Fyvie Golf Course - History
Whilst the course only opened officially in September 2003, a huge amount of work had taken place prior to this to transform the land from a gorse and broom infested hill into the course that you see today. This page hopefully gives an idea of how that transformation has been brought about.
Until
a few years ago the area that the course now occupies was covered in gorse and
tussocky grass. It was home to a few sheep and numerous rabbits.
Apart from grazing the only other use was for off-road motorcycles who used the
area for a spot of practice.
How
do you turn rough grazing land into a golf course? First, get rid of the
gorse and other unwanted vegetation. This was weeding on a vast scale and
needed some rather unconventional techniques. With the gorse removed it
was possible to start preparing the soil ready for seeding as grass.
However
as the soil hadn't been touched since the last ice age a 'few' stones had to be
removed.
20,000
tons of rock later (if you wonder what we've done with this amount of rock, it
has been crushed and now forms the 5km of tracks that traverse the course) and
having built our own version of the pyramids we could begin preparations in
earnest.
This
is the course midway through the preparations. The fairways are seeded and
are growing well whilst the teeing areas are just about to get their share of
seed. At this time many hundreds of native trees were planted to form
boundaries between the fairways and around the perimeter of the course.
A clubhouse has always been part of the development plan and in mid 2004 the foundations were begun with the main structure commencing in Aug 2004. The roof was completed in the autumn of 2004 and the clubhouse lounge area opened for use in early 2005.
So What for the Future?
The clubhouse will be finished as a priority to give members and visitors a place to change before their round as well as relax in convivial surroundings afterwards.
Across the brae from the course a driving range is planned to give all players an opportunity to practice and hone their game. As part of this, a Golf Academy with teaching staff will be developed, making use of the driving range and the course itself.
