Meet the team behind the island’s best golf course

Whether you’re an experienced golfer who knows their tees & greens or someone who’s never touched a club in their life (besides a sandwich – which by the way are delicious at the Comis), there are interesting and exciting things going on up at the Comis Hotel & Golf Resort.

Be that improving your game, getting into the game, or appreciating a gigantic step forward in terms of inclusivity in the game, Comis leads the way. To find out more, I had the pleasure of heading up to Mount Murray to chat with some of the people who make the Comis Hotel & Golf Resort arguably the best of its kind on the Isle of Man.

You don’t need to be a golfer to appreciate the rolling golf greens of the Comis Hotel & Golf Resort. They stand there looking pristine, rain or shine, peppered with golfers and little buggies all year round. The man behind their aesthetically pleasing and practical success is Head Greenkeeper and Course Manager, Gary Corlett.

‘I won’t bore you to death with all the details’ he tells me, laughing, when I ask about his time in the role, ‘but less is more when it comes to maintaining of the greens’.’

Gary has been in the role 14 years now and learnt in his experience what the perfect formula is to produce some of the best greens on the island. ‘You can end up doing too much to a course, to a point where it becomes detrimental; keeping it simple is better. So, we spray our greens fortnightly - little and often - but in carefully combined mix. From having used 11 different products, we’re now down to just four. Greenkeeping is going back to old school in its method, What goes around comes around I’d say.’

Going off the so-called summer we’ve had this year, the Manx weather has proved itself to be a force of nature, literally, that has the ability to ruin outdoor events and damage land. And yet, at the Comis Hotel & Golf Resort, people can play all year round.

As well as advising golfers to invest in a sturdy umbrella hat (my natural assumption) I asked how he, as a greenskeeper, deals with the weather, particularly in winter.

‘Our greens are pure sand underneath, so they drain really well. They’re called USGA spec, so when they were built in 1992/93, they were built to a high specification. This helps in areas with high rainfall.

In terms of the rest of the course, there are a couple of holes at the bottom of the valley, they do get wet, but we’ve put in a lot of drainage over the years, so they should be fairly dry, even with a lot of rainfall.’

Gary has been working as a greenskeeper since 2001. I asked him what it is about the job that has kept him there for so long.

‘I love working outside. Every day is completely different. You know, I come in with a plan, and it changes within 20 minutes. But I also really enjoy the chemistry side of things with different types of soil. People just want to see a smooth green, but they have no idea what’s going on underneath. It’s all that unseen stuff that leads to the healthy grass golfers want to play on.’

Though Gary may have been maintaining the greens in similar ways for the past decade and a half, the chemistry side of things is helping to mix the old with the new and is something he wants to continue learning about in the hope it will benefit those who use the course.

‘I didn’t study chemistry, which sometimes is quite complicated but it’s a side of my job which I really enjoy. There are so many different things you can do with that knowledge. Plus, it’s different to all the other jobs I’ve done so many times before. It’s kind of an evolving area, but an area I’d like to grow my knowledge of. So, that’s my aspiration going forward.’

The allure of the standard of the greens is one of the things that attracted professional golfer and coach Stephen Crooks to make the move to the Comis. His qualifications include a Trackman Level 2, a Level 3 PGA Coach, an AAT Training Head Professional, and have a Level 1 Director of Golf qualification, plus a wealth of experience gained on the International Pro Golf Tour that will no doubt help elevate the standard of players on the island.

He brings with him 23 years of experience, training people in the USA, Spain, and Ireland, along with a passion for developing golf on the Isle of Man at grassroots level.

‘Straight away, one of the things was to get junior coaching off the ground here. We started with a reasonably low member-ship, and I’m glad to say we’re up to over 70 kids now. And we want to get more girls playing golf.’

Within 9 months (his time in the role so far) he’s already boosted the junior numbers.

After growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and becoming addicted to the sport at 12, he turned pro at just 21-years-old and started working at Hollywood Golf Club, rubbing shoulders with professionals in the game and even caddying for Rory McIlroy.

‘I was there for 18 years as head professional, and decided about a year ago that I didn’t want to retire in the same place and wanted a new challenge, which led to my move here.’

Besides being close to home, I asked Stephen what drew him to The Comis.

‘The Comis has the only covered driving range on this island. We have a great golf course itself, we are presently working on developing our golf pro shop, overall indoor and outdoor facilities and coaching programmes for all levels.’

The ‘great golf course’ that Stephen is describing comprises of 6361 yards and two loops of fantastic holes. There are 5 par fives, 5 par threes and the rest are par fours. On it, golfers have the opportunity to play on an 18-hole champion-ship greens set in beautiful Manx scenery, incorporating hedges, streams, and lakes. And, to make the course as inclusive as possible, it also allows for variable tees, meaning people can play to a shorter length and a fairer challenge for middle and high handicap players.

Meanwhile, the overall resort facilities include something for everyone; a pro shop, indoor video swing analysis, a short game improvement zone with a putting green and chipping area, clubs and buggies for hire, plus showers and changing rooms.

‘They’re the best greens on the island, the greenkeeper does a fantastic job’ Stephen tells me enthusiastically. ‘And every day we have compliments from guests who play the course. Plus, there’s so much land here, the potential is huge. So, I’m very much here for that too.’

Speaking of greenkeepers, we’ve met Head Greenkeeper Gary, but he’s helped by a team of people, included Club Secretary Richard Creamore who does his bit to help keep the course in ship shape.

‘The two roles – being the Club Secretary and helping with greenkeeping - complement each other really well, because as a committee, we’re only responsible for the competitions. So there may be situations where the membership want to change something on the course, or ask for the course to be mown differently or set up differently, and I’m able to go straight to my boss, Gary, (you know Gary, from the top of the article) and discuss it the following day, so changes can be implemented quite quickly.’

Alison Lodge, who has recently made history after being appointed the first ever female captain of both women and men (this deserves its own article so keep an eye out for more later), originally joined the Comis because it was close to home and stayed because she loves the course.

‘There’s so much space. It’s big and wide and people of all ages and abilities can have a go, which is great.’

One of the main focuses of the Comis Hotel and Golf Resort, including a big priority for Alison, Stephen, Richard, and Gary, is to make the club as inclusive as possible. There’s a big push for new members, particularly more women and junior golfers.

Membership fees for 2025 are now live, if you’d like to try something new or are keen to take a step up from Crazy Golf into the big leagues, you’re very welcome. There’s no joining fee, and a whole host of lessons on offer by Stephen for juniors, adults, seniors, members, and visitors over 5, 9, and 18 holes. (That last one includes the buggy and green fee). So, there is something for everyone.

To find out more, visit www.comishotel.com/golf, call 01624 661111 or email [email protected].

Want to hear more from Alison, Stephen, and Richard? Keep an eye out for individual profiles on each of them on Isle of Man Today in the coming weeks. You’ll be able to find out more on Stephen’s time as a pro and his words of wisdom to budding golf stars. Plus, a special feature on Alison and her history-making appointment as the first and only woman golfer on the island to captain both the women and men sides. Alison’s appointment at Comis also highlights some of the outdated traditions that continue to plague women in the golfing industry.