Latest news with #ScottFenton
USA Today
06-05-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
A golf course designed by Old Tom Morris saved after a ‘Herculean' effort by its members
A golf course designed by Old Tom Morris saved after a 'Herculean' effort by its members The unique King James VI Golf Club was designed by the famous course architect and is located on Moncrieffe Island in Perth, Scotland. It is believed to be the only self-contained inland island golf course in the world and is not far from the city centre. The historic course suffered serious damages during Storm Babet in October 2023 when winds ripped a 120 foot wide hole in the island's flood defences. Only the flags of some of the holes remained visible with the bulk of the island under three feet of water, and when the floods eventually receded only nine holes were left playable. Staff feared the club would close completely if the flood banks could not be repaired properly with silt washed on shore from the River Tay leaving a lot of the course buried. It seemed unlikely the original Old Tom Morris layout was going to be recovered but a repair job costing £75,000 (nearly $100,000) and a lot of effort from hard working club staff and members means the course is set to reopen fully. Even the rebuild took an extra effort with the position of the course meaning equipment could only cross to the island during low tide between April and September. Club captain Scott Fenton admits the importance of the golf course was not lost on members given how many others are under threat or have closed such as Hirsel and Caird Park. How bad was the damage and what did membership do to help? He said: "The initial breach to the flood banks was about 15 feet wide, but it eventually expanded to 120 feet. "The ninth and tenth hole were completely wrecked - we were down to nine holes for more than six months then managed to reopen those two holes but as short par threes until we were able to get them repaired and reopened to their full length now. "Before this happened we had managed to more than double our visitor numbers - we had lots of people who wanted to come and play such a unique and historic golf course and as a club we were really on the up. "Obviously with the issues we had visitor income dropped right off and it made it really difficult for the club. "But our members stuck with us and the work they put in was Herculean. They were out clearing the holes by hand, even when they kept getting flooded over and over until the flood defenses could be rebuilt. "Every time we asked they would come and clear debris and then a high tide would come in and we'd be back to square one. It was nothing short of soul destroying but they stuck to the task and for that we are eternally grateful. "We had to completely rebuild the flood defenses that had been swept away, all in all it cost about £75,000, a lot of money for a golf club. "Visitors who come here are always impressed with the course. It has a great backdrop with the river surrounding us and the hills towering over us to the east. "It is a great course to visit and we definitely want to get the word out there that we are back to the full 18 and in great condition for the summer season ahead."
Scotsman
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Scotsman
'Herculean' effort hailed as historic Scottish golf club rescued from flood devastation
Members of King James VI Golf Club in Perth praised for hard work and support after storm damage Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Hirsel in Coldstream and Torrance Park in Motherwell may both have been forced into closure while Dundee no longer has a municipal golf offering after the public course at Caird Park welcomed its final club-swinging visitors earlier this week. But, thanks to what has been hailed as a 'Herculean' effort by members after Storm Babet literally left it under water, King James VI Golf Club in Perth is not just back in business again but showing how a 'community spirit' can still be galvanising. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Located on Moncrieffe Island, close to the city centre, the October 2023 storm ripped a 120-foot wide hole in the island's flood defences and left the bulk of the course under three feet of water with only the flags visible on some holes. Club captain Scott Fenton is delighted to see how King James VI Golf Club has recovered after being badly hit during Storm Babet in October 2023 | Contributed Even after the water receded, only nine holes were left playable for more than six months but now, after 18 months of rebuilding, investment and hard work by club staff and members alike, the course has fully reopened. 'The initial breach to the flood banks was about 15 feet wide, but it eventually expanded to 120 feet,' said club captain Scott Fenton. "The ninth and tenth hole were completely wrecked. We were down to nine holes for more than six months then managed to reopen those two holes but as short par 3s until we were able to get them repaired and reopened to their full length now. "Before this happened, we had managed to more than double our visitor numbers. We had lots of people who wanted to come and play such a unique and historic golf course and, as a club, we were really on the up. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Parts of the King James VI course were under three foot of water | Contributed "Obviously with the issues we had, visitor income dropped right off and it made it really difficult for the club. But our members stuck with us and the work they put in was Herculean. They were out clearing the holes by hand, even when they kept getting flooded over and over until the flood defences could be rebuilt. "Every time we asked they would come and clear debris and then a high tide would come in and we'd be back to square one. It was nothing short of soul destroying, but they stuck to the task and for that we are eternally grateful. "We had to completely rebuild the flood defences that had been swept away. All in all, it cost about £75,000 - a lot of money for a golf club. It is a great course to visit and we definitely want to get the word out there that we are back to the full 18 and in great condition for the summer season ahead." The club, which was founded in 1858 and moved to its current location from the North Inch in 1897, has a strong ladies' section while a new junior convenor is working hard to recruit more younger members as well. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Members took part in what has been described as a 'Herculean' effort to clear up the mess | Contributed 'It is a fantastic wee club and the community spirit is second to none,' said Lesley Keillor. 'The club introduced a Get Into Golf programme for ladies around four years ago and I myself joined this just over three years ago. It has gone from strength to strength.
