Sundridge Park Golf Club in Kent is famous for superb greens, fairways and woodland. Wild flowers are also a major talking point .
The club’s own forester, Terry Gladwell, planted some of the 250,000 trees – nearly 50 years ago – from which he built a fabulous new oak bridge over a rebuilt pond on the West Course. He is an expert on local flora and fauna.
To attract insects and birds a range of amenity flower mixes have been used on the banks of the pond, and other areas of the club, from Top Green’s Euroflor range, supplied by Rigby Taylor.
It’s just one of the many outstanding features of this stunning 36-hole club that boasts nearly 1,200 members – and yet maintains a quiet and unassuming entrance near Bromley down a quiet back lane.
“The members are very jealous of our reputation for excellence and like to keep our location a lightly-kept secret,” laughs course manager Paul Rudkin, who has been at the club for 26 years.
“As well as the Euroflor flowers, which we have in several more wild areas of the club, we also use the Mascot range of grass seed from Rigby Taylor – also bred by Top Green in France. We give the members superb golfing facilities and great surroundings,” says Paul. “With flowers, wildlife, trees and fantastic views, this has to be one of the most spectacular clubs in the country.
“We have been impressed by the results of the Euroflor mixes which give us plenty of colour with minimum of maintenance in those areas which need enhancing.”
Part of the club’s recent investment has gone on a new practice area with four members bays, a separate teaching bay and a large enclosed state-of-the-art professional’s room that includes cameras to show players how they are improving,
The new range building was a joint venture between Speedcut Contractors and Mike Copson Associates and the results are proving a very popular asset for the club.
Stunning trees at Sundridge Park include oak, ash, cherry, sweet chestnut, horse chestnut, beech, silver birch and young redwood. There are also poplars and fir trees.
With flowers now a major feature during the spring and summer months Sundridge Park is proving that golf courses enhance the environment and attract birds and insects that benefit the countryside.
Rigby Taylor www.rigbytaylor.com
Sundridge Park Golf Club www.spgc.co.uk