News:

Welcome to the Golf Club Atlas Discussion Group!

Each user is approved by the Golf Club Atlas editorial staff. For any new inquiries, please contact us.


Adam Uttley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« on: July 30, 2020, 03:24:54 PM »
I was lucky enough to play at Swinley today and more new changes have appeared over the winter.  I couldn’t see another post with pictures of these in, so apologies if I’ve missed them and I’m real eating them.


The focus of the changes this time have been the 7th and 12th greens.  The changes I noticed were:


  • Removal of rhododendrons to the right of the 7th green and behind the 12th green.
  • Removal of the Bunkers to the right of the 7th green and the creation of a run-off area down the bank
  • Creation of mounds to the left of the 7th green
  • New back tee on 8th
  • The bunker to the right of the 12th green has been brought closer to the front of the green and a run-off created behind it.
The result is spectacular in terms of creating views.  From the 8th green you can now see down the 12th and even see most of the 9th through the trees.  This is a panorama shot showing the new view.   






The mounds to the left of the 7th green appear to be designed, at least in part, to provide some protection for golfers on the 8th tee.  This hasn’t worked as a friend of mine was hit there today!  However, the mounds and lack of rhododendrons do encourage the golfer to push their approach shot further right than it used to, but they do so at their peril; that run-off provides for a very tricky recovery. 


These photos are of the 7th green, taken from front-left and front-right.









The changes at the 12th are more aesthetic and the backdrop certainly looks strange - but no less good - with heather instead of rhododendrons.  I personally don’t think this adds or takes away from the hole significantly but by facilitating the new views from the 8th the change is positive.


Here is photo with the new backdrop on 12:







EDITED to include photos instead of links (I hope!)

« Last Edit: August 01, 2020, 02:44:36 AM by Adam Uttley »

John Mayhugh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2020, 04:33:58 PM »
Thanks for these photos. If you select BBCode link on Flickr, you can embed the photos instead of a clickable link.

The backdrop at 12 is vastly different from when I saw the course 11 years ago. I think that's a very positive improvement.

There's nothing kind to be said about the mounds on 7, though.

50170788202_d1912df2ce_b

Adam Uttley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2020, 05:59:46 PM »
Thanks for these photos. If you select BBCode link on Flickr, you can embed the photos instead of a clickable link.

The backdrop at 12 is vastly different from when I saw the course 11 years ago. I think that's a very positive improvement.

There's nothing kind to be said about the mounds on 7, though.

50170788202_d1912df2ce_b


Thanks John. Try as I might, I cannot get it to work.  I have tried Embed, BBCode and the link generated from download but I just can't get it in there.  ???

John Mayhugh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2020, 07:08:49 AM »
Adam,
Have you tried this? When you are on the sharing page, click on BBCode. Then when the box below fills in, click on the text to highlight it. Once it is highlighted in blue, right click on the highlighted text, select copy, then paste that into the text of your post. Should work. Also, note that you can change the size of the photo that's embedded. For the forum, 1024x768 is as large as you want to get.

flickr link by john mayhugh, on Flickr

Ira Fishman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2020, 07:55:14 AM »
I agree with John about the mounds leaving much to be desired. I do not remember anything similar on the rest of the course so they look particularly out of character.


Ira

Conley Hurst

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2020, 08:25:47 AM »
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unfortunately, SF is doing the opposite.


Removing the rhododendrons seems like a positive change. But I cannot understand the more substantive changes. The alterations to 17 (discussed elsewhere) are shocking.

Clyde Johnson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2020, 12:25:20 PM »
Thanks for the pics Adam.


Do you know who is directing the 'updates' at Swinley? It always seemed such a timeless place...and mostly for the better!

Adam Uttley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #7 on: July 31, 2020, 02:12:07 PM »
Thanks for the pics Adam.


Do you know who is directing the 'updates' at Swinley? It always seemed such a timeless place...and mostly for the better!


