Royal St George’s Golf Club

Established in 1894, Royal St. George’s golf club is one of the country’s most prestigious links courses. Host to the Open Championship no less than 14 times, with a fifteenth secured for 2020, the club is synonymous with excellence and high standards.

P.A Hollingworth prides ourselves on our ability to provide a comprehensive service, liaising with the client from conception to completion. Club secretary, Tim Checketts, provided a good vision for what was needed from the refurbishment and our Quantity Surveyor and Contracts Manager were able to offer guidance and detail to the plan.

Working at a prestigious establishment brought its own challenges. It was essential that disturbances were kept to a minimum, disruption to the daily running of the club would have been unacceptable to the members. With this in mind, every effort was taken to maintain a very tidy and, where possible, quiet site.
The refurbishment required various trades, making a detailed programme vital to the success of the project.

Plumbing:
The existing cast iron plumbing at St George’s was an initial cause for concern when discussing the relocation and installation of new radiators. The inability to isolate the current radiators meant the entire system had to be drained down in order to carry out the works. Due to the older system at the club, a high level of expertise and constant monitoring was needed when re-filling the system. Working closely with St. George’s staff, our team was able to keep disruption to a minimum. The heating was back to full working capacity after 7 hours, no mean feat in such difficult conditions.

Electrics:
The client had some excellent electrical design ideas for the new Writing Room. Early and detailed consultations with our Electrical Manager allowed these ideas to be turned into practical plans, which were realised to an excellent standard.

The electrical team altered the existing lighting and power circuits and installed additional 13amp socket outlets in the client’s required locations. This immediately improved the room’s utility, allowing the use of various appliances such as the newly installed coffee machine and Television.

The large chandelier was carefully removed and safely stored for the duration of the works, ready for reinstatement upon completion. The team then proceeded to install five flush-mounted LED adjustable spotlights in the newly plastered ceiling. This illuminated the new features of the room and provided the flexibility to adjust the lighting to suit different events it may host.

Carpentry:
A new bay window was required in the writing room and as such, our experienced Quantity Surveyor attended site and took detailed measurements of the aperture and existing window design.

The window was made off-site by our joinery supplier, North Quay and installed by our highly skilled carpenters. Removing the existing bay window required sufficient support to ensure the integrity of the flat roof above. The carpentry team worked quickly and efficiently to ensure that the new window was installed and water-tight in one day, a detail greatly appreciated by the client.

Plastering and Decorations:
The existing woodchip wallpaper was completely stripped and removed from the site in preparation for the new plaster. Upon removal, it was discovered that there were some superficial cracks present in the walls and some more significant cracks in the ceiling. Our team immediately reported this damage to the client and was able to offer practical advice on how to proceed. It was decided, upon our contract manager’s advice, that the lathe and plaster ceiling should be removed and replaced with modern plasterboard for safety and aesthetic reasons. Even with this substantial change in plans, the team was able to work into the evening and keep the project on programme.

Once plastered, the Decorating Division took over and delivered the high-end, quality finish the client demanded. The client expressed a desire to refurbish the old and tired fireplace, returning it to its former condition of an attractive and clean stone focal point of the room. Our highly skilled decorators were able to carefully remove the black paint from the stone without damage and the client was extremely impressed with the finish.

Feedback
The client noted the professionalism and skill of our workforce demonstrated throughout the course of the project. Club Secretary Tim Checketts commented, “Please thank your team for an excellent job. The room has been transformed and they have been a pleasure to work with.”