British Courses 11

[Mark_Rowlinson]

St George's Hill


An enormous tract of hilly land close to Weybridge came onto the market in 1911.  It was acquired by a local builder, George Tarrant, who had the remarkable prescience to build not only a private estate of very desirable residences, but also to weave through it a golf course.  It is certainly the earliest example of such a development in Britain.  He was advised to call in Harry Colt for the design, and there are some who rate St. George’s Hill as his finest.  Tarrant crowned the golf course with a thatched pavilion giving majestic views over the course and a good deal of Surrey as well.  Sadly the building was ravaged by fire in 1920, the thatched roof and upper floor then done away with, and the current battlemented citadel brought into being.  It may not be so pretty but it is at least as imposing and the views are unimpaired.  36 holes were built but 9 disapeared during the Second World War, so today's 27 holes are divided into 3 nines, the Red and Blue making up the main course (6496 yards par 70), the Green Course running out at 2897 yards and a par of 35.  


1st, 384 yards, par 4.  The opening drive is thrilling, out over banks of heather and a road to the bottom of a wooded valley.  Then it is up, quite steeply, through a narrow entrance between heathery banks to the small green.  


2nd, 458 yards, par 4.  The drive is encouragingly downhill, though the second shot will need to climb not to perish in the big bunker short and right of the green.  


5th, 390 yards, par 4.  Uphill hole with broad fairway but a wide cross-bunker some 60 yards in front of the green can still catch out higher handicappers on their second shot (I know from bitter experience!).


6th, 468 yards, par 4.  Drive needs to clear 180 yards of heather to a sloping fairway.   Green is guarded by bunkers and a depression running all the way across the front.

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8th, 179 yards, par 3.  On a first acquaintance the short 8th is quite intimidating, though absolutely gorgeous to behold.  The green is an isolated table top on the far side of a deep gully.  Fall short and there are five wicked bunkers, though a landing in one of these may be preferable to an uncertain fate on the heathery upslopes.  The putting surface is only 28 yards deep, and there is a drop off behind.  Hard to photograph into low, autumnal sun.


8th from a different angle.


8th looking from green to tee.


9th, 372 yards, par 4.  This brings play back to the clubhouse handsomely, first downhill past a pond and then up over a bank to a domed green even shallower than the last, only 26 yards deep.


As this document will get too big to post I'll split it here.  

[Mark_Rowlinson]

St George's Hill part 2


10th, 434 yards, par 4.  The back nine starts with a splendid hole, the approach to the green almost certainly played blind over the corner of a hill with bunkers for those who fall short.  The 11th, though only 110 yards long, is again spectacular, all carry across a ravine to a tiny pinnacle green.  Sadly, no photo.


12th, 347 yards par 4.  A short par 4 with a lovely approach through bunkers to a ledge green.  Interestingly, the white tee is far to the right, turning the hole into a right-hand dog-leg, while the yellow tee is away to the left, making the hole a left-hand dog-leg.  The fascinating thing is that this brings the fairway slopes into play in a different way from each tee.


12th, looking back from green to tee.


14th, 208 yards, par 3.  An extraordinary hole - unique in my experience.  There is a pond about 20 yards short right of the green and a little pot bunker in front of that which collects many weak tee shots.  A big bunker guards the front left and most of that side, and there is another thin one off the back right.  But there is a v-shaped wedge of higher ground dividing the putting surface into two different segments, and a putt over the wedge is to be avoided.  Left segment is 25 yards deep, right 23 (not much at 200+ yards).


16th, 440 yards, par 4.  The drive is satisfying, through a chute of trees and out to an angled fairway, before the difficult shot to the raised green on the far side of a row of cross-bunkers.


17th, 417 yards, par 4.  The drive is made out over the heathery humps in the foreground and there is a big mound on the right from about 200 to 250 yards out.  Its significance comes on the next shot.


17th.  This bunker is on the left of the fairway about 60 yards short of the green, just where the fairway bends to the left, climbing past that next bunker to the putting surface.  If you did not take account of the mound I mentioned above on your drive you are left with a very tricky shot to the green.

There is more to come....

[Mark_Rowlinson]

St George's Hill part 3.

