Future-proofing Heysham

James Hutchinson visits Heysham Golf Club, where Course Manager Dave Hutchinson is leading an ambitious wetland water harvesting project.

Heysham, just a few miles south of Morecambe, in Lancashire, is an extraordinarily important place, which holds many gems, such as Saint Patrick's Chapel and its associated rock-carved graves that date back to who knows when. It also boasts two nuclear power reactors and a nature reserve of huge importance, though it was the golf course that caught my attention.

 

Dave Hutchinson manages this important mosaic of land, and with a team of six, they create and develop wonders, some of which we will see in this feature. One of these wonders is an important bit of proactive conservation in the form of a wetland water-harvesting project.

Living on the north-west coast of England, where it rains all the time, I often think that we have more than enough water going forward, but that could all change over the course of a season, and with regulation moving towards landowners and managers being required to secure their own water, this is unquestionably a project of the utmost importance.

High on the list of things to do for golf courses is the creation of their own water source. I cannot stress the importance of this highly enough and I hope that this feature goes some way to opening the eyes of certain golf clubs and their march towards that looming cliff face, which is 2030 to be precise.

 

Firstly, I asked Dave why he and the club are creating these projects. Dave mentioned he is going to retire in 2027, and by then he will have worked at Heysham for 43 years, with 23 years of those as course manager. Both Dave and the club wanted to leave Heysham in a strong position going forward, so they've invested heavily over the last few years to achieve this, including extensive drainage work to make the course more playable 52 weeks of the year. That's a story for another day, but for now, on to the ponds and creeks.

At Heysham, a new 5,000 cubic metre irrigation lagoon has been constructed to collect water so that the golf club has a ready supply if (more like when) restrictions are brought in.

Ian Taylor from Arden Lea Irrigation dug this lagoon and shaped all the area around it; he also made sure that any nearby drainage fell towards the hole so that water collection was maximised.

 

When you stand on the nearby 18th green, you can clearly see why the lagoon was dug there, and I hate to be an 'obvious Oliver', but that's exactly where you would dig a trap to collect water! Let nature decide and then work with her closely. The lagoon also has outlets to nearby drains for those really heavy downpours that we seem to get more of these days, and a member of the club designed and landscaped one of the outlets. Well done all, I reckon.

Not only that, but wildflower seeds will also be sown to try to attract more insect diversity and to create a more visually pleasing 18th, which could now be described as the course's signature hole. I would love to talk you through the schematics, representations and the other big words associated with a project like this, however, this feature is only a brief outline of an important development that, unless you already have one, may get you thinking about having one, and pretty darned soon. 

As with all drainage, irrigation and pretty much any water management, it is best to seek specialist advice prior to breaking ground.

"Most of the work we've undertaken is in anticipation of what may come in the future," Dave told me. "Whatever regulations are brought in, we'll be in a very strong position to adapt."

Dave worked closely with Lancashire County Council to be sure no protected habitat or nearby environments were affected by the works, and guess what? It may be that the club can receive a cash incentive from Natural England to install more. Everyone's a winner here by the looks of it.

 

Wildlife appears to love this new lagoon too. "Especially the roe deer who are often seen drinking out of it," mentioned Dave. "Herons and egrets are there most days as well."

No doubt more wildlife will start appearing as the lagoon matures. Here's an interesting fact about egrets: cattle egrets only started breeding in England in 2007, with great white egrets breeding a little later in 2012, both are unquestionably a welcome sight on a golf course wetland. The local amphibian and small fish population may disagree, though.

While the wetland is pretty bland at the moment, I am positive, given the wildlife I know resides at or next to Heysham Golf Club, there will be wagtails, sandpipers and hopefully a kingfisher or two will show up, not to mention the damselfly, dragonfly and butterfly population, which will definitely make an appearance.

But what about the actual pond life itself, the fish, pond snail and other aquatic goodies? Well, they will make their own way there soon enough. It may be a few years before they get there, but they will and usually via the feet of a wading bird (waders accidentally collect fish and amphibian eggs from one pond and then move them to another without even knowing!). Whatever shows up, I'm sure it will be made welcome, just like the rest.

Heysham recently installed an irrigation system too.

"Due to the possible restrictions in water usage in the future, we have installed a new irrigation system this year by Arden Lea Irrigation using the latest Hunter Command Center and sprinklers – all this came to a cost of £300,000," Dave revealed.

 

"This year has seen how essential it is investing in a modern irrigation system. In the past we have had to do lots of hand watering on high spots and Mackenzie greens, but this year, even with the dry spell, we haven't had to do any. This is because the sprinklers are so advanced that very little water is wasted thus saving water, which can then be used to irrigate other areas of the course.

"Anthony Whiteside from Arden Lea Irrigation and Wes Henshaw from KARUK LTD were so easy to work with and understood our needs and helped us with this massive project."

I've been writing about pro greenkeepers, golfers and golf courses for many years now and I love a happy ending to any story. How's this one for size?

Dave said: "The members love this new feature down the left of the 18th now. Ever since it was built, lots of golfers have been seen taking photos of it while playing the last hole. We were also recently awarded 'Club of the Year' by Lancashire Golf and also featured on BBC North West highlighting the Dementia Cafe at Heysham and how golf is helping people living with dementia."

I really can't speak highly enough of Heysham Golf Club. I wish them well in the future, a future that looks bright from where I'm stood, which is just the other side of Morecambe Bay actually.

There are other plans in place, such as potentially hiring or purchasing a water bowser to irrigate those hard-to-reach places on the course, water harvesting via a pump to the irrigation tanks and an aerator to keep algae and other such issues in check. It appears Heysham is in an excellent place to future-proof the site for many years to come. Great work Dave and team!

The team at Heysham

Dave Hutchinson – course manager

Adam Hutchinson – first assistant greenkeeper

Simon Robinson – greenkeeper

Joel Frith – apprentice greenkeeper

Liam Jackson – apprentice greenkeeper

Henry Brock – apprentice greenkeeper