Two eye-catching stone features dedicated to the ‘Voice of Golf’ are making their mark with golfers at Moor Allerton Golf Club, the 27 hole parkland course situated north of Leeds.
Situated either side of The Alliss Bridge, named in honour of former Ryder Cup player, Moor Allerton club professional and legendary BBC commentator Peter Alliss, the two stone markers were hewn from a seam of Bramley Fall rock at Mone Brothers’ nearby Blackhill Quarry in Bramhope.
Moor Allerton’s Head Greenkeeper Adam Matthews explained: “The Alliss Bridge is a recently refurbished pathway that makes for an attractive feature on the first hole. It’s marked on either side with plaques that read ‘Peter Alliss, a great friend of the club’.
“We are hoping the great man himself, who served as club professional here from 1970 to 1973, will officially open the bridge himself in 2018. He once lived in a house next to the course and has been a regular visitor to the club since his days as the professional here.
“It took some heavy lifting to move the stone markers into place but the end result looks superb and many of our members and visitors have commented on it.
“It’s entirely apt that the bridge is dedicated to a golf personality who has done much to build bridges between golf clubs and the top professionals,” added Adam.
Kevin Mone, a Director at Mone Brothers, commented: “We were delighted to discover that the two hand carved Bramley Fall stone markers were dedicated to one of golf’s real larger than life characters and a great ambassador for the game.
“Bramley Fall stone has a history of playing its part in helping to create the UK’s architectural landscape, including many London landmarks, and it’s great news that this distinctive golden stone now marks out ‘The Alliss Bridge’ at one of Yorkshire’s most historic golf courses,” added Kevin.
Peter Alliss once described the present course, built in 1970 by renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones Senior, as a ‘golfing experience larger than life’. Founded in 1923 at a nearby site on Nursery Lane, the club has played host in the past to PGA European Tour events and many of golf’s greatest names including Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Greg Norman.
Leeds-born Howard Clark, a six-time member of the European Ryder Cup team, was also the Moor Allerton club professional for a spell in the 1980s.
Moor Allerton Golf Club www.moorallertongolfclub.co.uk
Mone Brothers www.monebros.co.uk