The National
30-04-2025
- Climate
- The National
Historic Scottish golf course rescued after huge flood shut it down
The King James VI Golf Club, located on Moncrieffe Island in Perth, flooded in 2023 after Storm Babet and has been rescued following an 18-month, £75,000 rebuilding plan. It was initially left under three feet of water after the storm tore a 120ft hole in the island's flood defences and, although the water was drained, the club feared closure due to the extent of the damage and several other Scottish courses shutting down recently. Club captain Scott Fenton said: 'Before this happened we had managed to more than double our visitor numbers – we had lots of people who wanted to come and play such a unique and historic golf course and as a club we were really on the up. "Obviously with the issues we had visitor income dropped right off and it made it really difficult for the club.' Only nine holes were playable after the flood and repair time was increased due to the island's location, with supplies only able to reach the club during low tides between April and September. Opened in 1897 and designed by architect Old Tom Morris, it's believed to be the only self-contained inland island golf course in the world and staff feared the reinstatement of the original layout would be 'impossible'. Fenton called the efforts of club members who assisted in repairs 'Herculean', saying: 'They were out clearing the holes by hand, even when they kept getting flooded over and over until the flood defences could be rebuilt. "Every time we asked they would come and clear debris and then a high tide would come in and we'd be back to square one. It was nothing short of soul destroying but they stuck to the task and for that we are eternally grateful.' King James VI Golf Course is now operating all 18 holes and is in 'great condition' for the upcoming summer season.
The Herald Scotland
30-04-2025
- Climate
- The Herald Scotland
Historic island golf course destroyed by flood saved by rescue mission
The historic course suffered serious damages during Storm Babet in October 2023 when winds ripped a 120 foot wide hole in the island's flood defences. Only the flags of some of the holes remained visible with the bulk of the island under three feet of water, and when the floods eventually receded only nine holes were left playable. Staff feared the club would close completely if the flood banks could not be repaired properly with silt washed on shore from the River Tay leaving a lot of the course buried. It seemed unlikely the original Old Tom Morris layout was going to be recovered but a repair job costing £75,000 and a lot of effort from hard working club staff and members means the course is set to reopen fully. Even the rebuild took an extra effort with the position of the course meaning equipment could only cross to the island during low tide between April and September. Club captain Scott Fenton admits the importance of the golf course was not lost on members given how many others are under threat or have closed such as Hirsel and Caird Park. He said: "The initial breach to the flood banks was about 15 feet wide - but it eventually expanded to 120 feet. "The ninth and tenth hole were completely wrecked - we were down to nine holes for more than six months then managed to reopen those two holes but as short par threes until we were able to get them repaired and reopened to their full length now. Read More "Before this happened we had managed to more than double our visitor numbers - we had lots of people who wanted to come and play such a unique and historic golf course and as a club we were really on the up. "Obviously with the issues we had visitor income dropped right off and it made it really difficult for the club. "But our members stuck with us and the work they put in was Herculean - they were out clearing the holes by hand, even when they kept getting flooded over and over until the flood defences could be rebuilt. "Every time we asked they would come and clear debris and then a high tide would come in and we'd be back to square one. It was nothing short of soul destroying but they stuck to the task and for that we are eternally grateful. "We had to completely rebuild the flood defences that had been swept away - all in all it cost about £75,000, a lot of money for a golf club. "Visitors who come here are always impressed with the course - it has a great backdrop with the river surrounding us and the hills towering over us to the east. "It is a great course to visit and we definitely want to get the word out there that we are back to the full 18 and in great condition for the summer season ahead."
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UIS faculty, admin reach tentative agreement; temporarily avert strike
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Non-tenure track faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield have reached a tentative deal with the university administration, temporarily averting a strike that could have started this week. The Illinois Federation of Teachers announced Thursday morning that the two parties agreed upon a tentative contract the previous night. It happened after two full days of bargaining on Tuesday and Wednesday. UPDATE: Illinois homeschool bill passes; hundreds gather at State Capitol in protest 'Our union negotiating team is glad to announce that we were able to reach a tentative contract agreement with Chancellor Gooch and her team,' said Scott Fenton, an English instructor and a member of the union negotiating team. 'It has been a long and challenging road to secure this first agreement, but we are pleased that they worked with us in the end so we can stay in the classroom with our students. That is where we want to be.' Details of the agreement will not be released until union members and UIS leaders approve it. However, the union did say it will be in effect for three years. 'Though it does not go far enough in some important areas, this tentative agreement includes basic improvements in workload and salary that better align our faculty's working conditions with those of our colleagues on other U of I campuses,' Fenton added. 'We see it is a stepping stone to critical future improvements for our members and the students we are so proud to teach. We are grateful to them both for their incredible support throughout the process.' The agreement at least delays a strike that the union filed notice for on March 7. WCIA previously reported that negotiations on a new contract have been going on for the last year, with 20 previous meetings and 11 tentative agreements on approximately 20 contract articles being negotiated. The strike could have begun on Monday, but two days later, the parties have come to an agreement. Union members are expected to vote on the proposed contract by the end of the month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
