The course, he explains, has been designed for the 21st century and while finished, it is not yet being played.
“You can put down the seeds, bring in the fertilisers but in the end you cannot beat Mother Nature. It needs to be left to settle,” he says.
Deserted of golfers, the birds, buzzards, herons and others have moved in, part of a 60% increase in the wildlife.
Part of the attraction is the quiet green haven and also the new lakes – the golf course will be self-sufficient in water for much of the year.
The course is part of a scheme which will cost £9 million – the UK’s first golf village – and while the championship course rests and work is under way at the clubhouse, the biggest golf academy in the north of England is now open and, with the retail centre, attracting 300-500 a day.
The Glenn Turner Golf Academy – a centre of excellence for golf coaching –has five professionals with the latest in hi-tech coaching equipment, a nine-hole, par threecourse, driving range with 28 indoor and 52 outdoor bays and practice zones for putting, chipping, bunker play, for professionals and single figure handicap golfers and yet another for children.
Turner says: “We are absolutely passionate about getting youngsters into the game and we are already working with a number of schools in St.Helens whose pupils are getting the opportunity to experience golf. “It’s a fantastic sport for young people because it also teaches them life skills that will be important throughout their lives, such as manners and respect for others.”
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