Golf At Goodwood’s new practice facility now in play

Golf At Goodwood now has two 18-hole layouts – the Downs and Park courses – and, from 2024, a new practice facility, The Copse.

Designed by James Edwards of EDI Golf, The Copse comprises a putting green, short-game area and six-hole short course. It occupies 1.2 hectares of land between The Goodwood Hotel and the club’s academy and driving range, near the seventeenth tee of the Park course.

The initial concept for the area was developed by Edwards in the mid-2010s. He was officially appointed in 2018 and joined shortly after by contractor MJ Abbott and agronomy firm Turfgrass.

Construction was delayed by the pandemic, eventually beginning in February 2023 and all but complete by June of the same year.

MJ Abbott returned in March 2024 to install some secondary drainage prior to the course opening in May 2024.

The short course has holes ranging from 50 to 90 yards and features 150m² target greens. The Copse also boasts a 900m² short-game area, divided into five distinct zones, allowing players to work on a variety of techniques and shots. Rounding out the facility is a 400m² putting green, offering ample room for golfers to perfect their putting in a more focused environment.

Edwards drew inspiration from Goodwood’s two courses for the design of the short course layout and putting green, also being mindful of the natural landscape of the area. The six-hole short course is laid out around thickets of large evergreen trees, and holes designed with creative approach play in mind.

The sand in the practice bunkers is made from china clay, the same material used on the Downs course. The academy outfield was recontoured in its entirety to make the most of the layout. The design sits within part of the original estate’s flint wall that frames the north-eastern section of the site and the six holes play around two stunning feature trees: an evergreen holm oak and a cedar of Lebanon.

Turfgrass advised the club on agronomics for the academy, specifying a fescue and bentgrass surface, mixed with cores harvested from the course’s existing greens, for the putting green. The practice and six academy greens are the same, with ryegrass added for durability.

For the full story, visit the GCA editorial featured in their October issue: Golf Course Architecture – Issue 78, October 2024