Joe: no clue why the ball retriever was there, it must be used when the ditch is full of water.
Michael: Formby was softer than WL, but not alarmingly so. My main issue with the couse was that the course has a great scenery, but the styles are a bit of a mixed bag, with Colt, Pennink and Steel/Ebert greens clearly having different styles. My my non architect friends still thought Formby was by far the best course. Interestingly the soil of the three courses at Leeds were very firm with high bounces of the ball, even though the soil is peat.