Episode Details

Badgers Bledge and Cooper start by discussing the current state of the golf course, where we say the course has come into good condition after mixed weather. We note that the rough is more defined, the playing surfaces are firm and fast, and preparations are well under way for the season’s key events.

We then focus on the Amateur Championship coming to Royal Liverpool. We explain the qualifying and match play format, the practice and championship dates, and that the event will be open for spectators and televised. We also talk about how amateur golf differs from other major events because of the pressure, format, and the need to play several strong rounds in a row.

From there we move into a longer discussion about G West, the unfinished golf course project. We explain that it was started during the recession as part of a larger estate plan, with golf and residential plots built together, and that the housing market collapse affected the wider business model. We describe how the course sits on exceptional land near Gleneagles and how the intended scale was similar to other high-end golf developments.

We then go into the construction process and the work involved on site. We describe the heavy machinery, drainage, soil stripping, reshaping, tree planting, turf preparation, and the repeated problem-solving needed to build the course. We also discuss the heather translocation work, where mature heather was harvested and moved onto bunker faces and rough areas.

Finally, we reflect on how G West represents a different era of golf course development and business planning. We compare it with modern projects, note how golf economics and land use have changed, and end by stressing that many people involved in the project put in major effort even though the course never opened.

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