|
The Club History
The Course at
Barkway Park was built on set-aside land
belonging to the Pigg family (who are still
freeholders), a member of which, John Pigg,
was one of those who conceived the idea of a
golf course in Barkway and put it into
reality. The gently undulating terrain was
well provided with ditches and hedges, both
of which, particularly the ditches, remain
as stroke-gobbling hazards.
Designed by
Vivian Saunders the 18 holes have always
posed a challenge, enhanced by the almost
ever present wind. At just under 7000 yards
off the white tees with only three short
holes, the par is a tough 74. Just after the
course was opened in 1990 Vivian visited to
see if there were any problems. She was told
that most of the men were grumbling that the
2nd was too hard – the carry over
the ditch was beyond them. “Take me out
there to the back tee” she said. A buggy
was summoned and out she went. On the back
tee she pulled out a three wood. One smooth
swing later the ball, into the wind, sailed
over the ditch. “I see no problem,” she
said, subject closed. The men are still
laying up short of that ditch to this day.
No bunkers
were put in until the course had been in
play for a while - with laudable result that
those on the course now all present real
difficulties for the average golfer of
reasonable standard. Trees were planted by
the thousand, and have been slow to
establish themselves due to having to put
down really deep roots to get to the water
table. This feature is however a plus - due
to the subsoil structure the land is
excellent at draining and it is Barkway’s
proud boast that except in conditions of
actual flood or snow, the course is always
open and uses the main tees and greens all
year round.
The course
remains almost as designed, although the
15th hole has been shortened to a
comfortable 141 yards, and three of the
greens (1st, 7th, and
15th) have been considerably
increased in size. The greens generally are
now acknowledged to be the finest in the
area – due to the excellent policy of the
current owner in putting the state of the
course as an absolute priority.
Barkway Park
has a really friendly atmosphere. This was a
wish of John Pigg’s from the outset. The
first committee meeting was held – before
the course was open or any clubhouse
facilities were available – in the nearby
Woodman pub. The minutes of that meeting
record that those present emphasised that
there were to be no cliques, absolute
equality for all members, and that the
object of the exercise was to create a club
where all would feel welcome and enjoy
themselves and their golf. All competitions,
and all informal meetings during the week
are held on a draw basis, so the new member
will quickly get to know all the other
members. Ladies sit on the main committee.
We
hope this brief resume of our history will
tempt you to visit Barkway Park. Green fee
rounds are always available (except for the
very rare club days when the course is
completely full), and we feel confident that
you will love the challenge of the course,
and enjoy a well earned pint in the informal
19th clubhouse afterwards.
Below you will find a copy of the scorecard
for two course records.
The 1st
one will never be broken due to it being
scored on the original course by the Clubs 1st
ever Captain Matt Maciejewski. He completed
this record when the 15th was an
extra 60yrds; the overall course had a few
extra yards on all holes due to the way it
was measured when it was 1st
opened. You will also notice that since the
course 1st opened the stroke
index’s have since been changed.
The
2nd course record may one day be
bettered, but still an outstanding score of
70, by David Dalgarno who at the time was
playing off of a handicap of 6, meaning his
nett score was 64.
Also on this page are lists of all Club
Captains, Lady Captains, Junior Captains,
and Chief Barkers. Also listed are the Club
presidents, and Chairmen of the Club.
|
