Tony Rowen renews his rivalry with his golfing buddy on the fairways at Collingtree Park
RORY McIlroy and Brooks Koepka may be involved in a battle of the giants on the world golf stage, but here in Northamptonshire there has been another, lesser known, golfing rivalry to savour this summer – namely Rowen and Harris.
These names don’t have the same ring to them as McIlroy and Koepka, but Martin and I have been joined in battle on some of the county’s best golf courses over the summer months culminating in this final encounter at Collingtree Park last month.
As ever in golf, having played the course before stands for very little. Although the layout if the same, weather conditions vary and most critically of all, my game is never the same from one round to another or, more accurately, one shot to another.
The old adage of rain before seven, fine before eleven, proved accurate on the day of our visit. By the time we stood on the first tee at 10am, the sun was shining, although there was a keen wind to add just another difficulty for me to overcome.
Bathed in the sunshine the course, which was designed by former Open and US Open champion Johnny Miller and opened in 1990, looked magnificent as it stretched out before us.
Our tee shots sailed down the fairway quite respectfully but, for me, it was a false dawn as I put my second shot into a bunker. Worse was to follow as my third shot also found another sand trap which brought the comment from Martin that if he’d realised I wanted to play in the sand we should have gone to the seaside – a bit harsh I thought.
It was obvious from just by playing the first hole that the greenkeeping team had worked their magic to ensure the course was in magnificent condition. The fairways were immaculately cut and the greens, although having been treated in the previous week, were also in fine fettle and offered a true roll. The blame for missed putts were down to our inadequacies and not the fault of the greens.
In fact, General Manager Phil Jones has received many compliments on the condition of the course this year, not only from members but also from visiting societies as well as charity and corporate event organisers.
It is easy to forget that in places the course is within a stone’s throw – or more accurately a good drive – from the M1 and A45. Although initially aware of the traffic noise, it fades into the background as a round progresses and by the end of a round it is hardly noticeable.
No doubt the wonderful variety of mature trees that line the fairways and other areas of the course play their part in this, and at the time of year we played the trees were at their spectacular best before autumn changes the landscape.
Anyway, back to our game. Despite the early morning rain, there was plenty of run on the fairways while the wind also played a part on some holes, particularly on the 341-yards sixth hole where I put my second shot through the green, which is not something I can say very often.
One of the features of Collingtree Park is that water comes into play on 10 of the 18 holes, and both Martin and I were more than pleased with ourselves that we didn’t land in any water at all – even on the signature 18th green, which is set on an island in front of Greens Restaurant and Clubhouse Bar. I have a feeling this was a first for me – not so Martin who has always hit the green on his rounds at this course.
Talking of water, a pair of swans was proudly showing off their four cygnets on one of the lakes, while a heron was eagerly eyeing the water below his perch in a tree on the 14th.
Northamptonshire is fortunate in having many superb golf courses and Collingtree Park has matured magnificently over the past 29 years and is justifiably one of the leading courses in the county. It has also been a European Tour venue.
There is no doubt that the 18 hole, par 72 course measuring 6,277 yards off the yellow tees is unique and testing, particularly to a player like myself. To be honest I find all courses challenging but it the setting and the good weather on the day of our visit helped make it a most enjoyable experience.
Just for the record, Martin triumphed once again as he has done on all three of our meetings this summer but I live in hope that the underdog will have his day – one day!
THE heat has been turned up in the kitchen of Seamus Bryans, Head Chef at Greens Restaurant at Collingtree Golf Club, and not just by the enticing fare he produces, but because he has been nominated as a Chef of the Year finalist is this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.
The double award-winning chef will have to wait until November 14 when the winner will be announced at the Awards Dinner at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate, but he is optimistic about his chances after putting up a strong showing in the cook-off to reach the final.
For now though, he is concentrating getting everything in place at Greens Restaurant for the forthcoming Christmas period when the venue will stage a series of Christmas lunches and party nights from the beginning of December and culminating in Christmas Day lunch and a New Year’s Eve dinner.
This is in addition to the usual daily lunches served from noon to 3pm Sunday to Friday; Saturday functions and the ever-popular one, two or three-course Sunday lunches served from noon to 4pm as well as weddings, parties, christenings and wakes held at the venue.
Catering for a golfing community is not a new experience for Seamus as he was previously Head Chef at the Hartsbourne Golf and Country Club in Bushey, Hertfordshire, while immediately prior to joining Greens he was Head Chef at the University of Northampton’s new Waterside campus.
In the six months since he took up the appointment at Greens, he has focused on sourcing as much local produce as possible, including free-range, grass-fed beef and pork from Brackley Butchers, fruit and veg from White’s Nursery in Earls Barton, ice cream from It’s Real and local award-winning cheeses, while the turkeys for Christmas will all be free range bronze from Pastures Poultry Farm at Yardley Hastings. In addition, the beer on tap in the clubhouse on the day of our visit was St James Ale from Middleton’s in Northampton.
Seamus has also responded to the growth in the vegan and vegetarian markets, providing a wide selection of food for customers and he is keen to point out that ‘this is not a token gesture’ as he is passionate about all the food he serves.
The food served in the clubhouse is of the same high quality as that in the restaurant with the meats and fruit and vegetables from the same suppliers to provide good golfers’ fare.
Greens Restaurant
01604 700000 or 01604 663963