CISTERCIAN Monks invariably come into the spotlight when the rain falls heavily on Settle Golf Club, for it was the good brothers who were responsible for creating the drainage system which transformed part of the course from a lake into workable land towards the end of the 18th century.

Their initial labours, undertaken to create a mill-race which powered a corn-mill in Giggleswick, have stood the test of time admirably and with good husbandry from the club, an effective drainage mechanism is still in place.

"We're accustomed to the course being out of bounds because of water and obviously the recent weather has meant that we've been closed for about a fortnight," says former green-keeper, Alvin Fawcett: "The beauty of Settle is the rate at which the course can recover. There are no streams which swell and damage the course - only surface water which drains away very quickly once the rain has stopped."

Skipton Golf Club has also escaped the torrents with minimal damage, although like everywhere else, takings in the club shop and over the bar will have felt the impact of a fortnight's closure.

"We've managed to keep up with the workload so far, which has basically involved clearing quite a lot of silt from the 15th and 16th greens and removing the logs and various other bits that carried along with the flood-waters," says Course Manager, Simon Haynes: "Happily, although we've had plenty of water, there hasn't been any serious damage."