its life, and also on frosty days, with delayed opening whenever necessary.
Many full members weren't happy with that but as a weekday member (and often injured) I didn't notice too much. Apparently, a big period of closure was when I was away in January.
In the winter, lots of maintenance and improvements to drainage were carried out as and when necessary/possible - including finding a blocked channel/pipe at the bottom of the course, which caused excess water higher up on the course.
The fairways and some other areas were verti-cut (I think its called verti-cutting!) to aid drainage and to encourage a stronger sward of grass. Unfortunately, immediatley after this was done the weather didn't cooperate and we had a long dry spell. The recent rain has helped, but there is now a local rule offering relief for a ball coming to rest in a heat crack.
The clubhouse is hopefully going to be approved by the council planning dept. The final date for a decision is 7 July so we may see some action this year and be able to move out of the temp structure before next season! I only noticed the lack of a "proper" clubhouse in the really cold weather as it was bitter!
Visitor/guest fees went up at the start of the season, as is usual at most clubs, but I think its still worth it.
Overall, what makes this place worth the money is the course itself - the greens are superb, certainly the best I've played in the area - and the "links effect" (pun intended), you'll hardly find a flat lie twice in a row and the very best towering shots are as likely to get a bad kick off the slope, as a shonky pull shot is to get a helpful one to the hole side!
I play golf for the challenge (I suspect we all do to a large extent) so even if there's no proper clubhouse and it sometimes shuts early at 5pm, I still prefer to play here than almost anywhere else.
HTH
Is there cracks in the fairways ?
Do they have a watering system for the fairways
VVega
Assistant Pro
Thank you for sharing the update! The visitor rate increase is minimal (+£10).Been playing a lot since getting back into it last June so I'm not looking in on the forum often.
Anyway. Update.
I renewed this month. Now a fully fledged 7-day member!
Obviously, everyone has their own opinions on what's an essential at any club, but my top, top, top priority is the course layout. Followed closely by course conditions.
I'm not a big hitter so I "get it" when some big boys sneer at par 4s of 350 yards; but only one of them is without all sorts of peril if you're not precise with your boom off the tee.... and that one is there to offer eagle opportunities.
The course was closed some times during the really wet flash-stormy winter weather, to protect it from damage early in its life, and also on frosty days, with delayed opening whenever necessary.
Many full members weren't happy with that but as a weekday member (and often injured) I didn't notice too much. Apparently, a big period of closure was when I was away in January.
In the winter, lots of maintenance and improvements to drainage were carried out as and when necessary/possible - including finding a blocked channel/pipe at the bottom of the course, which caused excess water higher up on the course.
The fairways and some other areas were verti-cut (I think its called verti-cutting!) to aid drainage and to encourage a stronger sward of grass. Unfortunately, immediatley after this was done the weather didn't cooperate and we had a long dry spell. The recent rain has helped, but there is now a local rule offering relief for a ball coming to rest in a heat crack.
The clubhouse is hopefully going to be approved by the council planning dept. The final date for a decision is 7 July so we may see some action this year and be able to move out of the temp structure before next season! I only noticed the lack of a "proper" clubhouse in the really cold weather as it was bitter!
Visitor/guest fees went up at the start of the season, as is usual at most clubs, but I think its still worth it.
Overall, what makes this place worth the money is the course itself - the greens are superb, certainly the best I've played in the area - and the "links effect" (pun intended), you'll hardly find a flat lie twice in a row and the very best towering shots are as likely to get a bad kick off the slope, as a shonky pull shot is to get a helpful one to the hole side!
I play golf for the challenge (I suspect we all do to a large extent) so even if there's no proper clubhouse and it sometimes shuts early at 5pm, I still prefer to play here than almost anywhere else.
HTH
I did enjoy the layout and greens last year, so good to hear it’s developing well. No. 5 was my favourite.
VVega
Assistant Pro
Didn’t see any last year. Typically, a newly constructed (not natural) course would sand dress the fairways areas that should help somewhat.
Very few courses do in this country?
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
Think a lot more are putting it in now - we have had a full fairway system for 4/5 years now - with the way the weather is these days it’s crucial to keep the fairways alive - cracking on fairways isn’t great
sunshine
Well-known member
Local rule for cracks in the fairways is not a good sign. I know we had a dry spring but it’s only June. It could be horrendous if we have a hot dry summer.
Very surprised that a brand new course in southern England wasn’t built with fairway irrigation. In the long term the green keepers are going to struggle to maintain conditioning.
D-S
Well-known member
And boreholes as well as reservoirs.
LIG
Q-School Graduate
Yes, cracks in fairways but as I said before, the local rule allows pick and place. I used it today.
The top,sand dressing would have been done if there had been any prospect of rain but I believe the green keepers were correct in thinking that the quantity of sand required would be many times normal and a lot of it would be wasted by being blown away (or washed away in cloudbursts). There's more propect of the top/sand dressing happening if the weather cooperates, and the plan is for a more widespread action later on in autumn.
There is fairway irrigation on the approaches to every green, 50yds and in.
The top,sand dressing would have been done if there had been any prospect of rain but I believe the green keepers were correct in thinking that the quantity of sand required would be many times normal and a lot of it would be wasted by being blown away (or washed away in cloudbursts). There's more propect of the top/sand dressing happening if the weather cooperates, and the plan is for a more widespread action later on in autumn.
There is fairway irrigation on the approaches to every green, 50yds and in.
3 jabber
Well-known member
All the comments I see about this course seem to be about the excellent greens.
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
if the fairway cracks are that bad then it’s more about lack of water and there must be a need to more fairway irrigation than just approaches - seems strange for a new course to not have full coverage
LIG
Q-School Graduate
Cost!
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
It’s something that’s going to be worth the cost in the long run
If you have cracks now whats it going to be like in 3 months
IanM
Journeyman Pro
- Joined
- May 18, 2009
- Messages
- 14,620
- Location
- Monmouthshire, UK via Guildford!
Depends on the weather
I'm wondering why some folk seem disproportionately keen to chuck rocks at this Course.
3 jabber
Well-known member
Because it's an 'inland links'!!!!!!!I'm wondering why some folk seem disproportionately keen to chuck rocks at this Course.
sunshine
Well-known member
Depends on the weather
I'm wondering why some folk seem disproportionately keen to chuck rocks at this Course.
Perhaps because the marketing hype has billed this course as west London's equivalent to Muirfield, Portrush and Turnberry.
Personally, I'm keen to check it out, but it is a genuinely worrying sign for the future of the course if there are already cracks on the brand new fairways.
I remember when Northwick Park opened as a 6 hole venue almost 20 years ago, it was maintained to elite championship standard. That was never sustainable. It would be a shame if the Inspiration was left to deteriorate to a scruffy muni standard.
IanM
Journeyman Pro
- Joined
- May 18, 2009
- Messages
- 14,620
- Location
- Monmouthshire, UK via Guildford!
Because it's an 'inland links'!!!!!!!
That description often raises an eyebrow
Spookily, my favourite bit is the closing stretch, which the least linksy part of the course.