I don’t first-hand but from the previous thread, the suggestion was that it was in-house.


https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,66750.msg1610874.html#msg1610874


I’ve certainly noticed a change over the past 5 years.  They have embraced visitors much more and conditioning appears to have become more of a priority.  Despite being in the middle of their 5 year plan, they went to the trouble of updating their strokesaver last year, even when they knew it would be out of date just a year later. That’s clearly not member driven.

Robin_Hiseman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #8 on: July 31, 2020, 02:43:18 PM »
Frank Pont was their consultant. I don't know if he still is.
2024: RSt.D; Mill Ride; Milford; Notts; JCB, Jameson Links, Druids Glen, Royal Dublin, Portmarnock, Old Head, Addington, Parkstone, Denham, Thurlestone, Dartmouth, Rustic Canyon, LACC (N), MPCC (Shore), Cal Club, San Fran, Epsom, Casa Serena, Hayling, Co. Sligo, Strandhill, Carne, Cleeve Hill

Adam Lawrence

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #9 on: July 31, 2020, 04:19:29 PM »
Frank Pont was their consultant. I don't know if he still is.


I don't believe so.
Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
www.golfcoursearchitecture.net

Principal, Oxford Golf Consulting
www.oxfordgolfconsulting.com

Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

Scott Warren

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #10 on: July 31, 2020, 05:43:21 PM »
Robin, Adam, In the thread about 18 months ago about the desecration of the 17th green, Frank said he was no longer advising the club.

Adam Uttley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #11 on: August 01, 2020, 02:46:27 AM »
Adam,
Have you tried this? When you are on the sharing page, click on BBCode. Then when the box below fills in, click on the text to highlight it. Once it is highlighted in blue, right click on the highlighted text, select copy, then paste that into the text of your post. Should work. Also, note that you can change the size of the photo that's embedded. For the forum, 1024x768 is as large as you want to get.

flickr link by john mayhugh, on Flickr


Thanks John.  Got there in the end!

Niall C

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #12 on: August 01, 2020, 08:16:55 AM »
I'd be really interested to see pictures of the 17th green from 20-30 years ago. I recall doing a tour of the course c.2000 with the then greenkeeper (a Scots guy, can't recall his name) and at that time they had just finished some work to the 17th. If I recall the work involved putting in a bunker half way down the left hand slope of the green to "catch balls". They were also doing an awful lot of work in terms of clearing out trees to create views throughout the course. From memory it was all being down in-house although whether they got any professional advice in the first place, I can't recall.


What I don't remember too much of is the 17th green itself, and even whether it had bunkers front left and right. In terms of what's there now, they look pretty standard Colt/McKenzie/Simpson/golden age reproduction bunkers with their heather and hairy lip (assuming I'm looking at the up to date images).


Niall

Marty Bonnar

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2020, 08:57:19 AM »
Niall,
my photo of 17 c.2002:
The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

Marty Bonnar

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #14 on: August 02, 2020, 09:22:11 AM »
And a couple more from closer in:



The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

Frank Pont

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #15 on: August 05, 2020, 07:15:56 AM »
Robin, Adam, In the thread about 18 months ago about the desecration of the 17th green, Frank said he was no longer advising the club.
Last I heard was that they were talking to Ebert.
So I would expect routing changes and new greens are being planned  ;)

Ben Stephens

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #16 on: August 05, 2020, 09:16:26 AM »
Robin, Adam, In the thread about 18 months ago about the desecration of the 17th green, Frank said he was no longer advising the club.
Last I heard was that they were talking to Ebert.
So I would expect routing changes and new greens are being planned  ;)


Maybe the 17th will then revert to the previous design due to historical aerials  ;D

Gib_Papazian

Re: Latest changes at Swinley (2020)
« Reply #17 on: August 06, 2020, 06:37:47 PM »
Is Ian Pierce still the Club Secretary? I had an incredibly fun day playing with him. You can make the argument Swinley is one of the few golf courses you could play every day - well into your dotage  - and never grow tired.

Tags:
Tags:

An Error Has Occurred!

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()
Back