Eaton Golf Club was established on its present site between 1991 and 1993, on the land of the former Brookdale Farm. Transition from farmland to golf course has given the Club a rare opportunity to shape the landscape in a manner that marries the needs of golf and the environment – as a significant land user we have a real and continuing opportunity to develop a good-looking landscape and maximise opportunities for wildlife, alongside our managing the evolution of a golf course that can be counted among the very best.
The farmland provided an interesting legacy of mature oak trees, hedges, ditches and marl pits, set within the broad Gowy Valley. We have planted some 10,000 trees on and around the course and opened up and extended a number of new ponds. The course drains into Guy Lane Brook, a small tributary of the River Gowy which flows northwards into the Mersey: its heavy clay soils have provided a big challenge over the years to ensure that it remains playable even during prolonged wet spells.
The overall management of the course is the responsibility of the Course Committee. In 2003 the Committee set up an Environmental Working Group to help with environmental aspects. The EWG is active in working not only with the Course Committee and the Green Staff, but also with a range of experts and local interest groups.
Over the years the EWG has held quarterly meetings at which we have:
* produced and maintained a detailed Environmental Management Plan
* arranged technical visits from a range of ecological and environmental specialists including those from the Sports Turf Research Institute and the Cheshire Wildlife Trust
* entered and won Award schemes such as those run by BIGGA (the British and International Greenkeepers’ Association)
* arranged with the Broxton Barn Owl Group the siting and regular inspection of owl boxes
* secured the Club’s corporate membership of the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, giving us access to their specialist advisers
* set up the Wildlife Sightings Book for Club members to record sightings made during their rounds of golf
* organised working parties for planting wildflowers in various parts of the course
* provided a regular flow of articles for inclusion in Eaton Outlook
* contributed articles for inclusion in the Club's website
* organised a photographic wildlife competition