HIGH Legh Park Golf Club may look a little different by the time summer rolls around.

The grounds team are looking at ways to heighten golfers’ experience of the course, as well as do their bit for the environment.

The course is set up for year-round play, but course manager Steve Stringer says things will really start to take shape in the coming months.

“I’m always looking at ways of improving the course,” he said.

“We’re slowly getting through renovating the bunkers to make them more playable throughout the year.

“We’ve also put in over 600m of paths in the last 12 months to enable access for trolleys and buggies.

”We’re trying to do more from an ecology side too – we’ve had our first bee hive installed and have sown a large wildflower meadow around the car park which will hopefully look fantastic this year.

“Also, some of the staff have built bird boxes and ‘bug hotels,’ so I’d like to think we’re doing our bit!

“I’d like to thank the Vaughan family for giving me the opportunity at High Legh and for supporting me with everything we’re trying to do to take the course forward.”

Stringer has started his second full year at High Legh having started at a course in Irlam run by his family.

He tells the story of how he got to where he is today, and who helped him along the way.

“I’m originally from a farming background and I was lucky in 1997 when my family built a nine hole course on land we owned in Irlam, which was called Boysnope Park,” he said.

“I’d just left school and so I was involved from day one laying out the course, helping with the construction of the course and building our first clubhouse which started as a basic barn conversion.

“This led to my first steps into greenkeeping, which I enjoyed immensely.

“We went on to build a further nine holes, driving range and eventually a purpose-built clubhouse.

“I moved to High Legh in June 2018 after Boysnope was sold and closed its doors that spring.

“I love when the weather starts to improve in the spring and we can get out and start making the golf course look it’s best again.

“The day-to-day maintenance throughout the summer can feel a bit like Groundhog Day, but that’s ultimately what enables us to ‘dial in’ the presentation.

“Phil Lomas - now of Oldham College – signed me up for my first qualifications and he taught me so much in the three years I studied with him.

“After that, I did my degree at Myerscough where I met lots of fantastic and inspirational lecturers.

“From a personal point of view, if it wasn’t for my family I’d have never been involved in the golf business so I must mention them too.”