I was lucky enough to play here as a member's guest several times in the 1990s and these photos were taken on my final visit in October 1999.  We always tried to leave time also to play the Green Course.  It is shorter, but it has plenty of charm.


Green Course 2nd, 208 yards par 3.  Awful picture, I'm afraid, but I had to include it as many of the members reckon this is the best short hole on either of the courses.


Green Course 5th, 390 yards, par 4.  After a semi-blind drive downhill you are rewarded with this approach shot to a beautifully sited green.


Green Course 6th, 280 yards, par 4.  A little corker. There is a vast bunker eating into the fairway at 230 yards, forcing most of us to lay up short, but then we are at the lowest point of the fairway and the pitch must be made steeply uphill.  The bunker visible in this shot (looking back down the hole) guards the front left.


Green Course 9th, 334 yards, par 4.  The last green lies on the far side of a biggish gully and these three bunkers.  The putting surface is divided into three different levels.

[NAF]

Where is Paul Turner that slack jawed gawker?



"By a merciful dispensation of Providence, fir trees, sand and heather, which are beautiful things in themselves, are the ingredients from which inland golf courses should be made. The prettiest courses are also the best, and certainly one of the prettiest and the best is St George's Hill" - the thoughts of Bernard Darwin

I have been able to play here 4 times which is probably as much as anyone and the course grew on me tremendously mainly because of five holes that I think are all heath and maybe all world.  At first play, I thought Sunningdale to be the superior course but now I think the two are on par.

My favorite hole is the 1st which I would call a saddle hole.  The green site is ingenious sitting in a saddle between heather covered banks as Mark said.  You get the illusion of having the terrain pinch in the landing zone when the truth is you have decent room on the approach.  A miss on this green creates interesting recovery plays due to the heather and slopes around the complex.

The 4th hole is a short par 4 at about 285 yards that is reachable even with a 3 wood as it is downhill.  The triangular green complex is wonderful as is the eye candy view from the tee but I must admit, I don' think the hole is that strategic because you have no reason not to try and drive the green.

The 8th is a typical plateau/table top Colt par 3.  I only wish we could have played it when it looked like it did on the cover of Hunter's Links.

The 10th hole for my money is the best hole in the complex.  I love the Alps like approach shot (which beckons strategy from the tee if you can blast it right) but the green complex is no gimme either.  It is a large green for one with a spine dividing it into two.  Unless you bomb your drive, this is a long second shot which is blind into this green (I've hit 4 iron several times especially in winter) and you can easily land on the wrong side of the green inviting an easy 3 putt.

The 11th hole is another wonderful hole which requires the deftist touch with a wedge.  The green is notched on a tiny plateau and if you miss, you are looking at 4.  Go long and you are in a forest.  After the brawn of #10, this hole is the exact opposite.  I love the contrast.

The 17th and 18th are strong finishing holes and to see the castle like clubhouse on top of the hill is as inspiring as the game gets.


The Green 9 is viewed by the members as inferior but several of the holes (20th) easily could be on the other 9s.  It is a terrific warm up 9 to play the regulation 18.

[DPL11]

Mark,

After looking at the pictures and descriptions, I can't wait until next fall for my first Europe golf trip.

From the photos, I would make the trip to just play the 8th.

[Brian_Gracely]

Mark,

To fix the syntax for the picture of #6, change the "}" at hte beginning of the URL string to a "]" (simple typo)

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These profiles have been great so far......keep them coming!!

[Neil Regan]

Here it is.



8th, 179 yards, par 3.  On a first acquaintance the short 8th is quite intimidating, though absolutely gorgeous to behold.  The green is an isolated table top on the far side of a deep gully.  Fall short and there are five wicked bunkers, though a landing in one of these may be preferable to an uncertain fate on the heathery upslopes.  The putting surface is only 28 yards deep, and there is a drop off behind.  Hard to photograph into low, autumnal sun.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Thanks Mark.

Where is St George's in relation to London (and The Addington) ?

[David_Tepper]

Mike Sweeney-

The Addington is in Croydon, Surrey, pretty much due south of London.  St. George's Hill is in Weybridge, Surrey, which is much more west of London.  St. George's Hill is a bit east of Sunningdale.

DT