Written by: Mike Mckay
2026
We have introduced a series of visible features to share our sustainability story with members and visitors, using the par three 11th hole as a focal point for biodiversity engagement. Located beside the Oasis halfway house, the area brings together a mission statement, wildlife interpretation and habitat enhancement in a way that reflects our long-term partnership with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, whose five-year development plan has helped shape the club’s biodiversity journey.
The project also shows how course improvement work can deliver multiple benefits at once. Following woodland management advice, a group of Cyprus trees was removed to bring more sunlight and air movement to a neighbouring green, helping to improve turf health and reduce disease pressure. The same intervention opened up space and light for a wildflower meadow, now four years established and attracting a wide range of pollinators.
Rather than treating the felled timber as waste, we transformed it into a tableau of sculpted wooden animals, symbolising the site’s enduring relationship with wildlife, from its 12th-century hunting landscape to the species seen across the course today. Peacocks, hares and red kites are regular visitors, while a nearby drainage pond also provides water and food for animals and insects.
Together, these features create a memorable and engaging expression of our commitment to biodiversity, showing how practical course management, habitat creation and storytelling can reinforce one another.
