Stockholms Golfklubb teams with Capillary Bunkers for restoration project

A historic Swedish course restoration is currently underway at the Stockholms Golfklubb in the country’s capital city. The course originally opened in 1932, designed by the English architect Harry Colt and his partner John Morrison.

After many years of changes, the club has decided to restore Colt and Morrison’s design and has enlisted golf architect Christian Lundin of (re)Golf to lead the project. The course’s bunkers, one of the key aspects of the restoration, are being built using the Capillary Bunkers liner product.

Stockholms Golfklubb is set to reopen in May following the renovation project, just before the course turns 90 in June. (Photo courtesy of Capillary Bunkers)

“The course has been run down for some years, with irrigation and bunkers that were not up to scratch,” Lundin said. “The club did an irrigation and drainage project 15 years ago, but the members were not happy with the work, as it was not true to the history of the course.”

There are three main parts to the renovation project. In addition to the bunkers being restored and rebuilt, the entire irrigation system is to be replaced, and four greens are being rebuilt. Lundin and the club chose to use Capillary Bunkers to secure the design’s long-term future.

“When they built the course, I’m certain they built to the best standards they can. The same is true nowadays,” he said. “We’re not trying to restore 1932 maintenance standards. We want to give them a playing experience that matches what they had back then, but with modern standards.” The course’s 92 bunkers will be restored to match early photographs, of which, research has revealed a very good bank.

Head greenkeeper Andreas Wahlberg said that the use of a product like Capillary Bunkers will free up time for his team to focus on preserving the historical aesthetic of the new bunkers. “Over the years, like many older courses, we had lost the shape of the golf course, mostly to make it easier to maintain,” he said. “The new bunkers will be more consistent and easier to maintain. If I’m not worrying about drainage, then I can give more attention to maintaining a complex bunker edge.”

The first phase of the project, involving 40-45 bunkers, was completed in July earlier this year. The course then reopened for eight weeks, before closing in late September to allow the construction team, including shapers Marcus Terry and Simon Broadley of British contractor 1st Golf Construction, to finish the project. The restored course will then open completely in spring 2022.