13 which is currently under construction. The new teaching academy, short-game practice area and driving range opened for play in September 2025. In Scotland, we began working on both the 19-hole golf course designed by DJ Russell of RAW Golf Design and the 10-hole short course by Phil Smith Design for Alvarez & Marzel in the St Andrews area. The project has taken up much of our works programme for 2025 and will do so again in 2026. The project will complement the client’s existing facilities at Hogs Head Golf Club in Waterville, Ireland, and will have fully sandcapped playing surfaces and elevated views of St Andrews. In the years 2000 to 2003, MJ Abbott had the pleasure of building The Grove in Hertfordshire, northwest of London, with architect Kyle Phillips. Having built the golf course, driving range, academy, football pitch, walled garden and landscape gardens, MJ Abbott have revisited The Grove on many occasions over the past 25 years to carry out various projects, including a hybrid pitch for the NFL, a sand volleyball court, plus beach and croquet lawns. We only did very minor changes to the golf course. In 2025, Kyle Phillips redesigned the driving range outfield and short-game academy to complement the new performance centre, The Kingdom at The Grove by TaylorMade Golf. Work included building a three-tier grass tee around the new building, synthetic winter tees, synthetic target greens ranging in distances up to 150 metres and an extended driving range that is 300 metres long. The short-game academy green features a 700-square-metre green with 2,000 square metres of purpose-built playing areas and five practice bunkers. Other projects that we have completed, or progressed with, include a bunker renovation with William Swan at Rowlands Castle GC in Hampshire, England; a new short-game academy designed by Bruce Weller for High Post GC in Salisbury; and a successful bunker reconstruction at Golf at Goodwood with Ross McMurray of European Golf Design. For more on MJ Abbott, turn to page 51, or visit www.mjabbott.co.uk Photo: European Golf Design European Golf Design and MJ Abbott worked together on a bunker renovation at Golf at Goodwood
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