THEY are planning a few changes at Sandburn Hall Golf Club in the off-season.

The Flaxton course, situated just off the A64 near York, recently celebrated its sixth anniversary and the 6,723 par-72 track is about to get another makeover by head greenkeeper Brian Hall and his team.

Last year, chiefs built new bunkers on the first hole and deepened the existing bunker on the seventh, while new trees were also planted to tighten some of the wider holes.

Over this winter, the Sandburn Hall green keeping staff are planning further improvements, as part of a long term development programme, which include: • Building up the mounding to the back of the fairway bunkers on the second hole, while removing one of the greenside bunkers and building up the mounding on the remaining greenside bunkers.

• Planting additional trees on the seventh hole and remounding the bunker on the right hand side of the fairway.

• Building up the two remaining bunkers on the eighth hole – reshaping them and bringing them a little closer together – while constructing a new greenside bunker to the left.

Other measures, which they aim to carry out over the next five years, include additional tree planting to give the holes more definition and new bunkering on the back nine, making existing bunkers more of a challenge, as well as constructing championship blue tees to bring the overall length of the course to more than 7,000 yards.

The plan is to keep developing the still relatively young course as those in charge continue to try to establish Sandburn Hall as the premier club in the York area.

Alistair Nicol, Sandburn Hall golf manager, said: “There is so much competition out there in the York area and so many good courses that you have to keep moving forward.

“No matter what standard a golfer is they want a challenge. Even if they are 25 handicappers, they still enjoy the challenge of playing a good quality golf course. It’s not just about the condition, but the challenge as well. That’s what we are trying to improve.”

Emma Brown, clubhouse manager, added: “This is about keeping the club moving forward. It’s to make it more of a challenge for members so it is fresh every time they go out to play, it’s so that visitors who come back can see we are developing further and, hopefully, they will want to come back and enjoy it more.

“It’s to keep improving ourselves. You can’t stand still and it is a case of making it a more enjoyable place to play.”